Hayley Reardon, a Massachusetts native, is one of the rare young musical talents to surpass the label of “pretty girl with a pretty voice” and land squarely in the “songwriter” category. In the her latest live video, featuring her new original song, "Ghost", Reardon’s simple presentation and beautiful, husky vocals make her seem both impossibly young and wise beyond her years. Her impressive natural vocal talent is anchored by evocative lyrics which manage to capture both the innocence and angst of youth - without the cliche. See her next live show at Amazing Things Arts Center in Framingham, Massachusetts on August 14th.

-Glori Blatt

 

Once again I have the priviledge of unveiling a new video from Boston's Molasses Jones, and once again I am extremely impressed by the tunes from these three guys. I was initially drawn-in by the unique location, a tunnel beneath the Eliot Bridge in Cambridge, MA. I enjoyed the stripped-down live performance, complete with cyclists interrupting the first few seconds of filming. 

"Smoke Screens" has a warm, low-down blues swing, but polished enough to sway more to the pop side of the spectrum. Perhaps most impressive about the whole thing is Cory Fein's playing--drums and harmonica at the same time is complex business.
Enough of my mindless comentary--click the image below and watch for yourselves.

Molasses Jones' debut album is due out in the fall. Until then, check out their Facebook page for band updates.

-Dan McMahon (@dmcmhn)
Photo credit: @lystenboston

The Naked Wild is a folk/indie rock band out of Toronto. I think it's also the website I was watching late last night...but that's a different story. Their tunes are pretty chilled out but they can fire it up when they have to. They have a bunch of live tunes available for stream on their soundcloud. The first tune I listened to was "Neighbour". The acoustic rhythm guitar gets you in a very campfire like setting. The lead licks over top bring you to the point when your buzz kicks in and you're ready to drift away. The walking bassline keeps the party going and the drums are thumpin away giving you reason to stomp. So that pretty much sums up most camping trips...in the wild....naked. Canadian folk rock for sure. I'm interested in hearing what they come up with in the studio. The Naked Wild play the Rivoli on July 16th.-Kris "Big City" Gies

In an age of gimmicky music videos, Tall Heights’ beautiful live-performance video of their new track, "Spirit Cold", is as refreshing as a glass of ice water on a hot summer day. In a song both contemplative and hopeful, Paul Wright’s cello is a lovely musical anchor that allows Tim Harrington’s acoustic guitar riffs to dance and soar while remaining as intricately wound as their harmonious duets. The duo will release their latest album, Holding On, Holding Out, in October - see them live at The Sinclair in Cambridge on October 4th.
 

-Glori Blatt
Photo credit: Shervin Lainez

Grab your whiskey and get to pouring - one listen to "100 Proof" by Cactus Attack and you’ll be ready to drown your sorrows, whether you’ve got ‘em or not. This rowdy country-rock band delivers more than a little bit of bite in this growly world-done-me-wrong anthem.  Gritty vocals are given depth thanks to electric guitar riffs writhing with emotion while the emphatic backup vocals, shouted rather than sung, add a rawness that will make you want to raise your glass and say “hell yes!” Cactus Attack is playing the Shaskeen Pub in Manchester on Saturday, September 5th.

-Glori Blatt

Cactus Attack, 100 Proof from David Laferriere on Vimeo.