Lizard Lounge Club

Captain Sunbeam/Lady Lupine
2024-06-27 20:00 - 23:00 (America/New_York) | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Captain Sunbeam returns to the Lizard Lounge with Lady Lupine!

Event is 21+
$12/$15 door
Welcome to the world of Captain Sunbeam. The brainchild of brothers Malachy and Conor Duffy, they released their debut album, Captain Sunbeam, Act I: The Compass of Ra, in early 2020. A space-opera set in the galaxy of the Seven Jewels, their songs capture the heart-rending correspondence between enigmatic Captain Sunbeam and space lumberjack Julian Afterjoy.
The music: Raw, galactic, space-opera energy, massive choruses, an intricate web of storytelling and lyrical prowess. Drawing inspiration from Coheed and Cambria, Meat Loaf, and Andrew W.K., their music encompasses prog, pop, punk, and hard rock. Their newest single, Overlight Anthem, was released in December 2023 and will be followed by a new EP, Songs of Orion, recorded at Zippah Studios in Boston. Captain Sunbeam has sold out local shows throughout the Boston area.
The story: The Afterjoy Sequence, a YA fiction trilogy about Julian & Sunbeam’s exploits, is currently in production. In book one, Captain Sunbeam & The Compass of Ra, you will join forces with Julian Afterjoy, Kimmy Starfossil, the Three Dolphin Princes of Taz-Abalone, and Luther Overlight to uncover the reason behind the Lifesun’s demise. You will trek across the entirety of the Seven Jewels, perhaps even venturing into Deep Space to solve the mystery of the disappearance of Captain Sunbeam and his infamous ship – the Lovestar.

To find out more, visit www.captainsunbeamuniverse.com.

Lady Lupine is a Boston based heavy soul band that delivers high energy performances of unique original material. The band creates an engaging live experience by cultivating visceral connections through sound. Fronted by vocalist Christina Lacoste, Lady Lupine draws inspiration from the soul of Amy Winehouse, and the sonic eclecticism of Portishead. Traces of Vulfpeck’s tight, technical funk, and Jimi Hendrix’s fuzz rock grooves can be heard in the band’s sound as well. Christina, guitarist Fran McConville Jr, drummer Josh Cuadra and Bassist Jon Dusoe met in 2010 while performing in a band called The Elements. The four were drawn together by their compatibility as performers, and continued to play music on and off throughout the years.
In 2017, Lady Lupine was formed and began developing material that combines the respective members’ loves of classic soul and more modern, heavy rock. Jon and Josh provide a driving and edgy underlying layer that supports Christina and Fran’s soulful leads. Lady Lupine released their debut EP Trust in October 2019 followed by Extended Plays released in 2021.
https://ladylupine.com/

Express Checkout with Jason Bennett and Tyler James
2024-06-28 21:00 - 23:30 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Express Checkout with special guests Jason Bennett and Tyler James!

MUST BE 21+
$15/$20
Doors at 8pm

Express checkout is a 3 piece pub rock n roll band comprised of singer-songwriter Dave Wells, the multi-styling Dylan Sullivan on Bass, and the percussive scene veteran Dave Sardella on the kit. Expect a wave of a set which dips down to slower sentimental songs and crashes with sing-a-long sweaty rock hooks.

Express Checkout

Tyler James Is a Boston area based independent artist, playing a blend of psychedelic folk & shoe gaze.

Jason Bennett is a Boston-based songwriter and lead singer of Jason Bennett & the Resistance.
JB&tR’s three seven-song EPs all have been met with enthusiasm from fans and critical success.
Bennett fronted the band Suspect Device from 1998 to 2003 and started JB&tR in 2006.
They hit the ground running, their first record- 2008’s Hope Dies Last- was nominated for awards by both the Boston Music Awards’ committee, as well as the Boston Phoenix’s Best Music Poll.
After touring nationally for Hope the band followed up with “2:59 to Salvation”. 2:59 is as indebted to a folk tradition in the vein of Woody Guthrie and Billy Bragg as it is to Bennett’s punk rock roots in the music of The Clash and The Bad Brains. 2:59, produced by Paul Q. Kolderie at Camp Street Studios, earned JB&R Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll Nomination in Spring 2011.
In the fall of 2016 the band released Heavy Weather. On this EP the music departs from earlier recordings by incorporating the influence of Elvis Costello-like melodies and harmonies withBennett’s renowned Strummer-sounding vocals.
Jason continues to play with both JB&TR and solo, touring regionally and the midwest and south and is working on an album of new mateial.

