Header image

Category: Music

Josiah and the Bonnevilles – House of Blues

Posted on by Mikey

Tour: The Redline North America Tour

Venue: House of Blues

Date: Wednesday, June 17th

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/josiah-and-the-bonnevilles/2026/citizens-house-of-blues-boston-boston-ma-2b72a0da.html

Opener: Max Alan, Brenna MacMillan.

Review: I usually find it obnoxious when people tell you to manifest your destiny. I’m not one for motivational quotes. But few have pursued their dreams as relentlessly as the man behind Josiah and the Bonnevilles.

After appearing on American Idol, Josiah Leming signed a deal with a major label, but things eventually fell through. Instead of giving up, he kept chasing his dream of making music full-time.

A few years back, the Tennessee native was working as both a bartender and in an Amazon warehouse. Determined to make music work, he doubled down, releasing as much music as possible and growing a devoted following online. Covers like Justin Bieber’s “Ghost” introduced him to an entirely new audience and eventually allowed him to leave those jobs behind and make music his full-time career once again. And we are all lucky that happened.

Josiah and the Bonnevilles is currently on the Redline tour, named after one of the songs on the latest album, As Is. Both the album and tour find Josiah backed by a full band.

I saw him solo two years ago at the Paradise in Boston and the show was so intimate and special. It felt like just hanging out in a living room while a friend plays guitar. And even though this tour found him at House of Blues with a live band, it still had that same feeling.

The whole band crushed it on stage. It further confirmed that Nashville has some of the best musicians out there. One thing that makes me truly love a concert is seeing the musicians up on stage giving it their all. Not there to collect a check. There to live out their dream and put on the best show each night. And that’s exactly what this was. Josiah thanked the crowd after every song and told the crowd how much he loved them. And that the crowd will always be the Bonnevilles.

Upcoming Tour Dates: https://josiahandthe.com/#tour

Pictures and Videos:

Merch:

Bilmuri – MGM Music Hall

Posted on by Mikey

Tour: Kinda Hard l

Venue: MGM Music Hall

Date: Sunday, May 17th

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/bilmuri/2026/mgm-music-hall-at-fenway-boston-ma-3b4b1cf4.html

Band members: 

  • Johnny Franck — vocals, guitar
  • Gabi Rose — saxophone, vocals
  • Reese Maslen — guitar
  • Josh Manuel — drums
  • — bass
  • Joe Compton — pedal steel / banjo (touring

Opener: Gang!, The Home Team

Review: Bilmuri put on a fantastic show at MGM Music Hall in Boston. The full, live band is extremely talented and Gabi Rose just destroys on stage, as usual. And Johnny always seems to be just having a blast doing this every night for crowds all over the world. He thanked the crowd multiple times throughout the show and mentioned recently being signed to Columbia. He made a great observation that when you visit their website now, he is sandwiched between Beyoncé, Billy Joel, Blink-182, and Bob Dylan.

They played a lot of newer songs, most of the best tracks from American Motorsports, and some deep cuts.

I was joined by two friends who went for The Home Team and walked away telling me they will definitely be joining me next time Bilmuri is in town.

Upcoming Tour Dates: https://www.bilmuri.com/tour

Pictures and Videos: 

The Head and the Heart – Wang Theater

Posted on by Mikey

Tour: The 15th Anniversary Tour

Venue: Wang Theater

Date: Thursday, May 14th

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-head-and-the-heart/2026/wang-theatre-boston-ma-2b490486.html

Band members:

  • Jonathan Russell — vocals, guitar, percussion
  • Charity Rose Thielen — violin, guitar, vocals
  • Matt Gervais — guitar, vocals
  • Chris Zasche — bass
  • Kenny Hensley — piano, keyboards
  • Tyler Williams — drums, percussion

Opener: The Brudi Brothers

Review:

The Head and the Heart have been one of my favorite bands for a long time now. Back when I lived in Colorado, I saw them at Red Rocks Amphitheatre a few summers in a row. I even caught one of their super intimate pop-up shows at a small venue in Denver with maybe 1,000 people packed in.

Since moving back east, I’ve seen them at Leader Bank Pavilion, but I was especially excited when I saw they were coming to Boston’s Theater District and playing their first album in its entirety. I honestly have no idea how that album is already 15 years old.

The whole night felt incredibly intimate. Everyone was seated in this beautiful theater, and the stage was set up like a living room.

For the first song or two, the crowd mostly stayed seated, probably just because of the theater setting. But the second “Lost in My Mind” started, the entire crowd stood up almost in unison, and most people stayed on their feet the rest of the night.

