[Last Thursday's Playlist] New Music Night X at River Gods
Posted on | June 4, 2013 | No Comments
Ah, the tenth edition of New Music Night. Roman numeral X, people. Double-digits. Almost makes us feel legit. Almost.
By now, you may know the drill: Every couple months, my Boston-based music bloggin’ buddy Jay Clicky Clicky and I commandeer the River Gods DJ booth to play nothing but new and not-yet-released music for the masses. Friends and strangers fill the place, we drink beer, they drink beer, we eat fine food, they eat find food, we spin songs, they enjoy them. The simple ingredients of an exceptionally good time.
Here’s what I played during my two hour-long sets on Thursday night, along with links to where you can stream/download/buy the tracks. Take advantage, enrich your ears, and head over to Jay’s place for his playlists, too.
New Music Night X
at River Gods in Cambridge, MA
on Thursday, May 30th, 2013
* Boston-area band
Set one / Brad Almanac / 9pm – 10pm
01. Neil Halstead- “Spin The Bottle” (full band)
[ New version of the "Palindrome Hunches" LP track / Stream @ Soundcloud ]
02. Rose Windows – “Wartime Lovers”
[ From the upcoming "Sun Dogs" LP, out 6/25 / Stream @ Soundcloud / MP3 ]
03. Night Beds – “Ramona”
[ From the "Country Sleep" LP / Stream @ YouTube ]
04. Say Hi – “Love Love Love”
[ From the "Free Samples" film soundtrack / MP3 ]
05. Dinosaur Jr. – “Entertainment” (Phoenix cover)
[ Cover of a track from Phoenix's "Bankrupt!" LP / MP3 ]
06. Robert Pollard – “I Killed A Man Who Looks Like You”
[ From the forthcoming "Honey Locust Honky Tonk" LP, out 7/9 / Stream @ Soundcloud ]
* 07. Hallelujah The Hills – “Country Before Kings”
[ From the new "Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Trash Can" LP / Stream @ Bandcamp ]
08. Baptist Generals – “Dog That Bit You”
[ From the new "Jackleg Devotional To The Heart" LP / MP3 ]
* 09. Bill Janovitz – “Heckscher Park”
[ from the fan-funded "Walt Whitman Mall" LP / Stream @ Bandcamp ]
10. Overseas – “Down Below”
[ From the self-titled debut, out June 7th on Undertow ]
11. Ola Podrida – “Not Ready To Stop”
[ from their new "Ghosts Go Blind" LP ]
12. Owen – “Bad Blood”
[ From the upcoming "L'Ami du Peuple" LP, out 7/2 on Polyvinyl / Stream @ Soundcloud ]
13. The Mantles – “Hello”
[ From the "Long Enough To Leave" LP, out 6/18 on Slumberland / Stream @ Slumberland ]
14. Plates Of Cake – “Late Last London”
[ From the "Teenage Evil" LP / Stream @ Bandcamp ]
15. Camera Obscura – “Do It Again”
[ From the "Desire Lines" LP, out 6/3 via 4AD / Stream @ YouTube ]
16. The Pastels – “Check My Heart”
[ From the "Slow Summits" LP, out now via Domino / Stream @ YouTube ]
17. Standard Fare – “Rumours”
[ From their last-ever 7-inch 
/ Stream @ Bandcamp ]
Set two / Brad Almanac / 11pm – midnight
18. Standard Fare – “Out of Sight”
[ B-side from their final 7-inch / Stream @ Bandcamp ]
19. Kid Canaveral – “Who Would Want to be Loved”
[ From the "Now That You Are A Dancer" LP ]
* 20. Bent Shapes- “Behead Yrself Pt. 2”
[ From their upcoming debut full-length / Stream @ Soundcloud / MP3 ]
21. Sweet Baboo – “If I Died”
[ Opening tracks from the "Ships" LP / Stream @ Soundcloud ]
22. Reversing Falls – “I Think We’ve Got A Problem”
[ From the self-titled debut LP / Stream @ Bandcamp ]
23. Peyton Pinkerton – “Pharmacies and Bars”
[ From his first-ever solo LP ]
24. Field Mouse – “Tomorrow Is Yesterday”
[ From their eventual debut LP / Stream @ Bandcamp ]
25. Sky Larkin – “Motto”
[ From their upcoming 3rd LP / Stream @ Soundcloud ]
* 26. Slowdim – “Don’t Cough Me Out”
[ From their self-titled debut LP / Stream @ Bandcamp ]
