Music of Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Massachusetts
is a U.S. state in New England
. The music of Massachusetts has developed actively since it was first colonized by Britain. The city of Boston
is an especially large part of the state's present music scene, which includes several genres of rock
, as well as classical
, folk
, and hip hop music
.
Perhaps the most influential early composer of the United States was Lowell Mason
. A native of Boston, Mason campaigned against the use of shape-note notation, and for the education in standard notation. He worked with local institutions to release collections of hymns and maintain his stature. Opposed to the shape-note tradition, Mason pushed American music towards a European model.
The Bay Psalme Book (The Whole Booke of Psalmes Faithfully Translated into English Metre) was published in Cambridge, Massachusetts
in 1640; it was the first book of any kind printed in the English colonies of North America. It became the standard used by New England churches for many years, though it contained no music itself, merely providing psalms and pointing readers to other prominent publications. The Bay Psalm Book was faithful to its source, but did not produce beautiful singing. In 1651, then, a third edition was created, and became known as the New England Psalm Book; this became the standard for many years. By this point, the evolution from the Ainsworth Psalter to the New England Psalm Book had steadily dwindled the number of tunes in use.
Massachusetts was later home to a number of the most prominent members of the First New England School of itinerant singing masters, including Daniel Read
(later of New Haven, Connecticut
) and Supply Belcher
(later of Farmington, Maine).
Massachusetts is home to several formal ensembles: Boston Symphony Orchestra
, Boston Pops Orchestra
, Boston Lyric Opera
, and Tanglewood Festival Chorus
. Formal institutions for the perpetuation of formal music exist in the state as well: Boston Conservatory
, Longy School of Music
, New England Conservatory, and Berklee College of Music
.
Choral music has been a major part of concert life with two of the oldest choral organizations in the United States based in Massachusetts: Stoughton Musical Society
, founded in 1786, and Handel and Haydn Society
, founded in 1815.
industry in the nineteenth century, songs of the sea have been prominent in the state's musical heritage. Traditional English sea shanties
were brought to New England and preserved by colonial American seamen. A New England version of the sea shanty Spanish Ladies
changes 'England' to 'New England' or, in some versions, 'Boston
' or 'New Bedford
', and 'British sailors' to 'Yankee Whalermen'.
A number of musicians with ties to the American folk music revival
have Massachusetts connections. While a teenager living in Belmont
, Joan Baez
gave her first concert at the legendary Club 47 in Cambridge. James Taylor
was born in Boston, but later moved to North Carolina before once again relocating to Martha's Vineyard
. He now lives in the town of Lennox. Paul Clayton from New Bedford, best known for his song "Gotta Travel On," was a minor figure in the folk revival. Both Bill Staines
, who grew up in Lexington, and Bonnie Raitt
, who attended college in Cambridge, were influenced by the folk revival through the concerts at Club 47.
The diverse contemporary Massachusetts folk music scene includes musicians such as David Coffin
, who specializes in early music and sea music; Lui Collins
, a folk singer/songwriter; Vance Gilbert
, a folk singer with a background in jazz; and Aoife Clancy, formerly of Cherish the Ladies
, who sings traditional Irish and contemporary folk songs. Notable upstarts in the Boston folk scene are "TheyWillHateUs" - an eclectic duo who create modernized versions of century old hymns. TheyWillHateUs are a faith based duo from the Boston.
According to the New England Folk Network Web site, Massachusetts hosts more than a dozen annual folk music
festivals. Of these, the Lowell Folk Festival
claims to be the biggest free folk festival in the United States, while the New England Folk Festival
, which began in 1944, may be the longest-running festival in the state. Festivals may include folk music from a wide diversity of cultures. For example, the 2007 New England Folk Festival included Bulgarian, Japanese, and Swedish music, and the 2007 Working Waterfront Festival included Portuguese fado
music and Mexican norteño
.
, featuring Jonathan Richman
, David Robinson (later of The Cars
), and, (for a short time) Jerry Harrison
of Talking Heads
, came out of Boston, as did more mainstream acts like Aerosmith
, The Cars
and Boston
. The J. Geils Band formed at Worcester Polytechnic Institute
in Worcester, before adding Peter Wolf and Stephen Jo Bladd from Boston band The Hallucinations to the lineup.
Paul Pena was born in Hyannis and attended Clark University
in Worcester. He played gigs at the Holden experiment with Bonnie Raitt an other Worcester folkies. He went on to play with T. Bone Walker and wrote the 1970s hit Jet Airliner.
bands in Massachusetts hailed from Boston
and included Salem 66
, Volcano Suns
and Mission of Burma
. Later bands from eastern Massachusetts included Pixies, Honest Bob and the Factory-to-Dealer Incentives, Morphine
, Chip Goddard, Galaxie 500
, Swirlies
and the Pernice Brothers. Farther west, in Amherst
, the dissolution of the legendary hardcore punk
band Deep Wound
spurred the foundation of future legends Sebadoh
and Dinosaur Jr. from its ashes. Amherst and neighboring Northampton
also spawned the Scud Mountain Boys
, Buffalo Tom
, and Cordelia's Dad
, the latter uniquely fusing Appalachian folk music
with hardcore punk rock.
Other notable alternative music bands and musicians include:
, the Boston scene includes MCs such as Guru
and fellow members of the Gang Starr Foundation
, Ed O.G.
and Big Shug
as well as underground rappers Mr. Lif
, Akrobatik
, DJ Fakts One
, Rick Ross-affiliated R&B artist Masspike Miles, Sonny Shotz and the group The Dean's List, Smoke Bulga, Benzino
, Slim Dealz, 8-bus ent, DANEY FOXXWOODZ (aka Clark D. Dane) artist and CEO of NOTSOB Entertainment (a Boston-based company), Trae Daddious, Young $ilk, Marvelous Thugs/Gozu Records, J the S, J. Lye, Edan
, Slaine
, Roc Dukati, Dre Robinson
, The Urban Nerdz, J-Smooth, and MC/producer duo 7L & Esoteric
. Up-and-coming MCs Termanology
, MC Shady and Reks hail from Lawrence, Massachusetts. Rapper Young G whose debut album is getting released in the fall of 2011 is from Lynn. Popular DJs Clinton Sparks and DJ Statik Selektah are from Massachusetts as well. College kids' rapper Resurch is from the area. DJ Doubletake.
underground hit Boston, a few New Wave
bands like Pastische, Lou Miami
and the Kosmetix, Human Sexual Response
, DMZ
—who were to Boston what the New York Dolls
were to New York City and who evolved into garage rock
revivalists Lyres
; The Real Kids
, The Neighborhoods, The Turbines, and The Neats played any form of punk. The founder of the Boston hardcore scene was Allan Barile from Lynn, Massachusetts
. Barile saw Minor Threat
in Washington, D.C. and brought hardcore home with him, intensifying DC's skinhead
and straight edge
subcultures. Boston also developed an active hardcore zine
culture by 1980, most influentially including Forced Exposure
.