The band played through their debut album before jumping into a second half packed with songs from the albums that followed. You could feel the energy increase even more when “All We Ever Knew,” “Aperture,” “Missed Connection,” and “Shake” kicked in.

Between songs, the band shared stories, danced around the stage, and even lounged on the couch set up behind them.

There were nonstop sing-alongs, clapping, and those big crowd “ohs” and “ahs” bouncing back and forth between the band and an incredibly receptive audience.

This stop was the end of this leg of the tour, but they will be doing more anniversary shows, so get tickets for one of those!

Upcoming Tour Dates: https://theheadandtheheart.com/tour

Pictures and Videos:

The Paper Kites – Royale

Posted on by Mikey

Tour: If You Go There, I Hope You Find It

Venue: Royale

Date: Thursday, May 7th

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-paper-kites/2026/royale-boston-ma-53749731.html

Opener: Donovan Woods

Review: I got really into The Paper Kites last year. I had heard their hits, “Bloom” and “Paint” but really dove into their discography. Twelvefour has my favorite song, “Electric Indigo,” Roses has my second favorite, “Climb Up Your Tears” and a beautiful song, Walk Above the City” featuring Maró. At The Roadhouse has the Fleetwood Mac inspired “Black & Thunder.” And their latest album,

“It You Go There, I Hope You Find It has some favorites like “Change of the Wind,” “Deep (In the Plans We Made),” and “When the Lavender Blooms.”

I almost caught them on tour last fall, opening for The Teskwy Brothers, but didn’t wind up making it out. While I wish I did, I am glad I got to see them on their own headlining tour in such an intimate venue like Royale in Boston.

I also was really sold on this show for the opener, Donovan Woods. I had favorited his track “Portland, Me,” a year or so back on Spotify and then he recently showed up again. His song, “I Talk About You,” from his latest release is a stunning, beautiful, and depressing song with a heavy Celtic funereal inspiration.

The show was one of the best ones I have been to in a while. Donovan Woods is just as funny as he is talented in the singer-songwriter department. He told some fun stories and was self deprecating. He had the crowd cracking up when he told them, sarcastically, how back in the day it was an honor to try on the radio and the equivalent of that today is being added to a Spotify playlist.

The Paper Kites started off their set with eveyone around one microphone, singing in unison. Usually, band saves this for later on in their set, but the Australian folk band was opening the show with the vibe of the next hour and a half. Not to say that the band doesn’t have some great rock songs up their sleeves. They played my favorite song, “Electric Indigo” and the Fleetwood Mac inspired “Black & Thunder.”

Upcoming Tour Dates: https://www.thepaperkites.com.au/tour

Pictures and Videos:

The Paper Kites

Posted on by Mikey

Genre: Folk, acoustic, indie

Who They Remind Me Of: The Head and the Heart, Caamp

Band Members: 
Sam Bentley – lead vocals, guitar, keyboards
Christina Lacy – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Josh Bentley – drums, percussion
David Powys – guitars, banjo, lap steel, backing vocals
Sam Rasmussen – bass guitar, synthesizers

Location: Melbourne, Australia

Tour: https://www.thepaperkites.com.au/tour

Where to Find Them:
https://www.instagram.com/thepaperkites/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/79hrYiudVcFyyxyJW0ipTy
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-paper-kites/454316567
https://www.instagram.com/thepaperkites/
https://twitter.com/thepaperkites
https://www.facebook.com/thepaperkitesband/
https://www.tiktok.com/@thepaperkitesband
https://www.thepaperkites.com.au/

What To Listen To:

Spotify playlist to follow along: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2FjfLYiJ7IknsPhwo2cjXM?si=4y4IQ85TTEC1kh3mZS2ZpA&pi=rum_Fq_qTjatc

Bilmuri

Posted on by Mikey

Genre: Country, Rock, Emo, Metal

Who They Remind Me Of: They are their own sound. A combination of so many things that you grew up loving.

Band Members: 

Johnny Franck: – Vocals, guitar.
Gabi Rose – Saxophone, vocals.
Reese Maslen – Guitar, vocals
Josh Manuel: Drums
Aino Muruaishi – Bass

Location: Westerville, OH

Tour: https://www.bilmuri.com/tour

Where to Find Them: https://linktr.ee/bilmuriband

What To Listen To: They just released their latest album, “Kinda Hard.” The album, like many of their tracks, is an innuendo, but it also represents how this album goes a little bit harder than the previous.

