by craig bidiman | Feb 2, 2017 | Show Reviews, The Articles
Anyone who has been to a sold out show upstairs at the Middle East in Cambridge, Mass knows to expect getting close to your neighbors. It’s a venue for claustrophobes and introverts to break out of their shells and get comfortable with the community. Luckily, last...
by craig bidiman | Dec 16, 2016 | Features, Show Reviews, The Articles
Last Thursday, pop punk veterans, Set Your Goals, returned to Boston having recently come off a lengthy hiatus to tour, reissue, and celebrate the tenth anniversary of their 2006 debut LP, “Mutiny!” The band spent many of its early years playing endless shows all over...
by craig bidiman | Dec 1, 2016 | Features, Interviews, Show Reviews, The Articles
Florida natives, Copeland, have been sharing their brand of soothing piano rock for nearly two decades. While the band recently came off of an extensive hiatus and released their latest album, Ixora, in 2014, there hasn’t been much in the way of touring for the band....
by craig bidiman | Nov 3, 2016 | Features, Interviews, The Articles
Craig chats with Alex Pickert, formerly of Coach and Sons Olde Time Family Booking, and the new talent buyer and booking agent at the Middle East in Cambridge, MA This article is also accompanied by a full 35-minute conversation between Craig and Alex, so feel free to...
by craig bidiman | Oct 2, 2016 | Album Reviews, Features, Interviews, New Album Reviews
Over the last decade, the realm of punk and post-hardcore has been carried on the shoulders of the scene’s champions of spastic riffs and drilling blast beats. The band is fresh off a multi-year hiatus after touring the release of their previous 2013 triumph, the...
by craig bidiman | Sep 16, 2016 | Album Reviews, The Articles
It’s been four years since we last heard from Jimmy LaValle and his crew of atmospheric wunderkinds. For those unaware, The Album Leaf is LaValle’s nearly two-decades old mostly-instrumental brainchild, and Between Waves is the group’s latest offering of tunes....
by craig bidiman | May 2, 2016 | Show Reviews
I cover one of today’s brightest young voices and minds, Julien Baker Showing up early to any show can be a little awkward, but last Sunday was not the case. Folks were chatty, enthusiastic, and eager. Perhaps it was the tease of springtime weather hitting...
by craig bidiman | Apr 16, 2016 | Show Reviews, The Articles
I cover one of the punk/hardcore scene’s most jam-packed tours in recent memory Note: This piece originally appeared in the Mass Media. I feel bad for bartenders at punk and emo concerts. Either the majority of the crowd is too poor, too young, or straight edge....
by craig bidiman | Apr 2, 2016 | Interviews
LISTEN BELOW For the complete audio interview. On very little sleep, and after about 15 hours of driving, Boston’s own new wave emo punk band, sports. stepped onto the low-rise stage of Berklee College of Music’s Café 939 with a packed house of eager listeners ready...
by craig bidiman | Mar 20, 2016 | Show Reviews, The Articles
I cover one of the most anticipated AP Tour lineups in years! Note: This article was originally published in the UMass Boston Independent Newspaper, The Mass Media. Last Saturday was perhaps the most claustrophobic I have felt in my 13 years of concert-going, and for...
