Music

Mike Block Trio, from left to right: Left to right is: Zachariah Hickman, Mike Block, Joe K. Walsh (Courtesy Mike Block)

Mike Block Trio's adventurous 'What Now?' brings the cello to the backcountry

The Boston-based bluegrass band liberates traditional and classical music from its rigid structures.

Arts & Culture

Oct 3, 2022

The group Club d'Elf - Mike Rivard on bass (or sintir) Andrew Fogliano on tenor sax and flute, and Alex Lee Clark on trumpet, Paul Schultheis on keys, Dean Johnston on drums, Jeff Rourke on turntables, and Lyle Brewer on guitar - play at the Lizard Lounge reopening in Cambridge, MA. (Courtesy of Joshua Touster)

It’s been 30 months since the pandemic shut its doors, but the Lizard Lounge is back

Without a stage, the musicians at the Lizard Lounge play in the center of the room with no way for the crowd to social distance. That intimacy is what makes...

Arts & Culture

Oct 1, 2022

Some of the entrants to this year's NPR's Tiny Desk Contest. (Screenshot/YouTube)

Here are the 21 best local entries to NPR's Tiny Desk Contest

Meet the finalists for WBUR's Favorite Massachusetts Entry to the Tiny Desk Contest, chosen by a panel of Boston musicians and critics.

Arts & Culture

Sep 29, 2022

Newburyport natives TOLEDO soften painful lyrics with 'pillowcore' sound

Dan Álvarez de Toledo and Jordan Dunn-Pilz grew up busking together in the busy, tourist-filled downtown. After two EPs, they're out with their first full-length album, "How it Ends."

Arts & Culture

Sep 29, 2022

Clockwise from top left: Nervous Eaters (Courtesy Carissa Johnson); Ali McGuirk (Courtesy Ben Collins); Crescent Ridge (Courtesy Samuel David Kats); Mike Block Trio (Courtesy Luke Zvara); Son Little (Courtesy Cynthia Perez); Takuya Kuroda (Courtesy Genya); and TSHA (Courtesy Nicole Ngai).

7 albums to listen to this fall

Music writer Charley Ruddell's fall guide includes albums that capture the end-of-summer blues with introspective R&B, cathartic electronic anthems and crunchy grunge-pop.

Arts & Culture

Sep 15, 2022

Anna Rakitina leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra in spring 2022. (Courtesy Hilary Scott/BSO)

A comprehensive guide to Greater Boston's fall classical music concerts

The spectrum of classical music in these parts is extremely wide and varied. Art critic Lloyd Schwartz shares his list -- broken down by category -- of the notable musical...

Arts & Culture

Sep 14, 2022

Ethiopian band QWANQWA will play at BU Global Music Festival. (Courtesy BU Global Music Festival)

How a trip from Boston to Ethiopia birthed the maverick band QWANQWA

Kaethe Hostetter was a busy Boston musician before a trip to Addis Ababa changed her life. Now, she plays with Ethiopian band QWANQWA, which is scheduled to perform at the...

Arts & Culture

Sep 13, 2022

pushflowers co-vocalists Rocío Del Mar and Justine DeFeo. (Courtesy Sam Frederick)

Boston indie pop group pushflowers are bursting with identity on 'Abre'

Connecting with co-singer Rocío Del Mar’s Hispanic roots, the quartet transforms their indie rock sound into a bubbly, Latin pop dance floor anthem.

Arts & Culture

Sep 6, 2022

The new MGM Music Hall at Fenway opened in August. (Courtesy Above Summit)

New MGM Music Hall at Fenway is designed with musicians in mind

America's oldest ballpark has hosted dozens of concerts in the last 20 years. Now, Fenway Sports Group has a 5,000-person capacity space. Musician James Taylor says is has the same...

Arts & Culture

Sep 2, 2022

Musician Eph See (OJ Slaughter for WBUR)

Dorchester musician Eph See channels teen angst into buoyant pop

Their 2021 debut EP, "g*rlhood," captures the romance of adolescence from the perspective of someone (slightly) older and (regretfully) wiser.

Arts & Culture

07:08Aug 25, 2022

A still from Grace Kelly's music video for "We Will Rise." (Courtesy Pasha Riger)

Grace Kelly channels empowerment in new pop anthem 'We Will Rise'

The Brookline native came to early acclaim as a young jazz saxophonist mentored by the late Fred Taylor. Her new song is the first single off the upcoming album “All...

Arts & Culture

Aug 17, 2022

Actor and dancer Gene Kelly in the 1952 film "Singin' In The Rain." (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

A rainy playlist for a parched New England

From The Doors' "Riders on the Storm" to Missy Elliott's "The Rain," we've rounded up 13 songs we hope will help summon some precipitation.

