Unexpected sounds

by Sean McCarthy

There’s nothing like discovering a local band that you love, and that opportunity is greater than it has been in recent years as original music is experiencing a growing footprint in the New Bedford area.

What was once known as “Secret City” for its ample offerings of quality original music has experienced a stretch of struggles in the past decade. But in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, live original music is seeing a resurgence – a burgeoning music community that mirrors the trajectory of the city’s cultural renaissance.

Whether it’s acoustic music at an open mic, tenacious punk rock in an area pub, or reggae bliss on the beach, original music is benefitting both artists and the local economy.

“You may be surprised to find that you really like a local band that’s as good as anything in your record collection,” says New Bedford’s Chris Guaraldi, who debuted on the local music scene in 2001 at the New Wave Café as the singer and guitarist for the punk band Chris Evil & The Taints.

“If you’re a music fan and you want to hear something new, there’s always new young bands getting started, and if you’re a musician you can be inspired by listening to another local band,” Guaraldi says. “There’s a lot of great musicians around here doing something creative.”

Today, Guaraldi hosts an open mic event every Tuesday evening at the Dipper Café in New Bedford, and also books live shows at the Pour Farm Tavern in downtown one Saturday night a month. The Dipper Café is co-owned by Freetown’s Josh Gagne, who is the lead singer for the local hardcore punk band American War Machine. Guaraldi is currently the at the forefront of the band Blood Feeder.

“There’s something special about listening to a band that is from your community,” says Kat Knutsen, keyboardist and vocalist with the band Long Swan. “You don’t have to travel to Providence or Boston to enjoy musical creativity. Original music is a different type of creation with a unique mindset. Audiences show up to enjoy the craft of what goes into original songs.”

On February 26, Long Swan shared a bill with the band Star Bath for a show at PLAY Arcade in downtown, as part of the room’s Sunday night concert series. The event filled the arcade/bar/restaurant with an audience of more than two dozen. “Music invigorates the economy,” Knutsen says. “It brings more revenue to the city, it helps invest in local businesses. People come out to listen to the music and support the venue, and they spend money to go to restaurants before or afterwards.”

Getting in their licks

One of the most unique live music events in New Bedford is the 4752 Music Festival hosted each October by Devin Byrnes, owner of Destination Soups in downtown. This event welcomes original bands and performers from throughout the region to play free shows at seven downtown businesses in a variety of underground genres such as punk, noise, and alternative folk.

“This event aims to introduce people to downtown businesses by providing music in smaller spaces that usually don’t have music,” Byrnes says. “It’s free and you can come and go as you please, so you can listen to 12 hours of music or 10 minutes, whatever you prefer.”

The bassist and singer for the band Picniclunch, Byrnes talks about the lure of hearing original music.

“Some people enjoy hearing songs they’ve never heard before,” Byrnes says. “Maybe it resonates something in them, or they’re hearing something crazy that expands their headspace and they think, ‘Wow, I’ve never heard a guitar make that sound.’ Music is so powerful, and in a lot of ways it’s up to the individual.”

New Bedford’s Scott Bishop contributes significantly to the local music culture. In addition to the music he makes as his alter ego, Scapeghost, he curates performances at downtown establishments as part of the Unexpected Music Concert Series, hosting shows at unconventional spaces such as the Interwoven maker space, the Co-Creative Center, and the wooden cat art gallery at Hatch Street Studios.

Bishop says that original music shows differ from bars that offer cover bands.

“Unexpected Music creates a listening space for musicians,” Bishop says. “They’re not playing for a bar full of people who are there just to hang out, drink and chat instead of listening to music. It’s an opportunity for people who don’t get to play out often, or want to workshop new material, or want to try something different in a space where people want to give their undivided attention to the music.”

Bishop books local performances with the Seaport Sessions on AHA! Nights held every second Thursday of the month in downtown. He also curates concerts at the New Bedford Art Museum/Art Works! on the first Friday of each month, known as the First FriYAY’s concert series.

