Minneapolis alt-rapper/singer/songwriter Lizzo has been building buzz, earning props for her new album Big Grrrl Small World and a spot at Boston Calling, which boasts a badass female artist-heavy lineup that includes Sia, Robyn, Haim, Janelle Monáe and Elle King. “I’m just so excited to be in the company of strong women,” Lizzo says. “There are so many festivals where it’s just a sausage fest.” She shared some real talk in preview of her appearance at the fest, which hits City Hall Plaza May 27-29.
WOULD YOU CALL YOURSELF A SOCIAL ACTIVIST? Labels can be negative, and I’m just very fortunate that the labels that have been superimposed on me and my movement and my music are positive. So I accept social activism, because I am socially active. I accept “body-positive rapper” because I am pretty positive about my body, you know? I accept “feminist rapper” because I do stand for women’s rights, and for human rights. So fuck yeah! I’m a social activist because socially I don’t choose to be inactive. Socially I’m woke.
YOUR SONG “MY SKIN” REMINDS ME A BIT OF BEYONCÉ’S “FORMATION” IN ITS MESSAGE. DO YOU SEE THAT? First off, any comparison to Beyoncé is a day well made. But I will say this about “Formation.” … Everybody’s up in arms about a woman who just wants to celebrate her blackness. And why does that have to be such a big deal? … When they came out with “I’m proud to be an American,” nobody was fucking mad over in fucking France!
WHO’S AN ARTIST THAT INSPIRED YOU? Missy Elliott inspired me. Seeing a woman like her kill it and be freaky and sexual and dance her butt off and make amazing music—not only produce, but write and sing and rap—to be so cutting-edge and ahead of her time, and to make a platform for women who didn’t look like the picture-perfect women that were on a pedestal in the ’90s, it was inspiring to see. I memorized all her songs, I watched all her music videos, I learned all the choreography. She made me believe I could actually do it.
Spring into Action: Music
By Alexandra Cavallo | Photo Credit: Derek Kouyoumjian | March 12, 2016
DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE REST OF OUR SPRING PREVIEW!
Ready to Rumble Again
“I’m a big fan of people who support arts and culture,” Wood says. “I feel like a lot of us in the community feel like we’re losing space all the time, so when we gain one it’s important for us to band together and support it.”The closing of T.T. the Bear’s Place this past summer marked the shuttering of another beloved local institution and the end of an era for the Rock & Roll Rumble, which held its annual battle of Boston’s hardest-rocking bands at T.T.’s for five years. And while Rumble organizer and Boston Emissions host Anngelle Wood was sad to close the door on that part of the Rumble’s history, she says that T.T.’s closing and the Rumble’s subsequent displacement created a new opportunity. This year, the Rumble will be held on April 3-22 at the recently rechristened and revamped ONCE Lounge and Ballroom at Somerville’s Cuisine en Locale, which has been consistently hosting an eclectic mix of live shows since chef and music-scene veteran JJ Gonson first set up shop there in late 2013.
The format of the 2016 Rumble won’t change—24 local bands will duke it out over six preliminary nights, two nights of semifinals and one final battle between the two remaining bands—but Wood says she’s excited about adding some new faces to the party. “We’re going to have a lot of people who have never been to this venue before. We’re going to have people who have never been to a Rumble before,” she says of the lineup, which includes punk outfit Choke Up, prog-rockers I Was Awake, soul/funk troupe Johnny Blazes & the Pretty Boys and more. “We really want to welcome those people, do as much as we can to carry on what the Rumble has been and launch a new place that’s viable for new people to come and see music,” she says. “When one door closes, several others open.”
By Alexandra Cavallo
Pop Rocks
We have two words for you: Queen. Bey. Better get in formation, ladies. (And gentlemen.) Beyoncé hits Gillette Stadium on June 3 on her Formation World Tour, but she isn’t the only pop diva or divo hitting town this spring. Below, the major pop events that should be on your calendar.
Tori Kelly
-Rihanna April 10 at the TD Garden, $31-$165
-Tori Kelly April 30 at the House of Blues, $30-$45
-Justin Bieber May 10-11 at the TD Garden, $51-$126
-Selena Gomez May 28 at the TD Garden, $37-$87
-Janet Jackson June 21 at the Verizon Wireless Arena, $40-$100
By Alexandra Cavallo | Photo Credit: Brad Ogbonna
Grrrl Power
Minneapolis alt-rapper/singer/songwriter Lizzo has been building buzz, earning props for her new album Big Grrrl Small World and a spot at Boston Calling, which boasts a badass female artist-heavy lineup that includes Sia, Robyn, Haim, Janelle Monáe and Elle King. “I’m just so excited to be in the company of strong women,” Lizzo says. “There are so many festivals where it’s just a sausage fest.” She shared some real talk in preview of her appearance at the fest, which hits City Hall Plaza May 27-29.
