Red Flannel Hash, the latest record from Burlington, VT's Black Rabbit, is bursting at the seams with enough hard, fast guitar riffs to keep your head bouncing for weeks. My favorite track off the record is "Sayonara", with its catchy chorus and rowdy guitar solo. The song is over so quickly that by the time it's finished, you're left wondering: "what was that and why was it so incredibly awesome?"

For more info about the band, check out their Facebook page.

-Dan McMahon (@dmcmhn)
 

We’re proud to premiere the film noir, short film style music video for Now You Know from the San Francisco based rock musician, An Intimate Evening with Michael Shaw. Now You Know is a track from Shaw’s 2015 album, This is It which was independently released last month. The music video is shot in a thick, stark black and white tone and tells the story of the indiscretions of a young priest. The video is not your usual independent music video, choosing to embed itself within an "era ambiguous" plot of the most traditional taboo, but that's why we like it.

"The lyrics for "Now You Know" address the struggle for truth and honesty in a relationship, and the resulting fallout from such candor. The song chronicles me coming to terms with someone who had me on a pedestal.

With the video, we wanted to capture the tension of the lyrics in the song, while not being literal with the narrative. Working with the director, Ian Colon, and the producer, Jamie Shaw, we arrived at something heavily inspired by The Maltese Falcon and Lolita. The video was shot at some of the most iconic locations in the San Francisco Bay Area - a private dock in Sausalito, St. Hilary's in Tiburon and the streets of North Beach.

While shooting the hotel scene in the early hours of the morning in North Beach, our hazer set off the hotel's fire alarm. So at one in the morning, the whole hotel was evacuated. The crew threw a blanket over the hazer and took off down the street with it under their arms before anybody caught on. We found ourselves out in the street with about 100 tourists in their pajamas and the SFFD rushing up to the hotel in two fire trucks, with sirens blaring. So, who set off their fire alarm that night? Now you know.” – Michael Shaw

Check out this video and purchase the album via Itunes.

"Now You Know" An Intimate Evening With Michael Shaw from Ian Colon on Vimeo.

Boston’s favorite road-house rock and roll band, Dressed for the Occasion, transports listeners to a fantastical world “somewhere out in the western desert” in their new single, The Devil’s Rodeo.  Two parts mythic adventure, one part pure escapism, this song hooks you from the first twang of the slide guitar. Lead singer Addison Chase imbues poetic lyrics with equal parts grit and soul and leads listeners down an enthralling rabbit hole, while electric guitarist Pat Hopkins’ explosive riffs dance with the promise of a dangerous adventure. Catch them live at The Middle East Downstairs on Friday, September 4th.

-Glori Blatt
 

Perfect by Tearjerker is a shoegaze-ish summer anthem. The beauty and melancholy of the track is evident in every aspect of the song. The circular synth line, floating up and down as the song moves along, combined with the myriad of slow, softly droning instruments all providing a bed that makes time feel like it isn’t moving at all. The spacy, distant vocals put the listener right into the middle of the whole thing, a walk down the beach into the sunset. With so many different little things happening, the song demands repeated listens, feeling just a little bit different with each playthrough. Raising the tension and volume just a hair for the ending, and coming to a relatively abrupt ending, is a fresh feeling on an ambient track. It builds and builds and builds through the whole song, a conversation of something deep and personal that builds until the truth is revealed, and ends on a high note. Every little bit of Perfect is necessary, and feels just that. Perfect. Look for Tearjerker to drop their new album, Stay Wild, July 17th. I certainly can’t wait to get my hands on it. - Cody Wright

The Bends call themselves surfadelic garage rock. Which I say is most excellent. This 5 piece group just released a new EP called "Bikini Grandma" which sounds fun. The first tune "I Don't Want To Fight" makes me not want to fight, believe it or not. Trippy guitar opens it up and carries the tune along while the bass goes for the odd walk. The vocals remind me of Wayne Petti from Cuff the Duke although the music behind them is quite different. Total Hawaiian party music right here. Heyoo. This EP is just a taste of what you'll hear from their sophomore album due out sometime this month. So hit up their bandcamp and get used to the lovely sounds of the Bends. It'll get you mucho excited for their new record. You can also go see em at the Rivoli tonight 7/3! - Kris "Big City" Gies