DEAR READER

By DAVID DAY

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Ah, beer. I mean, music.

Boston and brew are nearly synonymous. Never mind Mr. Samuel Adams, who is an international superstar at this point, but Harpoon Brewery is also fast on the march. Last time I was in Brooklyn (I can last about 24 hours there), the bartender at the hipster dive I chose was going on and on about Harpoon IPA's popularity. Down the street in Williamsborg [sic], a new crop of Boston bands were starting to take hold, too. With Boston known for its baseball and beer, our bands are not so far behind.

For our annual spotlight on local music, we picked 12 bands that are next in line to be Boston's biggest. As one example, All These Kings—led by cover model Aaron Marks—already has the kind of devoted following that prompts marriage proposals at their live shows. We got the inside scoop from a dozen bands in the A&E section. We've also reviewed six local CDs and sipped coffee with the Cello Chix. Our Commerce section gets musical with a review of ear plugs (you might need them this summer) and goes noshing with local darlings the Toothaches. Elsewhere, there's high-stakes paintball, Boston's media war and Exit Polls from the sold-out M83 show.

There's also plenty about beer.