FRI/SAT 04.28-29
The Town and City Festival
If anyone has been to Raleigh for Hopscotch Festival, that concept of a sprawling number (in sound and total) of acts spread out around various stages and clubs in one city has also been used for several years for Lowell’s Town and the City Festival. The scope of the weekend is heavily focused on local acts and there’s a handy app to help you navigate your way across Lowell as you sample the musical offerings. Aside from nationally recognized acts such as punk rock/Americana legend John Doe, hometown heroes Buffalo Tom and alt.country heartthrob Rhett Miller, there are tons of local options of both older and newer acts. So, something for everyone!
Various venues. Lowell, MA 6:00 pm Fri, 2:00 PM Sat/All Ages/Individual shows $7-$25; single-day and two-day passes $20-$58. Tickets on sale now
THUR-SAT 04.27-29
NON-EVENT PRESENTS WATERWORKS 2023
Experimental music is by definition a niche market; music that emphasizes tones and texture over melody can be a hard sell for most but for sonic adventurers of Boston, we are very fortunate that Susanna Bolle and the Non-Event team have been tirelessly putting on challenging and rewarding programing for decades now. Their multi-day spring event is held once again at the visually stunning Waterworks Museum, housing the pumps and engines that provided drinking water to Boston until the turn of the 20th century. The acoustics are surprisingly excellent as well. Intrepid sounds will be provided by a variety of local and some non-local artists including Claire Rousay, Greg Kelley, Rhea Burdick, Retribution Body, Asha Tamarisa and others. If I can take the liberty to paraphrase George Clinton, though it’s not dance music you might find that freeing your mind will allow other experiences to unfold.
Metropolitan Waterworks Museum. 2450 Beacon St, Boston, MA. 7:30 PM/All Ages/$10-50 Tickets on sale now
SUN 05.14
Marissa Nadler/Glenn Jones @ Crystal Ballroom
Marissa Nadler has quietly amassed a deep and moving discography, mostly as a solo artist. Notably, she recently teamed up with Stephen Brodsky (Cave In, Mutoid Man, Old Man Gloom) as the Droneflower project and last year she added to her run of excellent records on Sacred Bones with The Path of the Clouds. Goth and folk, darkness and light are interwoven beautifully, an unlikely fusion of Shirley Collins and Diamanda Galas. She’s joined by guitarist prodigy Glenn Jones, who has taken inspiration from John Fahey but put his own spin on how six and twelve steel strings can sound (even five, when he reaches for his banjo). An inspired pairing of two local talents.
. 7:00 pm/ $20/All Ages. Tickets on sale now
Primarily based in Boston, Massachusetts, Tim Bugbee is no stranger to traveling throughout the country or overseas to capture the best live music photos.
