LIVE: RIBS and Nooka Jones at Church this Sunday

RIBS from left to right: Justin Tolan (Guitars and Vocals), Keith Freund (Guitars and Lead Vocals), Blake Fusilier (Bass and Vocals), Chris Oquist (Drums).
RIBS from left to right: Justin Tolan (Guitars and Vocals), Keith Freund (Guitars and Lead Vocals), Blake Fusilier (Bass and Vocals), Chris Oquist (Drums).

Two musical acts with members from Boston University are playing a show at Fenway’s Church this Sunday. Nooka Jones and RIBS will play alongside Berklee’s Art Decade and New York City’s Ultra Violent Lights for an $8, 21+ night of live music. It’s a good show to catch, with no classes the next day (Martin Luther King Jr. Day). I sat down with members Chris Oquist and Keith Freund from RIBS to talk about the band and the show.

How long has RIBS been together?

Chris: 11 months.

What instruments do you guys play?

Keith: Guitar and lead vocals.

Chris: Drums.

What does the band sound like?

Keith: Most people compare us to Deftones, Queens of the Stone Age, Muse, The Smashing Pumpkins or Nine Inch Nails. No screaming though.

Any albums? What are the albums called? What do they sound like?

Keith: Our debut release, British Brains, is in the mixing stage right now. It’s a five-song EP of dark rock where things go from soft to loud in short periods of time. I’m excited to see the response to a song called “Brains Out.” Without giving too much away, the music and lyrics are very much at odds with each other.

What’s your favorite thing about the Boston music scene?

Chris: That there’s so much music around. You can go out and see bluegrass at the Cantab on Tuesdays, catch a metal show during the week, swing to Wally’s on a Friday or Saturday for some of the craziest jazz. A lot of it is fueled by Berklee, but the city’s just so young in general, full of culture, full of art, that it really sustains itself.

Keith: I like how, with such a high portion of the city being college students, you have thousands of people moving here every year and thousands leaving a few months later. So the music scene is always changing and refreshing itself. More things in life should work that way.

RIBS-ArtDecade-UltraViolentLights-DJNooka

Why are you excited about this show?

Keith: People have been bugging us for months asking when we’re playing our next show, so I’m excited for people to stop bugging us.

Chris: Yeah, and it’ll be my first show with RIBS. These guys are so awesome; I’ve been psyched since I joined the band to play a show.

What will the live show at church bring Boston music lovers?

Keith: I think the unique thing about this show at Church is that it’s not niche- or musician-oriented. People who’ve never heard any of these bands will be able to get into it right away.

Chris: Plus, Monday’s a holiday so you can come out and see four bands guilt-free.

Why did you choose the other acts/what can you tell me about them?

Chris: We pretty much hand-picked them all.

Keith: Yeah, we convinced a great new band from New York City called Ultra Violent Lights to play our show while they’re on tour. We’re all really excited to see them live. You’ll like them if you listen to Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Spoon. Then there’s Art Decade, who are Boston-based. Musically it’s all over the map but they’re still catchy and have an amazing live show. I see them any chance I get.

Chris: Art Decade’s like listening to the Beatles actually, or Apollo Sunshine.

Keith: We’ve also got Nooka Jones in the lineup, my favorite Boston DJ by far. Every time I see him spin at a party or show I have to control myself not to ask “what song is this?” every five minutes.

Where can people listen to your band’s music?

Chris: They can check out pre-release versions of some of the music off British Brains on our site, ribstheband.com. We’ve also got pages up on Facebook and Myspace.

Anything else that is important…

Keith: Yeah, look up The Dirty Dishes. They’re my favorite Boston band at the moment. Also, I highly encourage anyone to watch the new Lil Wayne documentary. It’s madness.

Catch RIBS this Sunday at Church of Boston, 69 Kilmarnock Street. Doors are at 8 p.m. The show is $8 at the door or $6 online if you buy tickets in advance here.

About Jennifer Brown

Jennifer Brown (COM '10) is a music writer for the Quad. She started working with national indie music acts and booking shows/interviews during her sophomore year of high school at Penn State's WKPS. She then traveled to Germany and explored the techno/HAUS scene and her love for all-things German. After that she worked at WKPS some more before finding her "home" at Boston University where she was a music director at WTBU. She has since added to her resume Pirate Promotion and Management, On A Friday, and the Cambridge Chronicle. Jen is now in Germany, taking some classes and booking shows.

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