Slomosa @ Paradise, Mar 20 2025

Horse heads unite! 

(I don't understand the photo effects going on here but love the horse heads in the crowd)

It was a midweek show and I don't want to see Helmet made up of just Paige Hamilton so I bailed before they went on.  The middle act was one of my favorite desert/stoner rock bands (along with Domkraft). Slomosa has taken the slightly more mainstream sound on the Kyuss/QOTSA split record and made it their own. 

The full set is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoJyp4msFxs

Set list:
Afghansk rev Cabin fever Rice In my mind's desert Battling Guns There is nothing new under the sun Kevin Horses

Terminal Stereo @ The Worthen, Jan 11 2025

My favorite punk band...

... plays the coolest music spot I've been to in a while.  

In the attic of the oldest bar ever, is a small music space where the bands run the PA and the booking agent has diverse taste. 

TS just released their first proper recording "Cognitive Dissidents" which was recorded and mixed in my basement.  This is the first time I've seen the band after having REALLY listened to their songs.  It was awesome! 

The first band was from CT.  They covered a lot of genres (emo, punk ,ethereal) which was cool but also did a lot of talking, including talking about how they are just going to get right to the music and not talk.  HA.  Drummer was gnarly though.  Lots of open handed grooves.  They also did a Napalm Death "You Suffer"-like song, 3 seconds of grind.  Wasn't actually that song but still cool.

Second band, Bricks of Boston, really needs to give up on the guitar driven rock and just do OI covers and originals.  Bass player had an Orange amp and wore a TS shirt.

Terminal Stereo was awesome.  Super tight playing and it was a blast actually knowing the songs! 

The last band had an insane drummer who got all of his cymbals to jump off their stands during each song.

Year in Review 2024

In 2024 I made it to a total of 9 live shows.  That's one better than 2023! 

Favorite Show: The Pist, runner up: The Beths again! (seen also in 2023)

I also bought tickets to these shows but couldn't make it for one reason or another:

• The Pist, record release show on Feb 16 in CT.  Going on vacation the next day.
• Ministry, at Roadrunner on March 18.  Family stuff going down.
• Death to All, at Middle East down on May 25. It's Memorial day weekend and I saw John Garcia on Monday.
• Metallica, at Gillette Stadium on Aug 5.  Caitlin's birthday.  Duh!
• Sour Widows at Deep Cuts (Medford) on Sep 14. Coming back from Desert Fest NYC.
• Testament at House of Blues on Oct 6.  Spent all day at CT Ren Faire. 🧙‍♂️

2024 was significant for the fact that my hearing was permanently degraded.  I listen to everything with Headphone Safety enabled at 80 decibels.  I've recently noticed that its getting harder to hear things.  

I can think of two things that were the potential cause:  

A) practicing drums with IEMs that were too loud for a few months (D'oh!) 

B) being upfront for the BTBAM Paradise show which was the loudest show in a long time (Ooof!). 

Will be slowing things down in 2025 until I get with an audiologist.