Randy Black and the Heathcroppers

The Plough & Stars

The Von Traps & Laika

Sammy's Patio - Revere, MA

Muck & The Mires, Barrence Whitfield and the Savages

Middle East Up

1-15/16/18-2020

Randy Black and the Heathcroppers

The recently expanded Randy Black and the Heathcroppers have a third Wednesday of the month, 6 - 8 pm, residency at the Plough and Stars. The addition of Linda Viens and George Hall broaden the tone pallet available to Black to paint his moody Americana vignettes. Viens' harmonies are a sweet fool to Black's vocals on his tightly constructed tales. Hall adds constrained shimmer and shine and the promise of occasional rave-up to this literate, already formidable trio.

The Von Traps

Is it my memory or has Sammy’s Patio been a biker dive on Revere Beach since I was in high school? Its a low ceiling dive with a gigantic pile of old school speakers. The monitor facing the audience at the feet of alternating Von Trap frontman Brian Riley was a bit reluctant to perform but when it did it jumped his voice right off the stage and was an unusual, but cool configuration. The joint was about half full of psyched up punks and barflies. Location, location, location. It could be a pissah place for a bunch of bands for an all-day bash in the summer. Hmmmm.

The Von Traps

The Von Trap family sound fierce on their loud and catchy as a middle ages plague - minus the pustulates and the death thing - Clash and the lurching, in your face GBH riffery. Only their hairdresser knows for sure. They keep the tunes tart and short. Nothing over three minutes. One slow one to show they can. A new tune or two. No guitary wankery. Just big riffs with all aboard choruses to match. The Baabes are diggin’ it. The Von Traps have a new CD that came out in November. Sound the Alarm, Johnny was and Indian, What a Way to Die. Its made loud to play loud. All this and their long term bass player just had to go back home to his main gig hitting the world’s best parties with the Dropkick Murphys. The new guy sounds good on three practices and you can tell he’ll sound better every show.

Laika

Laika switches the mood from black leather to flannel. They transcend what seems to be jammy roots to an eclectic mash of genres - a little Pavementesque vocal here, a touch of light psych there, longer but not snooze-inducing guitar solos offset the Von Traps six-string economy. Two vocalists and guitarists keep up the tonal variation on both. A party happy bass player on a sub-lime green ax adds a splash of color and offsets the general chill of his bandmates.

I love it when a weekend of music just keeps getting better. Muck & The Mires and Barrance Whitfield & The Savages have the big local show of the week. They both take full advantage. Both bands appreciate that the decent-sized crowd has braved the elements to be there and put out in kind.

Muck and the Mires

Muck and crew fly out of the gate. They bounce around their ever-expanding catalog of dare you to not dance to this list of killer hits and deep cuts. The energy loop is building. Hips be shaking. Snow, schmoe. The band's so hot the snow is melting out on Mass Ave.

Stick a snowplow on Barrence Whitfield and the Savages and they could clean the whole city down to the pavement. Peter Greenberg is fresh off a long injury lay off and he is out to play. His rhythm playing is set to slash and burn. His leads blow away all that remains. Tom Quartulli's tenor sax hits the kicks and gets a few chances to break free. Andy Jody's drums push and pull the beat across all manner of R and B beats.

Barrence Whitfield and the Savages

And then there's Barrence. He's a New England force of nature. He rocks. He swings. He breaks down. He punches. He preaches. He yowl's and woo-woo’s and howls. He can make a nor'easter cower and curve out to sea. The Middle East crowd knows when they are in the presence of a sizzling show and they overcome their generally too cool for school nature's to twist and shout their approval. It's a little early to start the running for the best show of the year, but I'm just saying...

Barrence Whitfield and the Savages

Barrence Whitfield and the Savages

Barrence Whitfield and the Savages

Barrence Whitfield and the Savages

Barrence Whitfield and the Savages

Barrence Whitfield and the Savages

Barrence Whitfield and the Savages

Barrence Whitfield and the Savages

Barrence Whitfield and the Savages

Barrence Whitfield and the Savages

Barrence Whitfield and the Savages

Barrence Whitfield and the Savages

Decibal Dennis at Barrence Whitfield and the Savages

Barrence Whitfield and the Savages

Muck and the Mires

Muck and the Mires

Muck and the Mires

Muck and the Mires

Muck and the Mires

Outside the Middle East

Revere Beach

Revere Beach

The Von Traps

The Von Traps

The Von Traps

The Von Traps

The Von Traps

The Von Traps

The Von Traps

The Von Traps

The Von Traps

Johnny Brain Box and Glen Diesel (Baabes) in the Von Traps Audience

The Von Traps

The Von Traps

Laika

Laika

Laika

Laika

Laika

Laika

Laika

Laika