Jen Kearney
2024-06-29 21:00 - 2024-06-30 00:00 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Get ready to groove with the soulful tunes of Jen Kearney at the Lizard Lounge

MUST BE 21+
$18/22 door

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

Poetry Jam- Lexi Pelle
2024-06-30 19:00 - 23:00 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
The Poetrt Jam with featured poet Lexi Pelle!

Event is 21+
Lexi Pelle was the winner of the 2022 Jack McCarthy Book prize. Her work has appeared in Rattle, Ninth Letter, The Shore, and SWWIM. She is the author of Let Go With The Lights On (Write Bloody Publishing).

The Duppy Conquerors
2024-07-03 20:00 - 23:00 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
The Duppy Conquerors bring their celebration of the music of Bob Marley to the Lizard Lounge

EVENT IS 21+
$12/$15 DOOR
The quintessential Bob Marley tribute band – the Duppy Conquerors – is a rich collection of high-caliber musicians playing in tribute to the music of Bob Marley. Nominated for a Boston Music Award, this 10-piece ensemble of veteran musicians embodies a soulful authenticity that honors the artist and his timeless collection. With nearly 80% of Marley’s repertoire under their belts, the Duppy Conquerors are equipped to provide hours of entertainment and positive vibrations.
https://duppyconquerors.band/
https://www.instagram.com/duppy.conquerors/

Gregg Perry and the Strange Berries
2024-07-06 21:00 - 23:30 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Gregg Perry and the Strange Berries live at the Lizard Lounge

Event is 21+
$12/$15 door

Gregg Perry, a Boston area musician and Berklee School of Music alumni has been playing guitar professionally for over 20 years, sharing stages with legendary musicians such as The Nighthawks, Bob Margolin, Jimmy Thackery and Canned Heat among others. Gregg originally formed The Strange Berries— a classic psychedelic rock and blues power trio— in 2018 with bassist Bob Abruzese and drummer Garik Bagdagyulyan. While The Strange Berries now features a rotating cast of talented musicians, both their original tunes and tributes to favorite artists of the past never fail to take their fans on a uniquely positive and spiritual musical journey.
https://www.facebook.com/GreggPerryandtheStrangeberries/

Poetry Jam-NorthBeast Regional Slam #1
2024-07-07 19:00 - 22:00 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
The Poetry Jam’s NorthBeast Regional Slam!

Event is 21+
2024 NorthBeast Regional Slam #1

This is the first of two consecutive Sundays featuring a four-team regional slam. The Lizard Lounge Poetry Jam will host four guest regional teams. This evening will feature teams from Rhode Island, Boston Poetry Slam, New Hampshire, and Cambridge, always a super-popular event.

Dayna Kurtz & Robert Maché with Special Guest Britt Connors
2024-07-10 20:00 - 23:00 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Dayna Kurtz & Robert Maché with Britt Connors live at the Lizard Lounge!

Event is 21+$12/$15 door
Over the past decade, the New Jersey born, now New Orleans resident vocalist/writer/musician/producer has been bestowed with many awards and praises, including being named the Female Songwriter of the Year by the National Academy of
Songwriters. Norah Jones and Bonnie Raitt have raved about her in interviews, and she’s performed on such high-profile radio shows as World Cafe, Mountain Stage and NPR’s Morning Edition and Tell Me More. She’s toured and opened for the likes of Elvis Costello, Richard Thompson, Mavis Staples, Rufus Wainwright, B.B. King, Dr. John, Richie Havens, Keren Ann, Chris Whitley, and the Blind Boys of Alabama.
On her work and friendship with Robert Maché (Continental Drifters, Steve Wynn) Kurtz says, “T’ve loved Robert’s playing for such a long time, and we’ve been friends longer than we’ve been touring partners- he was one of the first musicians to befriend me in New Orleans.
That we had such undeniable chemistry has been one of the greater recent gifts of my life, and I just wanted to document it somehow, and quite a few people in my life including my label have suggested a live record. I’d been hesitant, only because there’s only a few live records I listen to with the devotion I’d give a beloved studio record. It’s notoriously really difficult to capture the feeling of being there in the dark experiencing it. Then the challenge of it intrigued me.”

