Lizard Lounge Club

CLAMB w/ Clifford The Band and Kyle Harris. Visuals by Digital Awareness.
2023-08-24 20:00 - 23:00 (America/New_York) | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
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CLAMB at the Lizard Lounge!

MUST BE 21+

Clamb draw from the traditions of American groove music from James Brown through to seventies kosmische pioneers like Cluster and Harmonia, Clamb are interested in keeping an attitude of acceptance and exploration in their largely-improvised songs.

Poetry Jam- Lynne Schmidt
2023-08-20 20:00 - 23:00
Poetry Jam-Lynne Schmidt

MUST BE 21+

Lynne Schmidt is the grandchild of a Holocaust survivor. Their work won the 2021 The Poetry Question Chapbook Contest, and 2020 New Women’s Voices Contest. Lynne is the author of the chapbooks, SexyTime, Dead Dog Poems, Gravity, and On Becoming a Role Model. In 2012 they started the project, AbortionChat, which aims to lessen the stigma around abortion. When given the choice, Lynne prefers her pack of dogs and one cat to humans.

Westbound Train “Dedication” Release Party with The Euphoralites
2023-08-19 21:00 - 2023-08-20 00:00
Westbound Train “Dedication” release party with special guests the Euphoralites!!!

MUST BE 21+

Westbound Train released their first album, Searching for A Melody, in 2002. The band self-released their second album, Five to Two, in 2005, which featured guest appearances from Alex Desert of Hepcat and King Django. The album was re-released by Stomp Records on March 14, 2006.
Westbound Train were featured on the Hellcat Records compilation Give ‘Em the Boot IV in November 2004. In January 2006, Hellcat announced that they had signed the band. A third full-length, titled Transitions, was released in September 2006.
Westbound Train played the Summer of Ska tour in the summer of 2006, along with Suburban Legends, Big D and the Kids Table, Voodoo Glow Skulls, and Catch 22. Westbound Train also played the Fall of Ska tour in the fall of 2006, along with Reel Big Fish, Streetlight Manifesto, and Suburban Legends.
Westbound Train

Dub Apocalypse
2023-08-18 21:00 - 2023-08-19 00:00
Dub Apocolypse returns to the Lizard Lounge!

Dub Apocalypse is an instrumental dub reggae band from Boston, MA. Band members are Tommy Benedetti-drums,Van Martin-guitar,Johnny Trama-guitar,Aaron Bellamy-bass,and Timo Shanko-sax/bass. The band came together in 2007, led by drummer Tommy Benedetti and guitarist, Johnny Trama.Tommy Benedetti is one of the founding members of American Reggae Pioneers,John Brown’s Body. He brings a wealth of experience from the reggae/dub scene to the table,having recorded albums for the legendary Shanachie Label,John Zorn’s Tzadik Label (mixed by Bill Laswell),and is currently with John Brown’s Body on Easy Star Records. This history is combined with almost 2 decades of International touring,as well as backing some of the giants of Jamaican music,including The Meditations and Justin Hinds.
Guitarist Johnny Trama adds a soulful blues touch to the Dub Apocalypse signature sound.Trama has spent time on the road with the great Ron Levy, BB King’s organ player, as well as many other regional rock and soul/r&b acts. Not long after Dub Apocalypse came together, longtime friend Timo Shanko entered the fold.A dual threat on both bass and saxophone,Shanko is a veteran of the blues and free jazz scene.He spent many years on the road with Blues legend, Eddie Kirkland, as well as with G. Love and Special Sauce. Shanko is also a prolific composer,and his improvisational stylings are an integral part of the Dub Apocalypse sound. Although DA started out as more of a collective,in the past few years the lineup has solidified with the addition of bassist Aaron Bellamy and guitarist Van Martin. Bellamy is a longtime fixture in the Boston funk scene,and in combination with Benedetti ,they form the deep,militant sound at the core of Dub Apocalypse.
Originally hailing from Chicago,Van Martin rounds out the lineup on guitar. Martin has much touring experience as well, including appearances with Bernie Worrell and Big Daddy Kane. His sonic textures,adventurous playing and songwriting have helped Dub Apocalypse take their sound to a new level. The DA sound is an evolving mix of original compositions and their own interpretations of classic Jamaican and UK songs and dub plates. Heavy hitting drum and bass grooves set the table. A twin guitar attack, with Trama’s rhythmic anchor,and Martin’s dub sonics, swirl in and out in tandem. These pieces, combined with Timo Shanko’s Coltrane inspired sax approach, give Dub Apocalypse a

Dharmasoul
2023-08-17 20:00 - 23:00
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Dharmasoul returns to the Lizard Lounge!

