Lizard Lounge Club

Lizard Lounge Poetry Jam Featured pPoet Lindsey O’Neill
2023-10-29 19:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Lindsey O’Neill is a poet, teacher, and performance artist. She is founder of Lindsey O’Neill Yoga & Writing, teaches creative writing at Boston’s GrubStreet, and has been part of the Lizard Lounge poetry slam and spoken word scene since 2016. Lindsey infuses her writing classes with contemplative practices to foster compassionate awareness, distill an authentic voice, and enhance sustainable creativity. She believes both awareness-building practices and the creative arts are capable of inspiring community connection leading to social change. Lindsey holds a 200HR Teacher Training Certification from The New England School of Integrative Yoga Therapeutics, a City of Boston Artist Certification, and an MFA in Poetry from Lesley University. Lindsey has had poems published in FUSION magazine, Hare’s Paw Literary Journal, and Mass Poetry’s “Poem of the Moment.” She is currently at work on her first (and second) poetry collections.

Club d'Elf
2023-10-31 20:00 - 23:00
Club d’Elf Halloween Spooktacular!

A long-standing tradition returns: Club d’Elf at The Lizard for its first Halloween show since 2019! Halloween has long been a sacred (scared?!) day for the band, and its Lizard / Halloween shows were a long-standing tradition, with the band dressing in costume and getting its spooky on. The tradition had to pause in 2020 due to the pandemic, but it’s back full force this year, with a creepy line up of Van Gordon Martin (guitar), Paul Schultheis (keys), Mister Rourke (turntables), Mike Rivard (bass & sintir), Vicente Lebron (congas), Dean Johnston (drums) w/ Tom Hall (sax). Costumes are encouraged!
Club d’Elf has been helping audiences lose track of time for twenty five years with its mesmerizing synthesis of Moroccan traditional music and electronic, dubbed-out funk. Circling about bassist/composer Mike Rivard and drummer Dean Johnston, each Club d’Elf performance features a different line-up, drawn from a constellation of some of the most creative improvisers from the jazz, DJ, rock & world music scenes of Boston, NYC and beyond. The band’s music draws from a startlingly wide spectrum of styles, including jazz, hip hop, electronica, avant garde, prog-rock and dub. Under the tutelage of member Brahim Fribgane (who hails from Casablanca) the band has absorbed Moroccan trance music, which is now an essential part of the mix. Diverse audiences are drawn to Fribgane’s mesmerizing oud stylings, and Rivard’s commanding playing of the Moroccan sintir. Trance forms the central core of the Club d’Elf aesthetic, weaving together the band’s various influences.
The bands latest album, ‘You Never Know’ (April 2022) rose to #2 on the Relix chart. The record unfurls upon kaleidoscopic clouds of spiced smoke, shifting from chopped dub-jazz through trance epics that reimagine Boston as a city of bazaars. Club d’Elf pay tribute to the music and musicians who have been primary
influences, with half the album being covers of gnawa, Miles Davis, Joe Zawinul, Moroccan band Nass el-Ghiwane, and Frank Zappa. The other half consists of original music inspired by Rivard’s personal journey into darkness following a near death experience in the remote jungle of the Peruvian Amazon.
“You Never Know is a wide ranging romp, full of serenity, chaos, longing, improvisation and peerless musicianship inspired by music from India and Morocco as well as the maverick jazz of Miles Davis and Frank Zappa.” – Banning Eyre, Afropop Worldwide
“Crushed between the borders of Morocco, jam band land and the kingdom of avant-garde jazz lies Club d’Elf…James Brown-meets-Sun-Ra.” – Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald
“Sounds like the lovechild of Pink Floyd and George Clinton, dropped in Marrakesh…some deeply psychedelic music.” – Marlon Bishop, WNYC
Club d’Elf

Baker Thomas Band
2023-11-02 20:00 - 23:00
A longtime TOAD favorite, the Baker Thomas Band live at the Lizard Lounge with Special Guest Darren Buck (Hank Wonder Trio)

Whether it’s the infectious grooves, hooks, horns, heartbreakers or anthemic rock finale’s, Baker Thomas Band invokes a spectrum of high spirits and feeds the soul like a night out with good friends should.

Beginning on stage at TOAD in Cambridge, MA in 2009, BTB is an eclectic collection of musicians and good friends getting together to make great music and have a blast!

“After years of being a singer/songwriter/solo bassist, the one thing I missed the most was the raw energy and power of a band. All my roots are from rock and roll…. being a soloist was a serious departure from that,” Tom says. Baker Thomas Band or “BTB” was not intended to be as big as it is now. The original line up was drums, bass, guitar, keyboard and trombone. From that humble 5 we’ve grown and now the band is rarely less than 9 or 10 artists with a full horn section and percussion section as well.” BTB has been a blast and hearing my songs interpreted through so many talented artists is a dream come true!” – Tom “The Baker” Bianchi
Baker Thomas Band

Alex & The People, Jabbering Trout and Aldous Collins
2023-11-03 21:00 - 2023-11-04 00:00
Jabbering Trout, Alex and the People and Aldous Collins in

Jabbering Trout is a killah live act with memorable original songs. They began their trajectory in the 90s in Boston, MA. They were a high-energy, two-person, drum and guitar duo. They started out in the thriving local acoustic scene, won Boston’s Acoustic Underground competition, and were off and running, touring clubs and playing festivals nationally.

Trout has played in front of 1000s opening up for acts like Aerosmith, Dave Matthews Band, Jeff Buckley, Ani Difranco — and many more. But their native environment was rock and acoustic clubs across the country where they delivered their solid, catchy songs with energy. Jabbering Trout had many incarnations after the original band broke up, but the common theme is solid, catchy songwriting delivered live with energy.
Jabbering Trout

Alex & the People are a folk-rock project rooted in the grassroots activism of Jamaica Plain and the soulful shores of Lesvos, Greece. Singer-songwriter Alex Alvanos, a quirky nonprofit leader & environmentalist, resigns himself to the influence of nature and the everyday struggles of people trying to cope with this time on earth.