“When you have a wonderful instrument as supple as Britt’s mellifluous voice, it is a luxury that allows you to apply it to a wide array of styles. With a writing flair for beautifully lyrical compositions, it takes the possibilities even further. On her recently released third album, Longitude, Britt Connors and the vehicle of her voice roam all over the map.” – Nate Dow, formerly of the Boston Herald
Singer/Songwriter Britt Connors was born and raised singing in small-town West Boylston, MA before taking her studies to Ithaca College in NY. But, the lure of the talented Boston singer/songwriter scene and the dream that she might try her hand at songwriting (and even someday play at Club Passim) brought her to Boston in 2001. Armed with a guitar she had barely yet learned to play and her many musical influences (the likes of Aimee Mann, Martin Sexton, Bonnie Raitt, Jonatha Brooke, Eva Cassidy, KT Tunstall) swirling in her head, she committed herself to the task.
In order to make a living while chasing her musical dreams, she got certified and eventually became a busy and devoted Pilates instructor. To feed her musical soul, she did a 4-year stint as the featured vocalist for the 20-piece Compaq Big Band (swing, jazz, American Songbook), singing to audiences at Sculler’s, Ryles, and Regattabar while testing out her first original songs at open mics and starting to collect a loyal following. In 2010 she debuted her first album “The Bad Side of Good” under her maiden name of Britt Sawdon to a sold-out audience at Johnny D’s (formerly) in Somerville, MA. By the time she released her second album, “Warmer Season” in 2014 at her dream venue of Club Passim, she had met and formed her backing band, “Bourbon Renewal,” and had written the songs with this new sound in mind – tunes that are alternately rockin’, country, sweet, rootsy, New-Orleans-street-parade-style, and just plain fun. With its clapping, foot-stomping, and even some whistling, the record needed its own category, which they started calling “Y’all-Ternative” music.

Baker Thomas Band w/ Special Guest Samantha Farrell
2024-07-11 20:00 - 23:30 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
A longtime TOAD favorite, the Baker Thomas Band live at the Lizard Lounge with Samantha Farrell!

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

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.
Samantha started her career in Los Angeles where she released her first album “Spiritus.” In 2008, she caught the ear of LeRoi Moore, the saxophonist of the Dave Matthews Band, who was in the midst of producing and developing her next album in Charlottesville, VA when he suddenly passed away, and in October 2009, “Luminous” was independently released. Through word of mouth alone, the album charted No. 7 on the national pop iTunes charts. She has since followed that up with two EPs, “In Between Stories” (2010) and “Softly Swooning World” (2013), with her latest album, “September Sun” (2016) being voted as one of WUMB radio’s Top 10 albums of 2016.
Her music has been featured on various major network television shows such as NBC’s “Shark,” CW’s “Ringer,” “Privileged,” “Nikita,” “One Tree Hill” & “The Tomorrow People.”
https://www.samanthafarrell.com/

Orchestra Morphine: Mark Sandman Memorial Concert Early Show
2024-07-12 19:30 - 21:00 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Mark Sandman Memorial Concerts: Gone 25 Years But Not Forgotten

Doors at 6:30
July 3, 2024 marks the 25th anniversary of Morphine front man Mark Sandman’s death, felled by a heart attack in the middle of Morphine’s set at the Nel Nome Del Rock festival in Palestrina, Italy on July 3, 1999. To honor the anniversary, a special night of Sandman’s music will be presented at The Lizard Lounge on July 12th by Orchestra Morphine. Entitled “Mark Sandman Memorial Concerts: Gone 25 Years But Not Forgotten”, two separate shows – early and late – will feature Sandman’s music performed by friends and bandmates, including original Morphine members Dana Colley and Jerome Deupree. Formed in 1999 in the wake of Sandman’s passing, Orchestra Morphine also includes members of Hypnosonics: Russ Gershon and Tom Halter (Either/Orchestra) and Mike Rivard (Club d’Elf). Special guests including Laurie Sargent, Jimmy Ryan and Christian McNeill will interpet songs from the Morphine and Hypnosonics songbooks.

