After a break of too many months, it felt better than ever to be back up in the DJ booth at River Gods in Cambridge, MA for another Tourfilter Night. I needed it. As usual, the four-hour slot was split with TF main-man Chris Marstall, and we stuck to sets made up exclusively of songs by bands playing the Boston area soon.
Here's a run-down of my playlist from last night, including dates and venues for the upcoming shows. There are some ridiculously good gigs on deck - in fact, I can't remember a touring season quite so strong.
01. Built To Spill/Electronic Anthology Project - "Eels (Else remix)" playing Thursday + Friday, Sept 30th + Oct 1st @ the Paradise 02. School Of Seven Bells - "Babelonia" playing Saturday, September 11th @ the Middle East Downstairs 03. Blonde Redhead - "Here Sometimes" playing Monday, November 1st @ the Paradise 04. Film School - "Heart Full Of Pentagons" playing Saturday, October 2nd @ TT the Bears 05. Ghost Box Orchestra - "The Lodge" playing Thursday, October 14th @ TT the Bears 06. Magic Shoppe - "All The Way" playing tonight, Friday, August 20th @ the Rosebud 07. Autolux - "Supertoys" playing Friday, August 27th @ the Middle East Downstairs 08. David Bazan + his band - "Magazine (live at Electrical Audio)" playing Wednesday, September 22nd @ TT the Bears 09. Travels - "Smile" playing tonight, Friday, August 20th @ the Rosebud 10. Dirty Dishes - "Deer In The Headlights" playing Friday, August 27th @ the Middle East Downstairs 11. The Wooden Birds - "Believe In Love" playing Tuesday, August 31st @ Great Scott 12. Teenage Fanclub - "Baby Lee" playing Saturday, September 25th @ the Royale Boston 13. Darren Hanlon - "All These Things" playing Monday, October 25th @ the Paradise 14. The Mynabirds - "Number Don't Lie" playing Wednesday, September 22nd @ TT the Bears 15. Jenny and Johnny - "Big Wave" playing Saturday, September 18th @ Agganis Arena 16. Deerhunter - "The Revival" playing Saturday, October 16th, at the Royale 17. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - "Sink / Let It Sway" playing Tuesday, September 7th @ TT the Bears 18. Dan Mangan - "Road Regrets" playing Tuesday, August 31st @ Great Scott 19. Telekinesis - "Dirty Thing" playing Tuesday, September 7th @ TT the Bears 20. Laarks - "All The Words You Can't Say" playing this Sunday, August 22nd @ TT the Bears 21. The Corin Tucker Band - "Doubt" playing Monday, October 25th @ the Paradise 22. Superchunk - "February Punk" playing Tuesday, September 21st @ Royale Boston 23. Shellac - "Crow" playing Monday, September 6th @ the Middle East Downstairs 24. Field Music - "Let's Write A Book" playing Wednesday, September 22nd @ Great Scott 25. Pretty & Nice - "Tora, Tora, Tora" playing Thursday + Friday, Sept 30th + Oct 1st @ the Paradise 26. Guided By Voices - "Queen of Cans and Jars" playing Friday, November 5th @ the Paradise 27. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - "Say No To Love" playing Wednesday, October 20th at the Paradise 28. Versus - "Scientists" playing Tuesday, September 21st @ Royale Boston 29. Ra Ra Riot - "Boy" playing Friday, October 1st @ the Royale Boston 30. Stars - "Ageless Beauty" playing Thursday, September 23rd @ the House of Blues 31. Land of Talk - "Quarry Hymns" playing Wednesday, November 3rd @ TT the Bears 32. Bottomless Pit - "38 Souls" playing Friday, November 12th @ the Middle East Downstairs 33. Built To Spill - "Kicked It In The Sun" playing Thursday + Friday, Sept 30th + Oct 1st @ the Paradise 34. Pavement - "Grounded" playing Saturday, September 18th @ Agganis Arena
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So, did you have a good Arcade Fire week? The multimedia onslaught either has you still swooning or totally burned out, or perhaps found you apathetic from the get-go. Me, I'm somewhere in the middle - I love "The Suburbs", and think it's a perfectly-placed step forward for the band, and really the only step they could have made. They can't top the precise balance of bombastic, joyful, out-of-nowhere angst that "Funeral" found in 2004, and had they gone further inwards than their sophomore "Neon Bible", they might have brought a big-time bummer (and would have left their live shows lacking). Somehow, they found the middle ground, and it works wonders for me.