Arts & Culture

Aug 5, 2022

Dee Stroy and his girlfriend Molly Blom enjoy an event at The Rathskeller club and venue, also known as "The Rat" in Kenmore Square in Boston, on Sept. 13, 1996. Stroy is a member of The johnnies, a punk band out of Plymouth, MA. (Photo By Michael Robinson-Chavez/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Remembering punk rock club The Rathskeller and owner Jim Harold

Better known as The Rat, the club was the epicenter of Boston’s punk rock scene from 1973-1997. Former employees, musicians and others share memories of the venue and the man...

Arts & Culture

Aug 5, 2022

Cory Wong at Newport Jazz Fest 2021. (Courtesy Adam Kissick)

Virtual jazz stars play live at the Newport Jazz Fest

When funk guitarist Cory Wong and straight-ahead pianist Emmet Cohen take the stage with their respective bands, they’ll finally be playing live to fans they gained during the pandemic.

Arts & Culture

Jul 25, 2022

Jason Isbell waves to the crowd at Newport Folk Festival 2021. (Courtesy Steve Benoit/Newport Folk Festival)

6 must-see acts at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival

From blues legend Taj Mahal to country singer Maren Morris to banjo phenom Béla Fleck, WBUR culture writer Lauren Daley highlights the musicians to check out at this year's festival.

Arts & Culture

Jul 19, 2022

Joe Perry performs with Joe Perry and Friends at the House of Blues in April 2018 in Boston. (Winslow Townson/Invision/AP)

Guitarist Joe Perry on Aerosmith, a new album and playing live

With Aerosmith taking the summer off, Perry assembled a version of the Joe Perry Project, a band he first put together in 1979. The group headlines two New England shows...

Arts & Culture

Jul 18, 2022

Daniel Huang, Ronnica and Tiffany Sammy of Mint Green. (OJ Slaughter for WBUR)

Bubblegrunge band Mint Green refreshes heartache anthems

The Somerville band, named for the lead singer's favorite color, debuted their first full-length LP earlier this month. Their music brings a mix of emotions — light and airy, but...

Arts & Culture

09:25Jun 30, 2022

Tanya Donelly and Brian Sullivan of The Loyal Seas. (Courtesy Ann Sullivan Cross)

Tanya Donelly and The Loyal Seas let lush pop flow

At the Burren for two sold out shows -- and then again at City Winery August 6 -- Donelly will be co-leading The Loyal Seas, a new outfit she formed...

Arts & Culture

Jun 24, 2022

Jonathan Harris plays young Malcolm in "X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X." (Courtesy Ball Square Films/Kathy Wittman)

A 12-year-old from Brockton portrays a young Malcolm X in an opera's revival

Boston Modern Orchestra Project is reviving a 1985 opera called “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X” at the historic Strand Theatre in Boston, just a few blocks from...

Arts & Culture

06:36Jun 17, 2022

Boston indie rock band Pet Fox. (Courtesy Michael Cook)

Boston indie veterans Pet Fox on surviving in music and their new album

The trio of Theo Hartlett, Morgan Luzzi and Jesse Weiss is out with "A Face in Your Life" on June 17 and for the first time since banding up, they...

Arts & Culture

Jun 16, 2022

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Mike Block Trio's adventurous 'What Now?' brings the cello to the backcountry

It’s been 30 months since the pandemic shut its doors, but the Lizard Lounge is back

Here are the 21 best local entries to NPR's Tiny Desk Contest

Newburyport natives TOLEDO soften painful lyrics with 'pillowcore' sound

7 albums to listen to this fall

A comprehensive guide to Greater Boston's fall classical music concerts

How a trip from Boston to Ethiopia birthed the maverick band QWANQWA

Boston indie pop group pushflowers are bursting with identity on 'Abre'

New MGM Music Hall at Fenway is designed with musicians in mind

Dorchester musician Eph See channels teen angst into buoyant pop

Grace Kelly channels empowerment in new pop anthem 'We Will Rise'

A rainy playlist for a parched New England

Remembering punk rock club The Rathskeller and owner Jim Harold

Virtual jazz stars play live at the Newport Jazz Fest

6 must-see acts at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival

Guitarist Joe Perry on Aerosmith, a new album and playing live

Bubblegrunge band Mint Green refreshes heartache anthems

Tanya Donelly and The Loyal Seas let lush pop flow

A 12-year-old from Brockton portrays a young Malcolm X in an opera's revival

Boston indie veterans Pet Fox on surviving in music and their new album