MUST BE 21+

Although Dharmasoul is difficult to narrow down into one genre, they can best be described through their noted influences of contemporary artists such as Medeski Martin Wood & Scofield, Vulfpeck, D’Angelo, Soulive, Snarky Puppy, and Lettuce as well as throwback influences including The Meters, Staple Singers, Otis Redding, The Allman Brothers Band, and Stevie Wonder.
Jonah and Kevin have been on contrasting yet complementary musical journeys since childhood, but each time their paths converged, they discovered an inspirational energy that they now bring to the music of Dharmasoul. Although they both grew up in Princeton, NJ, they met for the first time when they were fifteen at the 2008 National Guitar Workshop in Connecticut, a multi-instrumental camp. Their cohort had only one drummer (Kevin) and many guitar players, but Jonah and Kevin found themselves playing together on the one night out in a real club—where suddenly the audience got really quiet and listened–a foreshadowing of what was to come.
Jonah is a veteran of two Yep Rec Records albums and has toured the world, collaborating and working in the studio with notable list of musicians including Steve Berlin (Los Lobos), John McCauley (Deer Tick), Mickey Raphael (Willie Nelson), Scarlett Rivera (Bob Dylan), Ben Knox Miller (The Low Anthem) Anderson East, Sam Amidon, Greg Leisz, James Gadson, Eric Heywood, and many more. He has shared stages throughout the United States and Europe with artists including Greg Allman, Tony Joe White, Dave & Phil Alvin, Chris Smither, Justin Townes Earle, Rickie Lee Jones, Tom Paxton, Chuck Prophet, Mandolin Orange, to name a few.
Meanwhile, Kevin graduated from Loyola in New Orleans, where he was inspired by Brian Blade and Stanton Moore, jazz and funk drummers who had also attended the University. Experiencing music in New Orleans opened him to worlds of hip-hop, neo-soul, traditional/modern jazz, Brazilian, and Afro-Cuban styles. At 19 he performed at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival with the Loyola Jazz Band and later with Mikayla Braun.

Quadrapeg
2023-08-16 20:00 - 23:00
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Quadrapeg at 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

Poetry Jam-Stop/Children
2023-08-13 20:00 - 23:00
Poetry Jam-The Blizzards

MUST BE 21+

Stop/Children is a 2023 Lizard Lounge Slam Team coached by Navah The Buddaphliii and composed of: Kwene, TJ Reynolds, Jules Maduro and Jeff Taylor.
Host of The Garage Poets Open Mic, and master of the Dad Joke, Jeff Taylor lives in Massachusetts, with his wife and 3 kids.
Jules is a poet, novelist, and above all – a creator. Although she has a degree in Creative Writing, it’s her mundane, everyday experiences that fuel her poetry. With a voice that’s ever-changing, she documents her perspective of life through spoken word in the messiest, truest way she can.”
TJ Reynolds is a poet, musician and visual artist originally from Indianapolis, IN. He teaches elementary art for Cambridge Public Schools. He has been featured a number of times on National Public Radio, and exhibited work in museums across the US.
Tru Kwene: “I love learning new things, meeting new people and traveling to new places. I love art. Being a Spoken Word Poet means that through doing something that I love I get to do the things that I desire most. I have met and am working with some of the most amazingly skilled writers and performers ever. With my own art I have earned the right to travel to new places and perform. I am so excited about my journey! Hang in here with me… I have so much more to experience and cannot wait to share everything with you!
Navah The Buddaphliii still strives to overcome the challenges of being a mother of five, poet, author, and currently the coach of the 2nd Lizard Lounge team The “Blizzards” She continues to find the balance between art, and raising a family with her partner, while remaining a slayer of stanzas and a master of metaphors. Check out her first book released in 2021 called Black Cocaine and Colorless Butterflies.

