Rock Over Boston: Rock and Roll Rumble, Night 1

[Night one of the 2013 Boston Rock and Roll Rumble. Photos by Michael Piantigini.]

We can all look to Boston's Rock 'n' Roll Rumble for a reminder of why we participate in music - and particularly local music - in the ways that we do. Whether we're playing music, DJing, writing about music, or just making rock clubs our second home, that impulse to share and share in the music that moves us is what gets us off the couch on a Sunday night (on Mad Men season premier night, no less) and connect with not only the sticky floors of our feedback-filled dreams, but friends and sounds old and new.

But the Rumble belongs to the bands. All of them. Winners and not-winners. I again had the honor of participating as a judge, and it was no less difficult than last year to have only one winner. The somewhat understated The Okay Win opened the night with their solid, engaging indie sound that doesn't beat you over the head with their 3 guitars; Cancer Killing Gemini swung for the fences with an aggressive, driving assault by a rhythm section that will not be denied; and Velah's slow-burning, finely-crafted pop made a convincing case to close it all out; but, just before that, New Highway Hymnal had one of those sets that just got down to business and never looked back through deep psych waves of reverb cut through only by saturated, pulsing bass lines and drums that swung. Their no-nonsense hit-and-run took the night (Haverhill represent!) and to celebrate you can grab their most recent album, Whispers, for free (name-your-price) right over here.

And this was just the beginning. Still five more nights of preliminaries to go, all of it at TT The Bear's, a Boston rock institution in its own right. See you out there:

Monday, April 8:

9:00 Endation

9:45 The Deep North

10:30 Herra Terra

11:15 Camden

Tuesday, April 9:

9:00 Eddie Japan

9:45 Supermachine

10:30 Glenn Yoder and the Western States

11:15 Blackbutton

Thursday, April 11:

9:30 Mount Peru

10:15 Whitcomb

11:00 Lifestyle

11:45 Twin Berlin

Friday, April 12:

9:30 Coyote Kolb

10:15 The Field Effect

11:00 The Suicide Dolls

11:45 White Dynomite

Saturday, April 13:

9:30 Parks

10:15 Jack Burton vs. David Lo Pan

11:00 Ruby Rose Fox

11:45 The Daily Pravda

Thursday, April 18:
Semifinals

Friday, April 19:
Semifinals

Friday, April 26:
Finals


- Michael Piantigini

New Highway Hymnal: Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr
Velah: Intertubes | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter
Cancer Killing Gemini: Intertubes | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter
The Okay Win: Intertubes | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter

Rock 'n' Roll Rumble: Intertubes | Facebook | Twitter
Boston Emissions: Intertubes | Facebook | Twitter
Rumble history: Wikipedia