The imagery of waves is one of the strongest in music, from the way sound is visualized on a longitudinal wave, to how a crowd seems to bounce and ripple when a song really hits it’s stride. Ocean waves are cyclical, crashing in and roiling back out. Truly good albums–the kind that only get better with every listen regardless of when they were recorded–find a way to envelope a listener in waves from the speaker, eliciting a new response every time.

So, it is only appropriate that Boston bandmates Tim Ryan, Andre Obin and Tucker Dawson are called Endless Wave.

Whoever said quality pop music is dead, well, for the most part, is right. But on February 20th at a sold-out Café 939, we witnessed a clear exception. Dear Havanah, a trio of Mike Blong, Colin Healy, and Dan Htoo-Levine hit Boston with a set of songs reminiscent of Matchbox 20 or Train with the [...]

RJD2 first gained notoriety for crafting songs full of subtle details and samples from unexpected sources such as Led Zeppelin, Yes, Elliot Smith, and Syl Johnson. After two mostly instrumental full-lengths of these sample-based offerings, RJ changed gears significantly. On his next album, The Third Hand, he took on the role of indie rock singer-songwriter, moving away from the hip hop production on which he built his fan base. This abrupt change of style proved to be a divisive move, garnering him serious praise in some circles, and heavy criticism in others.

Imagine a typical Friday or Saturday night in Boston. There are probably a pile of events that you’ve said “Maybe” to on Facebook, from people that you vaguely remember friending. Sending out a mass text to your friends about what’s going on ends up with mixed results, to the tune of, “Well, I think there’s something going on at Middlesex,” or “I’m not really sure if I’m going to be at Great Scott or Rise because so-and-so said they might be here, but I also want to check out that band at Middle East, although I haven’t really heard their music.” Add the frigid temperatures of winter in Boston and the all-too-frustrating prospect of trekking on the T to vastly different corners of the city when all you really want is the the largest group of your friends possible in one place.

Enter RiotVine.

Happy March! We are now officially into “Seriously?! It’s still snowing?!” territory. You’ve already forgotten all your New Years resolutions and eaten all of that Valentine’s Day candy you bought for yourself, but it’s still not quite Spring time yet (damn groundhog). Don’t worry, we’ve put together a list of thing to do in the meantime.

Thank you, Boston men: the Financial District 9-5ers, the eternally pink-cheeked bike messengers, the hopeful job seekers, the baby-faced college students, the “sacrifice regular haircuts for beer” dudes. Without you, this Lady Barber would never have developed the vocabulary and the style of communicating that takes what you say and allows me to translate it to the top of your head.

Unfortunately, not all barbers will be so astute. Here are a few tips to help you help them give you what you want.

Somewhere between Janis Joplin and Ani di Franco, you’ll find Celia Woodsmith, the carefree and energetic frontwoman of Hey Mama.

When you show up at the door of the Whitehaus, you won’t find anyone there to X your hands or see your ID, you won’t find anyone there looking to charge you a 7 dollar convenience fee and, if it wasn’t already obvious, you won’t find Barack Obama. But you might find someone like Morgan Shaker who, despite never meeting you before, will let you in, offer you a beer, and start chatting with you about bands and upcoming events that he and his buddies are planning.

Boston-based thredUP is one company aimed at dispelling any fears one might have about clothing swaps, while helping the shopping obsessed freshen up their closet without blowing the bank.

Now officially three decades into his career, Chuck Prophet maintains his punkishly defiant swagger. His bullshit-free demeanor has only been fortified by the confidence that comes along with 30 years of playing his up-tempo, Southern California take on 60’s- and 70’s-era guitar-driven rock and roll in studios stocked with veritable legends.