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Flawed Mangoes – Paradise

Posted on by Mikey

Tour: Killswitch Memories Tour

Venue: Paradise

Date: Friday, June 26th

Set list: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/flawed-mangoes-killswitch-memories-tour-set-list/pl.aa1076891299442a94f45e872c9b58da

Opener: Scarlet House

Review:

I recently discovered Flawed Mangoes and was instantly impressed with Evan Lo’s guitar style and talent. I’m a big fan of ambient, post-rock, and experimental music that builds slowly and really relies on hammer-ons, finger tapping, and unique guitar techniques.

I won tickets to the show through Do617 and was really excited to check it out. The more I read about the artist behind the project, the more excited I got because I knew this was going to be a special show.

Evan Lo, the man behind Flawed Mangoes, has been a Massachusetts resident for over half a decade. Before making music full time, he worked as an engineer at Bose. While he had been releasing music for years, things really took off in 2023 when his song “Swimming” found a huge audience on TikTok. The song became heavily remixed and shared, helping introduce millions of listeners to his atmospheric sound. His music has since become associated with the growing “hopecore” movement—a genre and online community centered around emotional, uplifting, and nostalgic music paired with inspiring visuals.

This show was the final stop on Flawed Mangoes’ first-ever headlining tour, and what better place to wrap it up than his home state.

The venue seemed packed with close friends, family, and longtime fans who came out to support Lo and the band.

The band took the stage wearing headlamps, with several people in the crowd doing the same. During the instrumental sections, the music reminded me heavily of Explosions in the Sky, with beautiful guitar melodies that slowly built into huge, anthemic endings. When Lo stepped up to the microphone, the band shifted into a grungier sound that reminded me a bit of Modest Mouse.

The band played a solid set and even brought out a special guest to perform turntables on one of the newer tracks, adding another unexpected layer to an already memorable hometown show.

Follow Here: https://linktr.ee/FlawedMangoes

Pictures and Videos:

Josiah and the Bonnevilles – House of Blues

Posted on by Mikey

Tour: The Redline North America Tour

Venue: House of Blues

Date: Wednesday, June 17th

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/josiah-and-the-bonnevilles/2026/citizens-house-of-blues-boston-boston-ma-2b72a0da.html

Opener: Max Alan, Brenna MacMillan.

Review: I usually find it obnoxious when people tell you to manifest your destiny. I’m not one for motivational quotes. But few have pursued their dreams as relentlessly as the man behind Josiah and the Bonnevilles.

After appearing on American Idol, Josiah Leming signed a deal with a major label, but things eventually fell through. Instead of giving up, he kept chasing his dream of making music full-time.

A few years back, the Tennessee native was working as both a bartender and in an Amazon warehouse. Determined to make music work, he doubled down, releasing as much music as possible and growing a devoted following online. Covers like Justin Bieber’s “Ghost” introduced him to an entirely new audience and eventually allowed him to leave those jobs behind and make music his full-time career once again. And we are all lucky that happened.

Josiah and the Bonnevilles is currently on the Redline tour, named after one of the songs on the latest album, As Is. Both the album and tour find Josiah backed by a full band.

I saw him solo two years ago at the Paradise in Boston and the show was so intimate and special. It felt like just hanging out in a living room while a friend plays guitar. And even though this tour found him at House of Blues with a live band, it still had that same feeling.

The whole band crushed it on stage. It further confirmed that Nashville has some of the best musicians out there. One thing that makes me truly love a concert is seeing the musicians up on stage giving it their all. Not there to collect a check. There to live out their dream and put on the best show each night. And that’s exactly what this was. Josiah thanked the crowd after every song and told the crowd how much he loved them. And that the crowd will always be the Bonnevilles.

Upcoming Tour Dates: https://josiahandthe.com/#tour

Pictures and Videos:

Merch:

Disclosure Day

Posted on by Mikey

TV Show or Movie: Movie

Where to Watch: Theaters

Genre: Science Fiction, fantasy, action

Writer: David Koepp and Steven Spielberg

Director: Steven Spielberg

Stars:  Emily Blunt (Margaret Fairchild), Josh O’Connor (Daniel Kellner), Colin Firth (Noah Scanlon), Colman Domingo (Hugo Wakefield) 

Synopsis: A Kansas City meteorologist (Blunt) and a cybersecurity expert (O’Connor) become keepers of a world-altering secret about alien life and are pursued by a clandestine government agency. 