But as someone who spends probably a little too much time online, I'm over-fed on album reviews, live reviews, reviews of those reviews, and other meta-commentary (and commentary on that commentary). Better to step back, queue up the album again, and focus on what matters. So I find myself not wanting to write much more about the new record than what I said above, or sharing thoughts from the transcendent live show they gave us here in Boston last week, words that have already been said and read elsewhere. Instead, I'll direct you to other places before I share up my recording of the set...
Ryan Stewart of the Boston Phoenix reviews the summer Sunday evening show.
Ian Doreian at Melophobe has a photo feature with a few words as well.
Adam Conner-Simons writes up his live show thoughts for the Globe.
Jim Sullivan offers his review over at the Herald.
Boston-based blogger C. Van Slyke's Boston Through My Eyes has a slew of excellent photos and a few videos from the show.
Here's an album review at Paste that, while slanting slightly negative, is extraordinarily well-thought out and well-put. I agree with much of what writer Rachael Maddux has to say, but love the record regardless.
With those words out of the way, here's my recording of the band's set at the Bank of America Pavilion on the Boston waterfront on Sunday night, August 1st, 2010. A couple of things to keep in mind as I share this: 1) It was recorded from the front row, so it's not going to sound ideal. Hell, in many cases that's the worst possible place to record a show, and 2) The band's current policy on taping their shows is a bit up in the air. In the past, they've been supportive, allowing me to record their revelatory 2004 set at TT the Bears in Cambridge (which I've just re-upped for your listening pleasure), as well as their 2007 Orpheum performance (also now re-shared). They've become a little too big to communicate with directly, though, and I hesitated to share this set for that reason. As always, in the event I'm contacted by the band, their management, or the label, the recording may disappear.
Oh, and this won't matter to most, but for the first time, thanks to additional server space, I'm offering up this recording as 256kbps MP3s, rather than as 192kbps. That server space is also the reason I'm able to re-host the band's 2004 and 2007 sets. I'll be re-upping many other sets over the coming months as well, so randomly check this list if you're looking for older Almanac audio, and feel free to put in a request to move something to the top of the upload queue.
I will offer one live show comment: My favorite moment from the set was when Jeremy Gara was unleashed from his drum throne for a single song, picking up a guitar to play his part on "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)". The guy proceeded to let loose with absolute abandon, and as one of the many drummers who is in reality a frustrated guitarist, I loved watching him. He rocked out so hard that he fell into the guitar amp, knocking it over and causing a mad scramble of AF roadies. He, and they, could only smile. A great moment.
Enjoy, and have a look at my photos as you listen...
The band continues touring with a show on Wednesday in Atlanta, followed by a Saturday set in Toronto before heading overseas. Check out their full itinerary here.
Purchase "The Suburbs" direct from Merge Records right here. Amazon.com has also extended their ridiculously low $3.99 digital deal here. Here's hoping the album makes it to #1 on the charts this week... not because I put much stake in such things, but because it would give me quite a personal thrill to see Eminem unseated by a Merge band. Go team!
the fine print... If anyone has an issue with these Mp3s being made available, just let me know (my contact info in the 'nac faq). Live sets recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 256kbps Mp3s. Files are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed.
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As promised, above sits your very own window in which to watch Mogwai's brand-spankin'-new concert film, "Burning", at 3pm EST today, along with a chat widget where a post-screening Q&A will be held with band member Stuart Braithwaite. Co-directors Vincent Moon (also part of the Q&A) & Nathanael Le Scouarnac, known for their "Take Away Shows" at La Blogotheque, filmed 3 consecutive sold-out shows in Spring 2009 at Brooklyn's Music Hall of Williamsburg in black and white, and if the results deliver even a sliver of the impact that their live sets bring, well, we're in for a real treat. Given the clips we've seen so far, that's a guarantee.
Pre-order their companion "Special Moves" live album at Mogwai's site. It's available in a variety of packages, including a CD/"Burning" DVD combo, and a deluxe bundle (with a triple live LP, CD, "Burning" DVD, autographed poster, and Mogwai patch).
You can also catch the concert film on big screens around North America in the coming months (including the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, MA on August 26th)...
