Otis Shanty celebrate their new album at Crystal Ballroom on Thursday, 24 October 24.

Small Pond, Lost Film, Night Moth open the four-stack indie rock bill.

Ace the Quiz, Win the Tix

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Hump Nights

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Ace the Quiz, Win the Tix 〰️ Hump Nights 〰️

Hump Nights

Dec 31

Bohemian Rhapsody Sing-Along. The movie like you've never seen it before: host, goody bags, glam ups encouraged!

Jan 5

The 4th Wall celebrates its 14-month anniversary at the Capitol Theater.

Jan 8

Fully Celebrated Orchestra and Guests at Midway Cafe.

Jan 29

Born Innocent makes the case for Redd Kross as the seminal West Coast band of the last half century.

Jan 30

Ani DiFranco on a wild road trip from her punk-folk past to her life today.

Feb 1

ONCE plants its flag at The 4th Wall in the Capitol Theater.

Feb 6

A tale of sex, LSD, and rock n roll with psych punk pioneers.

Feb 21

Sensory overload at the Capitol! Bands, arcade, 360 degree visual projection & screening of Scott Pilgrim vs the World.

Hump Nights

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Ace the Quiz, Win the Tix

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Hump Nights 〰️ Ace the Quiz, Win the Tix 〰️

Night Moth? Is there any other kind of moth? (@ing Saturniids) Moths are nocturnal “because it's less likely they'll be eaten by predators and there's less competition for food.” Doesn’t sound completely persuasive. If insect life was all sunshine and rainbows at night, wouldn’t all insects be nocturnal? Some tuning issues from the four-piece, which required string wrangling from the acoustic guitar fronter until they sounded “pretty good.” Indie rock; but an acoustic guitar brings it all back home to folk, doesn’t it?

Tempted to call this night a stealth Relief Map Records showcase, but only two of four bands (Lost Film and Otis Shanty) are on the label, so that’s not a majority. The fronter for Lost Film declared Small Pond one of his favorite bands. Maybe he’s trying to land them on the label for a future release. HOO NOSE? There was a nice build to this set, reserve energy massing throughout, with all the chips cashed in by the final song. Proudly repping western Mass.

The drummer for Small Pond laid a swatch of cloth across the top of the snare to soften the brightness and hardness of the sound. I so rarely get to use the word “swatch.” Thank you. The four-piece put out a 10-minute EP called TOA. Which you might think stands for “Ted On Arrival” but actually stands for the equally ominous “Theories of Apocalypse.” A ten-minute theory of apocalypse sounds like the kind of unsolicited conversation you’d have on a below average T ride.

One quick note before deferring to the writeup from my Cambridge Day gig, which may or may not have published by the time this Hump Day News review posts.

Namely, a shout out to the videography efforts that provided the visuals for the Otis Shanty set. Looks like the band went camping, and Elliot Hungerford filmed the whole thing and projected it on the damn back wall. Good fun, an esprit de corps outing, Deliverance meets Abercrombie & Fitch catalog.

Points deducted for bringing eggs (and maybe bacon?) to breakfast on a camping trip. Too many dishes to lug either way. Plus, the fragile yolk bombs will explode in your backpack. Cup of oatmeal and coffee will do just fine.

Indie rockers Otis Shanty celebrated the release of their new album Up On The Hill at everyone’s favorite chandelier emporium located above Somerville Theatre. Crystal Ballroom! Good for weddings, so-so for timely beverage sales, and great for music. The headliners were joined by local openers Small Pond, Lost Film, and Night Moth.
A four-band bill produces a decent amount of shuffling on stage, with bands loading in and out between sets. One item that never moved an inch, though, was the trumpet belonging to Otis Shanty fronter Sadye Bobbette. Front row and center stage, from the first through the last set.
Boss move powerplay? A bit of stagecraft?
Maybe a subtle wink and nod to family in the crowd, who must have endured many otherwise sleepy Sunday afternoons full of brass honking before young Sadye found her groove. “Look ma, people pay to hear this now!”
How much do they pay? $15 in advance and $18 on the day of show. Add the service fee ($4.95), facility fee ($2), order processing fee ($3.05), and that’s a $28 “day of show” ticket. Ahhh, gentle Ticketmaster, be still my beating heart. You can imagine what gets split four ways among the bands after Caesar has taken his tribute.
For what it’s worth, the cost was a small fraction of the $300 you would have paid to see the Pixies at The Sinclair on the same night. $300, wow! That’s not Eras Tour money, but it’s nothing to sniff at. If you want to stretch your indie rock dollar, go see actual indie rock, rather than beloved nostalgia acts.
Totally random closing thought. How creepy are the automated hi-beams above the stage at Crystal Ballroom when they continue to point & swivel even when they’re not projecting light? Like AI-assisted gun turrets hunting human prey…