27. Editors – “A Ton Of Love”
[ From the upcoming "The Weight Of Your Love" LP / Stream @ Soundcloud ]
28. The Love Language – “Calm Down”
[ From the upcoming "Ruby Red" LP, out 7/23 on Merge / Stream @ Soundcloud ]
29. Said The Whale – “I Love You”
[ Title track from their new EP / Stream @ Soundcloud ]
30. Girls vs Boys – “It’s a Diamond Life”
[ New song released out of nowhere / Stream @ Soundcloud / MP3 ]
31. Red Hare – “Horace”
[ From their new "Nites of Midnite" LP, out on Dischord / Stream @ YouTube ]
32. Two Inch Astronaut – “Blood From A Loyal Hound”
[ From the "Bad Brother" LP, due out 6/18 / Stream @ Bandcamp ]
* 33. Ghost Box Orchestra – “Rhythm of the Hills”
[ From the new "Vanished" LP / Stream @ Bandcamp ]
34. The National – “This Is The Last Time”
[ From the "Trouble Will Find Me" LP, out now on 4AD ]
35. Withered Hand – “(It’s A) Wonderful Lie”
[ From the limited edition "In Betweens" 10-inch EP ]
Keep your eyes open for the eleventh edition of New Music Night on another Thursday in late July…
[It's Here!] 2013 Independent Film Festival Boston: The Music Docs
Posted on | April 24, 2013 | 2 Comments
It has arrived: The opening night of the 11th annual Independent Film Festival Boston is this evening at the Somerville Theatre. Spending some quality time in a darkened theater, escaping into some well-made stories… well, that’s exactly what many of us could use right about now. The staff of IFFBoston has always taken meticulous care in selecting their lineup, so even if you ignored all the recommendations and film synopses and just picked a few random screenings, odds are you’d find something new to love.
As usual, there’s a strong showing for music-related documentaries among the nearly 100 films being shown during the 7 days and nights of this year’s fest. Here’s a quick rundown, along with a bunch of my personal non-music picks at the bottom…
Downloaded
directed by Alex Winter (in attendance)
AKA “The Napster Documentary”. An in-depth look at the creation of the true killer app – the one that started the total transformation of the music business – coded right here in Boston by Shawn Fanning in the dorms at Northeastern University. Interview subjects in the film include Henry Rollins, Billy Corgan, Mike D from the Beastie Boys, and Noel Gallagher. Director Alex Winter (yes, that Alex Winter – Bill from Bill & Ted) will be at the screening for a Q&A.
Screening at the Somerville Theatre on Friday, April 26th at 7:00 PM
Tickets / Facebook / FB Event page / IMDB / Trailer:
Muscle Shoals
directed by Greg Camalier
Muscle Shoals, Alabama is home to the legendary FAME Studios, where Rich Hall helped make the truly iconic recordings that came to define the “Muscle Shoals Sound”. The roster of those who recorded there is stacked: Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and Etta James just to name. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Percy Sledge, Gregg Allman, Bono, and Alicia Keys are among the interview subjects.
Screening at the Brattle Theatre on Sunday, April 28th at 6:00 PM
Tickets / Facebook / IMDB / Trailer:
The Punk Singer
directed by Sini Anderson
Kathleen Hanna. If you’re a fan, you’ve already clicked the link to buy tickets below. This is her story, from her days fronting Bikini Kill, helping define a grrl-powered movement, shifting gears into electro with Le Tigre and Julie Ruin, all the while remaining outspoken, always interesting, and always herself. Includes interviews with Carrie Brownstein, (husband) Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz, Kim Gordon, Joan Jett, Corin Tucker, and bandmate J.D. Samson.