Aug. 24th - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
 Aug. 24th - Vancouver, BC @ Pacific Cinematheque
 Aug. 26th - Lawrence, KS @ Liberty Hall
 Aug. 28th - Long Beach, CA @ Art Theatre of Long Beach Aug. 28th - Cambridge, MA @ Brattle Theatre
 Sept. 2nd - Pontiac, MI @ The Crofoot
 Sept. 4th - San Francisco @ Roxie Theater
 Sept. 10th- Portland, OR @ Bagdad Theater
 Sept. 12th - Los Angeles @ Echoplex
 Sept. 14th - Toronto, ON @ The Drake Underground (2 showings)
 Sept. 23th - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
Keep an eye here on the 'Nac in the next few weeks, when I'll be doing Mogwai giveaways (tickets, DVDs) to mark the Brattle Theatre screening.
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This Tuesday, July 27th, I'm pretty damn proud to be one of the few-dozen worldwide music sites hosting the live-streamed premiere of the new concert film from Scottish instrumental post-rock pioneers MOGWAI. Been a fan of the lads since the very first date of their initial U.S. tour back in '97, opening for Pavement in Burlington, Vermont at the much-missed Club Toast. Blew my mind then, still blow me away to this day... my love is unwavering. I never miss a chance to see them play, and have been waiting to see "BURNING" (directed by Vincent Moon & Nathanael Le Scouarnac, the visual minds behind the top-notch "Take Away Shows" at La Blogotheque) since I first heard whisper of it, and this Tuesday, the waiting ends. Here are the details...
On Tuesday morning, I'll throw up a new post that will contain an embedded UStream window, and it's there that you'll be able to view the entire film starting at 3pm Eastern (12pm on the left coast). There will also be an embedded chat window (y'know, for realtime "OMG! This song rules!" sharing), which will be used to host a post-screening virtual Q&A with Mogwai's Stuart Braithwaite and co-director Vincent Moon.
While I'm certainly looking forward to watching the live-stream, it won't stop me from catching the film on the big screen when it hits the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge on August 26th (tickets here). Check back with the 'Nac as that date gets closer for screening ticket and DVD giveaways, as well as a chance to win Mogwai's "Special Moves", the live album that's being released alongside the film.
Aug. 24th - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
 Aug. 24th - Vancouver, BC @ Pacific Cinematheque
 Aug. 26th - Lawrence, KS @ Liberty Hall
 Aug. 28th - Long Beach, CA @ Art Theatre of Long Beach Aug. 28th - Cambridge, MA @ Brattle Theatre
 Sept. 2nd - Pontiac, MI @ The Crofoot
 Sept. 4th - San Francisco @ Roxie Theater
 Sept. 10th- Portland, OR @ Bagdad Theater
 Sept. 12th - Los Angeles @ Echoplex
 Sept. 14th - Toronto, ON @ The Drake Underground (2 showings)
 Sept. 23th - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
To download a free live version of "New Paths to Helicon Pt. 1" from the vinyl version of "Special Moves", head here. You can pre-order the live album over here, in a variety of packages (including a deluxe bundle with the triple LP, CD + DVD, poster, patch, + more). I'll leave you with a few "Burning" teaser videos. Keep an eye out for me in the chat room on Tuesday afternoon...
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2010 is a ridiculously rewarding time to be a Kristin Hersh fan. Having eschewed the standard record/release/tour/rinse/repeat cycle that most label-bound artists stick to, she's turned to her loyal followers, both old and new, to directly fund her ongoing projects, and to share in their progression. This year, that investment is paying off in spades: A brand new full-length, "Crooked", released digitally as part of a gorgeous hardcover book from publisher HarperCollins in the UK. And another far more ambitious book on the horizon: An auto-biography, "Rat Girl: A Memoir" (that's the U.S. title, out next month - it'll be "Paradoxical Undressing" elsewhere).
And that's just her scheduled, official solo output. There's also a long-awaited Throwing Muses album in the works, which we're getting a preview of in the form of free demo downloads on the Muses' CASHmusic page. Her rock trio 50 Foot Wave hit the studio earlier this year, so we should be hearing the results of those sessions as well. All the while, Kristin keeps playing shows (a 6-date UK/Irish tour started over the weekend - see below), raising her boys, and offering up tons of bonus material on the exclusive pages that her subscribers (her "Strange Angels") get access to. Even for the most ardent fan, it can be tough keeping track of all this stuff. That is most definitely not a complaint.