Their newest release, ‘Late Night Take Out’ (available everywhere 11/3/23), shows the band’s versatility in songwriting and musicianship from 00s Mumford & Sons intimate folk, to steely country, to 90s era Dave Matthews Band jam rock. Listening to the album is like smelling dirt from a freshly planted forest, earthy and raw, equal parts beginning and end. Playing with themes from environmental catastrophe to spiritual awakening, the album is meant as much for grieving the loss of the world as we know it, as it is for waking up in the middle of the night to throw a big, shoes-off party with your neighbors that ends at sunrise with planting trees (and hope) into uncertain future.
Alex and the People

Aldous Collins is a New England born and bred singer/songwriter. Living and loving on The South Shore of Massachusetts.
Aldous Collins

MC Kabir Sen with Krush Factory
2023-11-04 21:00 - 2023-11-05 00:00, 2023-12-02 21:00 - 2023-12-03 00:00
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MC Kabir Sen continue their monthly residency at the Lizard Lounge with the Krush Factory

Lizard Lounge Poetry Jam-Featured Poet Mwalim DaPhunkee Professor
2023-11-05 19:00 - 22:00
Lizard Lounge Poetry Jam with Featured Poet, Mwalim DaPhunkee Professor

Mwalim DaPhunkee Professor is a multi-award-winning, interdisciplinary artist and educator, whose works span the mediums of spoken word, theater, music, film, literature, and scholarly works. A vocalist and pianist of jazz, soul and house music, His recent novel LAND of the BLACK SQUIRRELS is available through his website and will soon be in reprint. He is the co-founder and music director for the multi-Grammy nominated indie soul-funk band, The GroovaLottos; the owner of Polyphonic Studios in Wareham, MA and the head of production for Poly-Groove Records. Mwalim is a tenured associate professor of English, Communications and Black Studies at UMass Dartmouth. Mwalim has been on a quest to unlock the sonic mathematics of the guitar since January of 2022, leading to the creation of a project called “Thunderchild” a story-song performance work and album. For more info go to https://www.daphunkeeprofessor.com/

TINKERTOWN/Ghosts and Shadows
2023-11-08 20:00 - 23:00
TINKERTOWN and Ghosts and Shadows live at the Lizard Lounge.

Led by Boston rock veteran Dean Fisher and vocalist Gabriella Lawrence, TINKERTOWN plays original rock with nods to several different styles of Americana. Featuring local luminaries Russell Chudnofsky, Elizabeth Steen, Joe McMahon and Chris Anzalone. Members of TINKERTOWN have played with such artists as: Natalie Merchant, Tanya Donelly, Juliana Hatfield, Will Dailey, Lori McKenna, Billy Bragg, Tim Gearan, Jimmy Ryan, and Roomful of Blues.

Ghosts and Shadows, a Boston-based rock band established in 2013, brings together a lineup of musicians from some of the city’s most notable indie outfits, including Ultrabreakfast, Cheater Pint, Julianna Hatfield 3, Dylan in the Movies, Miskatonic, and Calendar Girl. Their sound is a blend of original guitar-driven power pop and dark new wave, with catchy melodies, driving rhythms, introspective lyrics, surrealist themes, and an atmospheric edge.
Featuring Paul Wisner, Gabriella Lawrence, Steve Reynolds and Dean Fisher.
Ghosts and Shadows

Cold Chocolate w/ Kat & Brad
2023-11-09 20:00 - 23:00
Cold Chocolate return to the Lizard Lounge with special guests Kat and Brad!

MUST BE 21+
Cold Chocolate is a genre-bending Americana band that fuses folk, funk and bluegrass to create a unique sound all their own. Led by Ethan Robbins (vocals/guitar/mandolin) and Ariel Bernstein (vocals/percussion/banjo), the Boston-based duo released their fourth full-length album, DUO, in the summer of 2022. “We’re growing as a band, and I think that shows in our songwriting,” says Robbins. “I see this album as a leaping off point for many more new albums to come, and that’s an exciting prospect,” adds Bernstein.
Punctuated by tight harmonies and skillful musicianship, Cold Chocolate has quickly gained recognition for their original music and high-energy shows. The band has shared bills with Leftover Salmon, David Grisman, and Angelique Kidjo, and regularly performs at venues and music festivals across the country. Jason Verlinde of The Fretboard Journal who covered the band’s FreshGrass Festival set noted “there were plenty of magical moments…I will never forget Cold Chocolate perform.” Kathy Sands-Boehmer of No Depression raved, ” feels the music in his heart and soul and it shows when he plays. Ethan becomes the music on stage. There’s an almost mystical connection between his guitar and the notes that flow out of it.”
Cold Chocolate

Drawing from 50s and 60s pop, American Songbook standards, and much more, this vibrant duo channels and fuses these influences through two voices, a guitar, and violin to bring you a mixture of original songs and dusted off covers from the past.
The two consist of Brad Bensko on Vocals and Guitar, and Kathleen Parks (of Twisted Pine) on Vocals, and Five-Stringed Fiddle.
In the fall of 2018 the duo recorded, produced, and mixed their first LP of original material split equally at their home studio full of delightful, vintage, and analog recording equipment, Bearded Cat Studio and with the master, recording engineer Chris Rival’s Middleville Studio. Since its release in 2019 it has been loved, and received high praise by audiences all over New England.
A follow up two track EP was released online in 2020 via Bandcamp. The tracks are from their last live show at Club Passim in Cambridge, Massachusetts before the pandemic hit the states. In a way it reminisces about a time when live music was close, intimate, and there to take your troubles away for a little while.
With live music back be sure to not miss this happy duo. Join them at an upcoming show to hear selections from their album and fresh cuts from their favorite time periods!
Kat and Brad

Macrotones and the Ghost Funk Orchestra
2023-11-10 21:00 - 2023-11-11 00:00
The Macrotones and Ghost Funk Orchestra live at the Lizard Lounge!

