The Hotelier Announce 2014 US Tour with osoosooso

Boston It Band, The Hotelier, recently announced a 2014 US Tour with osoosooso to support the release of their upcoming full-length record, Home, Like No Place Is There (available for pre-order on Tiny Engines). The indie record label recently released two tracks off the anticipated February album.

Bishop And Rook on Nick Burka On The Music

Bishop And Rook featured on Nick Burka On The Music

Bishop And Rook recently infiltrated the folk, soul and bluegrass Boston music blog, Nick Burka On The Music, to bring the influence of indie rock! Hashtag networking. Read about the upcoming The Color And Sound show happening January 31st with The Appreciation Post and get educated on Nick's adventures on his side of the Boston music scene.

Bishop And Rook Guest DJs the 'Break Out Bands of 2014' Podcast For Mutiny on the Microphone

Tune into Boston podcast, Mutiny on the Microphone, for music
and informative tidbits about the local scene.

Oh geeze, someone let us talk on the radio.

Kristin discusses her predictions for breakout Boston bands of 2014 in this week’s Mutiny on the Microphone podcast!

We must be doing something right because Adam over at Mutiny and the Microphone was nice enough to let me stumble my way through a list of eleven bands that blew my mind in 2013 and can only get bigger in the New Year. I promise, only one kitten tangent. Not too shabby for our first podcast appearance.

Boston Bands Announced for 2014 SXSW Festival

The SXSW Festival rocks Austin, Texas March 6-17

Bent Shapes, Gentlemen Hall and Mean Creek among the Boston bands announced for the 2014 SXSW Festival happening March 6-17 in Austin, Texas.

Visit the official SXSW site for additional event details.

South by Southwest (SXSW) Music and Media Conference, the world's leading music industry event, offers attendees the opportunity to explore the future of the music industry during the day at panels, talks, the Trade Show, Music Gear Expo and other conference activities at the Austin Convention Center. At night, the absolute best mix of musical performances from over 2,200 regional, national and international acts take place at the SXSW Music Festival. Altogether, SXSW presents unmatched networking opportunities, career-building conference programming and over 100 stages of music for showcasing bands and conference attendees. SXSW Music is now in its 28th year.

We're Featured on Blog Better Boston's {hub}LINKS Roundup!

What What! Bishop And Rook's January Rock Out With Your Cocktail Out Playlist is featured on Blog Better Boston's 2014 {hub}LINKS Roundup. This month's theme is "everything new", including the new songs of Boston bands such as Kurt Von Stetten, Sarah Rabdau & The Self Employed Assassins, Slowdim and Rebuilder. Plus a deserving Chamboard Mimosa.

Calling All Ruffians. Rough Francis to Shoot Video for "Not a Nice Guy"

So you wanna be in a music video? Vermont soul punks, Rough Francis, put out an all call for extras to fill the room during an upcoming video shoot for "Not a Nice Guy" off of their 2013 LP, Maximum Soul Power. Director Mark Covino (A Band Called Death) will be behind the camera at North End Stuido, Burlington, VT, on Saturday, February 15th.

The Objective: To pack the space with as many people as possible and have a wild rock show. "We encourage crowd surfing and friendly slam dancing throughout the set. We also want to encourage people to wear their favorite punk band tees, especially local band tees. This will be our opportunity to show the rest of the world that there is a thriving underground scene in Burlington VT. Please join us."

According to the official Facebook event page, Rough Francis will not mime to their own music, they will actually play live (you might just hear the same song a few times).

This event is all ages and BYOB (because VT is awesome). Show time is at 9pm, Free 294 North Winooski Ave. Burlington, VT.

Old Gray Premieres Acoustic Version of "I Still Remember Who I Was Last Summer"

In late December, New Hampshire post hardcore screamo band, Old Gray, premiered a stripped down, acoustic version of "I Still Remember Who I Was Last Summer", off of the 2013 record An autobiography, available on Bandcamp as a name your price download. The band is currently on tour Boston punks Lovechild. Follow Old Gray on Facebook and Twitter for additional information.

