If you’re at all familiar with this indie band, you’ll know their songs are always a Rather Nice blend (see what I did there?) of cleverly presented humorous angst layered against bright melodies. Although I’ve never listened to an EP quite as short as four minutes before, I must say that the boys have stumbled […]
Every week, I’ve been doing a deep dive into cultural issues, usually theater-related, that are bothering me or that deserve a second look. But who needs another thinkpiece, right? I host two weekly programs on my theater company’s Faceboook page (Facebook.com/EpicTheatreCo) where I ask guests what has been keeping them creatively engaged or excited, and […]
Noted reedman Dan Moretti, one of the nation’s top tenor saxophone artists, lives in Narragansett. Dan has been composing, recording, leading, teaching and performing jazz and some R&B around the world for more than 30 years. He has played with many of the great names in jazz during his veteran years, and Dan represents quality sound […]
If you’ve never met Mandi Crimmins, you wouldn’t know how iconic her deep scarlet locks are in her grunge-but-trendy aesthetic. That’s why in the video to her recent release, “Anyone But Me,” viewers initially see only brief flashes of her “alter ego” alongside the blonde, preppy version of herself that, in reality, couldn’t be any […]
Jack Downey is a one-man band extraordinaire, with his new project Wave Goodbye based on a loop pedal, drum machine and a whole lot of talent. Since he began with lyrics even before learning an instrument, Jack’s poetry within these songs rivals greats like Bon Iver or Vance Joy. Still in college, Jack is a […]
Okee dokee folks… “I Ought To Know” is a song by the late, great singer-songwriter, Jack Hardy. It includes poignant lines such as “I ought to know the songs of Joe Hill, I ought to know Trotsky, Marx and Hagel; I ought to know about the Haymarket hangings, And the H.U.A.C. This I ought to […]
Ranging from dance music to soft emotional ballads, music by Skylar Batz has all the glittering potential of a six-ring circus. As a current student of Berklee School of Music, she’s been learning all the ins-and-outs of production for a while now, but her artistry extends far beyond the mixing board. Heading up the new […]
Rather Nice is an indie pop rock band composed of lead singer Joe Johnson, guitarist Mike Tenreiro, bassist Nick Reagan and drummer Oliver Littlefield. Together, they write tunes that are equal parts melodic and quirky, while assigning new feelings to familiar emotions. My favorite songs off their latest release Volume 1 have to be “Diversions” […]
As spring rolls around in the underground, glimmers of hope abound with vaccines, warmer weather and the gradual return of live music! On the negative is the return of mass shootings, but that is another conversation for another place between people who don’t listen to each other. One of the bright spots of the pandemic […]
As the solo member of indie-rock project Wave Goodbye and self-proclaimed clone of Harrison Reed Dolan (the drummer of alt-rock band grizzlies.), Jack Downey wears many hats — drummer, bassist, guitarist or vocalist. He juggles all of these roles with ease, and presents his stories with poetry. His latest EP, summer, tackles the feeling of […]