If you put Fuzzstival from three years ago next to the Fuzzstival of today, the differences are stark—for the better. What once was a psych and punk-only music festival has morphed into a music festival about the punk mindset in general. This upcoming weekend, the festival celebrates its fifth edition, and it boasts undeniably its best lineup yet.
“I just want to highlight local and regional bands,” says Jason Trefts, the founder of booking company Illegally Blind. “I try to make the festival an expansion of Boston’s music, and I feel like this year’s lineup goes much deeper than the first versions.”
The three day festival, which spans Sept 28 to Sept 30, is an all-ages event, which means it truly shows attendees of all backgrounds how phenomenal our region’s music scene is. Though it hops to a new venue each day—Massasoit Elks Lodge, ONCE Somerville, and Somerville ARTFarm respectively—daily tickets cost $15, or a three-day ticket can be purchased for $30.
While this year’s lineup is stacked, boasting artists like Dent, Ovlov, Kal Marks, Kominas, Horse Jumper of Love, and more, it’s the rest of the bill that has us excited. So read on for a cheat sheet of who’s who to see at the festival. Whose performance will leave a mark on the audience? Who’s an unexpected name on the bill? And which early-slotted act will blow up in years to come? To guide you through the stacked lineup, we share our must-sees alongside Treft’s own picks.
THURSDAY
6-11:30PM at Massasoit Elks Lodge, 55 Bishop Allen Dr., Cambridge
THE STUPEFYING SET
DIGBOSTON: Halfsour. There’s no faster way to uplift your mood than seeing Halfsour live. The Boston act is power pop whose melodies pack a hell of a payoff, like a seamless hybrid of early Radiator Hospital and Bent Shapes. Live, Zoe Wyner’s voice carries the exuberance that fills your body on the first day of summer, even when she’s singing about less-than-stellar life struggles.
ILLEGALLY BLIND: La Neve. I’m excited to see people’s reaction to that. Most people haven’t seen Joey [La Neve DeFrancesco] solo stuff outside of Downtown Boys. The style is electro-punk on record, but then when I’ve seen the show, Joey pulls it off. It has a super punk vibe that doesn’t sound like other bands I’m hearing right now. There’s no guitars. It’s just Joey and beats. I’m glad to have a little bit of that on the bill this year.
THE RISING STARS
DIGBOSTON: Germ House. It’s an underground supergroup of ex-Boston bands: Justin Hubbard (Turpentine Brothers), Tara McManus-Hubbard (Mr. Airplane Man), and Joe Ayoub (Marked Men). Like the rest of Trouble In Mind Records’ roster (Mikal Cronin, Omni, Negative Scanner), they manage to mix a cozy sound of jangle pop and garage slop. Their upcoming material is their best yet, and the only way to hear it is seeing ’em live.
ILLEGALLY BLIND: Blau Blau. Post-punk has been the music of my life. Anytime I hear a new post-punk band that’s hitting notes like that, it grabs my attention. Lira [Mondal] is an amazing vocalist, and the way that they all play? I know that they dig deep into the music of the past and appreciate it. You can hear it in their music. The set they did with Protomartyr and John Maus, they destroyed it, and I’m sure I won’t be the only one saying that this time around. Lira is just very special, and there’s something undeniable about her talent.
THE SURPRISE GRAB
DIGBOSTON: Rick Rude. New Hampshire is a stone’s throw away, but Rick Rude just wrapped up a tour behind their new album and it seemed like they may want to hole up at home. Instead, they’re bringing their clean-cut, scratchy rock to the festival to woo you with lackadaisical bummer tracks fit for anyone who can’t help but drag their feet when they walk.
ILLEGALLY BLIND: Dazey and the Scouts. They haven’t played shows in almost six or eight months. I knew they weren’t playing shows, but after I asked them to play with Mannequin Pussy, I was set on them playing this event. Lea [Jaffe] was in Baby!, but she’s not doing that anymore, so she said she would get the band back together to play the festival.
FRIDAY
6PM-midnight at ONCE Somerville, 156 Highland Ave., Somerville
THE STUPEFYING SET
DIGBOSTON: Bat House. We’ve said it time and time again, but we mean it: This Berklee-bred band is mind-blowing live. With just a tinge of math rock, oddball sampling, and indie pop thrown into their brand of feverish psych rock, Bat House hit the ground running during their live shows and refuse to let up until they’ve sprinted across the finish line. Watching drummer Pompy alone will give you the spins.
