Here at ‘ERS, we love live music! That’s why we created the Uncommon Concert Calendar — your guide to the best concerts in Boston. Each week, our intrepid music staff picks out some upcoming concerts you won’t want to miss.
CHICANO BATMAN @ PARADISE ROCK CLUB
7:00pm, Friday, May 10th with Lido Pimie
Psychedelic soul is the shortest genre description I can use to describe Chicano Batman’s sound, but the label doesn’t nearly encompass all of the stylistic influences (and new ideas) that are at play. Fans of Khruangbin, Crumb or Black Country, New Road might appreciate the sound of Chicano Batman; and if you didn’t notice, I picked three bands with today’s most unique musical voices, in my opinion. Chicano Batman formed out of Los Angeles in 2008. Over the course of their career, they’ve toured with Jack White, Alabama Shakes and Jack White; taken the stage at Coachella twice; and been on late night television. Their fifth full-length album Notebook Fantasy came out this March, with dynamic range and the ability to pack a punch. The group will be playing at Paradise Rock club on Friday, and if you couldn’t tell, they fit the bill of a band that you should see play live at least once in your life. The opportunity is here, so seize the day!
- Nora Onanian, Web Services Coordinator
TROPHY WIFE, RAAVI AND JOBIE @ 4TH WALL
9:00pm, Friday, May 10th
Three of our favorite Wicked Local Wednesday alums are joining forces Friday to deliver a night of live music that won’t be forgotten. WERS’ Youtube channel has some of their amazing in-studio performances archived if you want to check out their sounds for yourself (Raavi’s 2019 performance linked here; Trophy Wife’s 2022 performance linked here). However, if you want a quick description, know that they have three of the most pleasant to listen to voices this area has ever seen, and that you’re in for a night of beautiful instrumentation and lyricism that can lean towards emotionally devastating and reminiscent, but is not without a little playfulness and more than a dash of power (I mean, Trophy Wife lets out cathartic screams on “Leech”). Head to 4th Wall restaurant and bar to catch
- Nora Onanian, Web Services Coordinator
SOMERVILLE PORCHFEST @ THE CITY OF SOMERVILLE
12pm-6pm, Saturday, May 11th
In one of the most exciting events of the year, over 400 performances will take place all over the city of Somerville in the span of just six hours on Saturday. The only upsetting part: you can’t catch them all. Somerville Porchfest, put on by the city’s arts council, essentially functions by residents of Somerville volunteering their yard, driveaway or porch for a gig to be set up; local performers from the city itself and the surrounding area then apply and are assigned a space. When I say that there is something for everyone, I truly mean it— almost every genre is represented, from folk to jazz to marching band to techno. The band names are some of the best you’ll ever see. Don’t confuse Aqua Hamster with Plastic Hamster, though, the former is rock while the latter is folk.
In reading the city council’s website, you can tell that they have the best interests of both attendees and performers in mind. A line in the event description reads: “Remember music isn’t free to create, support the bands by giving them tips to help them continue to create and perform.” For the event, you’ll want to Head West to East as the day goes on as they broke the performances into three blocks of time based on which part of the city the performances occur. And you’ll definitely want to rely on the performances map for the most up-to-date information and to scope out what incredible sets might very well be in your backyard!
If you miss this event, know that there are plenty more Porchfests to catch in the coming months (some smaller; some of a similar size). Brookline’s Porchfest will occur in September, Jamaica Plain’s in August, and the amazing concept to celebrate local talent has even has spread to some towns nearing Cape Code.
- Nora Onanian, Web Services Coordinator
RAINBOW KITTEN SURPRISE @ ROADRUNNER
8pm, Monday-Wednesday, May 13th-15th with Ethan Tasch
You can tell just from their name that this band is loads of fun. For all three nights Rainbow Kitten Surprise plays at Roadrunner, I’d expect glittery fashions, jumps and kicks from vocalist Ela Melo, the self-proclaimed (but rightfully earned) “Superstar.” She’s bound to lead the audience through all of the bands’ eras, from Seven + Mary — their 2013 debut album — all the way to Love Hate Music Box, released just this past Friday. While there isn’t much time to learn all of the newest songs’ lyrics, I can guarantee the whole crowd will be singing along to “It’s Called: Freefall” — the band’s song with nearly 400 million streams.
- Nora Onanian, Web Services Coordinator
