Best of Boston

At a time when well-deserving Boston bands are being dropped by major labels left and right, Dirt Merchants is about to have a second major label release on Sony’s Epic. Winners of the 1994 WBCN Rock ‘n’ Roll Rumble, this quintet is fronted by vocalist/guitarist Maria Christopher, whose sweet and sultry voice caught the attention of Entertainment Weekly and Billboardmagazines. Last year, Sony/Epic rereleased the band’s first CD, Scarified,which has been compared to such disparate bands as Sonic Youth, the Cowboy Junkies, and Pink Floyd.