Samiam is steady as a rock at Deep Cuts on Thursday, 7 December 2023.

Me In Capris and Cape Crush level up to cool character in the opening slots.

Have you played The Challenger?

You know, the coin-operated amusement in the corner of Deep Cuts. It’s not just an illuminated decoration. Plunk a few coins in and test your skill.

What sort of skill?

Muscle control, steadiness, that sort of thing. The game is a zig-zagging metal track and a metal loop designed to be traced over the course of the track without one touching the other.

If your hand wavers, the metal loop hits the track, lights up red, and the game is over. You lose. But there are several levels of losing.

The super entry-level players won’t get past Shaky and Jittery.

Show some pluck, and you might count as a A Cool Character.

If you’re a cool character with staying power you’re Steady As a Rock.

Only the select few will make it to the final stretch with Nerves of Steel.

What happens if you make it all the way through the track untouched? Not sure. Probably nothing. No one’s done it before, and no one cares if you do.

Bottom line: no prizes and you don’t get your quarters back. The Challenger, a metaphor for a Coney Island kind of life.

Cape Crush

Cape Crush? Which Cape? Don’t say Cape Cod. That’s a shaky and jittery response.

Consider other capes in New England. Shout out to Cape Pond Ice in Gloucester, which may or may not be a real ‘cape’ in geographic terms. But it’s ground zero for crushing hard on sweaty fishermen and “Scott the owner” who is “down to earth.”

Shout out to Cape Ann in Rockport, MA. And extra points to Maine for a wealth of alt cape options: Cape Neddick, Cape Porpoise, and Cape Elizabeth. All cool characters.

In other news, catch Cape Crush for their last live show of the year on 12/20 at the Boston Music Awards.

Me In Capris

The four-piece pop rockers Me In Capris rolled through Deep Cuts with spangly, jangly chord progressions, bouncy bass lines, and taut percussion for miles. A thimblefull of emo, a mug full of shiny and happy. Shades of Games.

But let’s get down to the real business. It’s December and the band has a holiday song “Lonely Christmas.” That track is destined for the #xmas4eva gift pile!

Samiam

The Berkeley-originated pop punk outfit Samiam toured through the cozy confines of the Medford club on its way to a gig in Garwood, New Jersey the following day. Garwood! Salt of the earth Garden State folks.

It’s all part of prepping for a swing through the UK and Europe in the new year.

Pop punk is a pretty shelf stable item. Samiam started in the late 80s, flowered in the 90s, and has been picking its spots for regular tours and in the festival circuit since the 00s. It was a mix of young- and oldheads on Thursday night. 

There was some talk in 2019 of a forthcoming new album – is that still in the works? 

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