Gooseberry shills snozzberries at O’Brien’s Pub on Thursday, 10 August 2023.

Jack West and The Shirts and Shoes open in support.

Have you seen this Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen?

The Curaçaoan pitcher signed with the team in 2022. He throws mostly fastballs. But what catches your attention, other than the strikeouts, is the jiggily, wiggily movement atop the mound. He’s got a funky tempo that carries over all the way into his windup.

Is it good for throwing batters off their own rhythm? It didn’t work too well in this video from last night’s game. Jansen gave up the homer to the Kansas City Royal’s Freddy Fermin. But he ultimately held on for the win.

Red Sox are pretty awful this season, eh? Fourth place in the AL East.

Still one game ahead of the Yankees.

The Shirts and Shoes

No shirts, no shoes, no service. No problem on Thursday night. Everyone met the minimum requirements to hear the opening set from Boston’s The Shirt and Shoes.

The four-piece plays a spirited brand of bluesy rock. Bit of a metal edge, which comes out in the martial chord progressions and speed solos.

The rhythm and lead guitar were sporting a nice looking Gibson and Les Paul, respectively. The kind of guitars made for wailing. They wailed plenty, brandishing tracks from their most recent release Sinner Swing. The album opens up with a demented preacher’s hornswoggle. Have a listen.

Extra points for the free stickers.

Jack West

Jack West fielded a trio that had the look and feel of alt rock. But the soul of his well-crafted tunes is pop through and through. Regular toe tappers. The song “21” was a standout pop gem.

Is the entire trio from Rochester, New York, or just Jack West? Either he connected with some local musicians to fill out the backing band, or the drummer wearing the number “33” jersey is just a Celtics fan. Extra points granted, either way.

The trio closed with a cover of Foster The People’s “Pumped Up Kicks”, turning it into a greasier, grimier rock n roll number. Just as infections though. The song still hasn’t lost its subversive power, reeling you in with the hook while it pushes you away with the meaning of its dark lyrics.

Gooseberry

Gooseberry calls itself a band from Brooklyn, but they’re opening and closing their Validation Tour in Boston. Go figure.

The three-piece will be on a month-and-a-half swing, starting north of Boston, looping into Canada, returning via the Midwest, and dilly-dallying around the mid-Atlantic seaboard before it’s all over.

That’s a decent amount of gas. Buy some merch or listen to their new single “Panic!” about 1.5 million times on Spotify.

Strong pop rock vapors emanated from the stage, with some bluesy aftertaste. Shades of a jammier Matchbox Twenty.

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