Faces In The Floor - Self

Local independent label Electric Lighthouse Recordings releases the hard rock sounds of Faces In The Floor with the new EP, Self. Recorded over a two-day period in the now defunct Rosebud Bar & Grill, Self is the most recent recording from Electric Lighthouse.

Boston-based Faces In The Floor is a hard rock quartet, formed in 2009. In 2010, the band recorded and released a 5 song EP, A Conflict Of Time, and wrote and recorded their debut full-length album, Bones, at Lionsgate Studio in Boulder, Colorado in 2011.

Self is available for purchase on Bandcamp for $3. Check out other releases from Electric Lighthouse at electriclighthouserecordings.com. Follow Faces In The Floor on Twitter and Facebook for additional information including show dates.

Choke Up - Pilot Passenger / Joaquin Murietta

Pilot Passenger / Joaquin Murietta might be the most beautiful punk rock I’ve heard in a long time. A really smart record.

There’s an element of fascination when art imitates life; when an artist, or in this case, a band of artists, can produce a well-rounded concept of fact and fiction; rich in detail and chiseled to near perfection with integrity and intelligence. Choke Up brings prolific talent to the Boston music scene.

A Weekend of Music via Instagram

All access music blogging.

This weekend was a fucking spectacular time for Boston punks, old school and current. Between watching some superior legends in the scene, to rocking out with a bunch of super rad dudes, The Real Kids Middle East Show and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Hometown Throwdown 16 were excellent parties. And there are pictures to prove it.

Rock Out With Your Cocktail Out Vol. XIX

2013 has been a spectacular year for new music and 2014 will be just as rad. We'd like to give a huge internet shout out to the bands we were able to review / pimp out / meet and look forward to the next batch of shows and records to come across our desk. And an extra special flirty glance to ALL the social media kids who follow Bishop And Rook on Twitter and Facebook. We do it for you. It's all for you! Here's to dance parties for one, making something out of nothing, standing up for your opinions and your first playlist of 2014. Have a Chambord Mimosa you bunch of classy music lovers.

Shambles – It’s Not That Weird

Shambles rock out at O'Brien's Pub in Allston Friday Night, 12/20/13 (image credit)

A bunch of Allston kids singing songs about growing up and going nowhere fast, isn’t that what music is all about? Shambles, featured on Allston Pudding’s Fall Localz Only Free Mixtape XXMMIII, is a humble, hometown pop punk band with catchy songs averaging about 2:30, “Sorry we keep talking in between songs, but they’re all like a minute long, so we kind of have to.”

Gentlemen Hall, Mean Creek, ARmy of BRoken Toys to Play First Night Boston

Local bands rock out during First Night Boston

First Night Boston will feature some of the most talked about Boston bands including Gentlemen Hall (Island Records), Mean Creek (Old Flame Records) and Walter Sickert & the ARmy of BRoken Toys.

Indie Rock Ranger's Holiday Spectacular

Celebrate the holidays with Indie Rock Ranger - and don't forget your toy donation (poster credit)

On Saturday, December 14th, The Middle East Downstairs will host Indie Rock Ranger's Holiday Spectacular featuring some of Boston's favorite hometown bands.

Comcast Center Gets A New Name

What's in a name? Effective 12.11.13, the Comcast Center to is now the Xfinity Center (image credit)

The Wall Street Journal reported that Comcast and Live Nation today announced that the amphitheater, formerly called the Comcast Center, has been renamed the Xfinity Center, effective today, December 11, 2013.

The renaming of the venue reflects the Xfinity brand's strong awareness and resonance with consumers. The venue, which opened in 1986 and formally known as Great Woods and The Tweeter Center, has a capacity of 19,900 and hosts 35 to 40 concerts per year. "Live Nation and Comcast have developed a strong and rewarding relationship, and we are delighted to continue our alliance through 2017," said Don Law, president of Live Nation New England.