Barile's first band was SSD
(Society System Decontrol). It formed in 1981 and recorded the following year. SSD organized their own shows, not playing at typical venues, such as punk rock mainstay The Rat
, because those clubs served alcohol. They rented out Knights of Columbus
halls in areas such as Cambridge and Newton
, and insisted that the performances be "all ages shows". Violence was common at these concerts and many people felt they made the punk scene violent. Mostly this was felt by older punks on the scene and casual fans. Other bands soon joined. In contrast to Barile's SSD, many of these bands were from suburbs of Boston including best known Gang Green
, heralding from Braintree
, DYS
, The FU's, Jerry's Kids
, The Freeze
and Last Rights
; Stranglehold, and The Proleteriat from Fall River
. Barile's Crew was known for being for the first major group of skinheads in the city of Boston. One of the most notorious of these straight edgers was Choke
, who was actually attending Emerson College
at the time. Choke played in a series of legendary bands including Negative FX
, Slapshot
and Last Rights
. The Boston crew were a tight group of skinheads who were intensely loyal to one another and very territorial.
Unlike most hardcore bands, Boston's scene included heavy metal
fans. Barile himself was a fan of AC/DC
, while DYS, SSD and Gang Green all eventually made the switch to speed metal
. The death of hardcore in Boston is said to have occurred in 1984, when Jerry's Kids announced at a show that "this is the end of hardcore. We started it and we're ending it here today." However, there are still many bands based out of Massachusetts that play hardcore, such as Righteous Jams
and Bane
.
The Boston hardcore scene of the 1990s was led by several hard hitting fan favorites, Sam Black Church (band)
, TREE, Wrecking Crew and Blood for Blood. Other notable Boston area hardcore bands of the 1990s include Honkeyball, Scissorfight, Tapes Don't Skip, Corrin, Converge, Fall From Grace and Brawlpark.
In recent years many hardcore bands have included metalcore
elements to their music. These bands have been considered the rebirth of hardcore in Boston and the surrounding areas, and bands include Black My Heart, On Broken Wings
, Shere Khan (which features several members of the two previously mentioned bands), Shipwreck A.D., Death Before Dishonor
, and Forced Coitus, MOB HIT (with ex-Wargasm drummer Barry Spillberg).
scene had several notable bands, including Deep Wound
, All White Jury, Brain Injured Unit, Cancerous Growth, Siege
, Pajama Slave Dancers, Grey Matter
and The Outpatients. Of these, Deep Wound was the most important, spawning pioneering alternative rock
groups like Dinosaur Jr and later Sebadoh
, after the breakup of Deep Wound.
The late 80s to mid 90s saw many hardcore bands with a wide range of sounds. The 80s side included bands like Bloodbath, G Man, Wishful Thinking and Rumble Puppy. Many of these bands also had connections with the NYHC scene. During the early to mid nineties the scene contained acts ranging from heavy bands like Roachgrind, to punk bands like Wish and Maude, emo bands like Spoke and the abstract performance group Gutters. Most bands of the era released their own demo tapes and put out vinyl on Mark Dargie's Community Chest Records or Vandal Children Records run by Charlie Krich in Willimantic, Connecticut. Along with Mass. and Conn. basements, shows of this era happened at the Greenfield Grange, First Baptist Church of Northampton, Katina's and even the middle school hangout Club Soda. Many of these bands also appeared at one time or another at the annual Northampton High School battle of the bands.
In the late 1990s several bands in Western Massachusetts (centered around the five colleges
in Northampton/Amherst) helped establish an indie rock
scene. These included such bands as Apollo Sunshine, the Warren Commission, New Jersey Fairplan, Waterpistol, Psara, Delvic, The Right, Pixies and Noah's Dove. Waterpistol and Psara appear on Deep Elm Records
's The Emo Diaries compilation. The Warren Commission released several albums on the Boston label Espo Records. This was followed by a second wave of Western Massachusetts music, with emo
and indie rock bands including I Am Disaster, Saveyourself, and the El to Addison. Many of these bands moved to the Boston area, where they have found some success or have broken up and formed new bands.
Northampton, Massachusetts
is home to the psychedelic-folk-jam band Lord Jeff
, named after Lord Jeffery Amherst, who also named Amherst, Massachusetts. Stockbridge, Massachusetts
was also the setting for the American folk song "Alice's Restaurant
."
Western Massachusetts is still home to a bountiful hardcore scene. Bands such as COD, Hands In, Shoot to Kill, Scurvy, Chuck Brunswick, Give 'Em Hell, Failures, Ampere, Orchid, Throwing Aces, Bloodwar and many others are constantly playing in and out of the area.
. The bands combined the two genres and created metalcore
, a whole new genre of metal in itself. In the middle of this musical renaissance, were two bands from Massachusetts that would form the way metalcore sounds today. Aftershock
and Overcast
are known to some as the godfathers of this genre. Following the breakup of these two bands, two other metalcore acts spawned from a number of their members, namely Killswitch Engage
and Shadows Fall
, two of the best-selling bands in metalcore. Other best-selling Massachusetts metalcore bands are The Acacia Strain
, All That Remains
, Unearth
and Within the Ruins
. Other well-known Boston metalcore bands are Diecast
and Corrin
.
(Is Mick Jagger
's Dad)".
The aforementioned Pajama Slave Dancers (PSD), with their punky sensibilities, spawned Captain Testosterone and the Gypsy Stretch Mark Orchestra led by Steve Westfield. Other PSD offshoots were Chubacabra Jr., and The Uncomfortables. The Hutus and Chicken McHead openly acknowledged PSD's influence on both their lyrics and performance antics. The Rock Gods from Chicopee had a hilarious show pretending they were big rock stars, while the Donut Kings
lyrics played the funny versus the silly. The Donut Kings
won the 2000 Valley Advocate Grand Band Slam for best Alternative/Eclectic band. Another Grand Band Slam winner that year (for cover band) was Krazee Navel.
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
is a U.S. state in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. The music of Massachusetts has developed actively since it was first colonized by Britain. The city of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
is an especially large part of the state's present music scene, which includes several genres of rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, as well as classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
, folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, and hip hop music
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
.
Concert music
Lowell Mason
Lowell Mason was a leading figure in American church music, the composer of over 1600 hymn tunes, many of which are often sung today. His most well-known tunes include Mary Had A Little Lamb and the arrangement of Joy to the World...
. A native of Boston, Mason campaigned against the use of shape-note notation, and for the education in standard notation. He worked with local institutions to release collections of hymns and maintain his stature. Opposed to the shape-note tradition, Mason pushed American music towards a European model.
The Bay Psalme Book (The Whole Booke of Psalmes Faithfully Translated into English Metre) was published in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
in 1640; it was the first book of any kind printed in the English colonies of North America. It became the standard used by New England churches for many years, though it contained no music itself, merely providing psalms and pointing readers to other prominent publications. The Bay Psalm Book was faithful to its source, but did not produce beautiful singing. In 1651, then, a third edition was created, and became known as the New England Psalm Book; this became the standard for many years. By this point, the evolution from the Ainsworth Psalter to the New England Psalm Book had steadily dwindled the number of tunes in use.
Massachusetts was later home to a number of the most prominent members of the First New England School of itinerant singing masters, including Daniel Read
Daniel Read
Daniel Read was an American composer of the First New England School, and one of the primary figures in early American classical music.-Life and work:...
(later of New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
) and Supply Belcher
Supply Belcher
Supply Belcher was an American composer, singer, and compiler of tune books. He was one of the members of the so-called First New England School, a group of mostly self-taught composers who created sacred vocal music for local choirs. He was active first in Lexington, Massachusetts, then...