That embarrassment of online bonus riches includes not one, but two new digital EPs connected to the release of the "Crooked" album/book: "Crooked Beginnings", comprised of newly remixed and remastered non-disc demos; and "Crooked Remainders", four songs that didn't make the final cut of the album.
It's "Crooked Beginnings" that jumps out, due not just to a set of solid songs that could easily have comprised a physically-released-and-sold EP that would make any artist proud, but due to the involvement of audio engineer & ace musician TW Walsh. I've been a fan of TW's since his initial involvement with Pedro The Lion, even moreso after digging into his own solo work (which most recently took the form of Boston band The Soft Drugs), and am increasingly impressed with his engineering work as he mixes and masters a whole bunch of records I dig (including pal David Bazan's "Curse Your Branches" last year).
So a KH/TW team-up is right up my alley, and the results measure up to the associated anticipation. Tim's aural changes add clarity and depth, giving the songs more definition and oomph than the original demos (which can be found on the downloadable "Speedbath" collection), and then there's this: He applied his drumming skills to my favorite song on the EP, "Around Dusk". I loved the original demo, was a bit disappointed to learn it wouldn't make the "Crooked" cut, so to hear it in this form is a real gift. TW offers some comments on the track...
"My first attempt was to emulate the feel of the [original version's] drum loop, but it didn't quite work within the track. After trying several options, I settled on a very simple pattern without any fills or embellishments. It has a kind of hypnotic vibe. I overdubbed shaker and tambourine to fill out a little more space."
And on mixing/mastering the "Crooked Beginnings" EP as a whole, TW says...
"As for the mixing/mastering, I received "stems" for all of the songs. Stems are subgroups of tracks. For example, if there are 4 electric guitars on a song, these have been sub-mixed and reduced to 2 tracks. Vocals have probably already been compressed and received reverb treatment. So, the song has already been "mixed" to a certain extent, but there is still room for refinement. What I tried to do was to give each instrument its own space in the mix and to fine-tune the dynamics of each track so the music breathed, but the mixes still had some punch. Hopefully I accomplished this goal, and Kristin feels that these recordings are represented well. The source tracks were solid and felt more like finished songs than a collection of demos. Well done, Kristin. Cheers!"
Couldn't agree more with that last bit. And thanks to Kristin and the CASHmusic crew, I'm honored to offer up this new version to any and all non-Strange Angels (Normal Angels?) in both MP3 and higher-quality FLAC form, as well as a stream of the entire 5-song "Crooked Beginnings" EP. To see just what kind of magic TW worked, I'm also sharing the original demo version of "Around Dusk"...
While "Crooked" is only being released as a combo book/digital download in the UK, the package can now be purchased online in the U.S. and elsewhere from the Book Depository or Amazon (note that the Book Depository has free shipping, so it's a hell of a deal). The best part: Each book includes login information to access not only the full album in lossless and MP3 format, but the "Crooked" bonus materials, including both of the new EPs, Kristin's excellent audio commentary for every track, and some exclusive video.
If you're hankering to hear the new collection right away, today marks the debut of the full album download (with a digital booklet) on iTunes (and elsewhere) here in the states. The album will be in U.S. stores soon in a gorgeously-designed digipak (which us Strange Angels already have our happy little hands on), and it will also be available in Kristin's online store, of course.
As I mentioned above, Kristin is in the midst of a short tour of Ireland and the UK. The remaining dates...
19 July - Dublin, EI - Whelan's 20 July - Cork, EI - Cyprus Ave 22 July - London, UK - Barbican Centre 23 July - Gateshead, UK - The Sage (sold out)
Kristin's memoir, "Rat Girl", is being released by Penguin on August 31st in the United States. It'll be titled "Paradoxical Undressing" in the rest of the world (apparently America can't handle the word "paradoxical"?! I assume the reason wasn't "undressing".), and will be out in January, 2011. There are a few "Rat Girl"-related events scheduled in the U.S. so far (and more to follow). Here's a current run-down...
8/31 - NYC - "Upstairs at the Square", Barnes & Noble, Union Square, NYC 9/15 - "The Happy Ending Reading Series" - Joe's Pub, NYC 10/9 - "Live Wire" - Portland, OR 10/10 - Wordstock event (TBA) - Portland, OR 10/28 -Flavorpill reading event at The Tank - NYC
Here's hoping a Boston-area event pops up in there somewhere before the schedule is finalized.
