The Dropkick Murphys won Song of the Year at the Boston Music Awards for “Who’ll Stand with Us.”
The Boston Music Awards wrapped up last month and some prize winners deserve mention.
First, let’s call it what it was: one of the chalkiest of years at the BMAs with established artists like Dropkick Murphys dunking on lesser-known names with wins in the categories of Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, and Video of the Year.
Big as that band is, they still have boatloads of local cred, popping up at gigs like the No Kings Boston rally and always celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in their hometown. People might be surprised the BMAs decided to heap more laurels on them, but nobody’s saying they’re undeserving.
Boston Calling for Music Festival of the Year looks like another chalk selection. The three-day event regularly features the highest concentration of local, national, and international starpower compared to any other music date on the Boston-area calendar.
On the other hand, the 2025 lineup felt particularly uninspired, a mish mash of recognizable names that didn’t feel like they belonged together for any other reason than their recognition factor. Luke Combs, Avril Lavigne, and Dave Matthews Band. OK, but why?
If you were thinking about championing a more niche nominee for Music Festival of the Year, like Somergloom or Moon Over Salem, which sell fewer tickets, but offer a more intelligible ethos, this was the year to do it.
Conspiracy theory: after Boston Calling announced it was “pausing” the annual festival for 2026, the local heads of the music industry panicked at the thought of lost revenue and decided to throw them a bone at the BMAs to press them to commit to a 2027 return. Will it work? There’s a “see you in 2027” message at their website, but nothing feels real until the lineup drops.
Judges, get that chalky taste out of your mouth. In 2026, get off the beaten path and help local music fans discover what they haven’t already.
Hit This
Friday, Jan. 2: Glad Valley, WiseAcres, Populace (Middle East, Cambridge)
Headliner Glad Valley was last mentioned in these pages for an appearance at the inaugural Cambridge Porchfest. The rootsy, bluesy trio took over a sidelot off Auburn Street with a set full of jammy solos and floating bubbles. I don’t know the bubble policy at Middle East, but I think the storied venue will be fine with a few sudsy water effects. Vermont’s WiseAcres and locals Populace complete an indie rock set that’s sunny, wide-ranging, and unlikely to offend your grandmother.
Thursday, Jan. 8: Ms Ezra Furman Doing What She Wants (The Rockwell, Somerville)
Ezra Furman completes her at The Rockwell, prsented by ONCE. Expect surprises. The artist might use the time to showcase the latest album Goodbye Small Head, a roiling, moiling banger full of rock n roll poetics. But who knows? Furman just walked away with the Singer/Songwriter of the Year award at the Boston Music Awards, so the wind is at her sails and anything is possible.
Friday, Jan. 9: The Benito Gonzalez, Lenny White, and Buster Williams Trio (Regattabar, Cambridge)
Lucky for Cambridge that “Boston’s Premier Jazz Club” isn’t in Boston. Head to Harvard Square to hear this dynamite outfit composed of three internationally-acclaimed musicians who couldn’t decide who deserved the naming rights for the trio. The whole point of calling a trio a “trio” (similarly with “quartet,” “quintet,” and so on) is that you only need to include one proper name in the title. Like the Miles Davis Quartet or Sun Ra Arkestra. But this trio listed everyone out, so I will too: Benito Gonzalez is a revelation on the keys, Lenny White wins on the skins, and Buster Williams is a bassist supreme.
Live: Pharez Whitted Quintet at the Green Mill
Pharez Whitted brought his jazz quintet to the stage at the world-famous Green Mill in Chicago during the sweet lull between Christmas and New Year’s. A merry occasion for this column to go on holiday (to visit the in-laws).
The bandleader, armed with his trusty trumpet, promised to lard the set with plenty of recognizable standards so that the well-dressed crowd of locals and tourists would know his band was “legitimate.”
Outside of jazz, the Green Mill was not known historically as a hotbed of legitimacy. The swank dive was once Al Capone’s favorite hangout during the Prohibition Era. Rumor has it he avoided a police dragnet by escaping through a secret tunnel, accessible via a small trap door located behind the bar. Lean over the bar when you visit – you can still see the opening.
Nobody was sneaking out of the club on Saturday night. The place was packed. Whitted played three sets from eight o’clock until midnight, and it was “standing room only” conditions all four hours. Show up early if you want a seat and expect a broad-shouldered bozo to block your view about half the time.
Whitted was joined by regular Quintet members Eddie Bayard on saxophone and Kenny Phelps on drums. Derrick Gardner, trumpeter and director of jazz studies at Northwestern University, popped in for a brief cameo during the third set.
The Quintet’s regular bassist and pianist were off that night, presumably opening presents at their in-laws. They were replaced by two students of Whitted, who is a music educator at nearby Northern Illinois University. The fresh-faced bassist wasn’t old enough to buy a drink at the bar.
What a joy it is to be able to pass on the gift of music to the next generation.
Michael Gutierrez is an author, educator, activist and editor-in-chief at Hump Day News.
A stronger
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