“We’re an acquired taste, I think,” says Aaron.
Maybe. The band haven’t become an overnight success in Boston, slowly working their way through shows at O’Brien’s and scraping up friends at places across the North Shore, which was the stomping ground of Aaron’s old band, Local Tough Guy. Still, there’s plenty of room for ballsy, grungy rock in town — even if it’s not at the local forefront. Hel Toro aren’t too far from a proud bloodline of Allston Rock City bands Quintaine Americana and Milligram, and their pairing this weekend with the scrappy post-hardcore Daniel Striped Tiger promises to be a perfect match.
“There are just some areas that we’re absolutely useless in,” says David, pointing to the bland administrative areas of band management. “You get tired of the same bullshit at work every day, but the game you have to play to be successful in music is sometimes even worse.”
It won’t be any easier if it’s all Michigan metal fests again the next time they hit the road. Still, even if folks don’t quite know what they’re buying into with Hel Toro, David is willing to play the odds: “We’re still eager to turn ourselves into a scratch ticket.”
HEL TORO + DANIEL STRIPED TIGER + FAT HISTORY MONTH + MARGIN WALKER + MUTT | Middle East upstairs, 472 Mass Ave, Cambridge | November 8 at 9 pm | $9 | 617.864.3278 or www.mideastclub.com
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