Some decent venue news for a change

First up, we were overwhelmed with joy to see the header hit our inbox that read, “Good News for ONCE!” As in ONCE Somerville, the beloved venue that like most others is struggling to come back. More from the crew there:

“After over a year with no revenue, independent venues have been approved for emergency relief funding! The government’s upstart on this grant distribution has been a bit… rocky to say the least, but believe it or not, a few days ago, little, tiny ONCE Somerville was one of the first to be awarded!”

“This money makes it possible for ONCE and the people who work here day in and day out to keep going. With renewed faith and energy, we can continue our search for a new, permanent home while producing a high-level series of outdoor shows this summer.”

“We absolutely could not have made it to this point without the dogged support of our families, friends and community, and the generous donations and contributions from our ONCE and OVV patrons. Sincerely, thank you. With you, we have worked hard to keep doing what we love to do. It’s such a great feeling to be able to share this good news for ONCE.”

And of course we’re watching countless artists who will hopefully be rocking all these venues, like LAVAGXRL, whose new single on Green Line Records, “Fall so Far,” drops on Aug. 6. And Oompa, who is following the Dephrase-produced summer single (and incredible accompanying video) GO with Dan DeCristofaro with “LEBRON,” a “hard-hitting track about doing what one wants, while others do what they can.” From Oompa’s camp: “With a nod to legendary basketballer LeBron James, Oompa plays with linguistics by repurposing the word into a verb in honor of James’ resilience despite the odds. LEBRON is about feelin’ yourself, defying naysayers, and the battles no one knows about – or as Oompa explains, ‘knowing you’re a bad bish.’” Also out Aug. 6.