Freak Scene #97: Dicey Riley Blend Old and New on 'The Curse'
Plus, Northampton rapper Dome Lettuce is amassing quite a discography
A Guide to Music in Western Mass. (and sometimes Connecticut)
This week in Freak Scene, we catch up on Dicey Riley’s “alt-Irish” version of Celtic rock, and check out the latest singles from Northampton rapper Dome Lettuce.
The new EP from Northampton’s Dicey Riley is a mix of original songs and traditional Irish numbers, and it is to the veteran “alt-Irish” band’s credit that often it’s not immediately clear on The Curse which is which. There are hints, sure: the chugging electric guitar that kicks off “Do I Still Love You Anymore,” for example, or the reference to cultures clashing on “Full of Grace” are pretty solid indications that those songs didn’t emerge from the misty hills of County Galway. Then again, Dropkick Murphys made a Celtic-punk song from a set of Woody Guthrie lyrics, so you never can tell.
Anyway, “Do I Still Love You Anymore” is a Dicey Riley original, featuring Kaci Ruh (also of Our Three, seen in Freak Scene #91) on lead vocals as she threads a wistful melody through guitar from Jim Pion (who plays in Eyrie House Ruins; Freak Scene #86), fiddle from Katherine First and a swift, snappy beat by drummer Fraser Stowe. Bagpipes from Frank Toscanini set the tone for “Full of Grace” before Pion’s electric guitar rolls through like a wave, old world meeting new as bassist Dan Richards sings of trying to gracefully shrug off the discrimination and distrust that new immigrants have seemingly always faced when they arrive here.
Ruh anchors one of the traditional numbers, too: the melancholy ballad “Wild Mountain Thyme.” First’s fiddle and mandolin from Richards envelop Ruh’s voice on the song, an adaptation of a Scottish tune from the early 19th century that’s been covered by Bob Dylan, among others. Dicey Riley goes back even further on “Óró,” a traditional song about the “hauling home” of a bride that probably dates from the mid-1700s — and became known as an Irish rebel song during the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin. John McLaughlin performs it here, in Irish, his voice gruff as he sings over a mix of fiddle, guitar, bass and drums.
The Curse follows Times Long Gone, Dicey Riley’s 2024 collection of traditional material, and both are engaging collections full of songs you probably know (or should). Yet hearing the recordings feels like an echo from where Dicey Riley shines the brightest: onstage, in front of a crowd, keeping the old songs alive while the new ones take root.
Dome Lettuce Keeps Up His Prolific Pace on ‘Stuck on Earth’
Hip-hop doesn’t always pop up on the Freak Scene radar, but it’s definitely bubbling away across the Western Mass. and Connecticut music scenes. Experimental Northampton rapper Dome Lettuce, for one, has been steadily releasing music since 2022, including this year’s 25-track opus The Book of Gabriel, along with various other EPs, full-length albums and singles.
His latest track, “Stuck on Earth,” landed earlier this week, in advance of a performance tonight, Friday, Dec. 19, at Rendezvous in Turners Falls with Unagi (as seen in Freak Scene #78), Soma 79 and DJ Toro Bravo (music starts at 9:30 p.m.). Much of Dome’s music has a somber vibe: he said in 2023 that his lyrics often address subjects like mental illness, substance abuse and loss.
“I find the process of facing your internal trauma in the hopes of being able to process and convert it into art incredibly cathartic,” he said then.
On “Stuck on Earth,” Dome Lettuce (a.k.a. Gabriel Aviv) delivers downhearted lyrics in a mumbling voice that he pairs with a tick-tick beat buried under layers of machine-like synths. “Flood Watch,” released in November, loops a flute sample over a beat comprising digital versions of hi-hat and bass drum, and Dome raps in a slightly more upbeat tone.
It’s a distinctive approach, but considering how much music Dome Lettuce has released so far, it’s no surprise that he’s found a sound that is unmistakably his own.
Upcoming Concerts
Wilco and Billy Bragg performing a full set of songs from their Mermaid Avenue collaborations is surely the main draw when the Solid Sound Festival returns to Mass MoCA in North Adams June 26-28 at Mass MoCA in North Adams. But it is a festival, and there are other acts: in addition to Bragg doing his own thing, Solid Sound will also include the Breeders, Gang of Four, Richard Dawson, Jeff Tweedy & Friends, Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band, L'Rain, S.G. Goodman and mini-Mekons (with Jon Langford and Sally Timms). Also, Sharp Pins, Elizabeth Moen, Nels Cline’s Consentrik Quartet, the Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis, George, Souled American, the Autumn Defense, Living Hour, Setting, RESPIRA, Prewn, Official Claire, Hannah Cohen, Expandards, Sam & Louise Sullivan and Jon Hodgman's Comedy Cabaret. Tickets are here.
The Iron Horse hosts flutist, saxophonist and composer Anna Webber Nonet Jan. 22 (tickets through Jazz Shares), a return engagement by Swiss jazz/pop singer Tatiana Eva-Marie Feb. 6 (tickets), the Femmes Feb. 14 for the Valentines Ball: A Gay Prom (tickets), Jonatha Brooke Feb. 24 (tickets), Steph Strings March 14 (tickets), soft-rockers Infinity Song March 20 (tickets), Sonny Landreth Band and the Iguanas May 7 (tickets) and Southern Culture on the Skids May 19 (tickets).
Last week I mentioned Jake Manzi’s upcoming show at the Parlor Room Dec. 26 (tickets); Manzi tells me he’ll be joined onstage by members of LuxDeluxe, as well as special guests Ray Mason, Frank Padellaro and Kimaya Diggs, among others.
Coming to the Drake in Amherst: Mdou Moctar solo Feb. 9 (tickets), Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys Feb. 28 (tickets), Gubbulidis March 12 (tickets) and Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band April 1 (tickets).
Peter Wolf and the Midnight Travelers play Feb. 14 at Infinity Music Hall in Norfolk (tickets).
District Music Hall in Norwalk hosts Ghostface Killah Jan. 25 (tickets) and the Outlaws March 26 (tickets).
Perennial will test the structural integrity of the Space Ballroom in Hamden Feb. 19 with Big Girl (tickets). If the place is still standing afterward, it will host the Aggrolites March 12 (tickets), Chicago indie-rockers Worry Club March 13 (tickets) and Obscura March 25 (tickets).
That’ll do it for this week. Thank you for reading! If you like what you’ve seen, please share. Also, I’m always open to submissions. You can send music for coverage consideration to erdanton at gmail or reply to this email. Check out these guidelines first.
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