(later of Farmington, Maine).
Massachusetts is home to several formal ensembles: Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
, Boston Pops Orchestra
Boston Pops Orchestra
The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, that specializes in playing light classical and popular music....
, Boston Lyric Opera
Boston Lyric Opera
Boston Lyric Opera is an American opera company based in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 1976.Each season, BLO produces three mainstage productions at the Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre in Boston and a fully staged, one-hour English language version of a popular opera for school...
, and Tanglewood Festival Chorus
Tanglewood Festival Chorus
The Tanglewood Festival Chorus is a chorus which performs with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops in major choral works. The Tanglewood Festival Chorus was organized in the spring of 1970, when conductor John Oliver became director of vocal and choral activities at the Tanglewood Music...
. Formal institutions for the perpetuation of formal music exist in the state as well: Boston Conservatory
Boston Conservatory
The Boston Conservatory is a performing arts conservatory located in the Fenway-Kenmore region of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in music, dance and musical theater...
, Longy School of Music
Longy School of Music
The Longy School of Music of Bard College is a conservatory located near Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1915, it was one of the four independent degree-granting music schools in the Boston region along with the New England Conservatory, Berklee College of Music, and Boston...
, New England Conservatory, and Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
.
Choral music has been a major part of concert life with two of the oldest choral organizations in the United States based in Massachusetts: Stoughton Musical Society
Stoughton Musical Society
Organized in 1786, this is currently America's oldest choral society. Over the past two centuries it has had many distinguished accomplishments. In 1908, when incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the name was changed to Old Stoughton Musical Society...
, founded in 1786, and Handel and Haydn Society
Handel and Haydn Society
The Handel and Haydn Society is an American chorus and period instrument orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1815, it remains one of the oldest performing arts organizations in the United States.-Early history:...
, founded in 1815.
Sea shanties
As Massachusetts has long maintained a great maritime tradition from the early colonial fishermen to its importance in the whalingWhaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
industry in the nineteenth century, songs of the sea have been prominent in the state's musical heritage. Traditional English sea shanties
Sea Shanties
Sea Shanties is the debut album of Progressive Rock band High Tide. The cover artwork was drawn by Paul Whitehead.-Production:Denny Gerrard produced Sea Shanties in return for High Tide acting as the backing band on his solo album Sinister Morning...
were brought to New England and preserved by colonial American seamen. A New England version of the sea shanty Spanish Ladies
Spanish Ladies
Spanish Ladies is a traditional English naval song, describing a voyage from Spain to the Downs from the viewpoint of ratings of the British Royal Navy.- Origins :...
changes 'England' to 'New England' or, in some versions, 'Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
' or 'New Bedford
New Bedford
-Places:*New Bedford, Illinois*New Bedford, Massachusetts, the most populous New Bedford**New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park*New Bedford, New Jersey *New Bedford, Ohio*New Bedford, Pennsylvania...
', and 'British sailors' to 'Yankee Whalermen'.
Folk music
Folklorists who have collected traditional music of Massachusetts include Eloise Hubbard Linscott, whose field recordings from 1938 and 1941 are in the Library of Congress American Folklife Center.A number of musicians with ties to the American folk music revival
American folk music revival
The American folk music revival was a phenomenon in the United States that began during the 1940s and peaked in popularity in the mid-1960s. Its roots went earlier, and performers like Josh White, Burl Ives, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Richard Dyer-Bennett, Oscar Brand, Jean Ritchie, John Jacob...
have Massachusetts connections. While a teenager living in Belmont
Belmont, Massachusetts
Belmont is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census.- History :Belmont was founded on March 18, 1859 by former citizens of, and land from the bordering towns of Watertown, to the south; Waltham, to the west; and Arlington, then...
, Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
gave her first concert at the legendary Club 47 in Cambridge. James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
was born in Boston, but later moved to North Carolina before once again relocating to Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....
. He now lives in the town of Lennox. Paul Clayton from New Bedford, best known for his song "Gotta Travel On," was a minor figure in the folk revival. Both Bill Staines
Bill Staines
Bill Staines is an American folk musician and singer-songwriter from New England, who writes and performs in a traditional vein. He has also written and recorded children's songs....
, who grew up in Lexington, and Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
, who attended college in Cambridge, were influenced by the folk revival through the concerts at Club 47.
The diverse contemporary Massachusetts folk music scene includes musicians such as David Coffin
David Coffin
David Coffin is a folk musician specializing in early music and sea music, based in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He is the song leader for the Cambridge Revels music programs and is the director of an organization that conducts musical tours of Boston Harbor...
, who specializes in early music and sea music; Lui Collins
Lui Collins
Lui Collins is a contemporary folk singer-songwriter. She attended the University of Connecticut and played her first gigs as a student there. She began touring in the mid-1970s as part of a duo with Horace Williams, Jr.. Her first two albums consisted of cover songs, after which she moved on to...
, a folk singer/songwriter; Vance Gilbert
Vance Gilbert
Vance Gilbert is an American folk singer/songwriter. He started out as a jazz singer, then switched to folk music, performing on the open mike circuit in Boston. His career took off when he toured with Shawn Colvin. He has recorded eight albums, including Side of the Road, a duo album with friend...
, a folk singer with a background in jazz; and Aoife Clancy, formerly of Cherish the Ladies
Cherish the Ladies
Cherish the Ladies is an American all-female Irish-American super group. The band began as a concert series in New York in January 1985, the brainchild of Mick Moloney who wanted to showcase the brightest female musicians in America in what had been a male-dominated scene...
, who sings traditional Irish and contemporary folk songs. Notable upstarts in the Boston folk scene are "TheyWillHateUs" - an eclectic duo who create modernized versions of century old hymns. TheyWillHateUs are a faith based duo from the Boston.
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
festivals. Of these, the Lowell Folk Festival
Lowell Folk Festival
The Lowell Folk Festival is the second largest free folk festival in the United States. Only Seattle's Northwest Folklife is larger, both in attendance and number of performance stages. It is made up of three days of traditional music, dance, craft demonstrations, street parades, dance parties, and...
claims to be the biggest free folk festival in the United States, while the New England Folk Festival
New England Folk Festival
The New England Folk Festival is an annual weekend festival of traditional dance and music. It takes place in the Boston, Massachusetts region each spring. It is conducted by the New England Folk Festival Association. Both the festival and the association are colloquially known by the abbreviation...
, which began in 1944, may be the longest-running festival in the state. Festivals may include folk music from a wide diversity of cultures. For example, the 2007 New England Folk Festival included Bulgarian, Japanese, and Swedish music, and the 2007 Working Waterfront Festival included Portuguese fado
Fado
Fado is a music genre which can be traced to the 1820s in Portugal, but probably with much earlier origins. Fado historian and scholar, Rui Vieira Nery, states that "the only reliable information on the history of Fado was orally transmitted and goes back to the 1820s and 1830s at best...
music and Mexican norteño
Norteño (music)
Norteño , also norteña or conjunto, is a genre of Mexican music. The accordion and the bajo sexto are norteño's most characteristic instruments. The norteño genre is popular in both Mexico and the United States, especially among the Mexican community...
.
