CERTAINLY SO – LIVE AT THE RED ROOM AT CAFE 939
By James Marinaccio
Certainly So plays The Red Room at Cafe 939 which is affiliated with the Berklee College of Music – 2/6/2025
Finding live music in Boston can be a time consuming task. There are tons of venues, all greatly varying in size. For the smaller venues, you have to navigate their individual websites because the big name ticketing services simply don’t advertise their shows. This process is a necessary evil when trying to see up and coming bands. An establishment I always check out is called The Red Room at Cafe 939. The Red Room is a Berklee College of Music affiliate venue. It is a 200 person club that makes you think maybe you could start hosting concerts in the comfort of your own home.
The stage is no more than a foot or two off the ground making for an intimate concert environment, to say the least. Despite the size, The Red Room does get some notable acts. In 2023, I got to see Richy Mitch and the Coal Miners with Evan Honer opening for them. This time, I had the pleasure of seeing Certainly So, an upcoming band that is challenging for me to classify. If I had to describe them to a friend, I would say, “think Arctic Monkeys with some Vampire Weekend and a slide guitar.”
Certainly So formed back in 2019, just prior to the global pandemic. The timing of their formation forced the band to focus on writing new music instead of playing live shows. This led to the development of an expansive catalog. Certainly So has three full albums to date with the latest being Probably Not released in November of 2024.
Like I mentioned, Certainly So‘s music is hard to put in a box. Their sound changes from album to album. At times, they have a classic indie rock sound with a prominent rhythm guitar like in “1422” off their latest full length. And in other songs, including a personal favorite of mine “Alabama Blues”, they opt for a slide guitar that lends itself to an unmistakable warm country vibe.
Certainly So‘s ability to create authentic and masterful music of varying styles is a major draw for me towards their discography. Tanner Gray, one of the lead vocalists, guitarists and songwriters for Certainly So, gave me some insight into this. “We all have very different musical tastes, which is why we sound the way we do. We don’t really stick to one genre.”
The song writing responsibilities for Certainly So falls primarily on Tanner Gray and Colby Wilson (Acoustic Guitar/Vocals). The pair hail from Birmingham, Alabama, while Chase Porter (Bass) and Zach Corder (Drums) are from Jackson Mississippi. Gray met Porter and Corder while attending college in Mississippi. Gray and Wilson have known each other since elementary school. That’s why they have a great chemistry when creating music.
Even though the band are all from the South, a love of country music is not shared. Colby Wilson is not in the country music camp, while Tanner Gray very much is. The middle ground of these different music interests is where you will find Certainly So. This makes for a very fun listening experience for a lot of music fans.
Though Certainly So‘s most recent tour is their largest headlining stint, the touring lifestyle is nothing new to the band. In 2024, Certainly So embarked on a nationwide tour opening for The Strumbellas. According to Tanner, this period of “chasing the bus” was a great professional experience for the band. The stage presence of Certainly So is fantastic. The group brings contagious and personable energy to the crowd. For those in the Northeast, Certainly So will be opening for Eggy in late March in a few select cities. So, keep an eye out for them.
To learn more about Certainly So, check out their Website
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