Joyzine’s Atilla Peter recently reviewed Tiberius’s new album Troubadour which he described as combining “emo’s expressiveness with rustic imagery and small-town melancholy.” To go alongside the review we asked Tiberius to give us a breakdown of their hometown, Boston. This is the second in our ongoing series of No Place Like Home articles in collaboration with the wonderful Audio Antihero label (the first was The Noisy and a musical spin round Philadelphia).
Notwithstanding the bar where everybody knows your name, Boston takes its name from the market town in Lincolnshire and is known for having America’s first chocolate factory and the Great Molasses Flood of 1919 that killed 21 people. It’s where the first Thanksgiving was celebrated and was pivotal in the American Revolution which included the Boston Tea Party where 342 tea chests were thrown into the Boston harbour (no doubt followed by several milk churns and a case of sugar). So it’s over to our tour guides Tiberius for the musical lowdown.
What makes Boston a special place for music?
I think because there’s not an infrastructure that’s supported by the city, it falls on the community to create spaces where artists can create and perform for one another. It’s a place that you have to find, as opposed to it being shoved in your face.
Is there a scene or a sound that you’d describe as being specific or special to Boston?
I think Boston usually evokes a certain edge – or grime. Perhaps as I result of playing in basements through busted PA’s to drunk college kids who’ll give the time of day to listen to your art as they get fucked up. I think even as we all grow out of that scene (for some a little further along than others), there’s a certain rawness that you can’t quite shed.
Give us a quick history lesson – who are some of your favourite bands and artists from Boston?
Oh man. Of course I love bands like Pile. OVLOV isn’t from Boston, but we kind of claim OVLOV and that whole Exploding in Sound crew to some degree. Pet Fox. The Pixies. Truly my favorite artists from Boston are more my pals.
And who should we be looking out for right now & why?
I love contemporary acts like Winkler, Paper Lady, Clifford, Sweet Petunia, Gollylagging – the list goes on.
What impact do you think living in Boston has had on your sound and songwriting?
The sheer amount of music and musicianship I’ve got to witness the past few years has made me an immensely better songwriter. Boston is a town where musicians are trying to figure it out. Trying new things at every performance. I feel like I’ve learned more about music, community, and myself more in the past 4 years than any other time in my life.
Where are your favourite local places to play or see live music and why?
Rockwell, Warehouse XI, O’Briens, Deep Cuts, DIY spots like TT, PP, for those in the know.
Aside from the bands, who are some of the local heroes working to keep music thriving in Boston?
Trent Reeder who you’ll see at every single gig with a video camera documenting my 20’s and the lives of several other Boston artists, Maddy Simpson of Sweet Petunia and Winkler who runs Handhold connecting several artists and booking shows, Jon Everett who helps book a ton of shows and tours, John Quinlan of Duds Dungeon, Kaitlin and Drew who run PP,, Eamonn, Holly, Kacey & the rest of the TT crew, Jack DeMarco who runs Cuck, the folks in Main Era who do Interlux Distribution, Jordan from Get 2 The Gig, Biff and Ethan who run the 4th Wall, Digital Awareness providing crazy awesome visuals for countless bands.
Give Joyzine readers 10 songs from/about the city for a playlist, along with a few words about each choice.
Paper Lady – ‘Joe Modern’
The first time I saw this live my jaw literally dropped to the floor. One of my favorite Boston tunes ever.
Clifford – ‘Slow Bird’
I’ve got a lot of love for my pals in Clifford. I always scream the jam jar line in this one.
Exit 18 – ‘Quint Ave’
A tribute to our local DIY palace.
Gollylagging – ‘Dry Rot’
Perhaps one of the band’s more sentimental and slow tunes that really showed the community that this band is no one trick pony.
Sweet Petunia – ‘4.31am’
Maddy and Mairead are some of the warmest folks you’ll ever meet in the scene. The gut wrenching character these two can pull off with a guitar, banjo, and their harmonies is simply unmatched.
Christian Pace – ‘Tea for Two’
I love this tune. Christian moved down to New York a few years ago but this is the hit from his Boston days.
Winkler – ‘Bazooka Baby’
One of my favorite joyous love tunes from some of the hippest scallywags around. Always makes me feel nostalgia for something I thought I could’ve experienced?
OVLOV – ‘Baby Shea’
This one brings me right into the pit at NICE, a fest. You can smell the sweat and the beer. The fun.
Jonny Tex – ‘Heifer’
One of the danciest cow shuffling’ tracks out there. THIS is truly farm emo.
The Croaks – ‘Big Bug’
Medieval punk with passion and punch, and spectacular songwriting.
Huge thanks to Tiberius for a taste of Boston’s thriving music scene and you can check out their album Troubadour on Bandcamp and read Atilla Peter’s glowing review here.
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Introduction by Paul F Cook
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