College commencement season is underway. Undergrads at UMass Amherst and Northeastern walk this weekend and BU students are preparing to do so next weekend. As grads get ready to throw their caps into the air, we were busy collecting the latest in Boston’s musical happenings.
Julie Rhodes On the Berklee Internet Radio Network
Berklee continues to churn out high-quality musical content at an alarming rate, most recently releasing this two-song session. The Somerville-based Rhodes was accompanied by an electric bass providing rhythm and a blues-y flavoring on slide guitar, which frankly, was the only support her powerful, growling pipes and emotive phrasing needed. Rhodes, who has had a song premiered by Paste Magazine, released her first album in February. Tickets are still available for her shows at Thunder Road in Somerville on May 21st and Middle East Downstairs June 3rd.
Oh Malô Featured on KEXP Podcast
A local band has spread its wings and flown with its music to the West Coast. Our old friends Oh Malô appeared on Music That Matters, a podcast presented by KEXP. The Seattle radio station is one of the country’s most popular. Variety Mix host DJ Shannon selected the band’s track “Miss You” on her episode “I Wanna Waste My Time On Tunes.” The song is from Oh Malô’s brand-spanking-new album As We Were, the band’s first full-length studio release, which we covered last week.
Jenna Lotti Featured 104.1 Mix Variety
Milton local Jenna Lotti’s new single “Bad Habits” was premiered on the CBS local website last week. An electro-pop track with a touch of soul, the song and Lotti’s delivery are reminiscent of 90s Britney Spears — there’s the husky alto delivery, the vice-related subject material, and the shots of the singer sitting in or standing around a convertible with the top down. What makes this song different from its 90s predecessors are its funk influences — a smooth, restrained bass line and occasional horn fills. Her forthcoming EP is now available for pre-order on her website.
Great Scott Named One of Nation’s Top Live Venues
Chicago-based online publication Consequence of Sound released a blog post of epic proportions: a detailed ranking of the hundred best live venues in the country. Allston’s very own Great Scott cracked the top, finishing in eighth. It’s sandwiched between Colorado’s natural metropolis that is Red Rocks Amphitheater and expansive festival venue The Gorge, located just east of the Columbia River in Washington.
Says Consequence of Sound, “Great Scott offers the intimacy of your favorite college venue without the crummy conditions that keep you from returning as an adult… [it] takes quality booking, unassuming intimacy, and a dash of comically out-of-place crowdsurfing and turns it into something too special to describe.”
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