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By : Mia Rose
7 min read
Just when I started getting into the local music scene of Miami, the world shut down. I couldn’t stand the fact that I wasn’t going to be able to see any live music for the unpredictable future, so I decided that I wanted to give a voice to the bands that were being silenced by the pandemic. That’s how The Underground was born in Miami. Ever since, I have helped shed light on them, exposing them to new audiences and crowds. Soon after establishing the platform in Miami, I moved to Boston for college, and decided to bring The Underground name with me to the Northeast.
Getting used to the local music scene in any new city is a very intimidating experience, and it was overwhelming when I got to Boston. Even though I had done some research on some of the bands I wanted to see, it still felt as if I was jumping into the lion’s den with a blindfold and both hands tied behind my back.
I went to my first local Boston concert in the fall of 2021 and was confused as to why my Uber dropped me off at a house (the first thing that makes the local scene in Boston so unique). There were signs that led me to the backyard, with more signs guiding me down a flight of stairs into a basement (another quaint detail). As I made my way downstairs, the walls of the stairwell started to shake, filling the stairwell with a booming baseline and intense drum patterns.
Before I knew it, I was already integrated into the crowd, jumping right into the music. The size of the basement gave the bands a perfect opportunity to interact with the crowd, at times erasing the line between performer and enjoyer. From that moment on, I could not get enough of the local scene.
That night, I made a pact with myself saying that I am going to attend as many local events as I possibly can, whether it’s hosted at a bigger local venue or if it was another DIY basement show. We are currently amid a very fertile time of the local Boston music scene, taking a predominant focus in the indie rock and alternative scene. I have had the incredible opportunity to see many indie acts from the greater Boston area, with some of the highlights being:
Kayla Silverman, a local artist that never fails to harmoniously blend aspects of electronic pop with classical music, always inviting stunning brass sounds to accompany her “Weyes Blood” aesthetic. Her performances are always energy filled, as she always gets the crowd to move and to sing back to her, making it a very engaging experience for all parties involved.
One of my favorite acts from the has been a recent Northeastern University graduate that is artistically known as Keyboard Dog. I have had the opportunity to see him many times at varying venues across the city, and he never fails to disappoint. Most of the songs he performs involve a delicate and emotional duet between him and his keyboard, always making his performances special and intimate.
Transitioning into the more alternative rock part of the scene, GOING222JAIL is a relatively new band in the scene, having played their first show at the end of summer in 2021. The closest comparisons I can make to them would be a mix between Green Day and Third Eye Blind, while identifying themselves as indie rockers adding alternative, grungy, and modern sounds to their music. If you listen closely, you might even be able to dissect some faint touches of alt country, which could be made out through certain guitar patterns.
Another band that I witnessed the same night as the previous was Gollylagging. They have also been active in the DIY music scene since 2021, featuring a variety of more aggro instrumentation, but nonetheless getting us to move with their sudden but controlled bursts of intense hooks.
One very special thing about the scene here that never fails to surprise me is that every event caters to a completely different audience, something that I have learned to be a very rare occurrence in the local scenes of other cities. There are so many genres represented in the local scene, with more and more subgenres branching from them. I can’t remember the bands that performed that fall night, but the one thing I do remember was the feeling I got from being in that steamy basement with other people that were enjoying music just like me, creating a safe and harmonious local music community.
As much as I would love to drone on about more of my favorite bands in the scene, you’re going to have to follow The Underground (@underground.bos) to learn more about these bands and the many more that make up the scene!
—Mia Rose A.K.A The Underground
Originally published in-print in Boston Compass Newspaper #162 October 2023
Check out all the art and columns of October's Boston Compass at www.issuu.com/bostoncccompass