Established in Boston in 2007, The Macrotones are a 10-piece unit steeped in off-beat funk & soul rhythms from all over the globe. Blazing horns meet mighty hooks for a progressive mix fit to fill any dancefloor.
The band’s tightly-honed grooves and infectious sound has shared the stage with likeminded practitioners such as Lee Fields & the Expressions, Durand Jones & the Indications, the Budos Band, Grupo Fantasma, Orgone, Ikebe Shakedown, and Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars. Since typical genre descriptions fail to fully capture the scope of the Macrotones sound, new monikers need exploration: imperial funk, astrobeat, or even “a soundtrack for spies” all fit.
After self-recording their first record, 2008’s Wayne Manor, the Macrotones followed up with two studio albums: First Signs of Danger, released on Young Cub Records in 2010 and produced by Craig Welsh (John Brown’s Body, 10 Ft Ganja Plant), and Darvaza, released on Music ADD Records in 2012 and produced by Sean Slade (Radiohead, Morphine).
2016 saw the release of Macro’s 3rd full length, Unknown Outpost, with Boston Music Award-wInner and Cramm-nominated engineer/producer Benny Grotto at the helm.
The LP was also their first to feature guest vocalists on a number of songs, including emerging star Iyeoka. Several members of the band toured internationally with Iyeoka, performing some of their original tunes to large crowds across Europe.
In the fall of 2017, the band released two back-to-back EP’s; The Prisoner Flees & The Shark Eats on Music ADD Records. The first was tracked at Converse Rubber Tracks Boston studio and mixed by Dan Cardinal, while the second was done with Benny Grotto at Mad Oak Studios in Allston MA.
A new era for the band began in 2019 when friend and occasional guest vocalist Phil Desisto joined full time. Phil’s commanding and gritty vocals, drawing comparisons to Bobby Womack, saw the band embrace more classic soul sounds from the ‘6os and ‘705, while retaining their edgy funk. Just before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, they tracked a 4-songEP and released Bloody Hands on Music ADD in May 2020.
Macrotones

Ghost Funk Orchestra is the brainchild of composer/multi-instrumentalist Seth Applebaum.
What started as a one-man recording project has now evolved into a powerhouse live band.
It’s a sonic kaleidoscope that defies genre specification, but draws heavy influence from the worlds of soul, psych rock, salsa, and beyond.
Their unique blend of genres has attracted praise from the likes of NPR, Bandcamp, KUTX, Brooklyn Vegan, Earmilk, and more.
Over the years they’ve had the honor of sharing the stage with the likes of Os Mutantes, Marco Benevento, La Luz, Monophonics, The Nude Party, and The Jack Moves,
as well as playing such legendary festivals as Montreal Jazz, Treefort, Telluride Jazz, Otis Mountain Get Down, and BRIC’s NYC Winter Jazz.
Local NY blog Post-Trash described their sound as a ‘psych odyssey of traditional sounds delivered in a non-traditional fashion.’
Bandcamp’s Editorial Director J. Edward Keyes praised the band’s ability to ‘leave no funk-adjacent genre unexplored.’
Experimentation is the key, and unpredictability is what has been attracting folks from all corners of the globe to see what GFO pulls off next…

Ghost Funk Orchestra

Pressure Cooker Returns to the Lizard Lounge!
2023-11-11 21:00 - 2023-11-12 00:00
Pressure Cooker bring a mix of reggae and ska to the Lizard stage.

Pressure Cooker is a nine piece reggae/ska/rocksteady band from Boston. The group writes, records, and performs original songs in the styles of 1960s and 1970s Jamaican music. The group formed in 1997.

Pressure Cooker has released seven full-length CDs. Fronted by lead singer Craig Akira Fujita and backed by a core of Boston-area musicians, the band has played to audiences at clubs and festivals spanning from New England to Chicago. Over the years, Pressure Cooker has opened locally for notable artists of roots reggae music including Toots & the Maytals, Burning Spear, Gregory Isaacs, The Wailers, Prince Buster, Derrick Morgan, The Skatalites, Culture, Laurel Aitken, Eek-A-Mouse, Julian Marley, and Sister Carol.

Lizard Lounge Poetry Jam Featured Poet Will C.
2023-11-12 19:00 - 22:00
Poetry Jam Featured Poet Will C.

“Will C.” is popularly known as a community theater practitioner in Playback Theatre, an educational consultant for multiple organizations, and a professor at a local university. He is also a 2-time member of the Lizard Lounge slam team. Exploring paradoxes, existential contexts, and patterns stimulate him. Will C. is an eccentric introvert, one who has worked nationally and internationally to influence personal, professional, and communal development. January will begin his third year of hosting a poetry in the woods series in Westwood.