1970s
The Modern LoversThe Modern Lovers
The Modern Lovers were an American rock band led by Jonathan Richman in the 1970s and 1980s. The original band existed from 1970–74 but their recordings were not released until 1976 or later. It featured Richman and bassist Ernie Brooks with drummer David Robinson and keyboardist Jerry Harrison...
, featuring Jonathan Richman
Jonathan Richman
Jonathan Michael Richman is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. In 1970 he founded The Modern Lovers, an influential proto-punk band. Since the mid-1970s, Richman has worked either solo or with low-key, generally acoustic backing...
, David Robinson (later of The Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
), and, (for a short time) Jerry Harrison
Jerry Harrison
Jerry Harrison is an American songwriter, musician and producer...
of Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
, came out of Boston, as did more mainstream acts like Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, The Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
and Boston
Boston (band)
Boston is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts that achieved its most notable successes during the 1970s and 1980s. Centered on guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and producer Tom Scholz, the band is a staple of classic rock radio playlists...
. The J. Geils Band formed at Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a private university located in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the United States.Founded in 1865 in Worcester, WPI was one of the United States' first engineering and technology universities...
in Worcester, before adding Peter Wolf and Stephen Jo Bladd from Boston band The Hallucinations to the lineup.
Paul Pena was born in Hyannis and attended Clark University
Clark University
Clark University is a private research university and liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts.Founded in 1887, it is the oldest educational institution founded as an all-graduate university. Clark now also educates undergraduates...
in Worcester. He played gigs at the Holden experiment with Bonnie Raitt an other Worcester folkies. He went on to play with T. Bone Walker and wrote the 1970s hit Jet Airliner.
Alternative rock
The earliest alternative rockAlternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
bands in Massachusetts hailed from Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and included Salem 66
Salem 66
Salem 66 was an indie rock group formed in 1982 by Judy Grunwald, Elisabeth Kaplan and Susan Merriam. At the time a serious all-female rock band was somewhat unusual. Through the eighties, the band added and subtracted members, including Robert Wilson Rodriguez, Stephen Smith, Tim Condon, and Jim...
, Volcano Suns
Volcano Suns
Volcano Suns was an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts formed by Mission of Burma drummer Peter Prescott in 1984.-History:...
and Mission of Burma
Mission of Burma
Mission of Burma is an American post-punk band formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1979. The band was formed by Roger Miller , Clint Conley , Peter Prescott and Martin Swope...
. Later bands from eastern Massachusetts included Pixies, Honest Bob and the Factory-to-Dealer Incentives, Morphine
Morphine (band)
Morphine was an American alternative rock group formed by Mark Sandman and Dana Colley in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1989. They disbanded in 1999 after frontman Sandman died of a heart attack....
, Chip Goddard, Galaxie 500
Galaxie 500
Galaxie 500 was an American alternative rock band that formed in 1987 and split up in 1991 after releasing three albums.-History:Guitarist Dean Wareham, drummer Damon Krukowski and bassist Naomi Yang had met at the Dalton School in New York City in 1981, but began playing together during their time...
, Swirlies
Swirlies
Swirlies is an shoegaze band from Boston that formed in 1990. They have often been compared to My Bloody Valentine.-Formation and early career:...
and the Pernice Brothers. Farther west, in Amherst
Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,819, making it the largest community in Hampshire County . The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts...
, the dissolution of the legendary hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
band Deep Wound
Deep Wound
Deep Wound was a hardcore punk band formed in 1982 in Westfield, MA. They released one self-titled 7" and contributed two songs to the compilation LP, Bands That Could Be God, both of which are sought after by fans and record collectors alike.-Overview:...
spurred the foundation of future legends Sebadoh
Sebadoh
Sebadoh is an American indie rock band, formed in 1986 in Westfield, Massachusetts by Eric Gaffney and Dinosaur Jr bass player Lou Barlow. Along with such bands as Pavement and Guided by Voices, Sebadoh helped pioneer lo-fi music, a style of indie rock characterized by low-fidelity recording...
and Dinosaur Jr. from its ashes. Amherst and neighboring Northampton
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
also spawned the Scud Mountain Boys
Scud Mountain Boys
Scud Mountain Boys was an American alt-country band. Formed in 1991 in Northampton, Massachusetts, it comprised Joe Pernice, Stephen Desaulniers, Bruce Tull and Tom Shea. Stephen Desaulniers left the band and was replaced by Frank Padellaro in Oct. 1996....
, Buffalo Tom
Buffalo Tom
Buffalo Tom is an alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1986. Its principal members are guitarist Bill Janovitz, bassist Chris Colbourn, and drummer Tom Maginnis. The band's name is derived from the band Buffalo Springfield and the first name of the drummer.-Career:Dinosaur Jr...
, and Cordelia's Dad
Cordelia's Dad
Cordelia's Dad is a band from Northampton, Massachusetts that combines folk and punk rock influences and was instrumental in the creation of the genre later to be dubbed "No Depression". The band formed in 1987 and was active until 1998, when the members relocated to different parts of the country...
, the latter uniquely fusing Appalachian folk music
Old-time music
Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music, with roots in the folk music of many countries, including England, Scotland, Ireland and countries in Africa. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dance, buck dance, and clogging. The genre also...
with hardcore punk rock.
Other notable alternative music bands and musicians include:
- Amanda PalmerAmanda PalmerAmanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer , sometimes known as Amanda Fucking Palmer, is an American performer who first rose to prominence as the lead singer, pianist, and lyricist/composer of the duo The Dresden Dolls...
- Apollo SunshineApollo SunshineApollo Sunshine is a 21st-century alternative rock band which originated in Boston, Massachusetts.-History:Sam Cohen, Jesse Gallagher, and Jeremy Black originally met in 1997 in Boston,...
- A Rocket to the MoonA Rocket to the MoonA Rocket to the Moon is an American rock band. The band was founded during 2006 in Braintree, Massachusetts by Nick Santino, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist...
- Bang CamaroBang CamaroBang Camaro is an American hard rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. Founded by guitarists Bryn Bennett and Alex Necochea in 2005, it is composed of members of various indie rock bands from the area...
- Big D & The Kids Table
- Boys Like GirlsBoys Like GirlsBoys Like Girls is an American rock band from Massachusetts. Formed in 2005, the group gained mainstream recognition when it released its self-titled debut album. Boys Like Girls was the co-headliner with Good Charlotte for the Soundtrack of Your Summer Tour 2008 that toured across the United...
- Dick DaleDick DaleDick Dale is an American surf rock guitarist, known as The King of the Surf Guitar. He experimented with reverberation and made use of custom made Fender amplifiers, including the first-ever 100-watt guitar amplifier.-Early life:Dale was born in South Boston, Massachusetts and lived in nearby...
- DispatchDispatch (band)Dispatch is an American indie/roots band. The band consists of Brad Corrigan , Pete Francis Heimbold , and Chad Urmston ....
- Dropkick MurphysDropkick MurphysDropkick Murphys are an Irish-American punk rock band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. The band was initially signed to independent punk record label Hellcat Records, releasing five albums for the label, and making a name for themselves locally through constant playing and yearly St....
- Drop NineteensDrop NineteensDrop Nineteens were a Boston-based indie rock band active from 1991 to 1995. They were one of a few U.S.-based bands who styled themselves on England's distinctive shoegazing sound, taking their inspiration from bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Th' Faith Healers, and Bleach...