Screening at the Somerville Theatre on Thursday, April 25th at 9:45 PM
Tickets / Facebook / Kickstarter / IMDB / Trailer:
Taken By Storm: The Art of Storm Thorgerson and Hipgnosis
directed by Roddy Bogawa
This profile of graphic designer Storm Thorgerson and his Hipgnosis studios takes on an added weight in the wake of his death just last week. While his work is mostly closely linked to Pink Floyd (he designed nearly all of their LP covers), his full discography is absolutely insane, and it’s a safe bet you have a Hipgnosis-designed cover in your music collection. Hell, I’m looking at a Catherine Wheel cover he designed sitting next to me right now. Given those credits, it’s no surprise that the list of interviews in the documentary is long and impressive: David Gilmour, Robert Plant, Peter Gabriel, Noel & Fergal from The Cranberries, Rob from Catherine Wheel, Dominic from Muse, and more.
Screening at the Brattle Theatre on Friday, April 26th at 9:30 PM
Tickets / Website / Facebook / IMDB / Trailer:
Subtitled “The Untold Story of the Voices That Helped Shape Popular Music”, this one’s for the backup singers. The unheralded angels who have, for so many years, lent their voices to a litany of popular names while they themselves linger in relative obscurity. A few make it into the public eye (like subject Darlene Love), but most stay on the sidelines, and many are content to do so – to remain anonymous workhorses while others share the spotlight. This film turns that spotlight around for a moment.
Screening at the Somerville Theatre on Sunday, April 28th at 3:30 PM
Tickets / Website / Facebook / IMDB / Trailer:
A few more movies that jump out at me from this year’s lineup. Click film titles for screening info…
Passes and individual tickets for the 2013 Independent Film Festival Boston are available here. It starts tonight, April 24th, at the Somerville Theatre, and ends next Tuesday, April 30th at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline. In between it spreads to the Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square and new venues at UMass Boston and Theatre 1 at the Revere Hotel in Boston.
For up-to-date info, follow IFFBoston on Facebook and Twitter. See you in the seats.
[Last Night's Playlist] New Music Night IX at River Gods
Posted on | March 22, 2013 | No Comments
Another evening well-spent, alternating hours up in the River Gods DJ nook with my pal Jay Clicky Clicky, playing nothing but new songs under our NEW MUSIC NIGHT moniker. We’re back on the every-other-month schedule, and we already know when the next one is: Mark down Thursday night, May 30th, for the tenth edition of NMN. Double-digits, kids. Maybe we’ll do something extra special for #10? Ticket giveaways? Hugging (DJ) booth? Oh, the possibilities.
Here’s what I played last night, along with links to where you can hear/download/buy the tracks. So click through and listen up. And check over here for Jay’s playlists, too.
New Music Night IX
at River Gods in Cambridge, MA
on Thursday, March 21st, 2013
* Boston-area band
Set one / Brad Almanac / 9pm – 10pm
* 01. Hallelujah The Hills – “The Three Minute Mark”
[ from their Winter 2013 single / stream & buy at Bandcamp ]
02. Mount Moriah – “Younger Days”
[ from their new Merge Records LP, "Miracle Temple" / stream the album ]
03. Neko Case – “That’s Who I Am”
[ from the "Ghost Brothers of Darkland County" soundtrack / stream via Soundcloud ]
04. Low – “So Blue”
[ from their new "Invisible Way" LP / MP3 ]
05. John Vanderslice – “A Better Whirlpool” (Bowie / “Big Brother” cover)
[ from his full-album covering of Bowie's "Diamond Dogs" LP / MP3 ]
06. Ola Podrida – “Staying In”
[ from the "Ghosts Go Blind" LP, due out 4/30 / MP3 ]
07. Ex Cops – “Separator”
[ from the "True Hallucinations" LP / Video ]