Quadrapeg/Shibui
2023-11-15 20:00 - 23:00
Quadrapeg returns to the Lizard Lounge

MUST BE 21+

Three things bind this quartet together: friendship, a love of jazz and funk, and a shared sense of humor. In the 2010s, Bassist Jameson Stewart, organist Ben Blanchard, drummer Patrick Dalton, and guitarist Sam Crawford formed a close personal and musical rapport working together as sidemen in various styles. It wouldn’t be long until they tried playing their own instrumental music as a quartet. Today, QuadraPeg brings joy and vitality to their compositions and improvisations, always with a solid groove, camaraderie, and a touch of the absurd.
Quadrapeg

“While such music is too easily characterized as cinematic, there is also something undeniably photographic about it, breaking down moving images one precious still at a time. And if it may be called minimal, it is primarily because the sparse arranging allows listeners to weave between every instrument, picking up hints of fragrance along the way.” Tyran Grillo, Between Sound and Space: ECM Records and Beyond.
Boston based band SHIBUI led by composer, guitarist and bass player Tim Doherty presents its second album QUINT, the premiere on Ronin Rhythm Records with its connected community. The album contains five elaborated minimal groove compositions by Doherty, conceptually titled with numbers. This already indicates the composer’s clear vision and the band’s focused understanding of this contemporary groove chamber music.
Tim began writing and performing with various artists in the Boston area in the early 2010’s including Progressive/Indie outfit Here We Just Dream, the experimental Rock and improvisational band The Ben Levin Group, Courtney Swain (of Bent Knee), among others. This influential and lively creative community is still active today and SHIBUI has become an important part of it.
Tim studied with Swiss Pianist and Composer Nik Bärtsch in 2015, which began one of the more important formative experiences for him as a composer and was the seedling of the conception behind the SHIBUI project. Since then, Tim has integrated the lessons learned from Bärtsch’s music, bands and workshops into his own writing and performing, as well as helping in the organization of rhythm workshops in the U.S. and Canada.
The Japanese evolutionary concept of SHIBUI has accumulated many meanings over time, evoking a discreet sense of beauty, elegant simplicity, and a gradual sense of value and meaning with repeated exposure to the experience or object. The discovery of value through repeated exposure to the music one takes the time to learn, comprehend, and perform is a central tenet most musicians understand deeply and personally, but which is always open to the listener when engaged with the same music through time, the evolution of one’s experience, and mood. The music of SHUBUI attempts to invite the listener into this active engagement with discovered value through played repetition in real time, while offering an awareness of the unavoidable necessity of change, whether deliberate in the composition or incidental to our shifting perspectives.
This tenet of gradually evolving beauty and value while retaining a sense of elegance and sophistication became the central foundation for SHIBUI. Never highlighting one voice over another, but rather maintaining a balance throughout each piece while allowing the space to breathe and flow became the engine that moved the compositions. SHIBUI has explored its versatility as a Sextet, a Quintet, and finally its core as a trio (Curtis Hartshorn on drums, Tim Doherty on bass, Céline Ferro on bass clarinet), giving it a unique perspective on its own inner working and ability to expand again with Piano and Marimba as its harmonic content in larger performances, while maintaining flexibility as a trio for more intimate performances.
https://shibuimusic.bandcamp.com/album/quint

Sound Kicks Out Presents Melissa Mills, Savoir Faire and Aldra
2023-11-16 20:00 - 23:00
Sound Kicks Out returns to the Lizard Lounge with another top notch showcase of local talent featuring Melissa Mills, Savoir Faire and Aldra

Melissa Mills is a Boston based vocalist serenading audiences with sweet harmonies and powerhouse vocals. Her original music creates an R&B landscape that envelopes with emotion and energy.

Melissa Mills

You won’t hear any love songs in Savoir Faire’s corner of the cocktail lounge. Boston artist Sarah Fard prefers to seduce her listeners’ minds, serving them new perspectives atop melodies smooth as a whiskey sour. With her solo project Savoir Faire, Fard constructs plush headspaces for audiences to grapple with the most pressing issues of our time. Interweaving dramatic 60s noir, pointed 90s rock, classic elements of jazz, Fard’s guitar-driven music envelops listeners in nostalgia, taking a sonic step backwards to push society forwards. Her razor-sharp lyricism cuts to the insidious core of issues like misogynistic language, America’s aching and under-appreciated workforce, and reproductive rights. Delivered with her syrupy vocals, Savoir Faire’s messages will entice your attention, time and time again — right before they demand a better future.
Savoir Faire

ALDRA has toured in Colorado (2019), Portugal (2018) and New York (2017). She is co-host and founder of a musician focused podcast, Young Council, (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCED9Bx10mo85Z4wcLF1R9Hw) and hosts local open mics. She released her single “Quicksilver” in February 2021 ahead of her upcoming EP recorded with Plaid Dog in Allston, Ma.
ALDRA

Count Zero with Landowner
2023-11-17 21:00 - 2023-11-18 00:00
Count Zero returns to the Lizard Lounge with special guests Landowner!!

Count Zero is a Boston-based rock band formed in 1996 by former members of the cult electronic band Think Tree. A true genuine article with a foot rooted in funk and an eye set deeply into the future, the band’s sound is crafted by bandleader/composer Peter Moore “weaving Count Zero tracks like a Persian rug.” (Ted Drozdowski, The Boston Phoenix). A fixture in the Boston rock scene (and beyond), Moore is perhaps best known for his work touring the world as lead vocalist for the Blue Man Group’s “How To Be A Megastar” tour.
For over 30 years Peter has shared the stage with his compatriot Will Ragano, who continues to contribute his own unique compositions (on which he sings lead vocals), manic live energy, and the “vicious guitar work that was his trademark in Think Tree” (The Boston Phoenix). Will is also a graphic designer and video editor. He has been responsible for all of CZ’s visual design (except for the cover of “Affluenza”). He’s now creating music videos for some of the songs on their next release .
Mike Corbett (bass), Jude Heichelbech (keys), and Shawn Marquis (drums) round out the fold – with former members including: Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls), Elizabeth Steen (Natalie Merchant) and Bernard Georges (Throwing Muses).
In addition to their forthcoming fifth record, the band has released four full-length albums: “Never Be Yourself” (2011), “Little Minds” (2005), “Robots Anonymous” (2001), and their debut “Affluenza” (1997). The group toured North America with the Dresden Dolls for six weeks and had kids all over the world rocking out on their tunes in the “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band” video games.
Count Zero

