Category: Bands/Comps/Splits
The McGunks at News Cafe
with the Paraplegics and Blasphemaddicts
News Cafe
Broad st
Pawtucket RI
Deadlands at Dusk
with We Own Land, Blackletter, and Hey Zeus
Dusk
Harris Ave
Providence, RI
9pm
Blood Moons at Pour Farm
with Silent Fields, Kris Fortin
Pour Farm
Purchase St
New Bedford, MA
9pm
Matthew Fraza Band at Nick-a-nee’s
with Eric & the Nothing
Nick-a-nees
75 South St
Providence, RI
9pm
The Callouts at Midway Cafe
with Bundles, Salinger, and Houselights
Midway Cafe
3496 Washington St
Jamaica Plain, Mass
Early show 4pm-8pm
Hope Anchor at Alchemy
with The Flawed, The Worried, and Cactus Attack
Alchemy
Richmond St
Providence, RI
The Lincoln Tunnel’s ‘Phone This One In’ review in ‘The Newp’
The Lincoln Tunnel’s ‘Phone This One In’ review in ‘The Newp’
Alternative rock’s essence is capturing an emotion that doesn’t need fancy production or flashy sounds. Just a guitar, a bass, and a rhythm section will do along with the proper amount of amplification. The Lincoln Tunnel out of Providence achieves that with their sophomore album Phone This One In, which was put out via the Warren-based label 75orLess Records on December 7. Christian Caldarone leads the cavalry with his crooning voice and raw strums on the guitar. There’s also a powerpop sheen that’s adorned within the album from start to finish.
John Menard backs up Caldarone on lead guitar while his brother Keith blends his skills on bass with Mike Tomasso’s drumming. The musical tightness exhibited throughout Phone This One In is genuinely impressive. Caldarone’s lyrics are hard-hitting and honest to the point where there’s no confusion on what he’s really singing about. It’s an unapologetic and old-school take on a style that’s been continuously evolving since the early ‘80s. The Lincoln Tunnel’s new album can be enjoyed by music lovers both young and old.
Starting the album off is “Time’s Wasting” with Caldarone shouting at the top of his lungs. “Bedroom Eyes” has a pop-rock aesthetic while also having a consistent breakbeat. It echoes the songwriting of Paul Westerberg and Robert Pollard and it also maintains a bit of originality. Fitting for the holiday season, “Stay In Bed (This Christmas)” is a conflict of nostalgia and reality. John Menard has a sweet guitar solo that shines through too.
This rad band has a show coming up at Alchemy in Providence on December 28 with Boston rock act If We Go At All and fellow locals Nate Cozzolino & The Lost Arts and The Ghosts Of Industry. While you’re at the show, get a copy of Phone This One In. It’s real rock music with a lot of heart.
The Lincoln Tunnel at Alchemy
with If We Go At All, Ghosts of Industry, Nate Cozzolino and the Lost Arts
Alchemy
Richmond St
Providence, RI
9pm
Mark Cutler ‘Travel Light’ review in Motif Mag
Mark Cutler – Travel Light
On Travel Light everything is a little darker, from the tone of the guitars to the vocals; it isn’t overtly political, so much as a songwriter trying to make sense of the world. Cutler’s voice retains a sense of leeriness on “Nothing from Nobody” as he sings “I don’t want nothing from nobody, don’t expect you to hand your soul to me” over a rollicking Chicago blues lick. “What About You” is a classic ballad that feels like it fell off of an expanded version of Tom Petty’s Wildflowers as Cutler croons, “I’m only a hobo when I’m not by your side.” “Gaslight” is a cool tune that reminds me of ’70s Neil Young set to a rhythm reminiscent of a stripped down version of Smashing Pumpkin’s “1979.” The starkness of “East of Eden” reminds me of a cross between Beggars Banquet era Stones and Time Out of Mind era Dylan. “Misfits” and the closing title track retain a youthful quality — hitting the road for the next adventure. If you’ve never seen Mark Cutler live, it is an all-night party as he and his band play non-stop for hours with one tune after another drawing from his expansive career and covers of anyone from Jonathan Richman to the Stones. It is not to be missed and pick up a copy of Travel Light while you are at it!
Mark Cutler at Nick-a-nee’s CD Release Show
Nick-A-Nee’s
75 South St
Providence, RI
9pm