The Monthly Rock and Roll Social at the Model Cafe

November 28, 2008 | By Lisa | Filed In: Music Musings

Tuesday, November 4^th was the sixth anniversary of Boston’s own Rock and Roll Social. The Social, held at the Model Café every second Tuesday of the month, is a relaxed promotional event for anyone involved in the music industry, from bands/artists to promoters to engineers to local music directors and photographers. The Social remains an excellent medium for bands/artists to both promote their music and become an established part of Boston’s music scene.

The Social’s MySpace page says it best: “When all of the denizens of the Boston music community come together, ideas are sparked, doors open and excitement is generated… The Social provides the means to lift the veil of anonymity fostered by email. Through direct personal interaction, the Social puts faces to names allowing for contacts to be made and new friends to be found. In what may be the harshest industry in the world, the only thing that counts more than talent is friends and contacts.”

Several bands/artists were in attendance or with representatives in attendance on November 4th, including The Lights Out, Fugitive Kind, The Change Up, Onebigmess, Tunnlvision, and Casey Desmond.

The Lights Out has definitely been described as one of the Social’s success stories, being large fans of the Social from the early days. The Lights Out is one of those bands where every member is good at what they do and you want to be jealous of that kind of talent but you can’t because they’re just too damn good. A little poppy, a little rock, a lot of awesome, you can’t help but dance around like no one’s watching when you hear their brand of indie rock (buy their album Heist! here).

Lydia Marsala, vocalist for Fugitive Kind, has a voice that reminds me of sounds that should be coursing up from a smoky basement jazz-blues venue, something like Fiona Apple meets a tame Mia Zapata. Fugitive Kind’s instrumentals are smart, complimenting the vocals. Songs off of their album You’re Being Watched remain distinct from one another, causing Fugitive Kind to have developed their own unique soulful rock sound.

The Change Up’s smooth, rich vocals beg to be sung along to, with some songs off their LP All Together… obviously influenced by multi-layered hip hop rhymes (you can also buy their EP here). They are truly a radio-ready rock band.

Onebigmess is fast and hard and worthy of every head bang you may find yourself absentmindedly participating in. Their new album Viva la Mess! is the kind of CD you’d pop into your car stereo when you feel like breaking the speed limit, when you feel like taking those turns a little too quickly.

Tunnlvision has songs that shoot straight through your organs on their Original EP. Sometimes mellow, sometimes upbeat, sometimes both, this alternative indie band is worth checking out. And Jon Deane’s voice is just plain sexy, reminding me a little of Trent Reznor.

Casey Desmond has the kind of voice every girl wishes she had. Her voice is poppy and pretty and infectious in the best of ways.

The Rock and Roll Social has certainly become a Boston music scene staple. We’ll see you at the next social on Tuesday, Decemeber 9th at The Model Cafe in Allston.

Tags: Allston, Casey Desmond, Fugitive Kind, Onebigmess, Rock and Roll Social, The Change Up, The Lights Out, The Model, Tunnlvision