Review: 

Trailer: 

Backrooms

Posted on by Mikey

TV Show or Movie: Movie

Where to Watch: Theaters

Genre: Science Fiction, Psychological Horror, Liminal Space Horror

Writer: Roberto Patino and Will Soodik

Director: Kane Parsons (Kane Pixels)

Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell

Synopsis: A furniture store owner, Clark (Ejiofor), who plays a pirate in local ads, discovers a doorway in his basement leading to the Backrooms, an endless network of empty, liminal space

Review: 

Trailer: 

Bilmuri – MGM Music Hall

Posted on by Mikey

Tour: Kinda Hard l

Venue: MGM Music Hall

Date: Sunday, May 17th

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/bilmuri/2026/mgm-music-hall-at-fenway-boston-ma-3b4b1cf4.html

Band members: 

  • Johnny Franck — vocals, guitar
  • Gabi Rose — saxophone, vocals
  • Reese Maslen — guitar
  • Josh Manuel — drums
  • — bass
  • Joe Compton — pedal steel / banjo (touring

Opener: Gang!, The Home Team

Review: Bilmuri put on a fantastic show at MGM Music Hall in Boston. The full, live band is extremely talented and Gabi Rose just destroys on stage, as usual. And Johnny always seems to be just having a blast doing this every night for crowds all over the world. He thanked the crowd multiple times throughout the show and mentioned recently being signed to Columbia. He made a great observation that when you visit their website now, he is sandwiched between Beyoncé, Billy Joel, Blink-182, and Bob Dylan.

They played a lot of newer songs, most of the best tracks from American Motorsports, and some deep cuts.

I was joined by two friends who went for The Home Team and walked away telling me they will definitely be joining me next time Bilmuri is in town.

Upcoming Tour Dates: https://www.bilmuri.com/tour

Pictures and Videos: 

Obsession

Posted on by Mikey

TV Show or Movie: Movie

Where to Watch: Theaters

Genre: Horror, super natural 

Writer: Curry Barker

Director: Ccurry Barker

Cast: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, Andy Richter

Synopsis: After breaking the mysterious “One Wish Willow” to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.

Review: This film is extremely original, creepy, fun, funny, scary, and well done. Curry Barker’s debut film is already breaking records, for good reason.

I have been following Curry Baker for a while now, as his sketch videos are very, very funny. After this film, he has already solidified himself as the next Jordan Peele and Zach Cregger.

The horror is already drumming up nominations for breakout star, Indie Navarrette. She uses impressive control of her voice, mannerisms, and facial features to bring other Nikki to life. And the sound in the film is very well done. Nikki’s uncontrollable descent into madness comes with some surprise sounds that vibrate and make you squirm in your seat.

The end of this movie is wild. An ending you won’t fully see coming. A third act that spirals.

Trailer: 

The Head and the Heart – Wang Theater

Posted on by Mikey

Tour: The 15th Anniversary Tour

Venue: Wang Theater

Date: Thursday, May 14th

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-head-and-the-heart/2026/wang-theatre-boston-ma-2b490486.html

Band members:

  • Jonathan Russell — vocals, guitar, percussion
  • Charity Rose Thielen — violin, guitar, vocals
  • Matt Gervais — guitar, vocals
  • Chris Zasche — bass
  • Kenny Hensley — piano, keyboards
  • Tyler Williams — drums, percussion

Opener: The Brudi Brothers

Review:

The Head and the Heart have been one of my favorite bands for a long time now. Back when I lived in Colorado, I saw them at Red Rocks Amphitheatre a few summers in a row. I even caught one of their super intimate pop-up shows at a small venue in Denver with maybe 1,000 people packed in.

Since moving back east, I’ve seen them at Leader Bank Pavilion, but I was especially excited when I saw they were coming to Boston’s Theater District and playing their first album in its entirety. I honestly have no idea how that album is already 15 years old.

The whole night felt incredibly intimate. Everyone was seated in this beautiful theater, and the stage was set up like a living room.

For the first song or two, the crowd mostly stayed seated, probably just because of the theater setting. But the second “Lost in My Mind” started, the entire crowd stood up almost in unison, and most people stayed on their feet the rest of the night.

