“At first I was scrambling, but in the time since, I’ve done some of my most notable shit. I just kind of go where it takes me.”
FOTOBOM: THE CHILLS @ THE MIDDLE EAST
The word ‘seminal’ gets tossed around a bit cavalierly these days, when any decent band with a pulse and a couple of dusty records are suddenly reissued on some boutique label, and are suddenly yanked out of obscurity and proclaimed the as long-lost Beatles or some such nonsense. Martin Phillipps is a rare case […]
COLD FRONT COMING IN: MARTIN PHILLIPPS OF THE CHILLS
Few regions can boast an outsized influence on the greater musical culture more so than New Zealand, tucked away at the bottom of the earth thousands of miles from anywhere else. With Flying Nun (and lesser known labels such as Propeller, Ripper, South Indies and Xpressway), the country of three million became an insanely […]
THIS IS REALLY A LOVE STORY
Every line I enter into my computer about the Hub is also part of a love story, because like a parent in the 1950s (or today, I guess) attempting to rationalize smacking their kids, I truly love the objects of my animosity. Oftentimes, it hurts me more than it hurts Boston to level such relentless criticism.
FOTOBOM: YOB, SEA OF BONES, BLACK PYRAMID @ THE MIDDLE EAST
The three piece is the most economical serving size in rock music… think of all the great trios, ranging from the electric blues Tex boogie of ZZ Top, the pioneering hip-hop of Beastie Boys, the amphetamine-fueled blitz of Hüsker Dü (and their great uncle twice removed, the cocaine-fueled panzer attack of Motörhead) or the […]
STANDUP STARTUP: 12 YEARS OF FUNNY AT THE MIDDLE EAST
“There’s a good place to act like a crazy person.”
VALENTINE’S DAY SPECIAL: ‘TIL DEATH DO US PART
It goes without saying that this a seriously subjective roundup, compiled by our brain trust and the interjectors who barged into our discussions at the coffee shops and bars where our list blossomed.
PURPLE BAT WINGS: BAT HOUSE TALKS BREAKING INTO THE BOSTON SCENE
Boston’s Bat House talks feeling like an outsider when you’re a rock band educated at Berklee as they prepare to release their first full-length.
QURAN DMC: BLAK MADEEN ON MUSLIMS, FIVE-PERCENTERS, HIP-HOP, AND MARCO RUBIO
While most facets of American society revolve around Christianity, as Yusuf and AL-J are quick to note, hip-hop circles around a different set of principles.
SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL PROFILE: THE ONLY COLOR THAT MATTERS IS GREEN
Hip-hop and hummus with bestest leftist POTUS candidate Jill Stein