- ExtremeExtreme (band)Extreme is an American rock band, headed by frontmen Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt, that reached the height of their popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s.Among some of Extreme's musical influences are Queen and Van Halen...
- Eighth Route ArmyEighth Route ArmyThe Eighth Route Army was the larger of the two major Chinese communist forces that formed a unit of the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China which fought the Japanese from 1937 to 1945. In contrast to most of the National Revolutionary Army, it was controlled by the Communist...
- Four Year StrongFour Year StrongFour Year Strong is an American pop punk band from Worcester, Massachusetts, formed in 2001. The group consists of vocalists and guitarists Dan O'Connor and Alan Day, bassist Joe Weiss, and drummer Jackson Massucco...
- GodsmackGodsmackGodsmack is an American heavy metal band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of founder, frontman and songwriter Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Shannon Larkin...
- GusterGusterGuster is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 1991, the group is known for its live performances and humor, founding members Adam Gardner, Ryan Miller, and Brian Rosenworcel came about to begin practice sessions while attending Tufts University in Medford,...
- Hallelujah the HillsHallelujah the HillsHallelujah the Hills is an independent rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. Their current line-up consists of Ryan Walsh, David Bentley, Dave Bryson, Brian Rutledge, and Nicholas Ward...
- Human Sexual ResponseHuman sexual responseHuman sexual response may refer to:* Human sexual arousal.* Human Sexual Response , a book by William Howell Masters and Virginia Eshelman Johnson.* Human Sexual Response , a New Wave musical group from Boston, Massachusetts, United States....
- Ice Nine KillsIce Nine KillsIce Nine Kills is an American metalcore band from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 2002 by Spencer Charnas and Jeremy Schwartz, the group originally pursued a style combining emo, post-hardcore and ska into their own innovative blend of rock but have since shifted into more of an experimental...
- Jaya the CatJaya the CatJaya The Cat is a reggae/ska/punk rock band originating from Boston, Massachusetts , currently based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.-History:Jaya The Cat was founded by Geoff Lagadec , Dave Smith , and Ben Murphy...
- Killswitch EngageKillswitch EngageKillswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbandment of Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Howard Jones, bassist Mike D'Antonio, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, and drummer...
- Passion PitPassion PitPassion Pit is an American electropop band from Cambridge, Massachusetts. The group, which formed in 2007, consists of Michael Angelakos , Ian Hultquist , Ayad Al Adhamy , Jeff Apruzzese and Nate Donmoyer...
- Powerman 5000Powerman 5000Powerman 5000 is an American Metal band formed in 1991. Through the span of over two decades, the group has released several albums and gained their highest commercial success with 1999's science fiction themed Tonight the Stars Revolt!...
- Rob ZombieRob ZombieRob Zombie is an American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the heavy metal band White Zombie and has been nominated three times as a solo artist for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.Zombie has also established a career as a film director, creating the...
- StaindStaindStaind is an American rock band that was formed in 1995 in Springfield, Massachusetts. For 16 years, the band consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist Johnny April, and drummer Jon Wysocki...
- State RadioState RadioState Radio is an alternative rock band from Sherborn, Massachusetts, consisting of Chad Urmston , Chuck Fay and Mike Najarian...
- Street DogsStreet DogsStreet Dogs are a punk rock band originally from Boston, Massachusetts. The band's current line-up includes Mike McColgan, former lead singer of Dropkick Murphys, Johnny Rioux, Marcus Hollar, Tobe Bean III and Paul Rucker.-History:...
- The Acrobrats
- The Dresden DollsThe Dresden DollsThe Dresden Dolls are an American musical duo from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 2000, the group consists of Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione...
- The Ducky BoysThe Ducky BoysThe Ducky Boys are a street punk band from Boston, Massachusetts. Since forming in 1995 in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston, the band has spanned over ten years with two tenures that have led to four full-length albums and over 50 songs. The band derives its name from the name of an Irish...
- The Lyres
- The Mighty Mighty BosstonesThe Mighty Mighty BosstonesThe Mighty Mighty Bosstones are an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. Since the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky Barrett, bassist Joe Gittleman, tenor saxophonist Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton and dancer Ben Carr have remained constant members...
- The NeatsThe NeatsThe Neats were a Boston rock band that existed from the late 1970s to early 1990s. They first recorded for the independent Propeller label, which in 1981 released the song, "Six", a swirling, Vox-washed slab of garage rock reminiscent of Question Mark & the Mysterians...
- The Receiving End of SirensThe Receiving End of SirensThe Receiving End of Sirens is a rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 2003.-Overview:The band played on the 2005 Warped Tour and has toured with such acts as Gatsbys American Dream, A Wilhelm Scream, 30 Seconds to Mars, Funeral for a Friend, Saves the Day, Senses Fail, Thrice, and New...
- Therefore I AmTherefore I AmTherefore I Am was a post-hardcore band from Boston, Massachusetts signed to Equal Vision Records that disbanded on November 20, 2010.-History:...
- Tracy BonhamTracy BonhamTracy Bonham is an American alternative rock musician best known for her 1996 single "Mother Mother".Raised in Eugene, Oregon, Bonham is a classically-trained violinist and pianist...
- TribeTribeA tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
- VannaVanna (band)Vanna is an American post-hardcore band from Boston, MA. Their first full length album, Curses, was released on April 24, 2007.-Early years :...
Hip hop
Although not nearly as prolific as the hip hop mecca of New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the Boston scene includes MCs such as Guru
Guru (rapper)
Keith Edward Elam , better known by his stage name Guru, was an American emcee and member of the hip-hop duo Gang Starr, along with DJ Premier. He was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts...
and fellow members of the Gang Starr Foundation
Gang Starr Foundation
Gang Starr Foundation is a collective of east coast rappers led by the hip hop group Gang Starr. It was founded by The Vikar and established in 1993.-Current members:*Afu-Ra*Big Shug*Freddie Foxxx*Vic BlackGang Starr...
, Ed O.G.
Ed O.G.
Edward Anderson is a hip-hop artist from Boston, Massachusetts, United States, better known by his stage names Edo G and Ed O.G.. Although not widely known in the mainstream, Edo G has a cult following in Boston, and an international fanbase.-Career:Born in Roxbury—a rough, predominantly black...
and Big Shug
Big Shug
Big Shug is a hip hop artist from Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of the Gang Starr Foundation collective.-Biography:...
as well as underground rappers Mr. Lif
Mr. Lif
Mr. Lif is an American hip hop artist from Boston, Massachusetts. Often noted for his political lyrics, he has released two studio albums on El-P's Definitive Jux label and one on Bloodbot Tactical Enterprises. Mr...
, Akrobatik
Akrobatik
Akrobatik is a rapper from the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. He has collaborated numerous times with many fellow Boston rappers , and recently formed a hip hop collective named The Perceptionists with Mr. Lif and DJ Fakts One....
, DJ Fakts One
DJ Fakts One
Fakts One is an American hip hop DJ & producer from Boston, MA. Fakts One is also a member of the hip hop group The Perceptionists with long-time collaborators Akrobatik and Mr...
, Rick Ross-affiliated R&B artist Masspike Miles, Sonny Shotz and the group The Dean's List, Smoke Bulga, Benzino
Benzino
Raymond Scott from Boston Massachusetts, better known by hisstage name Benzino is an American hip hop media executive, and record producer....
