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| Photo by Brian Tiernan |
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| Photo by Brian Tiernan |
So excited for this - Tonight, 12/15/18 - at the River Club Music Hall in Scituate MA - THE RATIONALES open for THE SMITHEREENS with their special guest vocalist MARSHALL CRENSHAW. We had such a blast the last time we played with the Smithereens! We hit the stage 
Founded in 1987, The Boston Music Awards is an annual set of music
awards that showcase the very best talent in the Massachusetts area.Rationales’ evolving sound flows ‘Upstream’
When David Mirabella released his first CD with the Rationales 10 years ago, locals thought they had him pegged as a thoughtful power- pop artist in the vein of the sainted band Big Star. The only problem was Mirabella hadn’t even heard much of that band.
“Every review compared me to them, and I wasn’t even a fan,” he said. “Then I tracked down that CD of their first two albums, and I fell madly in love.”
But the Rationales are a lot tougher to pin down nowadays. Their new CD, “Upstream,” still has its share of pure pop, but the songs are generally longer and the arrangements more surprising — with traces of prog rock, epic Americana and even some arena-rock grandeur. What hasn’t changed is the quality of Mirabella’s writing — he can swing a hook and coin a thoughtful phrase with the best.
The Rationales (Mirabella, his brother Mike on drums, guitarist Chad Raleigh, steel guitarist Adam J. Hand, keyboardist Dave Lieb and bassist Sean Black) celebrate their album release downstairs at the Middle East Thursday. Joining them will be a handpicked roster of inventive pop/rock outfits: OldJack, the Curtis Mayflower, Red Red Rockit and the debut of Unreliable Narrators, featuring ex-Scamper guitarist Nate Rogers.
Mirabella credits the band’s evolution to having a consistent lineup and his willingness to cut the band members in on the writing and arrangements.
“The new album is probably our most collaborative. Our guitarist comes from a Southern rock, jam band sort of background. We didn’t used to have too much room for that, but he’s so good at stretched-out jamming that it would be a shame to leave that out.”
Adding a pedal steel player also tilted the band toward Americana.
“That wasn’t even intentional — Adam was originally a drummer, but he learned to play steel to play along to one of our albums. So we said, ‘Since you know our songs, you should come along to practice.’ And he never left.
“It’s hard to pigeonhole us to any one thing now. We just put it under rock ’n’ roll and hope that covers everything.”
The new album’s best track is actually its furthest stretch from straight pop: “Dulcinea” is a moody, six-minute track with a floating Pink Floyd feel.
“That song’s based on the fact that I moved all over the country for years after college and wound up living a couple of miles from where I grew up. So I thought, ‘Let’s embrace that nostalgia with all the regret and sadness that implies, and write from the perspective of someone really wallowing in that.’
“A lot of my songs come from just finding a melody and chasing it down,” he said. “It’s like the Keith Richards adage of pulling songs out of the air. I get a lot of mine that way.”
The Rationales CD release show, with OldJack, the Curtis Mayflower, Red Red Rockit and Unreliable Narrators, at Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge, Thursday. Tickets: $10; ticketweb.com.
Speaking of upstream - the first couple of reviews are in. Check out some highlights: "The Rationales have burst through the summer of 2017 with their latest, and in the eyes of this music fan their best-to-date release, Upstream." "electrifying guitar work and summer day anthems" "a genuinely independent sound that nods to the forerunners while maintaining a strong presence in their own skin. Fresh assemblies of a truly American sound, hinting off and on at moments of great 90s alt-rock, combined with shredding breaks and truly energetic, unrestrained releases. Upstream amounts to one hell of a record." "Upstream solidifies The Rationales. It feels as though everything they’ve worked for leading up to this album has, in retrospect, been a struggle to find themselves. Well, here they are. This is The Rationales I’ve been waiting for. This is The Rationales I wanted. This is The Rationales I didn’t know I needed in my life."
"a lush rock sound" "electrifying riffs and solos that are just jaw dropping. " "With songs of loss, regret, nostalgia, and longing... you feel like you’re riding shotgun with Mirabella on the back roads in New England as he tells his stories." "the electrifying guitar opener, “Ready to Go” is driving, swirling with electronic sounds and heavy beats... the ripping guitar solo gets the adrenaline pumped up for the rest of the album." ““Trade You” takes the rhythm into Dire Straits territory. That infectious groove takes hold and refuses to let go. It’s easily my favorite off the album." “All the While” kicks things up a notch again. David Lieb shines on this track with his saloon piano styling. " "Another highlight was “Climb the Ladder,” The song starts with an Americana sound as it segues into a piano breakdown. Mike Mirabella’s vocals layered over the piano chords gives it a haunting touch. It’s slow moving, but that changes as it gradually intensifies into a screaming guitar solo"
- On the Flipside Music (Full Review)
On SUNDAY May 22, THE RATIONALES are kicking of the day at the LEXINGTON BATTLE GREEN BBQ FESTIVAL. I went as an attendee last year and i can not tell you how much fun i had. An all day family friendly outdoor festival featuring lots of the area's best BBQ, Live music and an amazing selection of Craft Beers. (Last year selections included Heady Topper, Sip of Sunshine, Trillium, Bissell Brothers and more. This year the featured beer for the day sunday is Other Half from Brooklyn. Great Stuff!)
If you haven't seen us lately we've revamped our set quite a bit - playing a bunch of unrecorded songs and really having a great time playing. Our latest single "ALL THE WHILE" is a summer song if ever there was one. (Love by porchlight, among other things...) and in a few short weeks we'll drop our new single "TAKE A RIDE" another burner about roads and humid nights, all the good stuff. 
Join The Rationales at Make Music Harvard Sq, Cambridge this Saturday! We play a free, all ages set at 2pm at Brattle Corner.
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| Photo by Selene Angier |
We are very pumped for this show - we've been friends and fans of Watts since forever and it goes without saying that we've been Huge fans of The SMITHEREENS since a long time ago! 