"We look forward to working with Comcast to make the newly rebranded Xfinity Center an entertainment destination for people across the greater Boston region and beyond." The 2014 season will be the venue's 29(th) year of world class live music concert events. Artists such as Jimmy Buffet, Dave Matthews Band, Coldplay, One Direction and Boston's own Aerosmith have graced the stage at the Xfinity Center.

Read the full story over at The Wall Street Journal.

The Regulars - That's Fancy

The Regulars (Boston) at The Precinct 12.6.13 (image credit)

The Regulars, comprised of members of Big D and the Kids Table and Far From Finished, rocked out at Precinct Bar in Union Square, Somerville last night. With a current line up consisting of Marc Cannata (ex-Far From Finished, vox), Billy Bean (ex-Smartbomb, ex-Outbreak, Callback Holly - Guitars and Vox), Dave Siegel (Guitars), Steve Foote (ex-Big D and the Kids Table, Nick and the Adversaries - Bass) and Rick Smith (The Pomps, Rebuilder - Drums), this band is a collaboration of seasoned local musicians, creating a sound oozing with pop. Their live show was nothing short of entertaining with Smith and Bean generating some showmanship moves on stage during an anticipated energetic post midnight set. You can purchase their 5 song EP (Are You) A True Regular? for $3 on Bandcamp today. Check out their sound.

The Young Leaves - 'Alive and Well' and Addictive

The Young Leaves 2013 full-length is 'Alive and Well' and Addictive

It’s garage, it’s indie, it’s the band from your 1994 prom, it’s The Young Leaves.

I had the pleasure of catching The Young Leaves' record release show with Born Without Bones and Save Ends back in October before all three jetsetted to Florida for FEST, and ever since then, I’ve wandered back to the band whenever I crave some solid local music.

Local Bands Nominated For 'Coolest Song In The World 2013'

Barrence Whitfield & The Savages (Boston) and The Connection (New Hampshire) are nominated for ‘The Coolest Song in the World 2013’, hosted by Little Steven’s Underground Garage. Up for the win is the 2013 Boston Music Awards nominee, Barraence Whitfield & The Savages’ “The Corner Man” off the 2013 Dig Thy Savage Soul, as well as three tracks from the groovie international sensation, The Connection, including “Comes and Goes” off of their 2012 self-titled LP and “Girls in This Town” and “Crawling From the Wreckage (Of a Saturday Night)” both from the 2013 Let It Rock! LP.

You can vote once every 24 hours up until 12PM December 28th. Vote Now.

Rock Out With Your Cocktail Out Vol. XVIII

'Tis the season for Nutty Irishmen and playlists filled with New England bands.

For your cutthroat shopping pleasure, the December Rock Out With Your Cocktail Out Playlist is released early for Black Friday! While we hope you're spending all your hard earned cash at your local record store, to each their self destructive own. No matter what you're doing, you should be doing it with a cocktail in one hand, maxed out credit card in the other, and the December playlist on in the background. This month's cocktail is the Drunk Uncle Nutty Irishman which pairs well with the likes of Brendan Boogie & the Best Intentions, Barrrence Whitfield & The Savages, Freeze Pop, Bandleader, A Wilhelm Scream, The Connection, Opposition Rising and Bent Shapes.

Western Education Release New Single "Rivals"

Lowell Mass Alt Rock band, Western Education, release "Rivals" single

If Interpol and The Killers had a collaboration, it would probably be “Rivals”. Lowell, Mass Alt Rock band, Western Education, has released the first single off their up coming 2014 album. "Rivals" is available on Bandcamp as a "name your price" download.

In a November YouTube video, the band announced they will begin recording their first full length sometime in January 2014 and to be on the lookout for a video for “Revivals” this December.

Hear Now Live presents Western Education, along with Cougar Bait, Swift Technique, Arms and Ears and Jalopy, at The Precinct in Union Square, Somerville on December 28th. For full event details, please visit the official Facebook event page. Follow Western Education on Twitter and Facebook for additional shows and record updates.