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When the Pixies decided to jump on the "full album live" train last year to perform their seminal "Doolittle" LP for the masses, I was fully on board. The trend that seems to have started with ATP's original "Don't Look Back" shows is still going strong, and while it's easy to be cynical in the face of such obvious cash-raking nostalgia, it becomes impossible to resist when one of those albums is among your favorites of all time. I've long held that the best four-song start to any record ever is the "Debaser" / "Tame" / "Wave Of Mutilation" / "I Bleed" quatro-punch that starts "Doolittle" (go ahead, argue with me), and some of the most vivid memories of my entire life involve laying on the rocks of the off-limits Williston (Vermont) quarry, eyes closed after an illegal swim, drying off in the sun as the cassette played loudly from a nearby boom-box. From the intro bass line of "Debaser", I'm taken right back there.
So when the first run of these "Doolittle" gigs was announced last year, free will played no part in my decision to attend. In fact, the word 'decision' played no part. Tickets to the second of two late-November Boston stops were purchased on auto-pilot, and fate smiled upon Amie and I with some amazing seats. I'd seen the foursome in smaller venues, and larger (including the ill-fated, band-crushing opening slot tour with U2), but never, ever so ridiculously close. I didn't give a good goddamn which phase of their career they were in - I'd be in the f'in third row. So close that I wouldn't even complain if I wasn't on Kim's side of the stage (ok, maybe just a little).
Speaking of trends, here's one I look forward to seeing more of: Near-instant gratification from bands who record their own live shows and offer them up to fans as a keepsake. Yeah, it's been going on for years in certain circles, but with technology, the turnaround time has been shrinking dramatically, and spreading to non-hippy bands (i.e. ones I actually like). When I saw the Trashcan Sinatras last year, all you had to do was hang around after the show for about 15 minutes and you could buy a custom USB stick that contained a huge, unedited MP3 of the entire set, recorded via laptop from the board by one of the guitarists. How 'bout that? (sidenote: The Trashcans just finished up a tour in support of their excellent new album, which has now been released in the US. You can still buy recordings from the previous tour here.)
And so the Pixies, enabled by the folks at Abbey Road Live (composed of the same core crew behind Live Here Now and DiscLive), decided to document the entirety of their "Doolittle" retrospective tour. Not only could fans pre-order better-than-soundboard recordings of their shows and pick them up soon after the band left the stage, but even those who couldn't make it were able to snag the full sets over at DoolittleLive. It was a boon for fanatics and collectors, as they discussed the best performances and best quality recordings over at the band's (currently down) official message board. And it was, of course, a boon for the band as well, funneling even more nostalgia-fueled income their way. Simple economics.
Well, it was simple until the tour hit Boston, of course. As the band, and Abbey Road Live, tried to set up to record those two nights, they hit a snag: namely the local union crew working the Wang/Citi Center. I know some details, not enough to explain it clearly, but the end result was pretty straightforward: No live documentation of the band's long-awaited visit to what many consider their hometown, performing an album they wrote and recorded near that very venue. A damn shame for those looking forward to either reliving it or experiencing it from a distance.
Well, with this post, I try to ease that sting a little. You can thank a fellow taper who goes by the name emorency/BennyBlanco, and the fact that he was paying close attention when the Abbey Road crew announced, after the first show, that they weren't permitted to record either show. Unlike me, he brought his gear to night number two, knowing it would be lost to the ages if he didn't, and came up with the goods.
So with his permission, and with the "unofficial" permission of Abbey Road and the band (meaning this won't be up for long, and could disappear more quickly if 'the man' comes around), here is the Pixies' triumphant performance of "Doolittle" in Boston on Saturday night, November 28th, 2009. Yes, they closed with "UMass", and it was glorious. Don't settle for this recording, though... be sure you visit DoolittleLive and look around for other notable shows from the band's long retrospective tour. Support this whole official live-recording business model by throwing more tall dollars their way.
My commentary on the show, such as it is, follows below. Enjoy...
Some personal highlights, from my spot in the 3rd row...
Totally dug the rhythm section solidarity, as Kim Deal spent much of the show hanging back near David Lovering's drum riser.
Yes, we got both versions of "Wave of Mutilation", and I can't imagine anyone complained about redundancy.
