Just a man and a guitar on a stage with a voice as raw as Curt Cobain and a body that shivers with electricity as he sings raw, naked songs. Chick Graning come out of Knoxville to Boston, where he formed first Anastasia Screamed and then Scarce, was on the cusp of fame when a brain hemorrhage knocked him off his feet. Here he is two years later finding his footing in Kendall Cafe. A near miss at greatness but always great. Watching this set years later is like watching the last act in a heartache of a life, a poignant moment of might-have-been captured letting out a last eruption of the sun within. If you want to know more about Chick Graning, go here or to hear his last lost record go here.
indie rock
Boston Bands in the 90's: Victory at Sea, Shiva Speedway, Lisa King
You will feel all the feelings here—the slow, the sad, the sultry, the rage, the disgust. From—Victory at Sea were a legend of Boston dark indie rock and slowcore, with their heavy, brooding passages, Mona Elliott’s aching, "euphoric" vocals, dynamic range, and overall mood, i.e. somber & spooky—to—Shiva Speedway, and its angular, guitar-heavy sound of '90s feminist punk and indie rock, blending riot grrrl energy with a Sleater-Kinney-like tight, dynamic, guitar-driven sound featuring inventive riffs, stop-start rhythms, and sometimes slow-burn tracks with varied vocals, offering a raw, catchy, and attitude-filled rock experience—to—Lisa King, the slam poet, very Gil Scott-Heron.