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As half of the Lowell duo Los Wunder Twins del Rap with D-Tension, Effect has been bombing the Mill City and beyond with clever hip hop for the last couple of years. With his latest solo album, Fine Tuned Tantrum – due for release on July 1 – the man formerly known as Chris Butler is poised to hit the big time, not surprisingly with help from his pal D-Tension, who produced and co-wrote the album.
With the help of his trademark headgear (a porkpie hat) and instrument of choice (the ukulele), Melvern Taylor has become a legend in Lowell. He’s been around for years, he plays a lot of hip local events, and best of all, his music is timeless. Love Songs for Losers is his fourth album and the follow-up to his 2006 release Fabuloso. This Friday, Taylor will celebrate the grand opening of LSFL with a hometown CD release show at Sangria’s in Lowell.
Dan Blakeslee has been a live mainstay along the New England Seacoast for the last decade or so, bouncing between southern Maine, Portsmouth, Newburyport, and Boston. His latest residence in Newburyport has lasted for 2½ years, with a major milestone being this little gem of a record. Lincoln Street Roughs was actually released in September 2007, but having just discovered it through a separate freelance assignment, I’m passing along the wealth to you, lucky readers.
The phrase “high-brow prank call record” may sound like an oxymoron, but the highly pop culture-literate team of Andy Earles and Jeffrey Jensen deliver exactly that with Just Farr a Laugh: The Greatest Prank Phone Calls Ever!, Vols. 1 & 2. The duo released Volume 1 of the collection on their own a few years back, and since that time convinced Gerard Cosloy, co-owner of well-known (and well-funded) Matador Records, to release this expanded collection on his distinguished label.
For those of you wondering where all the hip, intelligent bands in Lowell went, I have three words for you - The Night Café. More than just an impressive collection of songs, Benedict Arnold's debut album is sure to be the soundtrack to your next late night come-down party or low-key get together.