Sandman was an inspired songwriter, conceptualist and multi-instrumentalist, a fearless, distinctive creative presence on the Cambridge, Boston, national and international music scenes. He rose to national fame in the late 80’s as a member of BMG recording artists Treat Her Right. In the early 90’s he formed Morphine with saxophonist Colley and drummers Deupree and the late Billy Conway, which became an internationally touring cult band, earning the praise of club kids, critics and rock stars.
Never constrained by one band format, Sandman created numerous project bands and collaborations. He formed his “secret band”, Hypnosonics, in 1984 and the group remained active until his untimely death. A free-wheeling, minimalist funk band, the band never released any recordings while Sandman was alive. Finally in 2021, the label Modern Harmonic released two LP’s of previously unreleased Hypnosonics sessions : Someone Stole My Shoesand Drums Were Beating. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Sandman’s passing, the label is releasing a two-disc (and single vinyl) set of more unissued Hypnosonics material: Middle East Rent Control Benefit 1994 / Knitting Factory NYC 1997. This very special event will also serve as the Release Party for the new Hypnosonics releases.

Orchestra Morphine: Mark Sandman Memorial Concert Late Show
2024-07-12 21:30 - 23:30 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Mark Sandman Memorial Concerts: Gone 25 Years But Not Forgotten

July 3, 2024 marks the 25th anniversary of Morphine front man Mark Sandman’s death, felled by a heart attack in the middle of Morphine’s set at the Nel Nome Del Rock festival in Palestrina, Italy on July 3, 1999. To honor the anniversary, a special night of Sandman’s music will be presented at The Lizard Lounge on July 12th by Orchestra Morphine. Entitled “Mark Sandman Memorial Concerts: Gone 25 Years But Not Forgotten”, two separate shows – early and late – will feature Sandman’s music performed by friends and bandmates, including original Morphine members Dana Colley and Jerome Deupree. Formed in 1999 in the wake of Sandman’s passing, Orchestra Morphine also includes members of Hypnosonics: Russ Gershon and Tom Halter (Either/Orchestra) and Mike Rivard (Club d’Elf). Special guests including Laurie Sargent, Jimmy Ryan and Christian McNeill will interpet songs from the Morphine and Hypnosonics songbooks.

Sandman was an inspired songwriter, conceptualist and multi-instrumentalist, a fearless, distinctive creative presence on the Cambridge, Boston, national and international music scenes. He rose to national fame in the late 80’s as a member of BMG recording artists Treat Her Right. In the early 90’s he formed Morphine with saxophonist Colley and drummers Deupree and the late Billy Conway, which became an internationally touring cult band, earning the praise of club kids, critics and rock stars.
Never constrained by one band format, Sandman created numerous project bands and collaborations. He formed his “secret band”, Hypnosonics, in 1984 and the group remained active until his untimely death. A free-wheeling, minimalist funk band, the band never released any recordings while Sandman was alive. Finally in 2021, the label Modern Harmonic released two LP’s of previously unreleased Hypnosonics sessions : Someone Stole My Shoesand Drums Were Beating. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Sandman’s passing, the label is releasing a two-disc (and single vinyl) set of more unissued Hypnosonics material: Middle East Rent Control Benefit 1994 / Knitting Factory NYC 1997. This very special event will also serve as the Release Party for the new Hypnosonics releases.

Abbie Barrett Band/CE Skidmore
2024-07-13 21:00 - 2024-07-14 00:00 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Abbie Barrett returns to the Lizard Lounge with special guests CE Skidmore!

Event is 21+
$15/$20 door

Fueled by a pop-rock sensibility, Abbie Barrett’s songwriting is unique and unpredictable—but always something you can sing along to. Her music has been featured in Magnet, American Songwriter, the Boston Herald, Vanyaland, and on CMT’s Cool Album Cuts. In 2015 she received a Boston Music Award for Best Singer-Songwriter. Her band plays regularly in the New England area and has opened for notable acts including the B-52s, Juliana Hatfield, The Motels, Will Dailey, and Rhett Miller.
https://abbiebarrett.com/