Wood and Bone/Cilla Bonnie w/Mike Hastings
2023-08-12 21:00 - 2023-08-13 00:00
Wood and Bone with Cilla Bonnie and Mike Hastings

MUST BE 21+

Wood & Bone is an American roots band from the north shore of Boston. The band plays an ever-changing mix of harmony-driven Folk, Americana, Soul and Blues.
Wood and Bone

Cilla is a working bass player, singer and songwriter. Over the past 15 years she’s played, toured and recorded in numerous projects in Maine, Boston and Los Angeles. In 2020 she released her fourth recording project, ‘August’ with her bandmates Emmett Harrity on keys, Chris Sweet on drums and Peter Herman on guitar. She writes all the arrangements and lyrics. Cilla Bonnie’s music is a blend of R&B-inspired groove and structure similar to Radiohead. In addition to her solo project, Cilla currently plays bass for Boston-based soul artist Ali McGuirk.
Cilla Bonnie

Boston area soul rock fave, Mike Hastings fronts the Mike Hastings Band. With all the street smarts that a truly traditional troubadour should possess, Mike proudly wears the title. A strong footing in rhythm and a willingness to give something fragile underpin Mike’s honest and transportive songwriting. When asked, Mike often says that he wants his songs to have the imaginative effect of a painting and that he often has specific visual associations within each song section.
Mike Hastings

The A-Beez
2023-08-11 21:00 - 2023-08-12 00:00
The A-Beez return to the Lizard Lounge!

The A-Beez is Boston based music collective with its roots in soul, funk, and R&B. At its core are keyboardist Amy Bellamy and bassist Aaron Bellamy. The two began their musical collaboration in the early 2000’s as members of the Sam Kininger band (BMG Japan recording artists). This relationship would blossom, as they would go on to work as sidemen and studio/session musicians, backing up numerous artists including Chaka Khan, Terri Lyne Carrington, G Love and the Juice, Res, Nth Power, Club D’elf, Martin Luther, Cody Chesnutt and more.
In addition to touring nationally and internationally, Amy and Aaron are staples of the local Boston scene, hosting a long-standing (over 16 years and still running) residency at Boston’s renowned Wally’s Café and performing in clubs and venues throughout New England and the East coast. In the years to come they would co-write and compile a catalog of original material that would eventually culminate in the release of their debut album “Never Going Back” which was released in April 2015. They released their second studio album “Say Goodbye” in March of 2018. Their 3rd studio album release “Reclamation” is set to debut in November of 2021.
Though it can be loosely classified as “soul” The A-Beez have an eclectic and original sound which draws from the traditions of funk and R&B, and is heavily influenced by jazz as well as hip hop. You may detect hints of rock, country, and even classical if you listen closely. The lyrics are deeply personal and honest, the music grooves while remaining melodically elegant and full of subtle complexity. The production is pure and simple without the gloss and fakeness all too prevalent these days.
The A-Beez

Must be 21+

Jonathan Scales Fourchestra
2023-08-10 20:00 - 23:00
Jonathan Scales Orchestra at the Lizard Lounge!

MUST BE 21+

You’ve heard this before, but the whimsically named Jonathan Scales Fourchestra is really tough to describe. Veering from in-your-face, jaw dropping chops and passion, to those quiet moments when the background noise disappears and you hold your breath to take in a soundscape of solitude, the power trio of electric bass (E’Lon JD), drums (Maison Guidry), and steel pans (Jonathan Scales) combines elements of jazz, classical, and progressive rock, peppered with Latin rhythms and soulful outbursts of funk. From club and festival stages across North America and Europe, and tours of Africa, Southeast and Central Asia as a Cultural Ambassador for the US Department of State, to their NPR Tiny Desk Concert featuring Béla Fleck, the Fourchestra’s live shows make even the most jaded listeners forget where they are… even if just for a precious moment.
This may seem an odd thing to say, but on the verge of releasing their eighth studio recording, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra is only now truly embracing their identity as a group. For many years, Jonathan’s live band was a fluid lineup of top-notch musicians, and even included an “all-star” version with bassist MonoNeon (Prince, Nas), drummer Sput Searight (Snarky Puppy, Snoop Dogg) and percussionist Weedie Braimah (Trombone Shorty, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah), as well as a number of other marquee players. Now, however, the Fourchestra is a decidedly indivisible band, and Jonathan is writing for the trio, not just the pans.
Jonathan Scales Fourchestra

Will Auringer
2023-08-09 20:00 - 23:00
Will Auringer at the Lizard Lounge!