, Slim Dealz, 8-bus ent, DANEY FOXXWOODZ (aka Clark D. Dane) artist and CEO of NOTSOB Entertainment (a Boston-based company), Trae Daddious, Young $ilk, Marvelous Thugs/Gozu Records, J the S, J. Lye, Edan
Edan
Edan aka Edan Portnoy is an American alternative hip hop artist. He is an emcee, DJ and record producer.Edan is known for his unique/unlikely take on hip hop culture, where traditional rap songs are often skewed by 60's rock samples, tape echoes, and foreign language choruses, not to mention the...
, Slaine
Slaine (rapper)
George Carroll, born 1977 in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and better known as Slaine, is an Irish-American hip hop MC and actor. He is best known for his work in the groups Special Teamz and La Coka Nostra .Slaine has appeared on several solo mixtapes and...
, Roc Dukati, Dre Robinson
Dre Robinson
Dre Robinson is an American rapper.-Biography:Dre Robinson is a Jamaican born, Boston-based lyricist. Also known as Boston Dre and The Mass Jewel, Dre has built a large fan base around the New England area. In the May 2005 issue of The Source he was spotlighted in the Off The Radar column as an MC...
, The Urban Nerdz, J-Smooth, and MC/producer duo 7L & Esoteric
7L & Esoteric
7L & Esoteric are a Boston-based hip-hop duo, notorious for battle rhymes and boom-bap production. 7L is the duo's DJ/Producer and Esoteric the emcee.-History:...
. Up-and-coming MCs Termanology
Termanology
Daniel Carrillo , better known as Termanology is a rapper from Lawrence, Massachusetts. He first came to wide attention with the 2006 single "Watch How It Go Down". A solo album, Politics As Usual, was released in 2008...
, MC Shady and Reks hail from Lawrence, Massachusetts. Rapper Young G whose debut album is getting released in the fall of 2011 is from Lynn. Popular DJs Clinton Sparks and DJ Statik Selektah are from Massachusetts as well. College kids' rapper Resurch is from the area. DJ Doubletake.
Hardcore
As the hardcoreHardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
underground hit Boston, a few New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
bands like Pastische, Lou Miami
Lou Miami
Lou Miami was an American punk musician based in Boston, Massachusetts. His group, The Kozmetix, was popular on the local scene and released two EPs...
and the Kosmetix, Human Sexual Response
Human Sexual Response (band)
Human Sexual Response was an American New Wave band formed in Boston, MA in 1978. The band broke up in 1982.-Formation and early years:Casey Cameron formed an all-kazoo band with her neighbors, among whom were Larry Bangor , Dini Lamot , and Windle Davis...
, DMZ
DMZ (band)
DMZ was a first-wave American punk rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, strongly influenced by 1960s garage rock. In early 1976, Jeff Conolly stole the lead vocalist position in the nascent band by out-performing their singer at one of the band's practices...
—who were to Boston what the New York Dolls
New York Dolls
The New York Dolls is an American rock band, formed in New York in 1971. The band's protopunk sound prefigured much of what was to come in the punk rock era; their visual style influenced the look of many new wave and 1980s-era glam metal groups, and they began the local New York scene that later...
were to New York City and who evolved into garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
revivalists Lyres
Lyres (band)
Lyres are a Boston-area garage rock band led by Jeff "Monoman" Conolly. Lyres were founded in 1979 following the breakup of DMZ. Their most popular songs included "Don't Give It Up Now," "What A Girl Can't Do" and "Help You Ann"...
; The Real Kids
The Real Kids
The Real Kids were a Boston punk rock band led by guitarist, singer and songwriter, John Felice.Felice grew up in Natick, Massachusetts as a neighbor and friend of Jonathan Richman, a fellow fan of The Velvet Underground. At 15 he joined Richman in the first line-up of The Modern Lovers in the...
, The Neighborhoods, The Turbines, and The Neats played any form of punk. The founder of the Boston hardcore scene was Allan Barile from Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 89,050 at the 2000 census. An old industrial center, Lynn is home to Lynn Beach and Lynn Heritage State Park and is about north of downtown Boston.-17th century:...
. Barile saw Minor Threat
Minor Threat
Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1980 and disbanded in 1983. The band was relatively short-lived, but had a strong influence on the hardcore punk music scene, both stylistically and in establishing a "do it yourself" ethic for music distribution and...
in Washington, D.C. and brought hardcore home with him, intensifying DC's skinhead
Skinhead
A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods,...
and straight edge
Straight edge
Straight edge is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs. It was a direct reaction to the sexual revolution, hedonism, and excess associated with punk rock. For some, this extends to not engaging in promiscuous sex, following a...
subcultures. Boston also developed an active hardcore zine
Zine
A zine is most commonly a small circulation publication of original or appropriated texts and images. More broadly, the term encompasses any self-published work of minority interest usually reproduced via photocopier....
culture by 1980, most influentially including Forced Exposure
Forced Exposure
Forced Exposure was an independent music magazine published sporadically out of Massachusetts from the early-'80s to 1993, edited by Jimmy Johnson and Byron Coley. It was printed on cheap newsprint with plain design and filled with corrosive yet humorous writing...
.
Barile's first band was SSD
SSD (band)
SSD were a straight edge hardcore band from Boston. They released two records as SS Decontrol and then formally changed their name to SSD. As SSD they released two more records, these with a very heavy metal influenced sound...
(Society System Decontrol). It formed in 1981 and recorded the following year. SSD organized their own shows, not playing at typical venues, such as punk rock mainstay The Rat
The Rathskeller
The Rathskeller was a Kenmore Square live music venue in Boston, Massachusetts that was open from 1974 to 1997. As implied by its name "Ratskeller" , the Rathskeller was a dimly-lit establishment...
, because those clubs served alcohol. They rented out Knights of Columbus
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
halls in areas such as Cambridge and Newton
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
, and insisted that the performances be "all ages shows". Violence was common at these concerts and many people felt they made the punk scene violent. Mostly this was felt by older punks on the scene and casual fans. Other bands soon joined. In contrast to Barile's SSD, many of these bands were from suburbs of Boston including best known Gang Green
Gang Green
Gang Green is a band originally from Braintree, Massachusetts. Chris Doherty , Bill Manley and Mike Dean started the band in 1980 and broke up in 1984...
, heralding from Braintree
Braintree, Massachusetts
The Town of Braintree is a suburban city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a town, Braintree adopted a municipal charter, effective 2008, with a mayor-council form of government and is considered a city under Massachusetts law. The population was 35,744...
, DYS
DYS (band)
DYS is an American straight edge hardcore band from Boston, Massachusetts who were part of the notorious "Boston Crew" in the 1980s, along with contemporaries such as SSD and Negative FX...
, The FU's, Jerry's Kids
Jerry's Kids
Jerry's Kids is one of the earliest Boston hardcore bands, formed in 1981, from Braintree, Mass.. Their first recorded output was on the Modern Method This Is Boston, Not L.A. compilation LP in 1982. They contributed six tracks along with other early Boston Hardcore band Gang Green.Frontman Bryan...