CE Skidmore and the Damn Fine – aka CEDFB – and is four-piece Americana rock act from Boston, though they’ll tell you that they mostly hang out on bills with the punks. CEDFB includes former members of New England staple acts like OC45, the Radicals, Loser’s Circle, and Live Nude Girls. Band leader CE is a Boston troubadour with New York roots. Her brand of singing, screaming, and storytelling has landed her a diverse spate of gigs over the years sharing stages with everyone from Off With Their Heads, Rhett Miller, Amigo the Devil, and even Ralph Nader. Yes, that Ralph Nader. Weird, right? CE can tone it down as a loner for the sweet notes but never feels more at home than sharing the stage with her ragtag gang of hooligans. Aria is a longtime Boston staple who cut his teeth as a three-piece punker and bass man for The Radicals. These days you’re most likely to see him as the “international man of misery” fronting his other band of sad songsters, Coffin Salesman. But it can’t rain all the time. Aria likes to cut it up and shred the occasional major chord as the guitar man for CEDFB. Come for his impressive pedal board, stay for the face-melting. Derek Rossi is the two-toned low end of this operation. You might recognize him as the hoarse political firebrand who made up half the vocal powerhouse of Boston’s punk standouts, OC45. OC45 toured the US and Europe throughout the better part of the last decade. They raged the Warped Tour, broke hearts, blew minds, and went through more vans (the vehicle and the shoes) than should be possible. Because Derek is so well seasoned as a frontman and guitar player, CEDFB likes to make him slightly uncomfortable by sticking him in the back with a bass. We think it humbles him but you’ll probably notice him anyway. There’s truly nothing Matt Trainor can’t do. He’s an accomplished solo artist whose gravel tones are somehow also dulcet. He’s a powerhouse drummer who sits behind the kit for hardcore punkers, Loser’s Circle. He’s a cat dad. He keeps the pocket on time and delivers the fills to make you quake.
https://www.facebook.com/ceskidmoresings/

Poetry Jam NorthBeast Regional Slam #2
2024-07-14 19:00 - 23:30 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
The Poetry Jam NorthBeast Regional Slam #2

Event is 21+
This is 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 Lowell MA, Providence RI, and our own 2024 Lizard Lounge Poetry Jam slam team.

Big Lazy
2024-07-15 20:00 - 23:00 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Big Lazy returns to the Lizard Lounge!

Event is 21+
$15/$18 door
Doors at 7

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

Lizard Lounge Open Mic Challenge
2024-07-17 20:00 - 23:00 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Lizard Lounge Open Mic Challenge hosted by Danny Moffat! We’re holding some performer slots at the door, first come first serve!

EVENT IS 21+
Lizard Lounge Monthly Open Mic returns hosted by Dan Moffat with this month’s judges JJ Gonson and Josh Friedman!
Dan Moffat is a Cambridge based audio engineer and musician in the band The Collect Pond. You can usually find him teaching audio engineering lessons with Boston Audio School, which he teaches out of The Record Co., or writing and taking pictures for music blog Allston Pudding.

$8 performers/$10 audience
we will be holding two slots at the door
performers will be given a code for online purchase
sign up below!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E44ABAF22A6FCCE9-50232493-wed

Emergency Group/Blues Dream Box/Psychic Temple/Eamon Fogarty
2024-07-18 19:30 - 23:00 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Come vibe with us at the Emergency Group, Blues Dream Box,Psychic Temple and Eamon Fogarty live at the Lizard Lounge!

Event is 21+
$12/$15 door
“Emergency Group swim in the heady tides of prog rock, psych rock, and free jazz. These Brooklyn improvisers harness kaleidoscopic reverb and distortion with a creative generosity befitting one of Miles Davis’s electric groups, creating a contemporary sound that reminds us the label “jam band” wasn’t always cause to shudder.” – Chicago Reader
https://www.instagram.com/emergencygroup_band/

Psychic Temple has been a lot of things: a semi-cult, a recording collective, a rock band that plays like a jazz band or the other way around. Band leader Chris Schlarb has also been many things: a truck driver, a video game composer, a private investigator, but he is first and foremost an assembler, someone whose vision and imaginative spirit intuitively understands how disparate artists might fit together, forming cosmic pickup bands that bring his visions to life: free jazz freakouts, fusions of folk, pop, rock and roll.
https://www.instagram.com/psychictemple/

The Blues Dream Box is a trio that plays children’s songs for adults and children, and adult’s songs for adults. They seamlessly blend a wide variety of non-existent musical genres, leaving listeners laughing and asking questions they’ve never asked before. The Blues Dream Box has been called, “the most important band in Boston,” which may or may not be true.
https://thebluesdreambox.bandcamp.com/album/strip-it-for-parts

Eamon Fogarty is a composer, songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist and audio archivist who was born in the state of New Hampshire. Aquarium Drunkard described his 2019 record Blue Values as “a remarkable piece of art-pop, exhibiting the low slung ease of Tim Buckley’s jazz-rock, the shambolic grace of Beck, the progressive grandeur of Scott Walker, and the mystic yearning of Talk Talk.” He has written for, recorded, and performed in a broad range of capacities and contexts, including numerous folk and rock bands, (Alex Dupree, Psychic Temple, Matt Kivel) choral groups, free improvisatory ensembles, puppet theater productions, and even a surf video or two.

