Listening to Pile is kind of like being in the eye of a storm--there are brief moments of calm, punctuated by the cacophony of the hurricane hurling around you. A lot of what makes the band so engaging to listen to is that while they certainly deliver the head-nod worthy riffs of an indie rock band, they're also explosive and driving--constantly pushing the limits of simple song structures and edging toward blanketing the listener in total noise. The result is an unpredictable sonic experience with expert dynamic play, and gleaming, textbook examples of bridled chaos. If the sky ever cracks open, this may be your soundtrack to the end of the world. Check out Pile 11/17 at Great Scott with Palm and Dust from 1000 Years, and listen to them streaming below.-Olivia Sisinni

 

If you live in the Greater Boston area, you probably are well-acquainted with the three phenomena that are guaranteed to accompany the arrival of fall in New England: the annual migration of drunk college students, clogging the archaic transportation system, the reappearance of annoyingly-outspoken Patriots fans and Boston Hassle Fest. Yesterday, BRAIN Arts Org. unveiled their Indiegogo fundraiser campaign for this year's Hassle Fest, offering much-needed respite from "Free Brady" t-shirts lining the Boston city streets. This year's lineup boasts over 50 bands, with the likes of Pile, Downtown Boys, and Guerilla Toss serving as the welcoming committee for major headliners Screaming Females, Flipper (with David Yow) and Terrence Dixon. The Indiegogo campaign is the only way to secure advance tickets to any fest performance, so make sure to donate early and guarantee your presence at BRAIN Arts Org.'s biggest annual event.

For more information about Hassle Fest, click here.

-Dan McMahon (@dmcmhn) 

From Jake Saunders' report of Day 5 of the CMJ 2014 Music Marathon. " The first set I caught [at the Exploding in Sound unofficial CMJ show] was Rick Maguire of Pile's solo set.  Now Pile might be the king of all Exploding in Sound bands, having possibly been around the longest (don't quote me on that; Aaron Maine of Porches might've been around longer going under many different names since settling on Porches). They're a band whose live show has more soul and power than I've seen possibly ever.  A lot of that energy comes from Rick Maguire, whose songs are like daggers to the gut; honest and thought provoking, he's got a presence on the stage that's hard to match.  Pile is a band that has come a long way, and is a band worth researching because they bring something special out in people, take my word for it. '

On November 7 & 8, Boston Hassle Fest 6 will be taking over Cuisine en Locale in Somerville, Massachusetts, bringing with it an incredibly talented lineup of underground and not-so-underground acts from the States and abroad. After the immense success of last year’s festival (sell-out crowds gathered to see the likes of Black Dice and Lightning Bolt), this year’s offering is shaping up to be even more impressive. Headliners include No Joy, Chris Corsano/Bill Orcutt Duo and Body/Head, the latest project from Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth) and Bill Nance.

The focus won’t be entirely on the nationally-known acts--local and regional favorites like Guerilla Toss, Pigeons, Couples Counseling and Pile are among the will be among the roughly 40 performers to take the stage over the two-day aural extravaganza.

Advance tickets are no longer available, but tickets will be sold at the door each night of the fest until the venue reaches capacity. $17-20 sliding scale, ALL AGES. Friday’s performances run from 6PM to 12:30AM; Saturday 3PM-12:30AM. After-parties will be held each night at a “secret” location, announced at the fest.

For more info about Hassle Fest 6 (and to check for updates about set-times, etc.) visit the Boston Hassle Facebook page or check out the Boston Hassle website.

-Dan McMahon (@dmcmhn)

 

My last day of CMJ was my most anticipated.  Started off by getting my ticket in advance for Exploding in Sound's 3rd birthday bash at The Silent Barn, where almost every EIS band in some form or another would be playing.  After that I headed over to the warehouse spot over on Hart and Wyckoff known as Hot 97.4 for the 1.21 Gigawatts issue release (read some of my words in the new issue).  There I caught the tail end of Journalism, a tight band of Brooklyn cats who sound like a cross between My Bloody Valentine and Ty Segal, a good combo in my book. - Keep reading Jake Saunders' report of Day 5 of the CMJ Music Marathon 2014.