, The Freeze
The Freeze
The Freeze are a hardcore punk rock band from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The Freeze formed in late 1978. At the time all members were in high school. The Freeze are generally considered to be a Boston hardcore band, but they never truly fit into the typical Boston mold. Like most hardcore groups, the...
and Last Rights
Last Rights
-Personnel:*Nivek Ogre - vocals*cEvin Key - synthesizer, drums, percussion, guitar, bass, production*Dwayne Goettel - keyboards, synthesizer, guitar*Dave Ogilvie *Ken Marshall *Anthony Valcic...
; Stranglehold, and The Proleteriat from Fall River
Fall River
-Cities and towns:In Canada:*Fall River, Nova ScotiaIn the United States:*Fall River, Kansas*Fall River, Massachusetts, the largest city with this name*Fall River, Tennessee*Fall River, Wisconsin*Fall River County, South Dakota-Rivers:In Canada:...
. Barile's Crew was known for being for the first major group of skinheads in the city of Boston. One of the most notorious of these straight edgers was Choke
Choke (band)
-History:With original members Jack Jaggard, Clay Shea, Shawn Moncrieff and Stefan Levasseur, Choke has toured non-stop in Canada and the USA.Choke released their first two albums independently, Lotion in 1995 and Give'er in 1996, which was later released through Smallman Records who signed the...
, who was actually attending Emerson College
Emerson College
Emerson College is a private coeducational university located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of oratory," Emerson is "the only comprehensive college or university in America dedicated exclusively to communication and the arts in a liberal arts...
at the time. Choke played in a series of legendary bands including Negative FX
Negative FX
Negative FX was a hardcore straight edge band from Boston formed in 1981. Though the band lasted only a short time, playing only a total of five shows , the band was well-known for their involvement in the local straight edge scene of the early '80s...
, Slapshot
Slapshot (band)
-History:Slapshot was formed in 1985 by Steve Risteen and Mark McKay, formerly of Terminally Ill; Jack "Choke" Kelly, formerly of Negative FX and Last Rights; and Jonathan Anastas, formerly of Decadence and DYS...
and Last Rights
Last Rights
-Personnel:*Nivek Ogre - vocals*cEvin Key - synthesizer, drums, percussion, guitar, bass, production*Dwayne Goettel - keyboards, synthesizer, guitar*Dave Ogilvie *Ken Marshall *Anthony Valcic...
. The Boston crew were a tight group of skinheads who were intensely loyal to one another and very territorial.
Unlike most hardcore bands, Boston's scene included heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
fans. Barile himself was a fan of AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
, while DYS, SSD and Gang Green all eventually made the switch to speed metal
Speed metal
Speed metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from NWOBHM and hardcore punk roots. It is described by Allmusic as "extremely fast, abrasive, and technically demanding" music....
. The death of hardcore in Boston is said to have occurred in 1984, when Jerry's Kids announced at a show that "this is the end of hardcore. We started it and we're ending it here today." However, there are still many bands based out of Massachusetts that play hardcore, such as Righteous Jams
Righteous Jams
Righteous Jams, which was formed by Joey Cardona and Jesse Standhard in 2002 as Invasion, is a Boston, Massachusetts-based straight edge hardcore punk band. Only one demo was released under the name Invasion before the group was renamed Righteous Jams in 2003, following the addition of Elgin James...
and Bane
Bane (band)
Bane, a hardcore punk band, began as a side project between Aaron Dalbec and Damon Bellardo. Aaron approached Matt Firestone to sing and they played under the moniker of Gateway for a few shows, before Firestone departed ways to focus on other projects...
.
The Boston hardcore scene of the 1990s was led by several hard hitting fan favorites, Sam Black Church (band)
Sam Black Church (band)
Sam Black Church was a Boston hardcore band that played from 1988 - 2000. It was named after the West Virginia community of Sam Black Church.- History :Sam Black Church were known for their energetic live performances...
, TREE, Wrecking Crew and Blood for Blood. Other notable Boston area hardcore bands of the 1990s include Honkeyball, Scissorfight, Tapes Don't Skip, Corrin, Converge, Fall From Grace and Brawlpark.
In recent years many hardcore bands have included metalcore
Metalcore
Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...
elements to their music. These bands have been considered the rebirth of hardcore in Boston and the surrounding areas, and bands include Black My Heart, On Broken Wings
On Broken Wings
On Broken Wings is an American metalcore band from Boston, Massachusetts that formed in 2001. Often credited with pioneering the sound, and coining the term, of Moshcore, a term originally used by the band to describe their fusion of metal with elements of post-hardcore and hardcore breakdowns...
, Shere Khan (which features several members of the two previously mentioned bands), Shipwreck A.D., Death Before Dishonor
Death Before Dishonor (Boston band)
Death Before Dishonor is an American hardcore band from Boston, Massachusetts. They draw from influences such as Blood For Blood, Madball, Agnostic Front, SSD, Suicidal Tendencies, Pennywise, Death Threat...
, and Forced Coitus, MOB HIT (with ex-Wargasm drummer Barry Spillberg).
Western Massachusetts hardcore
Perhaps a bit less violent than the Boston scene, the early Western mass hardcoreWestern mass hardcore
Western Mass. Hardcore refers to the hardcore punk music scene in and around Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1982-1984.-Origins:In the very early 1980's, hardcore punk scenes began to develop in cities such as Washington DC, Boston, New York, and Los Angeles...
scene had several notable bands, including Deep Wound
Deep Wound
Deep Wound was a hardcore punk band formed in 1982 in Westfield, MA. They released one self-titled 7" and contributed two songs to the compilation LP, Bands That Could Be God, both of which are sought after by fans and record collectors alike.-Overview:...
, All White Jury, Brain Injured Unit, Cancerous Growth, Siege
Siege (band)
Siege was an American punk/Thrashcore band from Weymouth, Massachusetts. They were active in the 1980s Boston hardcore scene from 1983 to 1985, and reunited briefly in the early 1990s....
, Pajama Slave Dancers, Grey Matter
Gray Matter (band)
Gray Matter was a post-hardcore band from Washington, D.C., who played in the 1980s and '90s. They disbanded in 1986, but reformed in 1990.On September 12, 2008, the band reformed for a one off reunion show to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the Black Cat, a night club in Washington DC,...
and The Outpatients. Of these, Deep Wound was the most important, spawning pioneering alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
groups like Dinosaur Jr and later Sebadoh
Sebadoh
Sebadoh is an American indie rock band, formed in 1986 in Westfield, Massachusetts by Eric Gaffney and Dinosaur Jr bass player Lou Barlow. Along with such bands as Pavement and Guided by Voices, Sebadoh helped pioneer lo-fi music, a style of indie rock characterized by low-fidelity recording...
, after the breakup of Deep Wound.
The late 80s to mid 90s saw many hardcore bands with a wide range of sounds. The 80s side included bands like Bloodbath, G Man, Wishful Thinking and Rumble Puppy. Many of these bands also had connections with the NYHC scene. During the early to mid nineties the scene contained acts ranging from heavy bands like Roachgrind, to punk bands like Wish and Maude, emo bands like Spoke and the abstract performance group Gutters. Most bands of the era released their own demo tapes and put out vinyl on Mark Dargie's Community Chest Records or Vandal Children Records run by Charlie Krich in Willimantic, Connecticut. Along with Mass. and Conn. basements, shows of this era happened at the Greenfield Grange, First Baptist Church of Northampton, Katina's and even the middle school hangout Club Soda. Many of these bands also appeared at one time or another at the annual Northampton High School battle of the bands.