Massachusetts’ post-punks Landowner return with Escape the Compound! The album is Landowner’s most broad ranging to date, synthesizing the energy and bedroom experimentation of Impressive Almanac with the air tight live performances of their last two albums, Consultant and Blatant. At the forefront of the music is singer Dan Shaw grappling with the enveloping nature of narcissism and cult manipulation. He says “the lyrics on this album center around a theme of manipulation and control – expressed as cult mentality at the community scale, and narcissism at the interpersonal scale.”
Landowner is Dan Shaw, Elliot Hughes, Josh Owsley, Josh Daniel, and Jeff Gilmartin.
Landowner

Soggy Po Boys w/The Smackdabs
2023-11-18 21:00 - 2023-11-19 00:00
Soggy Po Boys bring the patty back to the Lizard with the Smackdabs

Although New Hampshire isn’t the most obvious home for a group so devoted to the culture of The Big Easy, the Soggy Po’ Boys seem genuine in their ambition to spread the word about jazz New Orleans style, and they’re creating an accessible and fun way into this world.”
-London Jazz News
The Soggy Po Boys, native to New England, have quickly become an institution. They are spreading the good news of New Orleans music across the northeast and beyond, playing at concert halls and street corners; music festivals and burlesque festivals; bars and libraries; wherever the party requires. Part of the beauty of New Orleans music is that it’s celebrated and appreciated wherever it goes, from the street to the theater.
The Po Boys formed in 2012 to shake the walls of a local club on a Fat Tuesday but have honed their sound and become more than a Mardi Gras centerpiece. Exploring the vast musical traditions of New Orleans and expanding their repertoire to look beyond NOLA jazz, the band includes traditional Caribbean tunes (it’s been said that New Orleans is the northernmost city in the Caribbean), as well as Meters funk, soul, and brass band / street beat music. “…These guys have done their homework, worked it out on the bandstand and put in the hours in the studio. It all adds up to a party you can bring with you when you want to treat your friends to a real good time.” -Ben Schenck of New Orleans’ Panorama Jazz Band”.There are a myriad of traditions that flow into New Orleans culture just as there are tributaries that feed the Mississippi, and the Po Boys are eager to explore what makes the music of New Orleans so damn special. You’ll hear the heavy influence of the New Orleans sound across the band and in the stories told by their original tunes. Despite the scope of its sound, the outfit is only seven people, and thrives on the interplay and group dynamics that bring this music to life.

Some of those Blues and Swing cross-pollinations occurred at the Bluebird label, a subsidiary of RCA Victor, with the recordings of Tampa Red, Washboard Sam, and Big Bill Broonzy. According to music critic Jas Obrecht, “following the pop trends of the day, releases by Tampa Red and the Chicago Five, a studio band with guitar, piano, string bass, and clarinet and kazoo (later replaced by sax and trumpet), were aimed at tavern jukeboxes.” These sides featured the raw, improvisatory energy of the best Swing, but also featured elements from Blues, Hokum, and Jug band traditions, with the associated sexual innuendo of its double entendre lyrical content.
The Smack Dabs’ sound is influenced by a mélange of musical styles. The band gets its instrumental configuration from Tampa Red and his Chicago Five, improvisational vitality from the small Black Swing combo, and swagger from risqué Blues. The Smack Dabs celebrate the bawdy, joyous, inclusive character of this music and is dedicated to honoring those who made it great.

The Smack Dabs

Lizard Lounge Poetry Jam Featured Poet Chief
2023-11-19 19:00 - 22:00
Poetry Jam Featured Poet Chief

Michael “Chief” Peterson marries social consciousness with mellow poetic verses. Born and raised in New Britain, CT, he declares himself a man dedicated to his family and focused on helping our youth. Chief not only speaks about social inequities and individual struggle, but he acts to change the cycle. Chief is the playwright of and actor in his one-man show, I Wish Life Had Training Wheels. He was recently appointed as the first ever Poet Laureate of his hometown, New Britain Connecticut in which he was recently appointed to a second term. He appeared on Seasons 4,5, & 6 of the TvOne hit series, Lexus’ Verses and Flow. He is the consecutive 3x Connecticut Spoken Word Grand Slam Champion. He finished in 6th place during the National Poetry Slam and currently among the top 5 ranked poets in the Southern Fried National Poetry slam.
Chief was featured at the Kallio Block Party in Helsinki, Finland. He also performed at the 2012 London Olympics. Chief was also the opening act and intermission for Brian Mcknight, Ginuwine and Musiq Soul Child during The Love Heart and Soul tour. A graduate of the University of Rhode Island with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and a Bachelor’s degree in Child Psychology, as well as a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Central Connecticut State University, Chief is no stranger to the injustice he speaks out about. He is currently a Dean of Students at his alma mater, New Britain High School, and is also a part-time Child Development Specialist.
He contributes to extra-curricular activities by coaching the football and basketball teams at New Britain High School. From the high school where he works to the stages where he performs, this poet on the rise turns his art into action while inspiring people to do the same. This is a performer who literally practices what he preaches. From the high school where he works to the stages where he performs, this poet on the rise is about turning his art into action and inspiring people to do the same.

Van Gordon Martin
2023-11-22 20:00 - 2023-11-23 00:00
Van Gordon Martin trio comes to the Lizard Lounge!