Since 2018, the Stove Boat Concert Series has provided an opportunity for inclusive events and safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community with a special focus on booking artists from the trans/queer/ non-binary community. What began as house concerts has expanded to a variety of venues in downtown, including Interwoven and the Co-Creative Center. The events are hosted by Michael McLean, the writer/singer/guitarist for the band The Bitter Hearts, and the drummer for Long Swan.

Unexpected Music and Stove Boat Concerts are funded by grants from The New Bedford Local Cultural Council, which is supported by the state agency, the Mass Cultural Council.

Deep cuts

Another downtown establishment booking original music is the No Problemo restaurant. Owner Craig Paiva books alternative genres such as punk, hardcore, metal, noise, doom, and surf rock. Paiva recalls his youth that included he and his adolescent skateboarding friends taking in shows at VFW halls and church basements, and hopes for the day when all-ages concerts will return to the city. No Problemo only offers 21-plus shows due to the sale of alcohol.

“Going to shows back in the day really gave me something to do – something to be a part of. We could use more of that now,” Paiva says. “Putting on shows now are a labor of love for me. I like giving people a place to play. I’m not doing it for the money. It’s awesome to see the place filled to the brim with people having a good time. Nowadays I have shows that draw people in their 20s to people in their 60s.”

This summer, reggae will return to the city with another lineup of shows in the Reggae On West Beach concert series that include bands and deejays from throughout the northeast.

This June, the ska outfit NB Rude Boys will release a five-song EP, “Welcome To Rude Bedford.” Lead singer Sean FitzGerald talks about the experience of creating and sharing original music.

“To get out on that stage and perform a composition strung from one’s own heart and create an impassioned audience that vibes and grooves – that is truly what it’s all about. There is nothing like that feeling of positive human feedback in the moment of passionate musical deliverance and acceptance.”

There are too many bands and performers in the New Bedford area to mention all of them. But most acts have their music available online to be explored and enjoyed at any time. You may be introducing yourself to a band with a big future.

“Almost every band that is successful was once a local band,” says New Bedford’s Sara Shaughnessy, who spent five years as the Local Music Director for the UMass-Dartmouth radio station, WSMU. “When listening to music in a local venue you could be catching a band that’s at the start of something big. As an audience member you get to go to small spaces and see bands getting their go-ahead. You can see your friends doing their thing playing for people before they branch out to bigger cities, and they sometimes they get their tours and keep progressing from there. It’s great to watch local bands grow.”

New Bedford is not foreign to bands that have experienced national or global success. The melodic punk rock of A Wilhelm Scream has taken the band around the world, and Gagne just returned from a tour of Europe with American War Machine. The metal band Beyond The Embrace was signed to the esteemed label, Metal Blade, and toured North America. The avantgarde musings of Eric Baylies have taken him throughout America, while the acoustic works of Sarah Donner and Mercy Bell have earned multiple national tours.

“There will always be original music being made,” Guaraldi says. “There will always be an influx of young people making new music.”

"There's an invigorating level of positivity with local music," FitzGerald says. "It's more collaborative than competitive, which is good for New Bedford."

Fairhaven's Kevin Grant has been a stalwart presence in the local punk rock community for more than 25 years, as the vocalist for bands such as Gaskill, the Hidden, Iron Oak and others. His current project is the band Wire Lines.

"Local bands, or really any underground bands are typically better than established acts," Grant says. "They aren't under the same pressure to have hit songs or to recover a massive debt they owe to whatever label they're on. This allows for a sort of unadulterated creative process. Additionally, the idea of mass appeal isn't really in the equation either, you are writing for a curated audience with specific tastes, which allows for more adventurous playing and writing.

"It's good to know that you deserve nice things, and the best things in life are not from McDonald's, Walmart, or the Grammy's. Venture out a little bit, with music or anything, and you will be rewarded."