Ross Dallas
Album Review: Calexico, 'Carried To Dust'
By Ross Dallas Too often, contemporary albums are a jumbled mix of singles rather than a coherent piece. There is no sense of reprise, and 10 out of 12 songs will serve as calk to fill in the cracks around two songs intended for airplay. So, I was delighted when I heard that Calexico was [...]
Dr. Dog's Last Day On U.S. Tour, 2008
By Ross Dallas You could tell they were tired. It was the last day of Dr. Dog’s longest tour to date, and that morning they were still drinking beer when some people are sipping their first cup of java. WERS was bustling that Friday. If people weren’t rushing to set up equipment, they were finalizing [...]
Local Homebrew Suppliers Confident Despite Recession
[Audio clip: view full post to listen] By Ross Dallas Americans are spending less and most small businesses are losing money. Restaurants, retail outlets and car dealerships suffer from a lack of customers. But in Cambridge, a business specializing in home beer brewing is thriving. Robert Chasse, who works at Modern Homebrew, says his job [...]
Interview: Vampire Weekend's Chris Baio
Before playing a sold out show at the Orpheum in Downtown Boston, Vampire Weekend bassist Chris Baio sat down for an interview with WERS.org. Baio talks about blogs, bands and Boston, and reflects on the past 18 months on the road. You had a few weeks between touring Europe and playing shows on the East [...]
Police: Stuart And Tremont Intersection A Hub For Crime
By Ross Dallas It’s dark at the corner, except for the glowing white light of the 7-Eleven. A man in a heavy coat stands in front of the convenience store, holding the door for customers and asking if anyone can spare change. At 2:20 a.m., a police car flashes its lights, and those standing nearby [...]
Video: Cambridge, Mass., 2007
When I moved in September 2007, I started writing about my new home, Cambridge, Mass., for a journalism class at Emerson College. I made this video after reporting on the city for about four months. This video was originally published on Bostonia.
Newport Folk Festival: What Is Folk?
[Audio clip: view full post to listen] Fans dance in front of the stage at the Newport Folk Festival. (Photo courtesy of Ben Weitzenkorn/WERS) By Ross Dallas In an era when some bands won’t take the stage without a synthesizer and drum machine—a time when sampled sound often replaces traditional instruments—it’s hard for young music [...]
Brian Wilson Releases New Album
[Audio clip: view full post to listen] By Ross Dallas When Brian Wilson burst onto airwaves nearly 50 years ago, the music world was blown away by the West Coast sounds created by the Beach Boys. In the course of only a few years, Wilson continually reinvented American rock with records like “Surfin’ Safari,” “All [...]
Mass. Legislators, Residents Combat Graffiti
By Ross Dallas A bill that would ban the possession by and sale of spray paint to those younger than 17 years old in Massachusetts is expected to be referred to a committee next week. The bill sponsored by Sen. Michael Morrissey, intends to combat graffiti in the commonwealth. It was first filed in 2006 [...]
Mass. Coyote Trapping Bill Stirs Debate
By Ross Dallas A bill to allow more effective means of capturing and eliminating coyotes that threaten Massachusetts residents will soon make its way to a committee and receive a date for a public hearing.