08. Gold Paint – “Hold On”
[ from the "Faraway Places" EP & 7-inch / stream & buy at Bandcamp ]
09. Beach Fossils – “Careless”
[ from the "Clash The Truth" LP / MP3 ]
10. Wax Idols – “When It Happens”
[ from the "Discipline and Desire" LP, out next Tuesday / stream at Soundcloud ]
11. The House Of Love – “A Baby Got Back On Its Feet”
[ from the "She Paints Word In Red" LP, out next week / stream at Soundcloud ]
12. Suede – “Barriers”
[ from the "Bloodsports" LP / stream at Soundcloud ]
13. My Bloody Valentine – “New You”
[ from the "MBV" LP / listen at YouTube ]
14. Kid Canaveral – “The Wrench”
[ from the "Now That You Are A Dancer" LP / stream at Soundcloud ]
15. Tullycraft – “Lost In Light Rotation”
[ Title track from their forthcoming LP & new 7-inch / Video / stream at Soundcloud ]
16. The Little Ones – “Forro”
[ from "The Dawn Sang Along" LP / stream & buy at Bandcamp ]
17. The History Of Apple Pie – “See You”
[ from the "Out of View" LP / stream at Soundcloud ]
18. Mariage Blanc – “Footsteps”
[ from the "Undercurrents" LP / stream & buy via Bandcamp ]
Set two / Brad Almanac / 11pm – midnight
19. Mikal Cronin – “Shout It Out”
[ from his forthcoming "MCII" LP, out 5/7 on Merge / stream on Soundcloud ]
20. Golden Grrrls – “We’ve Got…”
[ from their new self-titled LP on Slumberland / stream on Soundcloud ]
* 21. Fat History Month – “Bad History Month”
[ title track from forthcoming LP, out 4/1 on Exploding in Sound / stream at Bandcamp ]
* 22. Bookkeeper – “Glory”
[ from the "Elphino" EP / stream & buy at Bandcamp / MP3 ]
23. Kingsbury Manx – “Future Hunter”
[ from "The Bronze Age" LP / stream at Soundcloud ]
24. The Replacements – “I’m Not Sayin” (Gordon Lightfoot cover)
[ from the "Songs For Slim" benefit EP / stream at P4K ]
* 25. Broken River Prophet – “Persephone”
[ from the "A Dagger & A Dove" LP / stream & buy at Bandcamp ]
26. Desaparecidos – “Anonymous”
[ from their new 7-inch / stream at Soundcloud ]
27. Telekinesis – “Wires”
[ from the forthcoming "Dormarion" LP, out 4/2 on Merge / Video ]
28. Survival Knife – “Traces Of Me”
[ from their new Sub Pop 7-inch / stream the b-side at Soundcloud ]
* 29. Ho-Ag – “See You At The Brush Pass”
[ from the "World-Destroying Zig-Zags" LP / stream at Bandcamp ]
30. Ghost Box Orchestra – “Vader”
[ from the forthcoming "Vanished" LP, out on 5/14 / stream at Bandcamp ]
* 31. Young Adults – “Context”
[ from the "Born in '91" EP / stream at Bandcamp ]
* 32. Z*L - “Steev Millar”
[ from the forthcoming self-titled debut LP, out 4/23 on Midriff Records ]
33. Yo La Tengo – “Cornelia and Jane”
[ from the "Fade" LP ]
34. Rose Melberg – “Tonight You Belong To Me” (Patience & Prudence cover)
[ from her "September" covers cassette, available via Lost Sound Tapes ]
Next up for NMN: Thursday, May 30th. When winter will be well behind us. Right?
[Almanac Live Archive Project] Volume Two
Posted on | March 10, 2013 | 1 Comment
Unsurprisingly, the second installment of my Almanac Live Archive project is a bit later than I’d planned. I was shooting for weekly, resigned myself to monthly, and ended up hitting the 6 week mark. Ah well. The third won’t be as long a wait, I promise (ok, not really).
In the first volume, I re-shared live songs & sets from Chisel in 1994, The Church in 1988, Fugazi in ’95, Ida at MFABoston in 2005, The Karl Hendricks Trio from 2004, Versus in 2000, Low & Pedro the Lion in 2005, Ted Leo in 2004, (nearly) the entire 1992 Sub Pop Vermonstress Fest, and a London set from The Wedding Present in ’92.
This time I’ve re-posted and zipped up old Almanac sets from The National, Nada Surf, Rilo Kiley, Crayon, the Softies, The Lucksmiths, Ladybug Transistor, & Pipas. Go on and grab ‘em, and check back for the third installment in the series sometime… soon… ish….
