Medford Brewing Company, Medford, MA
12/12/2025
The New England Americana Association really knows how to throw a party! 15 acts, 2 stages, 5+ hours of great music in 20-minute bites to keep the action flowin’ with great beer and great camaraderie for a great cause, raising money for Boston Children’s Hospital. What’s not to like?!
Chuck Melchin – “I love the way you tell a story, and I don’t care if it’s true.” Chuck Melchin is a storyteller who uses music as his medium. I got heavy hints of Neil Young in his set, along with glimpses of the Old World in his soundscape. I don’t know who accompanied Chuck on guitar, but his harmonies and solos fit the songs like a nice scarf on a cold December night.
Mike Quinn – I don’t know if Mike is a bassist or not, but the bass lines of his playing and songwriting pop in a highly danceable fashion. I was getting whiffs of Sir Elvis Costello in his danceable tunes, not easy to pull off with just an acoustic guitar.
Crab Elastic – I’m a big fan of vocals, but I wasn’t bored for one moment in this eclectic set of instrumentals that ranged from the jazzy “More Today Than Yesterday” to Jackson 5 to The Meters to a Beatles’ mash-up. I’m not sure what this band would not have the musicianship to pull off, and there were moments of Deep Groove in their stellar set.
Coywolf Johnson – First off, the vibe fits the name to a capital ‘T’! Thanks, Hendrik, for bringing “The Ballad of Belinda Sutton” to the stage, a song about Medford, a song of slavery, a song of triumph. With just his acoustic bass, Hendrik eloquently spoke some dark truths of protest in a time that needs it more than ever.
Lonely Leesa Coyne & The Lost Cowboys – I was blown away by their first song, “Southern Boys”. In fact it was the highlight of my night! Just a straightforward, kick-ass rock song. I probably don’t need to mention this, but Leesa clearly won the ‘Outfit of the Night’ Award for her Xmas tree dress. A nod to them for throwing in a Christmas tune, a bold one at that, taking on Darlene Love’s “Baby, Please Come Home” and delivering with aplomb. I liked this band so much, I gave them all nicknames: Bass – The Professor, Guitar – The Savant, Drums – Gus, and Guitar/Vox – Queen Sheeba.
B.R Lukas – His one-man band falls right in that pleasurable line of stomp-rockers like The Lumineers and Mumford & Sons, etc., as the man certainly knows his way around a ‘stop’! Not a one-genre wonder, the last song was my fave, a very soulful 60’s era folk tune.
The Lazy Susans – With a fun set running the gamut from 60’s bubblegum to Motown to a Go-Go’s sounding groove, this band of suburban rock moms gave me all sorts of B-52’s feels, but with the added bonus of cowbell and rap interludes.
Susan Cattaneo – She’s a local songwriter who I’ve definitely heard about for many years, but have never gotten the chance to see in person, until tonight! She did not disappoint. Powerhouse vocals, excellent rhythm guitar, and above all, songwriting at the highest level. Medford has a gem in Susan C. (AJ Crowe)
Louder Than Milk – This is my first time seeing Louder Than Milk and I was impressed. Andy Crowe takes center stage belting out lyrics and strumming that acoustic guitar, though it doesnt stop there. Eric Smalley keeps things moving on bass with the help of Dana Reynolds on drums, Jay Paget and Jeff Todd dominate their electric guitars and Kim Patch brings it all home on fiddle. The band has got a lot of energy. Louder Than Milk is a country band that knows how to groove. They put a little grease on traditional country, bending it toward funk without losing the twang. (Kier Byrnes)
Billy Dodge Moody – Another local veteran of the music scene, Billy is a 5-tool player! I don’t know about his basketball skills, but he’s got the playing, singing, songwriting, recording, and let’s throw in cool persona. Again, I’ve seen his stuff online, but seeing him in person makes the music hit home even more. Not bad for a last-minute fill-in! All the songs were catchy, and it took all my strength not to jump on the vacant drum set for the last number, but luckily for the crowd, I’m a pillar of self-discipline.
Elisa Smith – I saw Elisa last Spring at the N.E. Americana Fest at Bellforge in Medfield, playing with Erin Bonne as a duo. That was cool, and the full band treatment was cooler! I’m a sucker for pedal steel, but the rhythm section was also top-notch, as you might expect. This falls on the right side of country music for me, the side still with a soul. It’s nice to see Boston so well represented on the current scene. The driving solos of their 4th song was a highlight of the night for me. There’s not much to match the beauty of a full band in sync. The closing duet of Elisa & Erin singing “Lord Have Mercy” is a keeper.
goh – Chris and Jay bring the fun with their catchy 3-chord-and-the-truth songs. Their well-crafted numbers put out a lot of music for a duo, and I love the drum/trumpet combo. Their witty lyrics bespeak bubblegum pop with edge. My favorite tune was the closer, a rare seasonal gem where “she put the ‘Ex’ into ‘Xmas’ “. Bonus points for handing out shakers to get the audience in on the action.
the displayers – Another band whose act I caught out at Bellforge, the duo expanded to a trio, and their ethereal sound just took on an extra layer as a result. Terrific harmonies peaked in their fun mashup of “Angels We Have Heard on High”/”Gloria”! I’ll definitely be checking out these cats again.
Andrew Mason McIntosh – Driving folk rock story songs with humorous lyrics, accompanied by electric guitar and bass, with special appearance by Jason McGorty of the Kettle Burners. Andrew brought the Christmas spirit with two great originals. Obviously a man of the world, he played a song about being a tourist in Mexico, as well as one about his clan in Scotland. We all got our money’s worth with that set!
Kier Byrnes & The Kettle Burners – Our gracious hosts closed out the night with a rockin’ set. This is Americana rock with punk energy flavored with Eastern European/klezmer rhythms. Think Dropkick Murphys crossed with Gogol Bordello. They performed their usual high-energy set and ended the night by handing out cowbells and other percussion to the audience for a rousing version of “Honky Tonk Women”. What a fitting way to end the party with community and a good, old dirty rock song!
(Editor’s note: This review was written by AJ Crowe, except for the noted paragraph by Kier Byrnes)