In the late 1990s several bands in Western Massachusetts (centered around the five colleges
Five Colleges (Massachusetts)
The Five Colleges comprises four liberal arts colleges and one university in the Connecticut River Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, totaling approximately 28,000 students. The schools belong to a consortium called Five Colleges, Incorporated, established in 1965...
in Northampton/Amherst) helped establish an indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
scene. These included such bands as Apollo Sunshine, the Warren Commission, New Jersey Fairplan, Waterpistol, Psara, Delvic, The Right, Pixies and Noah's Dove. Waterpistol and Psara appear on Deep Elm Records
Deep Elm Records
Deep Elm Records is an independent record label putting out albums by bands such as The Appleseed Cast, Brandtson, The White Octave, and Planes Mistaken for Stars...
's The Emo Diaries compilation. The Warren Commission released several albums on the Boston label Espo Records. This was followed by a second wave of Western Massachusetts music, with emo
Emo
Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
and indie rock bands including I Am Disaster, Saveyourself, and the El to Addison. Many of these bands moved to the Boston area, where they have found some success or have broken up and formed new bands.
Northampton, Massachusetts
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
is home to the psychedelic-folk-jam band Lord Jeff
Lord Jeff
Lord Jeff is a 1938 film starring Freddie Bartholomew as a spoiled orphan who gets mixed up with some crooks, but gets set straight by a stint in a school.-Plot:...
, named after Lord Jeffery Amherst, who also named Amherst, Massachusetts. Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,947 at the 2010 census...
was also the setting for the American folk song "Alice's Restaurant
Alice's Restaurant
"Alice's Restaurant Massacree" is a musical monologue by singer-songwriter Arlo Guthrie released on his 1967 album Alice's Restaurant. The song is one of Guthrie's most prominent works, based on a true incident in his life that began on Thanksgiving Day 1965, and which inspired a 1969 movie of the...
."
Western Massachusetts is still home to a bountiful hardcore scene. Bands such as COD, Hands In, Shoot to Kill, Scurvy, Chuck Brunswick, Give 'Em Hell, Failures, Ampere, Orchid, Throwing Aces, Bloodwar and many others are constantly playing in and out of the area.
Metalcore
Metalcore in Massachusetts started from the Boston hardcore scene and the influence of bands from the New Wave of British Heavy MetalNew Wave of British Heavy Metal
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal was a heavy metal movement that started in the late 1970s, in Britain, and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. The movement developed as a reaction in part to the decline of early heavy metal bands such as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Black...
. The bands combined the two genres and created metalcore
Metalcore
Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...
, a whole new genre of metal in itself. In the middle of this musical renaissance, were two bands from Massachusetts that would form the way metalcore sounds today. Aftershock
Aftershock (band)
Aftershock was a metalcore band based out of Boston, Massachusetts. The band was formed in 1992 by the Dutkiewicz brothers, and broke up in mid 1999 shortly after Adam Dutkiewicz joined Killswitch Engage. After a 2-year hiatus, in 2001, the group re-formed for a reunion tour in Japan...
and Overcast
Overcast (band)
Overcast was an American metalcore band that started in the early 1990s, but broke up in 1998 after an unsuccessful tour; in 2008 they reunited to play a show and announced they would release a new album entitled Reborn to Kill Again with 11 re-recorded classic tracks and two unreleased...
are known to some as the godfathers of this genre. Following the breakup of these two bands, two other metalcore acts spawned from a number of their members, namely Killswitch Engage
Killswitch Engage
Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbandment of Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Howard Jones, bassist Mike D'Antonio, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, and drummer...
and Shadows Fall
Shadows Fall
Shadows Fall is an American heavy metal band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. They are one of the few contemporary metal bands who take their lyrical influence from Eastern philosophy and some references to the Rastafari culture...
, two of the best-selling bands in metalcore. Other best-selling Massachusetts metalcore bands are The Acacia Strain
The Acacia Strain
The Acacia Strain is an American deathcore band from Chicopee, Massachusetts. Originally founded in 2001, the band itself has undergone numerous changes in the member line-up...
, All That Remains
All That Remains (band)
All That Remains is an American heavy metal band from Springfield, Massachusetts, which formed in 1998. They have released five studio albums, a live CD/DVD, and have sold nearly 800,000 records...
, Unearth
Unearth
Unearth is an American metalcore band from Winthrop, Massachusetts. Formed in 1998, the group has released five studio albums. Their fourth record, The March was released on October 14, 2008 meeting with high positive reception by many...
and Within the Ruins
Within the Ruins
Within the Ruins is a metal band from Westfield, Massachusetts. They are currently signed to Victory Records. The group released two albums and one EP—Creature , Invade , and Omen-EP —via Victory Records-Biography:...
. Other well-known Boston metalcore bands are Diecast
Diecast (band)
Diecast is a five-piece metalcore band originating from Boston, Massachusetts. There are no active members that date back to their inception.-History:...
and Corrin
Corrin
Corrin is an heterocyclic compound. It is the parent macrocycle related to substituted derivative that is found in vitamin B12. Its name reflects that it is the "core" of vitamin B12 .-Coordination chemistry:...
.
Eclectic music
Western Massachusetts has been and remains the home of bands that would rather not write love songs, but songs called "Defreeze Walt Disney", "Problems With Sects", "Spider Goo", "Rabid Beaver Attack", "They Want to Make Me a Clone", and "Don KnottsDon Knotts
Jesse Donald "Don" Knotts was an American comedic actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, a role which earned him five Emmy Awards...
(Is Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
's Dad)".
The aforementioned Pajama Slave Dancers (PSD), with their punky sensibilities, spawned Captain Testosterone and the Gypsy Stretch Mark Orchestra led by Steve Westfield. Other PSD offshoots were Chubacabra Jr., and The Uncomfortables. The Hutus and Chicken McHead openly acknowledged PSD's influence on both their lyrics and performance antics. The Rock Gods from Chicopee had a hilarious show pretending they were big rock stars, while the Donut Kings
Donut Kings
Donut Kings is a U.S. rock band formed in 1986.-Band history:The Donut Kings formed in 1986 with Nate Crowell , Rikk Desgres , and Pat Butler . In the fall of that year they released First Bite, their first record. The band was based mixing straight ahead pop music, with the silly, comical, novelty...
lyrics played the funny versus the silly. The Donut Kings
Donut Kings
Donut Kings is a U.S. rock band formed in 1986.-Band history:The Donut Kings formed in 1986 with Nate Crowell , Rikk Desgres , and Pat Butler . In the fall of that year they released First Bite, their first record. The band was based mixing straight ahead pop music, with the silly, comical, novelty...
won the 2000 Valley Advocate Grand Band Slam for best Alternative/Eclectic band. Another Grand Band Slam winner that year (for cover band) was Krazee Navel.
External links
- Connecticut/MA Music - Western Massachusetts Music News
- American Music Preservation - Massachusetts Music
- New England Folk Network
- New England Music Exchange Network
- New England Open Mic E-zine with listings
- Surf For Local Music E-zine with listings
- The Bay State Hotel (Northampton) -- a music scene memorial