Speaking of that song, I spent much of the show wondering when Lovering would finally use the triangle hanging off his kit, and should have realized that moment would come only once, during its "UK Surf" version.
As practiced as the band must be after so many reunion shows, I'll admit it was kind of endearing when they had to abort and restart "Weird At My School". That's what you get for tackling the b-sides, I guess. Glad they decided not to skip it after they bailed.
One of the best parts of being so close to the stage? Watching Joey Santiago's serious string bending during "I Bleed". Amazing.
Think the band is on auto-pilot? Think they're not feeling it? Well, you shoulda seen Frank Black during "Hey", as he stepped back from the microphone and mouthed along to every note of Santiago's glorious mid-song guitar lick.
After the band finished "Hey", and the crowd readied themselves for the seldom-heard (and Kim Deal-fronted) "Silver", she self-deprecatingly said "Yes, we're playing all of them". I've never been a big fan of the song, but after seeing it live, I am now.
After "Isla De Encanta", Santiago leaned over to the front few rows and asked us "Are you deaf yet? Oh, wait, you probably can't hear me...".
A sweaty David Lovering, whose momentum built through the show and resulted in absolutely brutal cymbal crashes during "Gouge Away", lost a stick during "Holiday Song" but flawlessly recovered. Not an easy song to do that on.
That final bow. How can you not love that? Looked like four old friends who just had a hell of a good time in their musical hometown.
The band's official website is in the process of being relaunched, so you should get over there right now, just in case that relaunch doesn't include the free live "Doolittle" EP they have available for download.
Last year, 4AD released the massive (and massively priced) Pixies MINOTAUR boxset. If I didn't already own all of its contents (and had just won the lottery), I would have been all over it. Beautifully designed (of course) by 4AD art director Vaughan Oliver, it uses both original and new work from photographer Simon Larbalestier, whose images have helped aesthetically define the band since their first release. Here's a video 'trailer' for the boxset, which is really more of a mini-documentary (clocking in at 30 minutes). It was filmed at the one-night London release event showcasing that new-and-old artwork, and features chats with Oliver and Larbalestier, along with Kim, Frank, and David, and most importantly, a surprise live set from the band. Check out full performances of "Hey", "No. 13", "Monkey Gone To Heaven", "Debaser", "Planet Of Sound", "Dig Fire", "Bone Machine", and "Wave Of Mutilation (UK Surf)"...
In between their seemingly never-ending reunion jaunts, each Pixie keeps their individual musical juices moving on their own ongoing projects...
Frontman Frank Black / Black Francis is very busy with the solo thang, and Slicing Up Eyeballs has the latest on an upcoming b-sides compilation, a rock opera being put together based on his 2007 record "Bluefinger", and a list of upcoming solo dates, including some overseas festivals dates in August, and a whole lot of U.S. gigs well into September.
Guitarist Joey Santiago and drummer David Lovering teamed up to form instrumental band The Everybody last year, and quickly released their downloadable debut "Avatar". Head to their site for a variety of download options (including song stems that you can remix, or play along with, to your hearts content). They've also got a track up for use on Rock Band, if you're into that. Check their Facebook page for the latest news.
As ever, listen to any and all 'Nac-hosted Mp3s at the Hype Machine.
the fine print... If anyone has an issue with these MP3s being made available, just let me know (my contact info in the 'nac faq). Files are made available for a limited time, and are generally not reposted once removed.
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This coming Saturday, June 26th at Great Scott, Wheat will take the stage after Allston's own The Beatings - an unenviable task that is essentially a win-win for anyone in the crowd. The better the Beatings, the more pressure on Wheat to keep things rocking, but I'm pretty sure they're up to the task.
I've been a Wheat fan for over a decade now, watched as they entered and emerged from the dark tunnel of the quote-unquote recording industry, and I'm damn grateful the guys are still around, still writing and releasing songs (their latest is last year's "White Ink, Black Ink"), and still gracing area clubs with the occasional live show. Can't be easy being a long-distance Wheat fan, fingers constantly crossed that they'll journey back your way someday, so we here in Boston are obliged to pack these random gigs on their behalf.