The band played through their debut album before jumping into a second half packed with songs from the albums that followed. You could feel the energy increase even more when “All We Ever Knew,” “Aperture,” “Missed Connection,” and “Shake” kicked in.

Between songs, the band shared stories, danced around the stage, and even lounged on the couch set up behind them.

There were nonstop sing-alongs, clapping, and those big crowd “ohs” and “ahs” bouncing back and forth between the band and an incredibly receptive audience.

This stop was the end of this leg of the tour, but they will be doing more anniversary shows, so get tickets for one of those!

Upcoming Tour Dates: https://theheadandtheheart.com/tour

Pictures and Videos:

The Paper Kites – Royale

Posted on by Mikey

Tour: If You Go There, I Hope You Find It

Venue: Royale

Date: Thursday, May 7th

Set list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-paper-kites/2026/royale-boston-ma-53749731.html

Opener: Donovan Woods

Review: I got really into The Paper Kites last year. I had heard their hits, “Bloom” and “Paint” but really dove into their discography. Twelvefour has my favorite song, “Electric Indigo,” Roses has my second favorite, “Climb Up Your Tears” and a beautiful song, Walk Above the City” featuring Maró. At The Roadhouse has the Fleetwood Mac inspired “Black & Thunder.” And their latest album,

“It You Go There, I Hope You Find It has some favorites like “Change of the Wind,” “Deep (In the Plans We Made),” and “When the Lavender Blooms.”

I almost caught them on tour last fall, opening for The Teskwy Brothers, but didn’t wind up making it out. While I wish I did, I am glad I got to see them on their own headlining tour in such an intimate venue like Royale in Boston.

I also was really sold on this show for the opener, Donovan Woods. I had favorited his track “Portland, Me,” a year or so back on Spotify and then he recently showed up again. His song, “I Talk About You,” from his latest release is a stunning, beautiful, and depressing song with a heavy Celtic funereal inspiration.

The show was one of the best ones I have been to in a while. Donovan Woods is just as funny as he is talented in the singer-songwriter department. He told some fun stories and was self deprecating. He had the crowd cracking up when he told them, sarcastically, how back in the day it was an honor to try on the radio and the equivalent of that today is being added to a Spotify playlist.

The Paper Kites started off their set with eveyone around one microphone, singing in unison. Usually, band saves this for later on in their set, but the Australian folk band was opening the show with the vibe of the next hour and a half. Not to say that the band doesn’t have some great rock songs up their sleeves. They played my favorite song, “Electric Indigo” and the Fleetwood Mac inspired “Black & Thunder.”

Upcoming Tour Dates: https://www.thepaperkites.com.au/tour

Pictures and Videos:

They Will Kill You

Posted on by Mikey

TV Show or Movie: Movie

Where to Watch: Theaters

Genre: Action-comedy, horror, super natural

Writer: Kirill Sokolov, Alex Litvak

Director: Kirill Sokolov

Cast: Zazie Beetz, Myha’la, Paterson Joseph, Tom Felton, Heather Graham, Patricia Arquette

Synopsis: A woman takes a job as a housekeeper in a NYC high-rise, unaware of the building’s history of disappearances. She soon realizes the community is shrouded in mystery.

Review: 

Trailer: 

The Paper Kites

Posted on by Mikey

Genre: Folk, acoustic, indie

Who They Remind Me Of: The Head and the Heart, Caamp

Band Members: 
Sam Bentley – lead vocals, guitar, keyboards
Christina Lacy – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Josh Bentley – drums, percussion
David Powys – guitars, banjo, lap steel, backing vocals
Sam Rasmussen – bass guitar, synthesizers

Location: Melbourne, Australia

Tour: https://www.thepaperkites.com.au/tour

Where to Find Them:
https://www.instagram.com/thepaperkites/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/79hrYiudVcFyyxyJW0ipTy
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-paper-kites/454316567
https://www.instagram.com/thepaperkites/
https://twitter.com/thepaperkites
https://www.facebook.com/thepaperkitesband/
https://www.tiktok.com/@thepaperkitesband
https://www.thepaperkites.com.au/

What To Listen To:

Spotify playlist to follow along: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2FjfLYiJ7IknsPhwo2cjXM?si=4y4IQ85TTEC1kh3mZS2ZpA&pi=rum_Fq_qTjatc