The Blue Ribbons/Amber Angelina
2024-07-19 21:00 - 23:30 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
The Blue Ribbons return to the Lizard Lounge with Amber Angelina

Event is 21+$15/$18
July 19 at the Lounge will combobulate and gruntle your hearts and minds. Please join us for an evening of high class, low brow fun with no middlemen. If you so choose you may enjoy the expertly mixed and refreshing cocktails and become ever so slightly and delightfully semi-anti-uninebriated. You will indeed want to keep your wits about you and without you for the concerted disconcertions that will be on display live and in person and on stage, and allow the music to take you to new levels of the collective sub-unconsciousness.
“The Blue Ribbons’ latest album, 2024’s “Forever, But Not For Long,” has plenty of pop hooks. Or rather, it had plenty of them before the band took sledgehammers and scalpels to most of the pretty bits.
“It took a while to get the bones of some of the tunes down just so we could break them,” bandleader James Rohr told Herald with a laugh.
Local champs the Blue Ribbons are a pop band in the same way that the Beatles or Steely Dan or Television are pop bands in that they like pop but “aren’t too precious about the songs,” Rohr said.
The Ribbons have the Beatles’ artistic reach, Steely Dan’s jazz chops, and Television’s orchestrated chaos — and even this doesn’t capture it all (add in some Tom Waits, a bit of Elvis Costello, and a pinch of Frank Zappa). Basically, Rohr and collaborators guitarist Mike Castellana, bassist Jef Charland, and drummer Tauras Biskis take catchy tunes and ugly them up without losing the hook.
“The Blue Ribbons’ latest album, 2024’s “Forever, But Not For Long,” has plenty of pop hooks. Or rather, it had plenty of them before the band took sledgehammers and scalpels to most of the pretty bits.
“It took a while to get the bones of some of the tunes down just so we could break them,” bandleader James Rohr told Herald with a laugh.
Local champs the Blue Ribbons are a pop band in the same way that the Beatles or Steely Dan or Television are pop bands in that they like pop but “aren’t too precious about the songs,” Rohr said.
Jed Gottleib – Boston Herald
The Ribbons have the Beatles’ artistic reach, Steely Dan’s jazz chops, and Television’s orchestrated chaos — and even this doesn’t capture it all (add in some Tom Waits, a bit of Elvis Costello, and a pinch of Frank Zappa). Basically, Rohr and collaborators guitarist Mike Castellana, bassist Jef Charland, and drummer Tauras Biskis take catchy tunes and ugly them up without losing the hook.

With a powerhouse voice that cuts through any dark, smoky bar like a beam of light, Amber Angelina is an eclectic torch singer who has been likened to everyone from Adele and Kate Bush to Neko Case and Linda Ronstadt. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Amber Angelina has become a treasured staple in New England, where she and her first-rate band (Mike Castellana, Jef Charland, Nate Logus, Peter Moore) deliver soulful, stop-you-dead-in-your-tracks songs that grapple with embracing vulnerabilities, making peace with our mistakes, and finding strength in a weary world.

Field Day Record Release With Tinkertown and Lupo Citta!
2024-07-20 20:00 - 23:30 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Field Day celebrates their latest release with Tinkertown and Lupo Citta live at the Lizard Lounge July 20th!

Event is 21+
$15 adv/$20 door
Field Day formed proverbially, in a basement, and unexpectedly, when its members were well into middle age. Joan Anderman was a neophyte, having left her longtime post as rock critic at The Boston Globe and set out to become a songwriter. Her former Globe colleague Dan Zedek, veteran of numerous college bands, was sitting on a stash of songs written in his head while riding the train to work. The band’s original drummer John Kehe offered his gear-filled basement for weekend song circles. The chemistry was potent. These songs and these songwriters belonged together. With the addition of bassist Paolo Cannizzaro and drummer Chuck Hargreaves, Field Day has become an unlikely upstart on the Boston club scene, playing rock music with scrappy hooks, dreamy harmonies, and irrepressible spirit.
https://www.fielddaymusic.com/

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.

Lupo Città is a new trio with Chris Brokaw on guitar and vocals (long-term Cambridge resident, solo musician and member of Come, Codeine, Martha’s Vineyard Ferries), and Boston residents Sarah Black on guitar and bass and Jenn Gori on vocals and drums (both former members Minneapolis garage rock bands).