ILLEGALLY BLIND: A Band Called E. It’s shocking to me how few people realize who Thalia Zedek is. Not just her, but Jason Sanford and his old band Neptune. They’re true OGs. If you sit and have a conversation with Thalia, she’s hung out with everyone’s favorite bands and played shows with them. She’s one of those people. On top of it, she’s just a badass, and I think that goes overlooked because they aren’t as young as the local bands that usually get booked at shows.
THE RISING STARS
DIGBOSTON: Mint Green. There’s something refreshing about the genuine earnestness in their music. Their music sits somewhere between early-Paramore power pop and mid-aughts alt-rock, but Mint Green give it a revamping, penning the type of songs that ruminate on relatable issues while simultaneously giving you an escape from them.
ILLEGALLY BLIND: Baby! They have a lot of momentum right now, and they’re capturing the sound of the indie pop time. Seeing Baby! play Starlabfest was great, because it was proof that they fit in with bands outside of their genre and “scene.”
THE SURPRISE GRAB
DIGBOSTON: Way Out. The Providence punks skate under the radar, so any chance to see them on a bill is one worth taking. It’s pure ’80s post-punk, all the way down to the yelped, urgent, nearly falsetto singing. Some thick electronic-toned bass holds it all together, giving Way Out a leg up on any other band on the bill determined to make you dance on your own.
ILLEGALLY BLIND: Ava Luna. I was really happy to lock them in because their music is amazing. I love that they’re willing to push the boundaries. I don’t want it to be heavy guitar bands. A band like Ava Luna, where their fan base moves throughout places, is a great representation of what Fuzzstival is—they sound different on each record, each member does different parts in the band, and they change your opinion.
SATURDAY
1-8PM at Somerville ARTFarm for Social Innovation, 10 Poplar St., Somerville
THE STUPEFYING SET
DIGBOSTON: Loone. At first, their music may seem like a tepid rumination of nostalgia, but give it time and the band’s post-folk ballads overcome you like your favorite transcendental records. It’s all about singing along over silence and leaning close to hear their harmonies. By the time their set is done, you’ll be scouring their website to find out when you can see them next.
ILLEGALLY BLIND: Sammus. I’ve seen her just destroy shows. She’s really incredible. She’s so smart and has a confidence that makes her set next level. I’ve never had a hip-hop act at Fuzzstival, and I’m curious to see how it goes over. I can’t imagine anyone in that room not loving it.
THE RISING STARS
DIGBOSTON: Boston Cream. Any chance to hear nonrock bands in Boston is a welcome one, so it’s comical that newcomers Boston Cream deviate from the standard sound while claiming a quintessential moniker. Come to their set expecting disco-flavored bossa nova grooves, leave dreaming of electro-punk dance, and don’t be surprised if you hear their music circulating beyond city borders sometime between then.
ILLEGALLY BLIND: Peach Ring. It’s all in their hands at this point. Rose has been one of the best guitarists in the scene here for years. To see her find a project that showcases what she can do on guitar? She’s very versatile. And then Ari? She’s a new performer, but how much she’s improved in a short period of time is crazy, and she also has natural energy and a cool voice on top of it. I really look forward to whatever they do.
THE SURPRISE GRAB
DIGBOSTON: MV & EE. Part of the history of this area is the freak-folk scene of Vermont. They’re not only a great act to represent it, but they’re one of the innovators of that scene. Plus Ryley Walker spent five minutes on a Rough Trade podcast talking about how important they are to his career, in case it wasn’t vibe-approved enough already.
ILLEGALLY BLIND: KXDX. It’s Kurt Heasley from LILYS’ new band. LILYS are shoegaze legends, and they were a band I was always trying to get on the bill. I knew that’s not happening much, but it just so happened that he was working with this new band and would be in the area around this time. It fell in the lap, which was perfect. I’d been trying to book one of Kurt’s new bands for a long time.
BOSTON FUZZSTIVAL 2017. THU 9.28– SAT 9.30. VARIOUS VENUES, CAMBRIDGE AND SOMERVILLE. ALL AGES/$15-30. ILLEGALLYBLINDPRESENTS.COM
