How Vancouver's Hawking Survived a Horrific Car Crash & What Other Bands Can Learn From Them

Catch Hawking at TT the Bear's Monday, June 15th.

Roughly a year and a half ago, Vancouver indie rock band Hawking (formally Tommy Alto) experienced a horrific car crash. With a lineup change, a repositioned musical path and some significant life experiences, the quartet is back on a massive 3-month North America tour, supporting the upcoming release of their S/T EP (pre-order here) and stopping at TT the Bear’s tonight (6/15) with local support from I/O, Today Junior and Speed Trials. 18+, $8, 9PM showtime (Facebook event page).

With stories of van crashes littering the pages of music websites annually, we talked with vocalist and guitarist Tom Vanderkam about his experience and what advice he can provide to other touring bands.

A Midsummer Night's Dance Party. The Pill Returns For A Reunion Weekend

Dance your heart out Boston. The Pill returns for a reunion weekend.

Big news. Huge news you guys. The Pill Boston, the city's finest indie dance party, returns this summer for two nights of modern indie bliss. Rejoice in the resurrection Friday, August 14th as DJ Ken & Michael V spin the best in Britpop and beyond, then stick around for a rare Saturday session, August 15th, as The Sons & Heirs (A Tribute to The Smiths & Morrissey) take the Great Scott stage. Dress to impress.

Ticket info to come. RSVP to the Facebook event page to get update notifications.

Related Stories:
The Pill Turns The Lights On For Good

The Underground Railroad to Candyland AND Toys That Kill Come to Allston

June 21st and 22nd at O'Brien's Pub. Tickets available now.

Humble, local music hub, O’Brien’s Pub, has some excellent news. The Underground Railroad to Candyland AND Toys That Kill will be playing back to back nights in Allston Rock City’s premier dive bar venue thanks to the mad booking skills of Ryan Agate.

Enter To Win Tickets to See Coliseum at Middle East Upstairs

Win a pair of tickets to see Coliseum! Details below.

Touring relentlessly, producing a series of full-lengths, EPs and splits, and continuously refining their sound over the last decade, Coliseum (Deathwish Records) is out on tour, supporting their fifth LP, ‘Anxiety’s Kiss’. A 10-track record that embodies the expansive life journey of a twelve-year-old band, 'Anxiety's Kiss' leans heavily on the post-hardcore, melodic side of Coliseum's sonic magnitude; standout tracks "Drums & Amplifiers", "Comedown" and "Escape Yr Skull".

The Louisville, KY punk band will stop in Boston on Monday, June 15th to play Middle East Upstairs with Child Bite, Chrome Over Brass and Raw Blow, presented by Wormwood Joint. 18+ with valid ID, $10 advanced / $12 day off, 8PM doors. View full event details.

And we have a pair of tickets to giveaway!

How do I win tickets?!

► This contest is closed. Congrats to our winner Cody!

Can’t wait? Don’t want to chance it? You can purchase tickets now. Stream ‘Anxiety’s Kiss’ on Bandcamp and purchase the record on vinyl and CD via Deathwish Records.

Rebuiler’s Debut LP, How ‘Allston Christmas’ Influenced Album Art & What Exactly Is ‘Gnarly Rock’

Get your copy of 'Rock & Roll In America' today.

2014 Rock ‘n’ Roll Rumble participant and Boston Music Award nominee for ‘Punk Artist of the Year’, Rebuilder rips open the preconceived stitches of punk rock to deliver their expansive, mature, and complex sophomore album, ‘Rock & Roll In America’. Their debut full-length on Panic State Records, “RNRIA” reinvents the self-proclaimed gnarly rock band’s sonic footprint, transcending the traditional three chord punk progression and showcasing the evolution of the band’s collaborative writing styles. Passionate, stirring and with a ‘never say die’ attitude in the same vein as Frank Turner or Against Me, Rebuilder’s live shows are packed with the resilient emotion of DIY music inspired by the honest truth, the instinctual reaction and the second wind that holds you back from the brink of exhaustion.

We sat down with the band to talk about their debut full-length, how Allston Christmas shaped the concept behind ‘Rock & Roll In America’ and hashed out the definition of ‘gnarly rock’.

[EXCLUSIVE LISTEN] Darklands Premiere “Barton” Off Upcoming EP ‘St. Thaddeus’

New music out of Rhode Island. Darklands premier "Barton" on Bishop & Rook.

Providence, RI’s Darklands channels Smashing Pumpkins, Dinosaur Jr. and Silversun Pickups with their upcoming grungy, distorted, poppy 5-song EP, ‘St. Thaddeus’ (New England Standard Records).

“You could put us somewhere between emo, shoegaze and grunge pop (new gaze?),” explains bassist David Marcotte.

Like a teenage romance, ‘St. Thaddeus’ is primarily thoughtful, climaxes early with “So Negative” and leans heavily on drawn out emotions, finishing with an emorific 7:45 minute track, “Hope”, complete with the lyrics “You're not enough...I wouldn't die for you. I wouldn't die for me, too.”

‘St. Thaddeus’ is due out late June, and will be available on cassette and as a digital download, with a potential vinyl option to follow. Check out the exclusive premier of “Barton”, streaming on Bishop & Rook below. Follow Darklands on Facebook for show and release information. And listen to the album's previously released tracks "So Negative" and "Green" on Bandcamp.

Upcoming Shows:
June 13th: No Problemo, New Bedford w/ Holy Hands, Glass Floor
June 19th: DV8, Providence w/ You Blew It, Twin Foxes
June 26th: Dusk, Providence w/ Feedback Psychosis, Tape Eater, Bangladeafy, Mis(s)invader
July 20th: Psychic Readings, Providence w/ Burglary Years, Hemingway, Holy Hands