Unlike Boston Calling, Hassle Fest is truly a representation of Boston music scene – think 50/50 ratio of local/national acts vs Boston Calling’s 1/50. That and the fact that it costs only $75 dollars to see get 3-day pass to the festival makes it a great alternative to more established festivals in town.
Tickets to Hassle Fest 7 can be purchased via IndieGoGo – in the meantime here’s a look at artists performing at the festival this year (don’t forget to check out HF Mixtape 1 and HF Mixtape 2)
Home Blitz (NJ) – According to Vice, this noisy rock-n-roll/power pop quartet led by Daniel Dimaggio is shamefully ignored by their homestate (not that it seems to bother them a bit). Boston Hassle’s Dan Shea describes them as a “classic power-pop and glammy punk shown through a very strange prism” in his review of their recent LP Foremost & Fair.
Explore both sides of the band via punishingly noisy/sludgy cut The Hall and its lighter counterpart Horrorshow:
JOSS (Boston) – JOSS is Joss Bordelon, Berklee College-trained electronic musician whose work ranges from playful and cheery video game bleeps and bloops of Orange Object to jagged/darker soundscapes of Musique Electronique and Weigh Cup, love letters of sorts to Autechre and Kraftwerk:
Listening Woman (Boston) – Led by Katie McShane (and her brother Bill who also plays in The Particulars) this ensemble (described by Sonorium as talent show / cartoon workout / bizarre / conceptual / grooving / large improv ensemble / mtv in the 90’s / political / tender) takes no prisoners with its skronk/jazz/funk/punk workouts like 2,740 Nudes.
(New England) Patriots (Boston / ME) – Not to be confused with the football team, this bunch of noise/skronk hellraisers features members of Arvid Noe and Hyena. As Boston Hassle’s Sam P rightfully notes football seasons come and go but punk-as-fuck avante rock and roll is in season all year long!