Van Gordon Martin is a sonic chameleon and deeply creative artist.
Performing a wide range of musical styles.
VGM is a multi-instrumental producer and powerhouse on lead guitar,
an has toured nationally and internationally with a unique mix of artist including;
Current projects Organically Good Trio, Dub Apocalypse
G Love and Special Sauce, Big Daddy Kane, The Skatalites, and many more.
The current line up of VGM trio ft Nate Edgar & Tommy B (JBB)
Van Gordon Martin

Jen Kearney
2023-11-24 21:00 - 2023-11-25 00:00
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Get ready to groove with the soulful tunes of Jen Kearney at the Lizard Lounge

MUST BE 21+

Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Jen Kearney has spent some time seasoning her particular style of original music. Her sound is truly an amalgamation of musical styles including Soul, R&B, Funk, Rock, and Latin. Kearney’s music and attention to lyrics and has met critical acclaim nationally and internationally.
Kearney is set to release an EP entitled “Atlantic” in March of 2022 and a full-length LP later in the year. She has recorded and released six studio albums and has done session work on many other projects.
Kearney tours both as a solo act and with a full band. She spent 2018-2020 living in London touring the UK/ Europe with her own act and with the legendary Snowboy & the Latin Section. She has shared the stage with the likes of Maceo Parker, Los Lobos, Daryl Hall, Mavis Staples, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, The Derek Trucks Band and more.
Jen Kearney

Club d'Elf featuring Duke Levine! Early Show
2023-11-25 19:30 - 22:30
Club d’Elf returns to the Lizard Lounge featuring special guest Duke Levine!

Club d’Elf returns to The Lizard after a sold out Halloween show to offer an evening of Moroccan-dosed psychedelic trance jams to shake off your post-Thanksgiving tryptophan torpor. Featuring special guest Duke Levine (Bonnie Raitt / J.Geils Band / Peter Wolf), the line up for the two shows also includes Paul Schultheis (keys), Mister Rourke (turntables), Mike Rivard (bass & sintir) & Dean Johnston (drums).
Club d’Elf has been helping audiences lose track of time for twenty five years with its mesmerizing synthesis of Moroccan traditional music and electronic, dubbed-out funk. Circling about bassist/composer Mike Rivard and drummer Dean Johnston, each Club d’Elf performance features a different line-up, drawn from a constellation of some of the most creative improvisers from the jazz, DJ, rock & world music scenes of Boston, NYC and beyond. The band’s music draws from a startlingly wide spectrum of styles, including jazz, hip hop, electronica, avant garde, prog-rock and dub. Under the tutelage of member Brahim Fribgane (who hails from Casablanca) the band has absorbed Moroccan trance music, which is now an essential part of the mix. Diverse audiences are drawn to Fribgane’s mesmerizing oud stylings, and Rivard’s commanding playing of the Moroccan sintir. Trance forms the central core of the Club d’Elf aesthetic, weaving together the band’s various influences.
The bands latest album, ‘You Never Know’ (April 2022) rose to #2 on the Relix chart. The record unfurls upon kaleidoscopic clouds of spiced smoke, shifting from chopped dub-jazz through trance epics that reimagine Boston as a city of bazaars. Club d’Elf pay tribute to the music and musicians who have been primary influences, with half the album being covers of gnawa, Miles Davis, Joe Zawinul, Moroccan band Nass el-Ghiwane, and Frank Zappa. The other half consists of original music inspired by Rivard’s personal journey into darkness following a near death experience in the remote jungle of the Peruvian Amazon.
“You Never Know is a wide ranging romp, full of serenity, chaos, longing, improvisation and peerless musicianship inspired by music from India and Morocco as well as the maverick jazz of Miles Davis and Frank Zappa.” – Banning Eyre, Afropop Worldwide

“Crushed between the borders of Morocco, jam band land and the kingdom of avant-garde jazz lies Club d’Elf…James Brown-meets-Sun-Ra.” – Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald

“Sounds like the lovechild of Pink Floyd and George Clinton, dropped in Marrakesh…some deeply psychedelic music.” – Marlon Bishop, WNYC

Club d’Elf

Club d'Elf featuring Duke Levine! Late Show!
2023-11-25 22:00 - 2023-11-26 00:00

Poetry Jam Featured Poet Elissa Whelan
2023-11-26 19:00 - 22:00
Poetry Jam Featured Poet Elissa Whelan

Elissa J. H. Whelan is a creative writer and linguist. Her debut novel, ‘The Hold of the Horizon,’ is a woman versus herself coming-of-age tale set in Cambridge. Her writing style has been described as warm and painfully relatable. Inspiration for the work came from exploring the world and the people in it. The motivation to finish the novel came from resurfacing creatively after being consumed by the fog of motherhood.
“Heartfelt, raw and honest. This book will leave you feeling the world is a more beautiful place than it was before.” -Lisa Parsons
Elissa has a BA in English from the University of New Hampshire and a Master’s degree in Endangered Language Linguistics from SOAS, University of London. She was a host on “Parklands,” a show on Cambridge Community Television (CCTV) highlighting the work of the Charles River Conservancy.
The novel was published independently by Gilmore Press. More about her novel can be found on https://elissajhwhelan.wordpress.com/ .