MUST BE 21+

Will Auringer creates music that ranges from the distorted, glitchy intensity of cosmic collapse to the smooth, surreal feeling of the cosmos. Will Auringer is a guitarist, producer, and composer that blends electronic, video game, and progressive rock music with 70’s era funk fusion music. Will’s most recent 18 track LP, Alive, and his new EP, Five of Seven, showcases Will’s love for making odd time signatures “groove” like 4/4 and 8-bit style synthesis. Will performs his original compositions with AJ Smaha on drums and Sam Marston on keys/Ableton. Will’s music is available on Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, and more under his name.
Will Auringer

Poetry Jam
2023-08-06 20:00 - 23:00
Poetry Jam-featured poet Richard Cambridge

MUST BE 21+

ichard Cambridge
Richard Cambridge’s poetry and theater productions address controversial themes on the American political landscape. From 1998 to 2000, he traveled to Cuba four times as co-founding member (with Patiño Vázquez) of Singing with the Enemy, a troupe of poets, musicians, and performance artists. The show, ¡EMBARGO!, a dramatic mural of poetry, music, and dance, portrayed the four-decade economic blockade on the people of Cuba. By special invitation, the troupe performed in Havana, Cuba in July 1998 at the historic First U.S.—Cuba Friendship Conference. Richard was also commissioned by the National Lawyers Guild of Cuba to write and perform a poem for their yearly conference, “From the Belly of the Beast” (1998) and “Letter from Cuba,” (1999). In November 2000 he performed at the World Solidarity with Cuba Conference, in Havana, Cuba. In 2001, he co-founded ¡PRESENTE! with former African American political prisoner Kazi Touré. In collaboration with local artists and imprisoned activists, PRESENTE! is a dramatic tapestry of poetry, music, dance, mask, mime, and ritual that brings awareness to political prisoners and prisoners of war in the U.S. A longtime resident of Cambridge, MA, he received the Cambridge Peace and Justice Award for his art and activism. He has published poetry, PULSA—A Book of Books (Hanover Press), and a spoken word CD One Shot News—Poetry of Conscience (Earthshine Productions). His awards include The Allen Ginsberg Poetry Prize; a finalist for a residency at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, MA. He is a Fellow Emeritus at the Black Earth Institute, a progressive think tank based in Wisconsin. He guest-edited Volume II Issue IV of About Place, the institute’s online journal, whose theme was 1963-2013: A Civil Rights Retrospective. http://archive.aboutplacejournal.org/civil-rights/ His poetry, essays, and reviews have appeared in Solstice Literary Magazine, About Place, the Asheville Poetry Journal, and other publications. He curates the Poets’ Theater at Somerville’s Arts at the Armory and is the poetry editor for The Lunar Calendar. He is working on his second novel, 1970, an alternate history of that year in which a band of activists led by Black Panthers spark revolution in the U.S.
Richard has just released an album (Spring 2022), Songs from the Crossing with Swiss musician George Hennig. In a two-year collaboration, Richard has written the lyrics that George has “wrapped in his music.”

MC Kabir Sen with Krush Factory
2023-08-05 21:00 - 2023-08-06 00:00
MC Kabir Sen continue their monthly residency at the Lizard Lounge with the Krush Factory

Swampanova/Le Prestige/Gillian Grogan
2023-08-04 21:00 - 2023-08-05 00:00
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Get ready to groove at the Swampanova/Gillian Grogan event, where the fusion of swampy beats and Gillian Grogan’s mesmerizing vocals will tr

MUST BE 21+

Swampanova makes groove-centric music – lush, layered, and unpredictable.
Featuring four members of Bim Skala Bim, Swampanova melds bossa nova, Caribbean grooves, and an exploratory rock vibe, creating brand-new music played with the assurance of a band that has spent years on the road playing thousands of shows

Le Prestige is a (mostly) acoustic all-instrumental groove band whose original music bridges 60’s soul-jazz with 90’s hip-hop and also includes a few reggae/dub tunes. Their live repertoire always features a few choice covers, “Wichita Lineman” being a prime example. The band consists of Chris Forkey on bass, John Glenshaw on drums, Kit Buckley on tenor sax, Scott Getchell on trumpet, David Johnston on guitar, Michael McLaughlin on accordion.
le Prestige

Gillian Grogan
Pairs well with massive vistas, bustling gardens, light mischief, hope and driving alone.
Gillian Grogan is an independent singer and songwriter currently based in Sonoma County, California. Tickled strings and floating vocals, hammered riffs and belted requests—Gillian’s music is untamed and untethered. She’s singing stories where Americana meets folk and steeps into soul, where finger picking builds and swells and gets slapped back to silence. The Woven Collective calls it “an unforgiving tuggin’ at your roots, no matter where you come from, her lyrics wash over you like gentle reminders of another life you haven’t had yet.”
Gillian Grogan

Sound Kicks Out Presents: ToriTori, Milkshaw Benedict and Forté
2023-08-03 20:00 - 23:00
Sound Kicks Out Presents: Tori Tori, Milkshaw Benedict and Forte!

