With triple-digit temperatures in the forecast lately, summer has officially arrived. I’m all for sun and fun. But it’s hard to enjoy yourself while your brain is melting, dripping down your spine and collecting in a pool of viscous fluid on the hot asphalt.
The moment calls for a sequel to last year’s piece about local venues with great air-conditioning. Beat the heat, enjoy some music, have an awesome night. And this time I’m going to trot out some free or superlow cost options. Because dropping $20 to $40 on a ticket at the chichi music spots every night is not a sustainable strategy for the wallet.
Here’s a list of cheaper treats with live music and the A/C on blast, reviewed during one long bike ride through Camberville on a hot Thursday night.
Toad/McCarthy’s (1920 Massachusetts Ave., Porter Square, Cambridge)
The bar/venue has been giving locals a new reason to socialize in Porter Square since it reopened in early spring. Bands rotate through the music calendar along with a grab bag of diversions such as comedy, open mics and line dancing. When I arrived at McCarthy’s in the early evening, a traditional Irish folk sextet was setting up by the door, which stood wide open to summer heat. A welcoming gesture, I guess. Watch out for that energy bill. Unprompted, the hostess invited me to try out Toad in the back of the house, away from the open door, on account of its cooler temperatures. She was right – at least five degrees cooler. Give McCarthy’s a 6/10 or 7/10 on the Cool-O-Meter, depending on whether the front door is open. Toad gets a delightfully chill 8/10.
Aeronaut Brewing (14 Tyler St., near Union Square in Ward 2, Somerville)
A weirdo bouncer gave me the stink eye for locking up my bike in the courtyard without checking in with him first. Life’s too short – I skipped it. But the brewery does offer a regular calendar of events, including music. The Bill Jones Trio was scheduled to perform that night. Based on what I saw before I left – an unshaded blacktop lot, baking in the sun, strewn with mismatched deck furniture, guarded by aggro staff – let’s give it a 2/10 on the Cool-O-Meter.
Remnant Satellite (877 Cambridge St., Wellington-Harrington, Cambridge)
Walking into this pub after a sweaty city bike ride was a little frozen piece of heaven. It felt like a meat locker, even with Bubble Wave, a local reggae band, letting in air though the front door during load-in. Cold enough for the woman next to me to order a hot bowl of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich. A formidable list of craft brews were served with a sense of humor. It’s not clear how many drinks you need to order before the bartender is happy with your check. He called my one-drink bill an “expression of hatred and malice.” He called the two-drink bill next to me a “two-and-screw.” Maybe three is the magic number? Let’s give it an icy 9/10 on the Cool-O-Meter.
State Park (15 Hampshire St., Cambridge)
Live music, DJs, drag shows and more fill a busy entertainment schedule at State Park. Either free or a nominal cover of $5. The bar and restaurant packs in good numbers, especially when the show crowd combines with the post-work office crowd. All those warm bodies rubbing shoulders can tax the A/C in the main bar area. I grabbed a burger in the adjoining dining alcove, which felt noticeably cooler. The student couple dining next to me was on a first date. He spoke a lot about himself and she let out the occasional “Wow.” I nearly choked on my meat patty when he started regaling his date with stories about working for a military defense contractor as a summer job. Whatever happened to lifeguarding at the YMCA? Kendall Square is a weird place, but State Park is a lovely joint that deserves a 7/10 on the Cool-O-Meter.
The Plough & Stars (912 Massachusetts Ave., Riverside, Cambridge)
Last stop: an Irish pub with a shotgun-style floorplan that features regular live music. The Fat N’ Gristle Blues Band was playing on Thursday night (and the third Thursday of every month). The manager of the pub even sat in on harmonica for a song or two – a true multitasker. When I arrived, the cozy interior was “room temperature,” which is fine for winter, but not what you’re looking for in summer. Once the band finished loading in, the room cooled down and the blues heated up. Bring your instrument to join the open blues jam. A respectable 6.5/10 on the Cool-O-Meter.
Hit this
Friday: The Gruesomes, Muck & The Mires, The Chelsea Curve (Middle East, Cambridge)
A night for the rock ’n’ roll oldheads. Montreal’s garage rockers The Gruesomes are back on the road. The band dressed itself up like the Ramones during its late ’80s heyday and got by on a “wild stage presence” before learning how to play their instruments. But we’re talking about garage rock, so there was never that much to learn. Boston openers Muck & Mires and The Chelsea Curve pack in more riffs than the bargain bin at your local record shop.
Saturday: Dwight & Nicole (Club Passim, Cambridge)
Rootsy, rocking rhythms take over everyone’s favorite garden-level folk club in Harvard Square. Dwight & Nicole are bigger than a two-piece these days, but that’s how they started, so they know how to dial it up and down, depending on the size of the venue. The subtitle for this show (shows have subtitles?) is “Nicole’s Birthday Celebration!” Wish her a happy birthday. Regular giggers spend so many hours of their lives on stage. The intimate moments and milestones, which the rest of us might share only with friends and family, also get shared with fans. It’s a beautiful, and sometimes strange, way to go through life.
Sunday: Already Dead, the frenzy of tongs, The Stress Balls, Angry Red Planet (Cantab Lounge, Cambridge)
A four stack of loud and noisy punk. I noticed this event listed in the “Things To Do In Framingham, MA” column of the online MetroWest Daily News. I don’t need to tell you that Cantab Lounge is not in Framingham. The listing makes no sense until you realize that the news outlet is owned by Gannett, which uses artificial intelligence to churn out robot articles, as reported by real human journalists at GBH last March. Has AI come for our event calendars? Already Dead and The Stress Balls have albums coming out, so you can bet they’re excited to show off new material live. Not a detail you absolutely need to know, but it’s nice to know and adds a little humanity to the listing.
Live: Willie Fest I at The Jungle
Political fundraisers can be drab affairs, full of stuffed shirts and pantsuits jockeying for pole position with the candidate. Money buys influence; influence buys policy; and policy provides return on investment for the donor class. The cynical calculus sucks the joy out of the room no matter how many martini glasses of “The Real Diehl” (the signature cocktail of the Geoff Diehl 2022 gubernatorial campaign) you serve.
If members of the donor class were present at The Jungle on Saturday night, though, they were keeping a low profile. Willie Fest I, a fundraiser for Somerville mayoral candidate Willie Burnley Jr., was charging only $10 at the door. That kind of money will barely buy you a coffee these days, never mind a political policy or carveout.
What do you get for $10? Four bands, two stump speeches by JT Scott (Somerville councilor, Ward 2) and Burnley, hours of glorious air conditioning and one Mortal Kombat arcade cabinet in the corner of the room. Not a bad return on investment in 2025. Like Scorpion always said: “Get over here!”
Castle Goblin opened with a set of solo electric strummers. The Plus Ones crammed six musicians onto the Jungle dais, plying the crowd with jazz pop melodies and brass section choreography. The throwback roots rock of The Coe Street Co-op traded off between originals and vintage classics. And Goodkarma closed the night on a note of emo-tinged pop punk.
More Willie Fests are in the pipeline. Check out our Summer Music Guide to learn the whos, whats, wheres and whens of upcoming festival fun. If you’ve read until the last line of a weekly music column, you probably don’t need to be cajoled about the whys.
Michael Gutierrez is an author, educator, activist and editor-in-chief at Hump Day News.
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I was at a private party upstairs at McCarthy’s this past Sunday. The temperature inside was 89 degrees. Not a place to cool off. The manager’s response was that it was the first warm day of the year.