WOULD YOU CALL YOURSELF A SOCIAL ACTIVIST? Labels can be negative, and I’m just very fortunate that the labels that have been superimposed on me and my movement and my music are positive. So I accept social activism, because I am socially active. I accept “body-positive rapper” because I am pretty positive about my body, you know? I accept “feminist rapper” because I do stand for women’s rights, and for human rights. So fuck yeah! I’m a social activist because socially I don’t choose to be inactive. Socially I’m woke.
YOUR SONG “MY SKIN” REMINDS ME A BIT OF BEYONCÉ’S “FORMATION” IN ITS MESSAGE. DO YOU SEE THAT? First off, any comparison to Beyoncé is a day well made. But I will say this about “Formation.” … Everybody’s up in arms about a woman who just wants to celebrate her blackness. And why does that have to be such a big deal? … When they came out with “I’m proud to be an American,” nobody was fucking mad over in fucking France!
WHO’S AN ARTIST THAT INSPIRED YOU? Missy Elliott inspired me. Seeing a woman like her kill it and be freaky and sexual and dance her butt off and make amazing music—not only produce, but write and sing and rap—to be so cutting-edge and ahead of her time, and to make a platform for women who didn’t look like the picture-perfect women that were on a pedestal in the ’90s, it was inspiring to see. I memorized all her songs, I watched all her music videos, I learned all the choreography. She made me believe I could actually do it.
By Alexandra Cavallo | Photo Credit: Erich Bouccan
Party Like it’s 199…Now
Look around: From flannels to Doc Martens to that (terrible) Full House reboot, the ’90s are back. Spring’s concert lineup is also giving us nostalgia. In a good way.
-The Smashing Pumpkins + Liz Phair April 9 at the Orpheum Theatre, $44-$74
-The Dandy Warhols April 15 at the Sinclair, $28
-Jewel April 17 at the Wilbur Theatre, $45-$75
-NOFX April 28 at the Paradise Rock Club, $25
-Ben Folds May 7 at the Orpheum Theatre, $38-$53
By Alexandra Cavallo | Photo Credit: Julius Ahn
Child’s Play
Boston Modern Orchestra Project is closing its 20th anniversary season on a high note on March 25, offering an evening-long performance of David Del Tredici’s Child Alice. Based on poems prefacing Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the 135-minute production has only been performed once before in its entirety, 25 years ago at Carnegie Hall. That’s one of the reasons BMOP artistic director and conductor Gil Rose chose the piece as the big season’s closer. Another is its scope. “The orchestra is large, the length is large, the gesture is large,” Rose says. “It’s a big way to go out on the end of a long 20 years.” A recent grant from the Music Performance Trust Fund has allowed BMOP to present Child Alice as a free event, though guests should register ahead of time. “We’re really going to try to make it a big celebration and close the 20th season in style,” Rose says. “Big, bold and free!”
By Alexandra Cavallo | Photo Credit: Rudresh Mahanthappa: Jimmy Katz; Vellumsound: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
DON’T be Quiet at the Museum
This spring, treat yourself to a trip to the museum, where, thanks to a host of innovative music programming, you won’t have to hush.
-Stir | April 7 at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
This installment of the Gardner’s experimental music series will have Berklee prof of electronic production and design Neil Leonard playing computer-generated sounds alongside acclaimed jazz saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa while Cuban-born artist Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons presents visual projections that complement the music.
-Sound Icon | April 28 at the ICA
Take in some modern art, and some breathtaking views of the harbor, when Sound Icon, a local contemporary music sinfonietta, performs influential French composer and electronic music pioneer Pierre Boulez’s Anthèmes 2, among other works.
-Vellumsound | May 13 at the MFA
Vellumsound, the MFA’s ensemble in residence, explores the mystery and lore of Friday the 13th with this performance, pairing music by ancient Gregorian masters, George Crumb and Steve Reich with images of 13 mythical beasties and other spooky subjects.
By Alexandra Cavallo
Sound And Vision
As part of a residency at Le Laboratoire Cambridge, Ecce Ensemble is presenting a May 6 program of sneak peeks at works in progress, plus music inspired by Le Laboratoire’s kinetic art installation from Random International, the London studio behind LACMA’s “Rain Room.”
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