MUST BE 21+

Tori Tori is a Boston-based, multigenre vocalist, songwriter, and music producer. Her unique and eclectic musical style, as well as her storytelling prowess and mesmerizing melodies were highly influenced by innovators like Missy Elliot, Stevie Wonder, and Thundercat. They were honed during her time as a student at Boston Arts Academy and Berklee College of Music. Using nothing more than her voice, her looper and imagination, she’ll take you on a journey through her world, her coexistence with the pleasures and quarrels of love, and her ever evolving relationship with self.

ToriTori

My name is Milkshaw Benedict, hailing from Roxbury Massachusetts. My mindset mirrors the community I’m from. Historically Roxbury has always been unique in style and breeds quality people constantly. I grew up the son of a Jamaican dj and a couple doors down from the Maurice Starr building, where New Edition used to record. Growing up I was exposed to so many different types of music. When I was real young it was a lot of old school hip hop, gospel, funk, r&b and soul, reggae and old school dancehall. By far my favorite artist of all time was Michael Jackson. I often imitated his dance moves and dreamed to be just as cool of an artist as him. Some other influences include Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Busta Rhymes, Lauryn Hill, Kirk Franklin, Jay Z, Earth Wind and Fire, Missy Elliot and a Tribe Called Quest. My perspective or approach to music has always been different mostly because of the amount of artists I was exposed to young but also everything I’ve experienced in my life. Life moves fast in my city and I was involved in a lot of different crowds, programs, parties and events. Wanting to share this experience and colorful feeling with others is what led me to want to be an artist. With everything I’ve gone through I believe I can inspire the world to embrace their differences and appreciate the variety of flavors and people the world provides. My ability to understand feelings, my mindset and my work ethic is what gives me the confidence to believe I’m unique enough to succeed in my career. I believe in myself. And I hope to inspire others to believe in themselves also.
Milkshaw Benedict

Forté is a man of many talents who grew up in Somerville, MA Surrounded by various musical and spiritual influences, it is no surprise that Forte creates both fun and soulful music. As an avid learner of life and love, Forté expresses his thoughts and emotions with music and art with hopes to positively impact others. If you want to hear more from him, go check out his project “Grumble Rap” and recent singles from his Every Given Sunday series. Also be on the listen for “Da Native Tongue” project to release this year!
Forté

Kendra McKinley and Sami Stevens
2023-08-02 20:00 - 23:00
Kendra McKinley and Sami Stevens at the Lizard Lounge!

MUST BE 21+

Kendra McKinley paints on her clothes and makes music for smoking weed with your bra off. California baby currently living in New York’s Hudson Valley.
Kendra McKinley

Morning’, her anticipated first full-length solo album will be released July 28 on Sunnyside Records. Born from a love of classic American music and an ear for storytelling, the album showcases Stevens’ thoughtful songwriting and rich vocal delivery as it ebbs between intimate personal stories and vast symphonic textures.
Sami Stevens

Poetry Jam- Slam Team
2023-07-30 20:00 - 23:00
Poetry Jam-Slam Team

MUST BE 21+

Our first slam team is Art, Brother D, Lexi Wight, and Will C. They will perform with accompaniment from the band. Keep an eye out for our second slam team’s feature coming soon!

Old Jack w/ Helen and the Trashpandas/Michael Kane and the Morning Afters
2023-07-29 21:00 - 2023-07-30 00:30
Old Jack resumes their Last Saturday residency.

M﻿UST BE 21+

Since their first show way back in 2008, critics and fans knew there was something unique about OldJack. Hailed as the most underrated band in Boston, with three guitars, bass, drums, organ/keys, a female background singer, and a front man from yesterday, OldJack belts out their original material with lots of harmonies, big vocals, and guitar solos galore.
From being the underdog, wild card winning, reprieved Rock n’ Roll Rumble finalists to Boston Music Awards nominees and a staple of multiple music festivals in the northeast – OldJack has firmly planted their feet in the New England Music Scene, making music for music’s sake.
While the members have changed and the band has grown in numbers (they currently bring 7-8 people to the stage), the band is constantly developing and exploring its signature Old Soul Rock ‘n’ Roll sound.
OldJack’s catalog includes multiple EPs since its creation, Union Glory and Gone Before You Know, a Maxi-Single and the While Label Single Series. In 2014, they put out their first full-length album since the band’s debut, What Is Home To You. The collection of eight tracks pays homage to the band’s influences and styles that have had critics wondering where to classify them for years.
The band has recently returned from taking time to work on new tracks and perfect their live show with the addition of multiple new members. Be on the lookout for OldJack in concert at a show near you, and a second full-length album for release in 2016.