Thanks to the band, I've got a pair of guest list spots to help do just that on Saturday, along with a swanky new Wheat t-shirt (shown below) for the winner. Rather than pick an entrant at random, this time there's a bit of a catch: Wheat trivia! Yup, drummer/keyboardist Brendan Harney has a question for you, so you'll need to put on your thinking cap (or, um, spend 30 seconds on Google) before you fire off an email to giveaways [at] bradleysalmanac [dot] com. Include your full name in the note, and write the answer to this in the subject line...
Q: What Cameron Crowe movie was Wheat's "Don't I Hold You" in?
I'll pick someone from all the correct answers received before Noon this Friday, June 25th, and let them know that they'll be on the Great Scott guest list with a plus one on Saturday night. Arrive early, not just to catch The Beatings as well, but for sets from Foredoes Me Quite and Joe Touchette III.
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Life is good, the socially-conscious, Boston-based retailer of apparel and accessories (and good vibes) held a launch party on the sun-drenched roof of their flagship Newbury Street location this evening for their annual Boston-area Life is good Festival, giving local media types a first look at the lineup for the mid-September fun fest. The kid-and-adult-friendly charitable event (100% of proceeds go towards their own Life is good Kids Foundation) has traditionally been held on the Boston Common (and once at Fenway), and 2010 sees not just a location change, but a dramatic increase in its scale, mission, and most relevantly to me personally, its musical focus.
This year the super-sized Life is good Festival, which includes three music stages, will take place September 11th and 12th on the 40-acre Prowse Farm at the foot of the Blue Hills in Canton, MA. Performers are being booked with help from Superfly Productions, the team behind the lineups of the Bonnaroo and Outside Lands fests. Boston has been starved for an independently booked, multi-day music festival, so I've been looking forward to this reveal for awhile. As I figured, headliners are geared slightly towards a hacky-kickin' crowd, but the lineup is by no means limited to the crunchy side - there's an awful lot of diversity in the list of artists involved. Not a wealth of bands you'll find in my own collection (regular 'Nac readers can pick 'em out), but plenty to get all sorts of music fans down to Canton for a couple days.
The lineup for the 2010 Life is good Festival, a "two-day celebration of music and optimism", will include sets from...
For a complete list of festival details, visit their info page, and be sure to have a look at how you can become a "VGP" (Very Good Person), which grants you some fairly special perks during the weekend. Bert and John Jacobs, brothers and co-owners of Life is good, are shooting to raise a million dollars for in-need children with this thing, and towards that end, the "VGP" program encourages additional fundraising by offering artist meet-and-greets, a special "VGP Lounge", better stage views + parking, backstage bbqs, and bonus schwag to those who gather extra funds for the kids. It's the LIG version of the "VIP" sections you see at other fests that end up being filled with industry-types and paparazzi-bait. This time, it's the generous who will get the royal treatment, as it should be.
More performers are due to be announced, and tickets will be available on June 17th through the Lig Festival website (so your services charges won't be wasted). Single-day adult tickets are 50 bucks, or $90 for both days. Kids' single-day tix are just $10, and children under 5 are free (good news for Brendan... means I don't have to add anything more to his rapidly growing future-chores tab).
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Geez... four giveaways in a row. Five if you count le Twitter. I'm either wicked generous, or a mere promotional tool, depending on your point of view. But I wouldn't be handing out this stuff if it wasn't from bands I'm genuinely into, so there's that. I will, in fact, have actual non-contest content soon. I hope.
Today brings the release date of "The Chaos", the fourth album from Sunderland, England quartet The Futureheads, which means their 'new album every two years' trend is right on schedule. Finely-tuned clockwork, they've got. Hard to believe their super-sharp self-titled debut came out way back in '04... that album pretty much knocked me on my ass (sorry, 'arse'), hitting me during a brief 'sick of music' phase, and was a much-needed dose of ultra-catchy, harmony-laden goodness. Tight, snappy, back-to-basics English pop-punk, with that killer Kate Bush cover thrown in for great measure. Loved it, still do.
The two albums since, while having their respective individual high points, haven't done as much for me as a whole... they seemed a bit more studied, not quite as brash, and perhaps suffered from my own high expectations. There's nothing like that first surprise, you know? But my initial 2004 crush, the good songs they've been stacking up, and their generally excellent live shows will keep me coming back.
After a few listens, I can safely say that album number four feels like a frenetic, energy-crammed return to form. It kicks quickly into high gear and pretty much stays there, the harmonies sound fresh again, and many of the tracks get you thinking "Man, I bet this would be even better live..." straight away.
