The Fourth Annual PorchFest event took place this past weekend. — Photo by Jeremy Carroll

By Sanjeev Selvarajah

Early in the week, forecasters warned of a 90 percent chance of rain this past Saturday, May 17, the day when Somerville’s annual PorchFest was going to hit the city streets to charm Somerville residents and other music lovers. And surprise, surprise: Even though festival organizers were preparing for a rain day that would prompt a date change, a strong and serendipitous sun shone above without a single threatening cloud.

After asking about a particular street of Somerville and whether it was heavy on music, a passerby snidely remarked, “PorchFest was happening all over the city, man.” The residents of the city were somewhat coy about the festival because it is a very unique set-up, one meant to broaden the artistry of select groups into overarching circles of neighborhoods with pedestrians possessing the power to choose which outdoor performance to listen to—a festival Somerville residents like to call their own. Bands were playing on their porches, inviting pedestrians to walk up to them and grab a seat at the table. The majority of the bands can be found on YouTube and Facebook.

When asked about rehearsals, Chris Yang of the band Tail said, “Practice is almost akin to having a really nice dinner party with old friends.”

Chris said Tail “is a band that is comprised of therapists and social workers, and therefore has a very egalitarian process in the song selection and arrangement. We all take turns on lead vocals and have equal say in what songs we do. We are an Americana/bluegrass band with broad influences from Bob Dylan to the Pixies.” Once you’ve heard their rendition of Bob Marley’s “Small Axe,” you should be comfortable knowing you’re in good hands.

Like Tail, musician Hala Jadallah has been playing PorchFest since its inception four years ago. She’s always ready with her amps and musical stand to sing to the residents of Somerville and said she’s basically doing “whatever makes her happy,” which this past Saturday was country and her choice for the year, Adele.

Vocalist Jeremy Carroll and the pop comedy band I Thought They were Models lets fans in on the secret of their writing and composition.

“One of us will start playing some riff or chord progression, and then we will just spontaneously make up lyrics, which typically tend to crack ourselves up,” Carroll said. “We then refine the music and lyrics to make it sound good from a composition standpoint. Many of the lyrics at each show are completely improvised anyway.”

“We play pop music, video game theme songs, our own version of the Last of the Mohicans soundtrack, a tribute to country songs, and even a funk song aimed at shaking your booty for world peace,” he added. “I would say our show has the energy of the original Blues Brothers and a similar vein of humor of Flight of the Concords.”

Two nice surprises were Afro D All Starz, which played in front of the First Church of Somerville, where their MC, Pete Shungu, had gotten married. They were really warm to the crowd and offered up a great amount of seats for the tired and weary to sit comfortably as they played.

Shungu opened up with some background info: “We actually don’t practice as often as someone might think, given how cohesive we are as a band and how well we vibe together.  All members of the band have day jobs outside of music, and some of us have kids as well, so music is a passion, something that we love to do, but something that we balance with the other aspects of our lives.  There’s a song, “Balancing Act,” off the album Elevation that speaks to this balance.

“When we do practice, we usually spend some time rehearsing our current tunes and some time working on new tunes as well.  We enjoy spending time together as well, so practice is a good time for us to grow together as a group as we grow musically.”

Shungu said while they had heard about PorchFest before, this was their first year performing in it as a band.

“I’ve been a member of the First Church Somerville for several years and am currently a deacon at the church, as well as playing trumpet somewhat regularly in the service,” Shungu said. “First Church Somerville was selected to be a site for PorchFest this year, and the music committee at the church asked if the Afro D All Starz would be interested in performing in front of the church.  As a band that strives to build a sense of community, hope, and love for all people through our music, we felt that it was fitting for us to play in front of a church that has a rainbow flag in front and that also stands for those things.”

The second grand discovery was the all-girl band Bong Wish, which had a brilliant sound evocative of a happy medium  between the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs and Ladytron. The trio resonated well with the crowd: Residents danced and hollered—to the beat of a different drum—to the string melodies that stood against type and came across as one-two-punch power ballads.

Nancy Goodman with the Somerville Arts Council runs the festival with a practical and conveniently accessible mind-set.

“I was familiar with open studios for visual artists, but since I love music, the idea of showcasing musicians was really appealing,” she said. “I knew that many musicians lived in Somerville, but I wasn’t aware when we started PorchFest what a rich diversity of musicians we have here.”

“PorchFest was great,” she added. “It’s fun to see everyone out walking and riding their bikes and enjoying the music. There was a glitch with the website, so we’ll need to work on that for next year. Of the performers I was able to see, some of my favorites were Somerville Symphony Orkestar and Lookie Lookie, Luddy Mussy.”

When addressing a repeat next year, she said, “I don’t know for sure, but I don’t see any reason not to continue. We’ve been fortunate that people for the most part have been respectful of their neighbors and we’ve gotten very few complaints about crowds or noise, so as long as participants keep that up, I think we can continue. It’s up to the Arts Council.”