The National – Cambridge, MA 6/4/2005
15 song set from TT the Bears
[MP3] The National – “Abel”
Rilo Kiley & Nada Surf – South Burlington, VT 5/21/2005
Sets from both bands at Higher Ground
[MP3] Nada Surf – “The Way You Wear Your Head”
[MP3] Rilo Kiley – “Paint’s Peeling”
Crayon – Burlington, VT 7/2/1994
9 songs at 242 Main, transferred from an old VHS tape
[MP3] Crayon – “Knee-High Susan”
The Softies – Burlington, Vermont 7/2/1994
7 songs at 242 Main, transferred from an old VHS tape
[MP3] The Softies – “Goodbye“
The Lucksmiths, Ladybug Transistor, & Pipas – Somerville, MA 5/7/2005
35 songs from a special night at PA’s Lounge
[MP3] The Lucksmiths – “Camera Shy“
[MP3] Ladybug Transistor – “Splendor In The Grass“
[MP3] Pipas – “Book Launch“
The Wedding Present – Cambridge, MA 4/28/2005
21 songs live at the Middle East Downstairs
[MP3] The Wedding Present – “Dalliance“
[Almanac Live Archive Project] Volume One
Posted on | January 28, 2013 | 1 Comment
As you may or may not have noticed, after a dozen years on the Blogger platform, I’ve recently migrated ye olde Almanac over to WordPress. While working out the kinks, and fixing up the links, I’ve been going through many old ‘Nac posts and cleaning ‘em up a bit. Doing so has got me thinking…
Before server space became cheap as dirt, I’d post recordings for a short time only, then pull them down to make room for the new. With that limitation long-since-gone, it’s high time I took advantage of the extra gigs. With extra gigs. Yeah, I’ve decided to re-up just about every live recording I’ve ever shared, one by one. This is no small task, but should ultimately prove to be a pretty satisfying undertaking. Well, maybe more for you than for me, but still.
I’ll be sharing the re-ups in batches of 10 or so, repairing broken links and images, uploading .zip files to make things easier to grab, and in some cases, adding live songs when I originally only shared partial sets.
Here’s Volume One of what I’ve dubbed The Almanac Live Archive Project, with a link to each original post and a sample track from each set. Keep in mind, a few of the early recordings I’ve shared are from other sources, and vary wildly in quality. The fidelity should even out in future installments. Enjoy. And if you find any broken links, let me know…
Chisel – Burlington, VT 4/16/1994
9 song set from the 1st Burlingtonitus fest
[MP3] “Sunburn” (live)
The Church – NYC 6/9/1988
8 song set at the Ritz
[MP3] “Tantalized” (live)
Fugazi – Burlington, Vermont 4/9/1995
Full 22 song set at Memorial Auditorium
[MP3] “Bed For The Scraping” (live)
Ida – MFA Boston 2/20/2005
Full set from the MFA Boston’s Remis Auditorium
[MP3] “Late Blues” (live)
The Karl Hendricks Trio – Boston 11/11/2004
5 songs from a set at Great Scott in Allston
[MP3] “Overweight Lovers” (live)
Low & Pedro the Lion – Somerville, MA 2/7/2005
Full sets from the Somerville Theatre
[MP3] Low – “Sunflower” (live)
[MP3] Pedro the Lion – “Revolution Blues” (live)
(Neil Young cover with Low’s Alan Sparhawk on guitar)
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists – Cambridge, MA 12/9/2004
Full set at the Middle East Downstairs
[MP3] “The High Party” (live)
Vermonstress – A Sub Pop Music Festival
14 bands in Burlington, Vermont in October 1992
[MP3] Drop Nineteens – “My Aquarium” (live)
[MP3] Pond – “Perfect Four” (live)
[MP3] Six Finger Satellite – “Sex Transistor” (live)
[MP3] Green Magnet School – “Penance” (live)
Versus – Chicago 10/26/2000
4 songs from a set at the Empty Bottle
[MP3] “Blade of Grass” (live)
The Wedding Present – London 7/7/1992 (Part 1) / (Part 2)
At the Astoria Theater
[MP3] “Dare” (live)
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- LD on [It's Here!] 2013 Independent Film Festival Boston: The Music Docs
- Norm Schrager on [It's Here!] 2013 Independent Film Festival Boston: The Music Docs
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