Ink on the Merrimack

Ink on the Merrimack Independent music writing from New England. Covering live shows, new releases, and the stories that stick after the set ends.

Lowell and beyond

📍 inkonthemerrimack.substack.com

I listened to Ali Mcguirk's album Watertop a while back and kept finding reasons not to write the review.Not because I d...
06/01/2026

I listened to Ali Mcguirk's album Watertop a while back and kept finding reasons not to write the review.
Not because I didn't like it. Usually the opposite.
Every time i went back to the album, a different song ended up sticking with me.
Finally sat down and put my thoughts together.
"The Person Behind the Songs" is up now on Ink on the Merrimack.

Listening to Ali McGuirk's Watertop

A few Mondays back I spent the night at the Hawthorne for the release of Keep it Simple, the new record from Brian Maes ...
06/01/2026

A few Mondays back I spent the night at the Hawthorne for the release of Keep it Simple, the new record from Brian Maes and Jeff Myerow.
What started as an album release story turned into something bigger. A look at the friendships, history, and community that have kept the North Shore and Boston music scene moving forward for decades.
"North Shore Mileage" is now live on Ink on the Merrimack.
Give it a read and let me know what you think,

Brian Maes, Jeff Myaero, and the community around Keep It Simple.

Spent the weekend in Lowell moving between rooms, sets, and whatever pull me in next. Some things I planned on seeing, ...
05/04/2026

Spent the weekend in Lowell moving between rooms, sets, and whatever pull me in next. Some things I planned on seeing, some I didn't, and the ones that stuck weren't always the ones I expected.

Full The Town & The City Festival piece is up now

Inside the Town and the City Festival

Night one The Town & The City Festival.It started out a little loose, smaller crowd, people easing into it. But it fill...
05/01/2026

Night one The Town & The City Festival.
It started out a little loose, smaller crowd, people easing into it. But it filled in as the night went on, and by the end it felt like everything landed in the same place.

Caught Toluca Lake, Western Education, and Future Teens as things started to take shape.

Full recap is up here:

Everything still in one place, for now

Spent some time chatting with Future Teens ahead of their set at The Town and the City Festival. There's a lot sitting ...
04/29/2026

Spent some time chatting with Future Teens ahead of their set at The Town and the City Festival. There's a lot sitting inside these songs.

Future Teens, still holding onto the reason they started

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