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The Toasters look back at early days of stateside ska

30-year-old skank
Despite its seminal role in the creation of first-wave UK punk, ska in America doesn't get no respect.

By: REYAN ALI | January 10, 2012

The Scud Mountain Boys are back for one more round

Burying the hatchets
It only took 15 years, but Joe Pernice is finally on the road to making amends with the friendships he left behind when he quit — and effectively dismantled — the Scud Mountain Boys in 1997 to focus on the Pernice Brothers with a rotating cast of musicians, including his brother, Bob.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | January 11, 2012

The Big Hurt: Rihanna, Killers, Cee Lo, Ke$ha, and Macca shit the bed

The week's worst ideas
Not the swiftest week in the history of pop — every news story seemed to be about some almighty screw-up or another .

By: DAVID THORPE | January 10, 2012

MP3 of the Week: Fat Creeps 'Nancy Drew,' performing 01.12.12 @ Precinct

On the Download
On the Download

By: MICHAEL MAROTTA | January 12, 2012

Gracious Calamity say 'yes'

Our haus
The Whitehaus has a way of feeling warm, even when the rest of Jamaica Plain is cold enough to see your breath.

By: NINA MASHUROVA | January 04, 2012

Class of 2012: Boston's 12 best new bands

A dozen fresh faces on Boston's music scene
If 2012 truly represents the End Times, then it's best to go out with a sonic bang.

By: MICHAEL MAROTTA | January 05, 2012

MP3 of the Week: Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library + Cancer Killing Gemini ''Amylee (Remix)''

On the Download
On the Download

By: MICHAEL MAROTTA | January 04, 2012

Four weather-proof shows to kick off 2012

Although new records are sure to warm the soul this winter, some of us do eventually need to leave the house
Four shows worth abandoning the safe haven of home for.

By: MICHAEL MAROTTA AND LIZ PELLY | December 28, 2011

Madonna, Sleigh Bells, Rick Ross, Lana Del Rey, and Grimes highlight early 2012 releases

There's nothing particularly apocalyptic about the releases thus far slated for 2012: perhaps this is the way that the music world melts down, with a whimper rather than a bang, right?

By: DANIEL BROCKMAN | January 05, 2012

New music for Boston's winter of discontent

Cold brewed
Here are 10 record-release parties from both newcomers and veterans of our city, dropping new music from now until March's thaw.

By: MICHAEL MAROTTA | December 30, 2011

On the eve of a Codeine reunion, Chris Brokaw reflects on an ultra-prolific path

Promiscuous love
When it comes to making music, Chris Brokaw is an easy lover.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | December 29, 2011

ON SPOTIFY: Guest lists 2011: Phoenix critics weigh in on the year in music

Listen to the jams, albums, and mixes that got our writers through 2011
If there's a theme to our "Best of" lists this year, it's this: There is no fucking theme.

By: BOSTON PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | December 28, 2011

Interview: Violent J on the FBI, Odd Future, and why he pulls more hotties than we do

The year in Juggalos
It's been another wicked year for the Insane Clown Posse.

By: DAVID THORPE | December 21, 2011

PTSOTL names the shittiest songs of 2011

Kill your radio
PTSOTL names the shittiest songs of 2011

By: LUKE O'NEIL | December 21, 2011

Indie labels fill the majors' void in 2011

DIY or die
During a year when political conversations are increasingly focused on the widening gap between the rich and poor, the corporate elite versus the rest of the world, it makes sense that arts criticism follow.

By: LIZ PELLY | December 20, 2011

Give Up the Ghost roar back for a timely reunion

Growing up hardcore
It's tough to maintain unswerving matter-of-factness without boring anybody. But hardcore, at its best, manages exactly that.

By: BARRY THOMPSON | December 20, 2011

The year in Boston rock

A scene comes together in 2011
The Boston rock scene is an interesting beast. Ambitious, cohesive, and frustratingly indefinable, it's a community that might not make much sense to outsiders.

By: MICHAEL MAROTTA | January 05, 2012

2011 goes pop

The music climate is as frigid as the business
The Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times" alludes to eras of upheaval and tumult. But what if that tumult happens too slowly to seem interesting?

By: DANIEL BROCKMAN | December 20, 2011