Best of Boston
Best Band
Young Love & The Thrills
Think a wedding can’t feel like a concert? It can when this beloved eight-person band takes the stage. With high-energy vocals, creative mashups and medleys, [...] read more»
2020 Best Band
Ripcord
A good wedding band knows just when to bring the energy and when to dial it down; Ripcord blends this intuition with virtuoso musicianship, complete [...] read more»
2017 Best Band
Pile
It's the songful lilt of Rick Maguire's voice that exhilarates the oft-agitated melodies on his band's latest, A Hairshirt of Purpose. Pile isn't new on [...] read more»
2016 Best Band
Palehound
Ellen Kempner’s vocal melodies have a tendency to shoot up high without warning, just like her hands on the fretboard of her guitar during bouts [...] read more»
2015 Best Band
Speedy Ortiz
The commonwealth's next great rock ’n’ roll band? That'd be Speedy Ortiz, a quartet secretly amped on pop but swinging its guitars with a raw, [...] read more»
2011 Best Band
Dropkick Murphys
Okay, a crushingly obvious choice. But consider that the Dropkick Murphys were able to get Bruce Springsteen on their first new studio album in four [...] read more»
2002 Best Band, Live
Rubyhorse
Rubyhorse's recent album Rise does not "sparkle" like their single, but it's to catch these Irish rockers (who are Cork-to-Boston transplants) in the act. The [...] read more»
1998 Best Band, Ska
Tie: Bim Skala Bim and The Allstonians
Two acts ostensibly playing the same style, but each with a unique sound. The former's catchier doubletimes tunes rocket you from your seat; the latters [...] read more»
1998 Best Band, Cutting-Edge
Club d’Elf
The sound of the future is here. The band's deeply hypnotic trance-grooves combine jazz, world, and electronica. Bass wizard Mike Rivard, percussionist Jerry Leake, sampler [...] read more»
1997 Best Band, Mariachi
Tacos El Charro
Jamaica Plain
There is a little bit of Mexico at this pinata-filled spot near Jackson Square. Despite the bright lights and the warm sangria, Tacos El Charro [...] read more»
1997 Best Band, Pop
Papas Fritas
Many starry-eyed bands crawl up from the primordial soup of Somerville, but few are chosen. On the trio's latest Minty Fresh release, Helioself Papas Fritas [...] read more»