A quick 10-date North American tour starts tonight in Brooklyn, and hits the Paradise in Boston this coming Monday, June 7th. A pair of guest list spots goes to one lucky sod who emails me by Noon this Friday, so send off a quick one to giveaways [at] bradleysalmanac [dot] com before then, title it "F'HEADS @ PARADISE", and include your city of residence. The singular condition: You'd better damn well be able to make it to the show. No wasties allowed. I'll email the winner on Friday.
I'll leave you with the first promo track from the album, which also happens to be one of my faves, courtesy of Dovecote Records, the band's excellent U.S. label...
For tickets of your very own to see the lads next week (with LA-based openers The Like), head here, or to the 'Dise box office to skip the extra charges.
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When it was announced that singer/guitarist/eccentric-genius Robyn Hitchcock would be making a special appearance when Jonathan Demme was given the Coolidge Award at Brookline's Coolidge Corner Theatre earlier this year, I had no idea what we'd be in for. I was already looking forward to seeing Demme in the flesh as he introduced his latest live concert doc ("Neil Young Trunk Show"), so getting what was rumored to be "a short set" from Mr. Hitchcock (a frequent Demme collaborator) was just about the best bonus ever. Well, his set certainly was short. A single song, in fact.
Hey, I'm not complaining - the new song, "Born On The Wind" off his most recent album with the Venus 3, "Propellor Time", was a keeper. And a little Hitchcock does go a long way... but even after a I see a full length RH set, I'm left wanting more. So when he quit the stage too quickly, I was in my seat wishing he'd get back up there.
Well, it took a few months, but my wish is coming true. On Tuesday, June 8th, Robyn Hitchcock returns to the Coolidge for a solo show, and I'm pretty well thrilled. Seems he must have felt pretty comfortable up there on that Brookline stage, considering how quickly he's coming back. It's the first of just four dates he's booked this spring (and his first area show since he performed "I Often Dream Of Trains" as a trio in Somerville in late '08), with two nights in Toronto and one in western Massachusetts to follow. We should consider ourselves lucky, to say the least, so here's hoping we can pack the place for the man.
To help do just that, the Coolidge crew has generously given me 5 pairs (yes, five) of tickets to hand out to 'Nac readers. Easily the most tix I've been able to give away for a single show, that's for sure. I'll be doling out three pair the usual way (from emailed entries), and the others on Twitter over the next few days. And yeah, feel free to enter each one separately to increase yer chances.
The email details: Send a message to giveaways [at] bradleysalmanac [dot] com before Noon this Friday, June 4th. Use "Visible Hitchcock" as the subject, include your full name, and make sure you can be at the show on Tuesday, June 8th. I'll pick three random winners who will each have a pair of tickets waiting for them at the box office that night.
For the Twitter giveaway, keep an eye on my account tomorrow, and again on Thursday, when I'll be randomly tweet a message that says "First person to reply gets a pair of tickets to Robyn Hitchcock at the Coolidge on 6/8". Which, y'know, is pretty self-explanatory.
For non-free tickets to the show, click over to the Coolidge, or visit their Brookline box office. The other dates on Robyn's short tour are...
June 8th at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline June 9th at the Iron Horse in Northampton, MA June 11th + 12th, 2010 at the Drake Hotel in Toronto
Other goings-on in Hitchcock's world...
Every few months, he lets loose a free digital single that he's calling a "Phantom 45". Each two song download is free for a short time after they get posted, after which you can buy them from his web store (and they're pretty top-notch so far). He's put up two 45s (four songs) already, with the third pair arriving on July 15th, so the cost-conscious should keep an eye on this page to score the freebie.
When Robyn played at the aforementioned Jonathan Demme event, Demme gave audience members free reign to film the performance, after which he said "something will happen" with the footage - ideally it would be compiled, edited from all those involved, and shared for fans. Well, it was never really made clear how that would happen, but fortunately Bostonian Mr. Bill T. Miller was in attendance, and he's shared his own edited footage right here.
It's been a long time since I've seen a live show, rather than a film, inside the Coolidge (anyone else remember the stunning Ida/Low double-bill years back?), so I'm really hoping this gig signals a new trend. Make it so, Coolidge.
Alright, send off those emails, keep an eye on my Twitter, and look out for a couple more 'Nac giveaways this week.
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