Helen & The Trash Pandas – country blues and rock and roll – Their sound, though hard to define, has been referred to as gutbucket soul, blended with blues and American rock and roll.
Helen and the Trashpandas

Hailing from Worcester, MA Michael Kane and the Morning Afters is a sort of band’s band, composed of a group of musicians’ musicians, and fronted by a real singer’s singer – you know what I mean. With tinges of Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Bruce Springsteen, The Replacements, and Lenny Lashley, the 5 piece deceptively looks like many of the other classic New England street punk bands they cut their teeth around, but once you get into the meat of Broke But Not Broken you soon realize that this group of old punk dudes is no punk rock band at all – this is Americana rock n’ roll done in the best way possible: deeply personally.
Michael Kane and the Morning Afters

Gravel Project with Special Guest Dan Rockett and the Guilty Party
2023-07-28 20:00 - 23:30
The Gravel Project returns to the Lizard Lounge with special guests Dan Rockett and the Guilty Party!

M﻿UST BE 21+

Originally created by Andrew Gravel (vocals, guitar), The Gravel Project is an all star band of Boston music veterans including brother, Jordan Gravel (organ, keys), Dave Fox (drums), and Eguie Castrillo (percussion). The Gravel Project’s live show blends rock, world music and jazz with power and soul. Carrying the tradition of 70’s blues and psychedelic rock music, The Gravel Project embodies the spirit of Santana combined with the classic raw energy and moving songwriting of The Allman Brothers and Tedeschi Trucks Band. With three studio albums, a live album and countless past performances, the future is bright for Boston’s The Gravel Project, and as the title of their 2022 studio album suggests, there are “Many Miles Ahead.”
The Gravel Project

Samantha Farrell with Special Guest Tim Hall!
2023-07-27 20:00 - 23:00
Samantha Farrell’s monthly residency resumes with special guest Tim Hall!

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 this summer.

“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

Tim Hall is an award winning musician, performance poet, and producer from Detroit, MI, while honoring Boston as his current home. His poetry draws inspiration from his lived experiences – charting the nuances of blackness, masculinity, and the beauties of life. Tim has shared stages and recordings with artists such as The Nappy Roots, Carolyn Malachi, Bilal, Chris Turner, Aloe Blacc, Maria Fenklemeier, The Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Diana Oh, among others. Additionally, Tim is faculty at Berklee College of Music, a member of the award winning band STL GLD, and a principal collaborator with Cliff Notez, Oompa, and Will Dailey. He was honored as “Session Musician of the Year” by the 2020 Boston Music Awards, and recognized by WBUR’s Artery 25 as 1 of 25 millennials of color impacting Arts and Culture in Boston. His work can be experienced through his new project – Trust the Process EP, as well as Colors Of My Soul, and self-published book – Trust The Process.
Tim Hall

Chameleon Rift
2023-07-26 20:00 - 23:00
Chameleon Rift make their Lizard Lounge debut!

Chameleon Rift is a newly-formed jam band out of Boston, MA featuring members of Bearly Dead and Krewe de Roux, with roots in rock, blues, jazz, and funk. With varied setlists and extensive improvisation, no two Chameleon Rift shows will ever be the same.

Poetry Jam NorthBeast Regional Slam #2
2023-07-23 19:00 - 22:00
Poetry Jam-NorthBeast Regional Slam #2

MUST BE 21+

The second of two consecutive Sundays featuring a four-team regional slam. The Lizard Lounge Poetry Jam will host three guest regional teams. Always a super-popular event, this evening will feature teams from NH, RI, and one of our own two teams.

Pressure Cooker
2023-07-22 21:00 - 2023-07-23 00:00
Pressure Cooker returns to the Lizard Lounge!

We are Pressure Cooker. We write and play roots reggae, rocksteady and ska music. We are proudly based in Boston, and have been making original music since 1997.

We’ve released seven full-length albums and performed live over 20+ years, with some of the greats of the genre here in Boston, around New England and in a few other places throughout the United States. The music we’ve made is available worldwide.
Pressure Cooker

Tracy Bonham
2023-07-21 21:00 - 2023-07-22 00:00
Tracy Bonham at the Lizard Lounge!

