Middle East Club

Photos and Video from Voodoo Glow Skulls Chaotic Middle East Performance

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voodoo glow skulls at middle east jacobwakeup flickr

voodoo glow skulls at middle east jacobwakeup flickr

An intimate yet fierce crowd turned out Friday night for Voodoo Glow Skulls, The Toasters, Left Alone, and The Pomps. Singer Alex Stern of The Pomps opened began their set by thanking the crowd for not going to see Streetlight Manifesto at House of Blues. They played a very tight set of their new wave-inflected pop/ska. They were joined by Jr. Thomas from Minneapolis for two songs and noted they’d be backing him for a set at the Midway Cafe Saturday night (I was unable to make it to that show). Left Alone followed with a really tight set of their Rancid-inspired punk, ska, and rockabilly. The bassist alternated between an electric and upright bass which really made them stand out for the night.

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Asbestos Records Announces Spring Heeled Jack USA and Thumper Reunion at Middle East

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102713 spring heeled jack middle eastLast week, Asbestos Records announced that CT ska legends Spring Heeled Jack will be gracing Boston with its presence for the first time since last October’s Skalapalooza. Unlike last year’s affair, they’re not billing themselves as “acoustic” this year. If you were fortunate enough to make it to New York City for the Apple Stomp, you caught the real deal with horns and all. (If I may play the elitist for a moment, the really special event was the two-night reunion in May of 2010 at Toad’s Place in the New Haven. It was epic but rest assured I was still front and center singing my heart out at Apple Stomp).

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Hobo Chili Offers New EP for Free Download

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hobo chili logoSka/Reggae/Rock band Hobo Chili originated in Framingham in 2012, but recently moved to Boston. They recently celebrated the release of their new EP at Davis Square Theatre in Somerville. The next day, July 27th, they made the record available for free!

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Show Preview: Mash It Up Fest with Bim Skala Bim and Pressure Cooker at Middle East Club

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20130720 mash it up flyerI’ll spare you too much editorial on this one. Bim Skala Bim is hosting another Mash It Up Fest Saturday night at the Middle East in Central Square. If it’s anything like the last affair, it’s going to be a good time. The line up is killer and Sam Adams is sponsoring the show (promo pints? I certainly hope so). It’s also the unofficial (?) after-party for the Bosstones show on the Common.

Entertainers this evening include JP’s Pressure Cooker, John DeCarlo and Company (fresh off the Version City Tour), Riki Rocksteady & The Arraignments, and Mr. Kowalsky. No, you don’t have to choose between this and the Bosstones. Get to the Middle East at 8 or find the other folks going late from the Boston Common and share a cab. Either way, get your ass there.

Here are the details and here’s the Facebook event. Get to know the bands below.

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FORT! The Last Show: July 10th Show at Middle East Club to be the Band’s Last

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fort promo

In a blow to those of us who like to party in basements with their friends, the Allston based FORT! The Band announced their last show via their Facebook Page on Sunday:

It was 6 years ago when a few art students and childhood friends found themselves in a basement on Mansfield Street, in Allston, Massachusetts. Through mutual appreciations for certain forms of art and entertainment they recognized a mutual interest in starting a band. They named themselves after a joke. With a bit of practice and thought, they soon enough were debuting their efforts in that very basement. Two other bands, Detonate, from Texas, and Marx Revolution, also played this show. If their self written biography is to be trusted, over the six following years, and through various incarnations, FORT! the Band brought their “rash, eclectic electricity to stages across the northeastern United States.” They made ten albums and went on three or four real rock and roll tours.

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A Guy Named Guy Returns Home from Tour; Presents Local Showcase at Middle East

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a guy named guy may 2013 tour

a guy named guy may 2013 tourEarlier this month, Boston’s own A Guy Named Guy set out on a three-week tour across the Northeast and Midwest USA. I can’t think of any other Boston ska bands that have done any serious touring recently (save for Big D heading out on Warped Tour this summer), so let’s give these guys some respect; touring isn’t easy in the slighted, especially for 7 or 8-piece ska/punk bands. Their first show kicked off in Allston so it’s only suitable that they circle back and close out the tour in Cambridge. Touring can be strenuous, so it’s nice to start and end with fans and friends.

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Spend 420 with Sammy Kay & the Fast Four and Brunt of It in Jamaica Plain

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sammy kay 2013 spring tour

sammy kay 2013 spring tourImagine my surprise when I found out my old pal Sammy Kay was passing through Boston. I met Sammy Kay in New York City when he was playing with The Forthrights and I was playing with The Hard Times and we were playing gigs together every two minutes. Well around the time I was getting ready to move to Boston, he had put a new band together, called Sammy Kay and the Fast Four. They played a few gigs before Sammy took off for the west coast where he plays with the East Los 3.

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