Samantha Farrell Monthly Residency with special guest Qwill
2023-11-30 20:00 - 23:00
Samantha Farrell’s monthly residency resumes with special guest Qwill

MUST BE 21+
Samantha Farrell is a Boston-based musician and vocalist whose sound is a gorgeously moody fusion of jazz, alt R&B and pop. Once described as “the best singer-songwriter you’ve never heard of,” by NBC Los Angeles, Farrell has always been understated in her approach to her music career – but, those who are in the know, have been quietly dazzled with her unique voice, rhythmic subtleties and tonal nuance for years.
Endlessly smooth with a bittersweet edge, Farrell’s residency at the beloved Lizard Lounge in Cambridge comes a few months ahead of the completion of her fourth full length album produced by local stalwart, Will Dailey. Supported by some of the best session players in town, her repertoire will see past and future favorites discreetly spun into vibey, sonic spells once a month for the duration of the year.
“Prodigious and undulating vocals that are delivered with rare, swinging passion.”
– Relix Magazine
“A liquor-honey voice, deft guitar work, and slightly melancholic tones that meld to form an aching and elegant aural tapestry.”
– Huffington Post
Samantha Farrell

Qwill is the solo project of Salem MA based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Jesse Joseph. His music primarily draws from folk, soul, and blues, often weaving electronic elements and lush textures into his sound to create music with a heartbeat.
“Dreamy Roots Music” – The Boston Globe
Qwill

Baker Thomas & Friends
2023-12-01 21:00 - 2023-12-02 00:00
Baker Thomas Band holiday show that will include all sorts of special guests including Danielle Miraglia, Ryan Fitzsimmons and plenty more!

Whether it’s the infectious grooves, hooks, horns, heartbreakers or anthemic rock finale’s, Baker Thomas Band invokes a spectrum of high spirits and feeds the soul like a night out with good friends should.
Beginning on stage at TOAD in Cambridge, MA in 2009, BTB is an eclectic collection of musicians and good friends getting together to make great music and have a blast!
“After years of being a singer/songwriter/solo bassist, the one thing I missed the most was the raw energy and power of a band. All my roots are from rock and roll…. being a soloist was a serious departure from that,” Tom says. Baker Thomas Band or “BTB” was not intended to be as big as it is now. The original line up was drums, bass, guitar, keyboard and trombone. From that humble 5 we’ve grown and now the band is rarely less than 9 or 10 artists with a full horn section and percussion section as well.” BTB has been a blast and hearing my songs interpreted through so many talented artists is a dream come true!” – Tom “The Baker” Bianchi.
Baker Thomas Band

Poetry Jam Featured Poet Douglas Bishop
2023-12-03 19:00 - 22:00
Poetry Jam Featured Poet Douglas Bishop

Douglas Bishop has been jamming and slamming at the Poetry Jam since it got going – which means he’s been a regular at the Lizard for more than 20 years. As a teacher, he has worked with classrooms ranging from early childhood to university, but now mostly teaches online for Mill City Speaks and Lowell Poetry Wheel. As a poet, he has performed in venues from Glasgow to Guatemala, but now primarily appears as one of the hosts of the Untitled Open Mic in Lowell. His doctoral study on the development of literate identity in young writers continues in his work for Freeverse!, Lowell’s youth poetry group. He also works as a visual artist, as well as performing vocals, flute, and percussion with his jazz-poetry band, Dr. Dougie’s Dangerous Delight. For more, see douglasbishoppoet.com

Grace Harriet, Ellie Irwin and Margot Liotta
2023-12-06 20:00 - 23:00
Join us for a magical evening with Grace Harriet, Dipsea Flower, and Ellie Irwin, where music and art collide on December 6th at 8:00

Grace Harriet is an alternative folk singer/songstress from Northern California, a place that deeply influences her music and lyrical styles. Combining folk, rock influences, and relatable lyricism, Graceperforms music that encourages an audience to discover beauty in every emotion and experience. Grace shares her time between the San Francisco Bay Area and Boston, MA where she is studying songwriting at Berklee College of Music.
https://www.graceharrietmusic.com/

Ellie Irwin, folk/country singer-songwriter hailing from the heart of Pennsylvania, is capturing hearts and ears with her nostalgic yet heartbreaking tunes. Drawing inspiration from legendary artists like James Taylor and Carole King but also contemporary stars such as Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers, Ellie’s music weaves tales of love, longing, and the beauty of everyday life.
https://www.ellieirwinmusic

Margot Liotta (a.k.a. Largot Miotta) is a singer-songwriter with a penchant for honest & insightful lyrics …
They seem to resonate with her fans …
She knows not why …
She’s just happy to be taking the ride!
https://www.margotliottamusic.com/

Big Lazy
2023-12-07 20:00 - 23:00
Big Lazy returns to the Lizard Lounge!

New York City’s gritty instrumental trio has flourished for over 20 years. The band is known for its cinematic music and legendary live performances, having presented its singular brand of crime jazz at venues including the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Opéra National de Lyon. Big Lazy founder Stephen Ulrich is the composer for the HBO series Bored to Death and the art forgery documentary Art and Craft. Big Lazy’s studio albums have included collaborations with NYC artists Marc Ribot and Steven Bernstein.
In March of 2023 Barbes Records released the album Music from This American Life (https://stephenulrich.bandcamp.com/album/music-from-this-american-life-album) , a collection of Ulrich’s compositions from the iconic radio program This American Life.
“Big Lazy, the elegantly gritty instrumental trio led by the extraordinary guitarist Stephen Ulrich, plays stunningly beautiful music that evokes everything from truckers’ romps to the haunting film scores of Bernard Herrmann.” The New Yorker
“The Big Apple Crème de la Crème ”
Robert Christgau – dean of American rock critics
Big Lazy

Ace McGuire's Acid tabs and Bedsweater at the Lizard Lounge!
2023-12-08 21:00 - 2023-12-09 00:00
Ace McGuire’s Acid tabs and Bedsweater at the Lizard Lounge!

