Justin The J-Bird

09/21/2026

The 9/19 playlist! See you next week for songs about school and work.

Expect new releases from underrepresented artists as well as deep cuts from bigger names, with plenty of other musical discovery sprinkled in. The theme and genre changes weekly, so you never know where the J-Bird may take you.

09/18/2026

4.12.26
Club D’Elf @ The Sinclair

For a band that plays locally all the time, this was only my second time seeing Club D’Elf. Don’t ask me why I’ve only caught them at the Sinclair rather than their usual home base of the Lizard Lounge, but blame my alt rock brain for gravitating to the former.

This was an album release show for their latest record and it was well worth checking out. I’m not the biggest jam guy but they lean a little more jazz which makes me forgive any Grateful Dead covers they may throw in (although they transform them to a degree that I thankfully forget I’m listening to a Dead tune). Pretty chill and small crowd but I attribute that to the fact that you have ample chances to see these guys if you live around Boston. I actually really like shows like this where you can just waltz in and vibe out (like I said in a previous post, not every gig is gonna be like Mclusky). Always a fun time and I’m sure I will catch Club D’Elf again before too long. Here’s to keeping the flame of local music alive.

09/17/2026

4.4.26
Throwing Muses @ Paradise Rock Club

The years go on and I still find more artists I need to cross off my “must see” concert list. In this instance, take one Kristen Hersh, the main creative force behind Throwing Muses. Depending on who you are, that band carries decent weight as local (regional?) somewhat-legends. I saw Hersh’s former bandmate Tanya Donelly the other year with Belly so now I suppose I just need to catch the Breeders to complete that triumvirate.

Throwing Muses have kind of been whatever Kristen wants them to be as of late and this incarnation was a more stripped down, earthy faire. I mean, what rock bands have a cellist as a core member? It makes sense given the sounds explored on the last two records, but this was not the Hunkpapa days that a younger me would have wished for. I was fine with this though as hearing these stripped down songs live actually gave them a fuller weight they were lacking on the record. Of course there were some hits from the back catalog but this was a very contemporary setlist given the group goes back to the early 80’s. Even more incredible to find out the current bassist was Kristen’s son!

Pretty low key night but quality nonetheless. I was probably the youngest in the room by a few decades but when has that ever been an issue?

09/17/2026

4.8.26
Mclusky @ Paradise Rock Club

I consider myself a fairly lucky lad to have now seen Mclusky twice in such a short span since their long hiatus from the states. That delay was part break up, part side projects, part health issues, but Mclusky is definitively back now that they have a new record. “The World Is Still Here And So Are We” is the most Mclusky way of addressing their many years with no new material although listening to it next to their “classics”, you’d never know there was a gap of 20 years there.

Few trios have ever had such a ferocious command of your eardrums in the way that these guys do. Somewhere between punk and rock and who cares about genres anyway they come at you with an irreverence that could only be fostered by the good folks of Wales. Mclusky fans are hungry people and while I did’t expect this to be as crazy as their last trip to the Sinclair, this was still an insane show. I’m saying it right now: best show of 2026.

This was one of those increasingly rare gigs where stage and crowd are locked in perfect unison, feeding back in the way live music should. The output was visceral and the audience a whirling gyre of bodies that had me holding onto the railing for dear life. For s few hours, I felt like a a teenager discovering punk for the first time. Those feelings of elation require a highly specific set of conditions to be met that just gets harder as time goes on, but man did I reach the peak this night.

The one thing that sucks about seeing Mclusky is the realization that all of your Wednesday night after this are going to be totally boring. Sometimes you need your psyche to be totally beat to a pulp and scraped back off the floor. This was one of those special nights.

09/16/2026

3.27.26
Slomosa @ Brighton Music Hall

I’ll always stand by my belief that the best way to discover music is through a live setting. Ok, maybe a KEXP session being up there as well, but there is nothing like going in blind to a show and coming out transformed. That’s exactly what happened when I first saw Slomosa last year opening for Helmet. I had never even heard these guys but was perhaps even more impressed by them than Helmet, although the element of surprise is powerful. Ir’s been a full year and in that time both of Slomosa’s albums have seen a near constant rotation in my car or while working out. I think they’re simply one of the best rock bands out there right now.

Apparently I am not alone as they were able to sell out Brighton Music Hall on their first US headliner tour, and the crowd was ravenous. Many had never seen them before and one guy even raised his hand to declare he had never even heard them prior to this night.

Naturally they delivered a bone crushing set of rock that feels like a continuation of where Kyuss left off many years ago. These riffs are earworms and while I catch many influences, Slomosa’s sound is very much their own. A large part of their appeal is the energy they put out on stage. There is a ton of camaraderie with the crowd and I can tell they just absolutely love being up there. Bassist Marie might have one of the best stage presences I have seen from ANYBODY. I’m talking a seriously commanding attitude that just exudes the rockstar charisma that few can accurately own.

What a difference a year makes between never hearing of Slomosa and being able to recite all their lyrics back at them. Incredibly welcoming energy between the musicians and audience… one of those shows that affirms every bit of why live music matters. I am sure this will end of being one of the best gigs I see in 2026 and my only complaint is I didn’t get to do it again the next day.

09/15/2026

The playlist for 9/5 - new classical adds!

Expect new releases from underrepresented artists as well as deep cuts from bigger names, with plenty of other musical discovery sprinkled in. The theme and genre changes weekly, so you never know where the J-Bird may take you.

09/15/2026

The 9/12 playlist! Doom, drone, and Dolly. Next week we got some new jazz.

Expect new releases from underrepresented artists as well as deep cuts from bigger names, with plenty of other musical discovery sprinkled in. The theme and genre changes weekly, so you never know where the J-Bird may take you.

08/31/2026

Hey all, apologies that this past weekend’s show did not air. I’ll try to have them play it in two weeks. Next week we should have a lot of new adds plus a Dolly Parton tribute to start September right. Here’s to year number 12 on WUNH!

08/24/2026

The 8/22 playlist of new jazz! See you one final time in August for some new Classical.

Expect new releases from underrepresented artists as well as deep cuts from bigger names, with plenty of other musical discovery sprinkled in. The theme and genre changes weekly, so you never know where the J-Bird may take you.

08/19/2026

The 8/15 playlist, our show full of soul! New jazz this coming week.

Expect new releases from underrepresented artists as well as deep cuts from bigger names, with plenty of other musical discovery sprinkled in. The theme and genre changes weekly, so you never know where the J-Bird may take you.