MUST BE 21+

Bonham’s debut, The Burdens of Being Upright, achieved Gold Record status in 1996, spawning the chart-topping hit “Mother Mother” which has remained a powerful anthem for disenfranchised youth all over the world.
Due to major shake-ups in the music industry Bonham’s second release, Down Here (Island), was significantly delayed. While continuing to tour the world including several dates with Lilith Fair (1997 and 1998), the industry’s landscape had become unrecognizable. This inspired Tracy to rethink how she approached the music business and her songwriting. She asked Island Records to end her multi-record contract and with that newfound freedom, she relocated to Los Angeles to make her third album Blink the Brightest (Rounder / Zoé). This collection of songs became fan favorites with beautiful melodies and heartfelt messages of perseverance after tragedy, unrequited love, and broken dreams.

In 2003 and 2006 Bonham appeared as the featured vocalist and violinist in Blue Man Group’s arena tours (The Complex, How To Be A Megastar 2.0) in which she sold her self-released EPs (Bee EP and In The City & In The Woods) in rock arenas all over the United States. She sold over 12,000 CDs on her own (an unprecedented achievement for that time without record label, management, or radio play) and was able to self-fund her next album.

In 2010, Bonham released Masts Of Manhatta (Engine Room Records) and continued to procure a more mature audience while maintaining the quirky humor and edginess of her first escapades in songwriting. Bonham has released several more albums to wide critical acclaim, has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno multiple times and has landed several songs in feature films and popular tv shows.
Tracy Bonham is an artist who has never ceased growing and has never stopped challenging herself, her own talents, or her audience. As PopMatters aptly describes “Bonham, from the beginning and increasingly over time, is a riveting, complicated maker of pop music.” Her album, Modern Burdens, made Rolling Stone’s Top 50 albums of 2017, which they describe as “a lovingly penned postcard to Bonham’s past self, and a fascinating look at where she’s at right now.”

In early March 2020, Tracy showcased new material on a West Coast tour with the plan of recording an album upon her return home to New York. On the nearly empty plane home on March 15, 2020, Bonham made the decision to shift gears knowing that it would be some time before another tour could take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking action during quarantine, Tracy uncovered the finished recordings for what would become an entirely new endeavor called Melodeon Music House, pointing toward a younger audience who she lovingly calls her “young music enthusiasts”. This new enterprise combines her original material with original music education curriculums inspired by School House Rock, Electric Company, and Sesame Street. Teaming up with her touring partner, Rene Hart (renowned jazz bassist), Tracy Bonham & Melodeon Music House will release their first album entitled Young Maestros Vol. 1 on April 16, 2021, on Melodeon Music House Records.
Tracy Bonham

The Attractors/Riki Rocksteady All Stars
2023-07-20 20:00 - 23:00
The Attractors make their Lizard Lounge debut with Riki Rocksteady!

M﻿UST BE 21+

The ATTRACTORS were created by Westbound Train trumpeter and Void Union co-founder RICH GRAIKO in 2011 as a way to pay homage to 1960’s era Jamaican and American instrumental groove music.
Formerly the Brooklyn Attractors, the group’s core line-up underwent a major change in 2017 when bandleader Rich Graiko made the move from New York, back to his hometown of Boston. Despite this change the group continues to incorporate some of the top musicians in the Boston and New York reggae, Ska and Jazz scenes, on it’s recordings and live shows.
Jamaican percussion legend LARRY McDONALD (Bob Marley, Taj Mahal, Gil Scot Heron, Lee Perry), guitarist ANDY BASSFORD (Toots & The Maytals, Monty Alexander, Burning Spear), Trombonist BUFORD O’SULLIVAN (easy Star Allstars, Scofflaws) and Pianist Key Stewart (Skatallites, Soulshot) are a few of the musicians who you might see playing with the group on a given night, as well as the most recent iteration of the core line up: Bassist THADDEUS MERRITT (Westbound Train, the Toasters), Drummer JESSE HAYES (Void Union, the Toasters), Saxophonist JC SKA COHEN (Westbound Train, Void Union) and Jazz Guitar extraordinaire CHRIS BROWN (Chris Brown quartet, Metallica).
The group has released three full-length studio albums, Good Evil Alchemy, The Move, and Love Bombs (Jump-Up Records), as well as one live album, Live In NYC (Rarebreed Records), and are currently working on their fourth studio album.