Poetry Jam-Lawrence Nunes
2024-07-21 19:00 - 22:00 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
The Lizard Lounge Poetry Jam with featured poet Lawrence Nunes!

Event is 21+
Lawrence Nunes is the Pastor of Open Arms Tabernacle Mission and Mercy Tabernacle Church. A husband and father. Lawrence is a spoken word artist and member of the Brother’s Keeper-Poetry Ensemble of Providence, RI where he co-wrote, co-produced and acted in YES, I AM!
Lawrence has also performed in Celebrations-An African Odyssey and Christmas at Chatty’s Place with Mixed Magic Theatre and in A Cosmic Christmas produced by Sarah Ashley. He has also performed in Practice What You Preach with Inspired By Grace Productions.
https://www.lizardloungepoetryjam.com/

Good Trouble/Free Rock/The Mighty Suicide Squirrels
2024-07-24 20:00 - 23:30 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Join us for a wild night, causing some Good Touble with the Free Rock(ing) The Mighty Suicide Squirrels – it’s gonna be epic!

Event is 21+
$12/$15 door
Good Trouble is a Party Punk band from Minnesota. Touring in in the summer of 2024 in support of their Album ‘It’s Not Rock, It’s Science’!
Founded in 2019 as THE FREE ROCK TRIO, the band released six studio albums with their original lineup of Jacob Keplinger, Liz Siegel, and Justin Siegel (Free Rock, Buford, Gone Wild, New Threads is Dead, Milk, & Northern Terrace) before bringing in Jacob’s younger brother Jackson on keys in April 2022. This quartet released another five albums (Free Rock National Park, Dirty Disco, Buford’s Revenge, Real Life, & Free Rock II) before Justin left the band a little over a year later in June 2023. However, it didn’t take long to fill the position; in August, Elliott Eastman (a longtime friend of Jacob’s) made his debut with the group and the new lineup released their first record together in early 2024 titled Free Rock Express.
The Mighty Suicide Squirrels are a Punk band from Boston Mass!

Soulsville feat Sarah Seminski and the B3 Kings!
2024-07-25 20:00 - 23:30 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Sarah Seminski and the B3 Kings present Soulsville live at the Lizard Lounge!

Event is 21+$20/25 doors
Groove soul rock & roll! The B3 Kings sound melds many classic genres into a gumbo all its own.

Express Checkout w/ Coffin Salesman and Friends in Hell
2024-07-26 21:00 - 23:30 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Express Checkout with Coffin Salesman and Your Friends in Hell

MUST BE 21+
$15/$20
Doors at 8pm

Express checkout is a 3 piece pub rock n roll band comprised of singer-songwriter Dave Wells, the multi-styling Dylan Sullivan on Bass, and the percussive scene veteran Dave Sardella on the kit. Expect a wave of a set which dips down to slower sentimental songs and crashes with sing-a-long sweaty rock hooks.

Express Checkout

Coffin Salesman is a gloomy rock n’ roll folk project inspired by Neko Case and Trap Them, led by songwriter Aria Rad

Your Friends in Hell are a band of local creeps and weirdos out of Somerville, Massachusetts. Their music can be described as spooky acoustic, but they’re known to take wild swings into sea shanties, doowop, punk rock, and anything that sounds good with an accordion. They can often be found collaborating with performing artists, celebrating Halloween off-season, and looking up new words to rhyme with “ghosts”. They can be found on instagram at @Yourfriendsinhell

Cambridge Common Backyard Brew-BQ
2024-07-27 14:00 - 19:00 | Cambridge Common Restaurant, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Join us on July 27th for our summer Backyard Brew-BQ! We’ll have great food, great beers from local breweries, and fun games!

Welcome to the Cambridge Common Backyard Brew-BQ!
Come join us on our backyard patio (regularly known as the parking lot) for an evening of good food, good beer, and good vibes! We’ll be featuring beers (and hard seltzer!) from some of our favorite breweries to the tune of DJ Panda playing all of your favorite hits! Price of admission gets you all you can eat sliders, hot dogs, chicken skewers & corn on the cob hot off the grill! Beer tickets will be sold for $8/ticket during the event.

This is a 21+ event

Pressure Cooker at the Lizard Lounge!
2024-07-27 21:00 - 2024-07-28 00:00 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
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.

