Can’t Miss Acts

In Between Days is kicking off its inaugural edition at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Quincy on August 20th. The musical festival is bringing together acts from near and far. Look up the set times and don’t miss these acts.

Catbite

Ska time is all the time.

Who’s giving us the shaka? 🤙 My bet’s on someone from the rhythm section.

Some musical acts don’t translate to the light of day. Do you really want to see Daft Punk (RIP) at 1pm in the afternoon? I mean, yeah, but wouldn’t you rather see them after hours in a deep, dark, dank underground nightclub in the catacombs beneath Paris? Of course, you fucking would! Time & place matter. So if you’re opening In Between Days in Quincy while the goths in Los Angeles are still enjoying their coffee, you better have the sound for the occasion.

Catbite have it in spades. The big, bright powerpop upstroke of the Philadelphia four-piece will get your motor running. And they just put out a new EP WAVEBREAKER #2 that looks hotttt – add it to the “Best Vinyl” list.

Blac Rabbit

How many of the acts you’ll see at In Between Days got their start busking?

It’s a hard day’s night, and I’ve been busking like a Blac Rabbit.

busking

/ˈbəskiNG/

noun

the activity of playing music in the street or another public place for voluntary donations.

"years of busking had taught him how to hold a crowd"

Probably all of them. Busking is a weird rite of passage for many musicians. The indifference, or worse, of commuting strangers is good training for the stage.

Safe bet though that none of the other artists on the bill blew up while busking. A 48-second video of the band playing a Beatles cover in went super-viral and Blac Rabbit has been sprinting to keep pace with their promotional opportunities ever since.

With their new full-length album finally out in March 2022, it’s time to take stock of who this band really is. In fantasy football parlance, you’d call them a post-hype sleeper.

Sidney Gish

The camera location in most Photobooths is clearly marked.

Speaking of post-hype sleepers, Sidney Gish released No Dogs Allowed to sudden, unexpected, and beautifully-uncalculated fanfare in 2017.

Great reviews followed, all kinds of up & coming shortlists, and sweet spots on choice bills at the best fests.

Since then she’s been spending more time in the classroom than the studio, graduating from Northeastern University in 2020. Extra points for shouting out the MFA in NDA.

The “People also ask” questions on Google for Sidney Gish start with:

Is Sidney Gish still making music?

Yes. Yes, she is. And you can see her play live at In Between Days. 

Kevin Devine

Take 5.

Kevin Devine’s music goes big and goes small. Like, big Magical Mystery Tour orchestration and small solo acoustic coffeehaus numbers. What kind of crew will he roll up with at In Between Days and what sort of sound will he go for?

I mean, you can do both. Open up with a few big numbers, then “take it down a notch” with a solo acoustic number while the rest of the band grabs a smoke. You won’t know until you see it live.

Tennis

Check out the album cycle for Tennis:

It’s your serve.

• Cape Dory (Fat Possum, January 2011)

• Young & Old (Fat Possum, February 2012)

• Ritual in Repeat (Communion, September 2014)

• Yours Conditionally (Mutually Detrimental, March 2017)

• Swimmer (Mutually Detrimental, February 2020)

Shapes up to be about 2-3 years between releases. If you count back to 2020, it’s a good guess that Tennis has a treasure trove of material that’s studio-ready or nearly there. Right now is the prime time to get an advance listen while they work out the kinks and experiment with the songs-in-progress on the festival circuit.

Manchester Orchestra

You’re not going to buy the ticket and miss the headliner, right? C’mon now.

Manchester Orchestra performing at Concord Music Hall on September 24, 2017 with Tigers Jaw and Foxing. Credit: Empireempire

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