and Have a rockin’ time with local talent at farm
Boston finally has its own rock festival. No, it’s not Boston Calling.
OK, Boston Calling has put on some jaw-dropping events, but it has always needed to bolster its connection to local music. No, our best fest is Festival at the Farm, which goes down tomorrow and Sunday. The party at Prowse Farm won’t appeal to all (Where’s the hip-hop? Where’s the metal?), but Festival at the Farm has done an amazing job of prioritizing local talent over national names (and finding local talent with national followings).
Anchoring the twoday lineup are the Wood Brothers and Berklee-bred jam gods Lettuce (which features Soulive’s Eric Krasno and producer and drummer Adam Deitch). But the real fun comes on the undercard. Don’t miss Lettuce and the Wood Brothers, but make sure to show up for your new favorite act. Who’s that? I’m so glad you asked.
Julie Rhodes: At December’s Boston Music Awards, Rhodes and her crack band knocked out the House of Blues crowd. Many asked, “Where the heck has this soul shouter been hiding?” The answer was the clubs of Cambridge, where Rhodes honed her craft for a year as buzz built up. Pick up her debut album “Bound to Meet the Devil,” and hear how her songs evoke the ’50s blues and ’60s soul greats.
LuxDeluxe: Northampton is best known for birthing late-’80s cacophony (see Dinosaur Jr. and Pixies). LuxDeluxe bucks that trend and plays it straight, well, pretty straight. These guys make music that Buddy Holly, Keith Richards and Tom Petty would all classify as rock ’n’ roll. But their classic approach doesn’t mean you get the expected. They fill new album, “Let’s Do Lunch,” with strong craft, humming energy and sweet, sweet dirty rock swagger.
Twisted Pine: People think of Berklee College of Music as a source of metal shredders and jazzheads. This stereotype has some truth to it, but it presents a narrow view of the school. Berklee generates virtuosos, and they come in the form of players, singers and songwriters doing numerous styles. Twisted Pine proves this. The band can wail with a traditional bluegrass sound or write a tender, heartbreaking folk ballad or stompin’ jump blues tune. And when Kathleen Parks and Rachel Sumner harmonize, it’s magic.
Matthew Stubbs the Antiguas: Stubbs has done the impossible. He’s made Mondays awesome. His ongoing Monday night residence at the Sinclair Lounge features Stubbs, the Antiguas and weekly guests tearing through soul, garage, funk, surf and psychedelic instrumentals. Unequivocal proof he’s a killer: His “day job” is touring with blues legend Charlie Musselwhite as his guitarist.
Festival at the Farm, with Lettuce, Brett Dennen, The Wood Brothers, Martin Sexton and more, at Prowse Farm, 5 Blue Hill River Road, Canton, tomorrow and Sunday. Tickets: $45 per day, $75 for two-day passes; festivalatthefarm.com.