Poetry Jam-Bards and Bars
2024-07-28 19:00 - 22:00 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
The Poetry Jam-Bards and Bars

Event is 21+
One of the Lizard Lounge Poetry Jam’s most popular yearly events is back!! A night of friendly competition between two cousins: poets and MCs Some of our finest poets will meet some of our finest MC’s for a showdown not to be missed. We will have a special guest hosting the event, a live DJ, and an open mic will follow the slam.

https://www.lizardloungepoetryjam.com/

Nick Prato/The Way Home/Ava Panza
2024-07-31 20:00 - 23:30 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Nick Prato, The Way Home and Ava Panza live at the Lizard Lounge July 31st!

Event is 21+
$12/$15 Door
Doors at 7

Nick Prato is a roots-driven indie rock artist based in Boston, MA. Enamored with the guitar from a very young age, Nick draws much of his inspiration as a songwriter from his upbringing, growing up the youngest of three boys in a small coastal Maine town. His distinct sound is a fusion of rock and classic Americana, reflecting the influences that colored and shaped his youth, coupled with an original and contemporary songwriting approach that articulates his perspective within today’s world.

Nick is coming fresh off the release of his debut six-song EP ‘All the Space’ released in late 2023. An up-and-coming artist in the Boston area, he looks forward to a year of East Coast live shows as well as a batch of brand-new music coming in Late Summer/Fall 2024.

https://www.nickprato.com/

With timeless performances and feel-good music, “The Way Home” melds modern songwriting with classic rock n roll. Their songs feel new yet familiar— like a fresh soundtrack to your cross-country road trips. “The Way Home” is built on good friends, good times, and good music. Stop and stay a while on your Way Home!

Ava Panza is a 22 year old vocalist and multi instrumentalist from Marlboro, currently based in Boston after graduating Berklee College of Music. Some of her inspirations include Paramore, Manchester Orchestra, Fleetwood Mac, and Madison Cunningham. With writing music with her former bands, as well as music of her own, she knows how to write music of many genres. Her debut single “Alive” released in 2020, and since then has released 3 other singles, and an EP titled “Come and Go”. Her newest released is “Used 2” that is out on all platforms as of March 1st 2024.​

Baker Thomas Band w/ Special Guests The 890's
2024-08-01 20:00 - 23:30 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
A longtime TOAD favorite, the Baker Thomas Band live at the Lizard Lounge with The 890s!

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

The 890s are a funk rock band out of Somerville – originating during 2020, the majority of the band lived in the same 2 apartment house – creating a basement rehearsal space during the lockdown.The band consists of 8 members and frequent guest performers – including but not limited to drums, bass, guitars, keys, saxophone and multiple vocalists.In April of 2024 The 890s released their first studio single, ‘Waiting’ on Spotify and Apple Music.Check them out on IG and YouTube – @The890s

Sons Lunaris/Black Suede
2024-08-02 21:00 - 2024-08-03 00:00 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Sons Lunaris and Black Suede live at the Lizard Lounge on August 2nd at 9!

Event is 21+
$12/$15 door
Doors at 8pm

Sons Lunaris is an award-winning rock band originally formed in Lowell, Massachusetts in 2016. The group consists of Justin “Jabbo” Martin (lead guitar), Alex “Youngblood” Simpson (lead vocals, harmonica), and Jeremy Thorpe (drums). Their style, rooted in blues-based hard rock, incorporates elements of psychedelic, funk, alternative-rock, and folk musics.
https://www.sonslunaris.com/

Black Suede is a hard rock band based out of Marlborough MA.The lineup consists of founder/lead guitarist Mike Ward, lead vocalist Brian Cappello, bass guitarist Matt Saunders, and drummer David Langberg.Their ever-expanding set consists of original music and classic rock covers.

https://www.facebook.com/BlackSuedeMA/

MC Kabir Sen with Krush Factory Monthly Residency
2024-08-03 21:00 - 2024-08-04 00:00 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
MC Kabir Sen continues his monthly residency at the Lizard Lounge with the Krush Factory

Poetry Jam-2024 Slam Team
2024-08-04 19:00 - 23:00 | Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, United States
Lizard Lounge Poetry Jam-Featured Poet 2024 Slam Team

Event is 21+
$10/$10
Doors at 7
2024 Lizard Lounge Poetry Jam Slam Team
Our 2024 slam team members are: Brother D, Kwene, Mahesh, Silent E, and Will C. They will perform with accompaniment from the Blake Newman Group!
https://www.lizardloungepoetryjam.com/