Ace McGuire’s Acid Tabs is an emerging Surfadelic Garage Rock band based in Boston. The Acid Tabs are made up of Liv Dunks on vocals & lyrics, Mitch Cardoza on guitar & vocals, Sam ‘Spaceman’ Pace on drums, Erik Dietz on bass. Their music ebbs and flows through laid back hallucinogenic vibes and blood pulsing riff based bangers that induce psychoactive experiences. Drawing influence from the power of the ocean and the madness of the city their songs are a fusion of the different environments they grew up in. They bring something extra spicy to the stage infusing heat and freakness to the scalding hot sonic platter of tripped up licks and lyrics served up by Liv and Mitch’s sultry and smokey voices creating a perfectly chaotic swirl of surf and psychedelic rock that flirts with the attitude of punk rock.
https://acemcguiresacidtabs.com/

Bedsweater is a rock band established at the Berklee College of Music in 2021. Each of our members grew up in Southern California and share a love of the surf culture of our home which is evident in our sound. Our music can be described as danceable indie rock with funk and jazz influences. We have performed throughout Southern California, Boston/New England, Wisconsin, New York, and Nashville. We have music available on all major streaming platforms and have singles scheduled to be released consistently throughout 2023-2024.
https://www.instagram.com/bed.sweater/?hl=en

The Weisstronauts' 25th Annual Holiday Jubillee
2023-12-09 20:30 - 23:30
The Weisstronauts continue their holiday jubilee tradition with guests Fauxmenco, Cotton Candy, Hayley Thompson King and Josh Kantor

2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the Weisstronauts’ Holiday Jubilee, an annual holiday-themed shindig that can be a rare opportunity to witness the group (normally a “mostly instrumental band”) ACTUALLY “SINGING”. At past jubilees, The Weisstronauts have been known to perform such holiday tunes as The Man With The Bag, Santa Baby, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Hanukkah, The Day Snowflakes Were Born, Jingle Bells, Hot For Santa, Santa Loves Me, Jade Creche, I Just Don’t Know What To Do With My Elf, and many more…

For this silver anniversary, the group will jovially convene at their beloved Lizard Lounge, joined by Fauxmenco and Cotton Candy, each doing a set peppered with holiday faves. As in the past, Josh Kantor (keyboardist to the stars and Red Sox organist) and Hayley Thompson-King will join the ‘Nauts for a handful of numbers.

A little history: The first Holiday Jubilee took place in late 1999 at Cambridge’s Green Street Grill. Every effort has been made to stage the event at a different venue, with different guest performers each year, though there have been a couple of “repeats.” Past guests have included: Paula Kelley, The Farewells, Charlie Chesterman, Tanya Donelly, Al Janik’s Plastic Cheese (believed to be the only performer to do an entire set of Christmas songs!), Ramona Silver, Temper, the Blackstone Valley Sinners, Frank Morey, Orange Nichole, Clayton Scoble, Baby Ray, Monophonic, Hillbilly Holiday, John Haydon, Mercy James Gang, Ray Mason Band, Seks Bomba, The Derangers, Preacher Jack, Logan 5 & the Runners, Tsunami of Sound, Sool and many others. Past venues have included Toad, Plough & Stars, Lizard Lounge, Matt Murphy’s Pub, The Abbey (R.I.P.), P.A.’s, The Midway, Store 54, Church, State Park, The Century Lounge (Providence), and others…

The Weisstronauts are a Boston-based instrumental rock band that features three lead electric guitarists (Pete Weiss, Kenny Lafler, & Jeff Norcross). The band’s eclectic style weaves accessibly bizarre melodies and harmonies over a rhythm section (bassist Kevin Quinn, & drummers Nathan Logus & Jeff Berlin) that can turn from surf to spy to country to psychedelia on a dime.

Since the group’s 1999 inception, The Weisstronauts have released seven critically acclaimed albums, along with four EP’s. Their music has been played often on NPR, college and commercial radio, as well as in several independent films. The band is fronted by well-known independent rock producer Pete Weiss (Hayley Thompson-King, Charlie Chesterman, Bell X1, Two Dollar Pistols, etc.)
“If there’s such a thing as a forward-thinking surf band, Boston’s Weisstronauts are it. Avoiding the purism that makes so many instrumental retro-fetishists seem redundant, The Weisstronauts combine vintage surf and Nashville chicken- pickin’ with cartoon zaniness and spaghetti Western intrigue. They often recall NRBQ’s offbeat musical humor as much as Link Wray’s reverb- drenched Tarantino fodder.” – Jack Silverman – Nashville Scene
https://www.weisstronauts.com/

Poetry Jam Featured Poet Marlon Carey
2023-12-10 19:00 - 22:00
Poetry Jam, Featured Poet Marlon Carey

Also known as the Artist, Inphynit DaGhost (Pronounced “Infinite”)
Marlon Carey has been a member of the Boston Lizard Lounge Poetry Slam Team on many occasions. He was the Lizard Lounge King (year?)as well as the Providence Poetry Slam team, and the Boston Poetry Slam team on various occasions.
He’s a proud member of Providence-based poetry ensemble, Brother’s Keeper, a group dedicated to inspiring and educating young people in urban environments to aspire to greatness.
Named “Best Hip Hop Poet” by the Cambridge Poetry Awards two years in a row, he has also been the Boston Cantab Lounge’s “Grand Slam Champion” and Lizard Lounge King. . Marlon has been a TEDxBoston speaker and a presenter at a Providence presentation of Pechakucha.
Carey is a member of RIBS (Rhode Island Black Storytellers), and is the co-founder of Shakespeare to Hiphop along with the award winning literary performance artist Regie Gibson.
With a blend of eclectic themes, wordplay and wit, Marlon brings a refreshing twist on performance poetry. His charming flow, poignant, clever lyrics and serious fondness for language are blended artfully to create a unique presentation.
He has a 21 year old cat and he recycles composts and cooks. His wife makes her own Shea butter. He is also a visual artist and digital creator for Meta.

He is a husband, a father of three and Teaching Artist in schools all over, make some noise for Marlon Carey aka Inphynit!