The Attractors

This wildly talented group of New England-based Ska and Reggae Allstars is sure to get your blood pumping!
Fronted by 20 year Boston Ska and Reggae veteran Riki Rocksteady (lead vocals, rhythm guitar and harmonica), the Allstars have a core nucleus consisting of Boston Ska and Reggae mainstays, Thaddeus Merritt, Chris Brown and Jesse Hayes, and rotates in special guests and friends that Riki Has made over the years.
The Riki Rocksteady Allstars fam includes members of The Skatalites, Westbound Train, Big D & The Kids Table, Void Union, The Toasters and so many more, and are guaranteed to bring the fire! These seasoned musicians leave NOTHING To be desired and are sure to get the crowd on their feet and feeling the rhythm!”
Riki Rocksteady

The Reckoning Crew
2023-07-19 20:00 - 23:00
The Reckoning Crew pay tribute to the acoustic music of the Grateful Dead

MUST BE 21+

The Reckoning Crew brings together stalwart members of the Boston Grateful Dead scene to present an authentic emulation of the Dead’s iconic acoustic performances captured on the “Reckoning” album. Not limited to just this period of the Dead’s career, The Reckoning Crew, featuring David Rubin & Ian Brenckle from Diamond Blues, Gordon Fromm from Skull and Roses, Mike Verge from Torn and Frayed and Ben DeUrso of Citizens’ Dead, has a deep love for all of the material of the storied songbook, and showcases that along with a fierce focus on improvisation & communication for a real good time!
The Reckoning Crew

Poetry Jam NorthBeast Regional Slam #1
2023-07-16 20:00 - 23:00
Poetry Jam NorthBeast Regional Slam #1

MUST BE 21+

The first of two consecutive Sundays featuring a four-team regional slam. The Lizard Lounge Poetry Jam will host three guest regional teams. Always a super-popular event, this evening will feature teams from CT, Boston Poetry Slam, Lowell, and one of our own two teams.

Heavy Necker and Hambone Skinny
2023-07-15 21:00 - 2023-07-16 00:00
Heavy Necker return to Lizard Lounge with Hambone Skinny!

MUST BE 21+

Heavy Necker are on a journey to become Peabody, MA’s premier rock band. Their tight turning mixture combines influences from jazz, blues, poetry, and soul while honoring the ages of hard-hipped guitar driven music through modern personalities.
The band have been friends for quite a while now. Chris (vox,guitar) tried to start bands before but nothing ever stuck until Mike D (drums) and Keith (bass) picked up and started playing. “We want nothing more than to perform our music at the highest level that we know we’re capable of and have fun taking chances while doing it” Chris has stated as a mission of sorts. Mike D quickly added “and if we don’t then we’ll at least fool the idiots.”
Heavy Necker

Come Getcha Some (Rum Bar Records) SOUND Gritty, lo-fi, punk-fueled blues delivered by a Cambridge, Mass.-based duo, featuring Hambone on guitar/vocals and Steph F’s brutally direct drumming. At times redolent of Robert Johnson cut through with elements of the Ramones and Led Zeppelin, the overall result is raw enough to make the White Stripes sound like Journey.
Hambone Skinny

Club d’Elf with special guests Duke Levine and Kevin Barry late show
2023-07-14 22:00 - 2023-07-15 01:30
Club d’Elf returns to the Lizard Lounge for a double header with special guest Duke Levine!!!

MUST BE 21+

Club d’Elf returns to The Lizard for another stop on its ongoing 25th Anniversary tour, with a line up that is a fan favorite: Duke Levine, Kevin Barry, Paul Schultheis, Mister Rourke, Mike Rivard & Dean Johnston.

Club d’Elf has been helping audiences lose track of time for almost 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, weavingtogether the band’s various influences.
In April 2022 the band released its latest album, ‘You Never Know’,which 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 kingdomof avant-garde jazz lies Club d’Elf…James Brown-meets-Sun-Ra.” – JedGottlieb, 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 with special guests Duke Levine and Kevin Barry early show
2023-07-14 19:30 - 22:30
Club d’Elf returns to the Lizard Lounge for a double header with special guest Duke Levine!!!

MUST BE 21+

Club d’Elf returns to The Lizard for another stop on its ongoing 25th Anniversary tour, with a line up that is a fan favorite: Duke Levine, Kevin Barry, Paul Schultheis, Mister Rourke, Mike Rivard & Dean Johnston.
Club d’Elf has been helping audiences lose track of time for almost 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, weavingtogether the band’s various influences.

In April 2022 the band released its latest album, ‘You Never Know’, which rose to #2 on the Relix chart. The record unfurls uponkaleidoscopic 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 journeyinto darkness following a near death experience in the remote jungleof 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 andFrank Zappa.” – Banning Eyre, Afropop Worldwide

“Crushed between the borders of Morocco, jam band land and the kingdomof 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, droppedin Marrakesh…some deeply psychedelic music.” – Marlon Bishop, WNYC
