“I experienced [pay to play] my whole career as an artist,” he says. “What do you get out of it at the end of the day? Nothing. You don’t even get to meet the headliner.”
That won’t be an issue at Home Alone Fest, which has no national headliner; instead, the bill stacks sets from heavyweights in the area’s hip-hop and R&B scene, including Neemz, Latrell James, ToriTori, Shaykh Hanif, and BML J.R. The lineup is an outlier for The Sinclair and similarly-sized venues in the area, which sporadically present all-Boston bills.
Home Alone Fest furthers the mission of Joey’s Home Entertainment, a business that Santiago launched with collaborator Ashley Lord to assist artists with services like management and brand development. The endeavor fuses Santiago’s expertise as an artist with 500-plus shows under his belt and Lord’s experience working at venues like The Middle East, The Sinclair, and Roadrunner, where he’s currently venue operations manager.
Lord states that Boston’s concert market is “oversaturated” with acts from out of town, often because venues perceive national artists as less of a financial risk than locals. Factor in the reality that some touring groups adopt the pay to play model when selecting openers, and there’s limited room for area musicians to break into larger venues.
“Us doing a show at The Sinclair is because a booker at Bowery [Boston] decided they want to take chances,” Lord says. “They want to be outside of the box, they want to do something not ‘normal,’ especially within the city that has a whole bunch of talented artists.”
The Sinclair’s upcoming schedule reflects that mind-set, with a rare cluster of Massachusetts artists headlining shows throughout August: Club d’Elf, Bent Knee, and Coral Moons. If Home Alone Fest packs the house as intended, Lord and Santiago hope to repeat the event — and hopefully expand its impact while demonstrating that all-local bills belong on the calendar regularly.
“It’s not ‘just a show,’” Lord says. “A festival gives us a chance to grow as well and bring it to any space.”
GIG GUIDE
Beginning Friday, Phish jam through three consecutive nights at the Xfinity Center with their new record “Evolve.” Santana and Counting Crows head to the amphitheater on Tuesday for their “Oneness” Tour to blend decades of immersive Latin psychedelia and poppy roots-rock.
Fenway Park’s concert season reaches a fever pitch this week as Watertown folk favorite Noah Kahan performs the second of two shows at the ballpark on Friday. Country star Kane Brown returns to the venue on Saturday, followed by Foo Fighters’ Sunday performance, which will be their first local appearance since their much-delayed headlining performance at Boston Calling last year. On Tuesday, blink-182 make their Fenway debut and mark the ballpark’s final show of July.
It’s no less busy at Roadrunner, where The LOX will celebrate 30 years of shaping East Coast hip-hop on Friday, and New Bedford’s hardcore punks Have Heart will complete a small slew of summer shows on Saturday. Swinging Tennessee string band Old Crow Medicine Show round out the weekend on Sunday on the “Jubilee” tour supporting their 2023 record of the same name.
A global sampling of new tunes comes to Somerville this week, as Montreal’s Cola spin minimalist post-punk from their June record “The Gloss” at the Rockwell on Friday, while Seoul trio The Volunteers slip beneath a shroud of gentle alt-rock from their new EP “L” at Crystal Ballroom on Wednesday.
O.A.R. summon their best renditions of songs like “Shattered (Turn The Car Around)” to record a live album at Leader Bank Pavilion on Saturday; serial handclappers Fitz and the Tantrums open the performance, which will also be available for fans at home to livestream via Veeps.
On Thursday, Club Passim hosts a celebration for the release of “Mass Spiritz Vol. 2,″ a collaborative hip-hop record supported by Passim’s Iguana Music Fund. The performance will feature Terry Borderline, the Brockton artist who spearheaded the project, and Jamaica Plain rapper and hip-hop educator Paul Willis.
NOW SPINNING
Barns Courtney, “Supernatural.” When stuck in the doldrums of the COVID-19 pandemic, Barns Courtney flipped a doom spiral into a roller coaster. With his third album, the British singer-songwriter crafts a fast track of rock ‘n’ roll that whirs through dystopian and hedonistic themes, securing Courtney a coveted spot in modern rock alongside Cage the Elephant and The Black Keys.
Battlemode, “Playlist.” Love is a losing game for Boston trio Battlemode, who power down an old romance on their newest single. With every loop of an ex’s playlist, the electro-pop group treads a rut of abandoned love, tweaking the sound of defeat into an aching chiptune lament.
Lava La Rue, “STARFACE.” When Lava La Rue released their 2022 EP “Hi-Fidelity,” the suave project’s only flaw was its quick runtime. No one can say the same about “STARFACE,” an ambitious debut that doubles as a 17-track supernova of funk-flecked sensuality and Tame Impala-esque psychedelia. “Finna gravitate to greatness,” the London shapeshifter casually announces on “FLUORESCENT / Beyond Space” — or, as “STARFACE” demonstrates, perhaps greatness will gravitate to them instead.
BONUS TRACK
Good news for everyone who missed Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls at Boston Calling this year — the British folk-punk act will return to Massachusetts Aug. 24 to headline the 22nd annual Riverfest. The free festival from 92.5 the River will take over Salisbury Beach’s Broadway Boardwalk with performances from Turner, singer-songwriter Matt Pond PA, and Massachusetts-raised artists Ali McGuirk and Zola Simone.
Victoria Wasylak can be reached at vmwasylak@gmail.com. Follow her on X @VickiWasylak.
