bradley's almanac - a boston-based music blog

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thursday, september 2nd

lou barlow + the missingmen

wye oak

the unfamiliars

@ the middle east upstairs

saturday, september 4th

mg lederman (ex-victory at sea)

cd release show with

the wrong reasons

the beat awfuls

brant deatley

@ the plough & stars

sunday, september 5th

sweet apple

(w/j mascis on drums)

black helicopter

zombie radio

@ the middle east downstairs

sunday, september 5th

the milling gowns

what time is it, mr. fox?

faux ox

jaggery

@ harper's ferry

monday, september 6th

wallcreeper

@ charlie's kitchen

monday, september 6th

shellac

helen money

@ the middle east downstairs

tuesday, september 7th

tortoise

greg davis

ben vidas

@ the paradise

tuesday, september 7th

someone still loves you boris yeltsin

telekinesis

golden bloom

@ tt the bears

tuesday, september 7th

kele (from bloc party)

does it offend you, yeah?

@ the royale boston

wednesday, september 8th

hot hot heat

22-20s

hey rosetta!

@ the middle east downstairs

wednesday, september 8th

airborne toxic event (acoustic)

with the calder string quartet

@ the somerville theatre

thursday, september 9th

apple betty

this blue heaven

the backup factor

apollo run

@ tt the bears

friday, september 10th

i, pistol

black fortress of opium

the crushing low

@ precinct

friday, september 10th

the charlatans uk

sherlock's daughter

@ the royale boston

saturday, september 11th

school of seven bells

active child

@ the middle east downstairs

saturday, september 11th

neutral uke hotel (nmh covers on ukelele)

the michael j. epstein memorial library

@ cafe 939, berklee

saturday, september 11th

28 degrees taurus

magic shoppe (record release!)

@ the rosebud

saturday, september 11th

jamie lidell

@ the royale boston

friday + saturday

september 11th + 12th

the life is good festival

lots of bands, raising money for kids

over 2 days in canton, ma

sunday, september 12th

jarrod gorbel

(of the honorary title)

air traffic controller

@ great scott

sunday, september 12th

blondie

@ the house of blues

sunday, september 12th

vampire weekend

beach house

dum dum girls

@ the boa pavilion

monday, september 13th

dirty projectors

owen pallett (final fantasy)

@ the wilbur theatre

monday, september 13th

isobel campbell

mark lanegan

willy mason

@ the middle east downstairs

tuesday, september 14th

rush

@ the td garden

wednesday, september 15th

laura veirs + the hall of flames

the watson twins

led to sea

@ tt the bears

thursday, september 16th

of montreal

janelle monae

@ the house of blues boston

friday, september 17th

one happy island

kevin dunn

cotton candy

7:30pm @ the lily pad, cambridge

friday, september 17th

broken social scene

@ the house of blues

friday & saturday

september 17th & 18th

the 5th annual

viva la vinal festival!

with live performances from

audrey ryan, kingsley flood,

this blue heaven, bridget + the squares,

the international string trio, & justin shorey

6-10pm on friday + 12-9 on saturday

@ somerville community growing center

on vinal ave. in somerville's union square

saturday, september 18th

pavement

jenny (lewis) + johnny (rice)

@ agganis arena

saturday, september 18th

wavves

@ brandeis university, waltham

sunday, september 19th

thee oh sees

the human tail

thick shakes

@ the magic room gallery, brighton

sunday, september 19th

caribou

holy fuck

emeralds

@ the paradise

monday, september 20th

girlfriends

carnivores

weekend dads

@ o'brien's

tuesday, september 21st

superchunk

versus

@ royale boston

tuesday, september 21st

basia bulat

the acorn

john shade

@ tt the bears

tuesday, september 21st

sea wolf (alex acoustic)

sera cahoone

patrick park

@ the middle east upstairs

wednesday, september 22nd

phantogram

railbird

@ the paradise

wednesday, september 22nd

david bazan

the mynabirds

@ tt the bears

wednesday, september 22nd

field music

@ great scott

thursday, september 23rd

aloud (album release party!)

st. claire

old jack

with special emcee

poet/author james caroline

@ church of boston

thursday, september 23rd

stars

wild nothing

@ the house of blues

thursday, september 23rd

!!! (chk chk chk)

fol chen

@ the royale boston

thursday, september 23rd

bettie serveert

meandjoancollins

the painted lights

@ tt the bears

friday, september 24th

eels

@ the royale boston

saturday, september 25th

teenage fanclub

@ the royale boston

saturday, september 25th

james

ed harcourt

@ the paradise

sunday, september 26th

come (reunited!)