Some of my favorite tracks include: “The End,” “Better Hell (Thicc boi),” “Miss Me,” “Boutta Cashew,” “Livin’ Laughin’ Lovin,” “2026 Cavaliers (Ohio,” “Blindsided,” “Corn-Fed Yetis,” “Anabolic Spudsman,” “A Hogman’s Delight,” “ACowboysHeavyLoad,” “ABSOLUTELYCRANKINMYMF’INHOG,” “FLOURIDEINTHEHARDSELTZERWATER,”

Why: I discovered the brilliance of Johnny Franck last year. He became my number one artist and four songs from “American Motorsports” were in my top five.

The music is so unique, blending multiple genres. The lyrics and sounds are nostalgic. The track titles are funny.

I caught him last year on tour in Boston and have a review of it here!

Spotify playlist to follow along: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2FjfLYiJ7IknsPhwo2cjXM?si=4y4IQ85TTEC1kh3mZS2ZpA&pi=rum_Fq_qTjatc

Rainbow Kitten Surprise

Posted on by Mikey

Genre: Alternative/Indie

Who They Remind Me Of: Modest Mouse

Band Members: 

Ela Melo – Lead Vocals

Darrick “Bozzy” Keller – Guitar, backup vocals

Ethan Goodpaster – Electric guitar

Jess Haney – Drums

Location: Boone, NC

Tour: https://www.rksband.com/tour

Where to Find Them: Linktree

What To Listen To: Their new album, Bones, front to back.

Find all of their stuff on their Linktree

Spotify playlist to follow along: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2FjfLYiJ7IknsPhwo2cjXM?si=4y4IQ85TTEC1kh3mZS2ZpA&pi=rum_Fq_qTjatc

A few years back, one of my best friends sent me the video below and told me that he thinks that I would like this band named Rainbow Kitten Surprise. And man, was he right.

I didn’t listen to them much for the next few years, and then I recently got into them after the release of their most recent album, Bones.

They have become my current favorite band and I can’t stop listening to them.

Their song “100 Summers” from their latest album will become one of my most played songs this year. Check it out!

Reggie Watts – Colonial Theater

Posted on by Mikey

Venue: Colonial Theater

Presented in Partnership with Nova Arts

Date: Sunday, January 31st

Opener: Adam and the Flood

Review: I was so excited when I saw this show first announced. I have been a fan of Reggie Watts for a few decades now, but have never had the chance to see him live. And the cherries on top: The show was 30 minutes from where I grew up and a hometown rapper I like was opening the show.

The Colonial Theater was has been around for a century and just had a major upgrade. The venue reminded me of some of the venues in Boston like Bosch in Boston. It’s a beautiful older venue covered in gold, long bannisters, and a good view no matter where you are seated.

Adam and the Flood, formerly known as Adeem/Glue, is the newest project by Adam. He is a Keene native who now resides in my hometown. I saw him perform twice years back and he put on such a good, live show. His music is always filled with powerful samples, strong beats, and lyrics that mean something. This new project is fronted by a full band and Adam brought his bassist out for his show at the Colonial. They pushed through ten songs, while Adam talked a little inbetween each about the meaning behind them, the rappers who inspired him, his native roots, being a father. If you get a chance to see them, make it happen!

Setlist for Adam and the Flood:

  • Time Don’t Last
  • Bang
  • Ten Lives
  • You Don’t know
  • Hubris
  • Prey
  • I Learned Everything from Vonnegut
  • Trippin Over Nothin
  • Peace It Together
  • 50 Miles from Home

I have been a fan of Reggie Watts for as long as I can remember. From his Conan appearances, his band leading duty on Comedy Bang Bang, the man has had a long and successful career in music comedy. I did stand up for a decade and occasionally played the piano or guitar and did one-liners and songs. Though I could never do what Reggie did, I remember researching his equipment, his setup, everything. I was so impressed by him.

The German-born, Minnesotan demonstrates his vocals on stage from bass to tenor, that man can hit all notes. Which is no surprise, as he formerly lead bands including the soul/funk Maktub.

On stage, Watts beatboxes, sings, raps, and loops sounds together to create hilariously skilled songs. And the coolest part: No two sets are alike. As in, everything is improvised. You could follow him for a whole tour and every night would be new. Don’t expect to see him and hear a favorite from one of his live recordings or late night appearances. Instead, expect to hear songs about the city he is performing in, songs about the crowd, songs about topical events.

Pictures:

Where to find the artists:

Adam and the Flood

Reggie Watts