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I wasn't originally planning on going to this show, but I also wasn't planning on the Bruins winning their first Stanley Cup in 39 years. Because I went to the parade earlier and was playing a show in Boston later tonight, I decided to kill time at The Middle East. I had heard of two of the bands playing, one of which dropped out due to van trouble (though they were replaced with someone I knew).
Because I decided to walk to The Middle East (and went the wrong way at one point), I missed the first band. I walked in at some point during the Young Tremors' set. They were interesting, to say the least. Their sound was rooted in early rock and roll, with tunes that got people dancing and a horn section. I could have been tired from the two hours sleep and delerious from the excitement, but I was a bit bored with them. They were quite talented and did the sound justice, but I wasn't all that into them. I did like that their saxophonist looked like Wolverine, but their sound (or my energy level) was blah.
Jason Bennett replaced The Jukebox Romantics, and a lot of the crowd replaced themselves with empty space when Mr. Bennett took the stage (I was hoping that they were just finishing up their cigarettes and weren't the people that leave early). The people not in the room missed a great performance, even if his guitar wasn't happy with the temperature in the room. There were a few missteps, mostly due to the guitar not wanting to stay in tune, but Bennet was able to get everyone to laugh at his potential embarrassment. I'm liking him more and more every time I hear him (this would be my third overall, but the first of two times today). His voice blows me away and he flat out writes great songs. They're catchy and everything was arranged well. Billy Bragg would be proud of this should be disciple.
I really liked The Old Edison the first time I heard them. They had an old timey folk/bluegrass sound that was sprinkled with sincerity. Not many people were at their show about a year ago, but people were packing the place for this performance. Their strength is in their gruff vocals that sound like they've spent time in the mountains crafting moonshine. Their dynamics are amazing and the songs all have an honest feel to them. With all that, there was an aura of fun to each song. This was evident with the crowd sing alongs and their cover of "Dammit," which got a surprised chuckle out of everyone. The Old Edison are a band making the right type of music at the right time, and I wouldn't be surprised if they grew out of Boston soon.
Not knowing them, I asked someone what The Furiousity sounded like. Without a second thought, I was told they sounded awesome. I was in full agreement during the first song. The four girls and one guy with tendinitis rocked the joint with catchy melodic punk songs. The singer had a great voice and everything was tight and to the point. The crowd knew all of their songs, singing along with smiles on their faces. This was their CD release show, and despite some guitar technical difficulties at the beginning and end of their set, they made a lot of people want to pick up their album.