Ampule enthuses over Big Muffs at Silhouette Lounge on Monday, 19 August 2024.

Husbands and Still Life Sounds sandwich the triple-stack bill.

The booker behind the local live music series Illegally Blind (puts together the Fuzzstival and more), Jason Trefts, is raising money to start a non-profit organization, staffed by brain tumor survivors, “that will provide free short-term care coordination services for people in the Boston, MA area recently diagnosed with a brain tumor.”

The mission of the project hits close to home for Trefts. In his own words, “I was diagnosed with an incurable Astrocytoma at 24 years old. I have spent the decade-plus since navigating chronic disabling conditions while working in the human services field.”

“Astrocytoma” is a type of brain tumor. And while Trefts has been dealing with that, he has also been working in care coordination himself, observing first hand how important the work is. His proposed non-profit would make more of that important work happen for more people. Find out the details and donate at the Still Around Gofundme.

Just an aside, I saw a poster for a Still Around benefit show at Arts at the Armory back in May, didn’t mind what the benefit was benefiting, and just figured it was a jokey reference to the fact that all the college kids had gone home for the summer making all the locals part of the “Still Around” club. Because I’m an idiot. Obviously the phrase means a whole lot more.

On a bill full of heavy noise Still Life Sounds didn’t soft pedal their penchant for big chords, loud amps, gnarly textures. Four-, maybe five-piece? Hard to see when the quarters in the backroom at the Sil are cramped. Somebody get us a stepladder. The lead vocals help shape the wall of sound into more pop-familiar structures. Chorus, refrain, bridge – they’re all floating somewhere in the sonic soup.

Big sound from Big Muff enthusiasts Ampule. Straight outta Laramie, Wyoming. Which you don’t see too often this far east, but the three-piece is on their East Coast 2024 tour. Let’s be generous with ‘east coast’ here because the tour includes dates in Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, Minnesota, and Nebraska. East-ish! Check it out.

Normally a four-piece, Husbands rocked with three musicians on the night. The artful, emo noisemakers love a good feedback break between refrains. One less musician meant a little lighter sound, less density and complication, but all the signature elements remained in place. Catch them in NYC on 9/13 at Heaven Can Wait.

Photo Gallery