wussy

@ tt the bears

sunday, september 26th

mr. sister (debut album release!)

coyote kolb

tallahassee

@ great scott

sunday, september 26th

mates of state

@ the paradise

monday, september 27th

rogue wave

midlake

peter wolf crier

@ royale boston

tuesday, september 28th

lcd soundsystem

sleigh bells

@ the orpheum

tuesday, september 28th

best coast

male bonding

@ the middle east downstairs

wednesday, september 29th

quilt

paper castles

toothache

@ the lilypad

wednesday, september 29th

foals

esben + the witch

@ the paradise

thursday, september 30th

mc frontalot

@ tt the bears

thursday, september 30th

menomena

suckers

@ the royale boston

thursday + friday

sept 30th + oct 1st

built to spill

revolt revolt

pretty & nice

@ the paradise

friday, october 1st

the tallest man on earth

s. carey (of bon iver's band)

@ the somerville theatre

friday, october 1st

ra ra riot

chikita violenta

we barbarians

@ the royale boston

saturday, october 2nd

gayngs

(with bon iver's justin vernon)

glasser

@ the paradise

saturday, october 2nd

film school

the depreciation guild

static of the gods

night fruit

@ tt the bears

sunday, october 3rd

the xx

@ the orpheum

sunday, october 3rd

tom tom club

caravan of thieves

tony castles

@ the paradise

sunday, october 3rd

lost in the trees

@ tt the bears

tuesday, october 5th

the vaselines

jeffrey lewis

@ the paradise

tuesday, october 5th

chapterhouse

ulrich schnauss

@ the middle east downstairs

tuesday, october 5th

ratatat

dom

@ the house of blues boston

wednesday, october 6th

gorillaz

@ agganis arena

wednesday, october 6th

the hold steady

wintersleep

@ the royale boston

thursday, october 7th

the walkmen

a.a. bondy

blood feathers

@ the royale boston

friday, october 8th

death

@ the middle east downstairs

friday, october 8th

fountains of wayne

marshall crenshaw (solo)

@ the paradise

friday, october 8th

bell x1 (acoustic)

@ the brattle theatre

saturday, october 9th

paul f. tompkins

@ the brattle theatre

sunday, october 10th

deerhoof

xiu xiu

father murphy

first show @ the paramount!

sunday, october 10th

miike snow

@ the house of blues

sunday, october 10th

primus

mucca pazza

@ the orpheum

tuesday, october 12th

ingrid michaelson

@ the house of blues

wednesday, october 13th

dead kennedys

@ the paradise

thursday, october 14th

the thermals

cymbals eat guitars

@ the paradise

thursday, october 14th

the morning after girls

the lovetones

the december sound

ghost box orchestra

@ tt the bears

friday, october 15th

nick lowe + his band

graham parker (solo acoustic)

@ the somerville theatre

friday, october 15th

jimmy eat world

@ the house of blues

friday, october 15th

bowerbirds

death vessel

@ tt the bears

friday, october 15th

belle + sebastian

@ the wang theatre / citi center

saturday, october 16th

deerhunter

real estate

casino vs. japan

@ royale boston

sunday, october 17th

the henry clay people

the dig

@ tt the bears

monday, october 18th

greg dulli

(afghan whigs/twilight singers)

first-ever solo tour

with opener craig wedren

(of shudder to think)

@ the brattle theatre

monday, october 18th

bad religion

the bouncing souls

@ the house of blues

monday, october 18th

the drums

the hairs

@ the paradise

monday, october 18th

phoenix

two door cinema club

wavves

@ agganis arena

tuesday, october 19th

massive attack

thievery corporation

@ the orpheum

wednesday, october 20th

the pains of being pure at heart

yuck

eternal summers

@ the paradise

wednesday, october 20th

helmet

@ the middle east downstairs

sunday, october 22nd

gary numan

rasputina

playing 'the pleasure principle'

@ the paradise

saturday, october 23rd

local natives

the ruby suns

union line

@ the house of blues

sunday, october 24th

woven bones

frankie rose & the outs

@ tt the bears

monday, october 25th

the corin tucker band

hungry ghost

darren hanlon

@ the paradise

wednesday, october 27th

a sunny day in glasgow

candy claws

@ great scott

wednesday, october 27th

black prairie

(members of the decemberists)

sarah jarosz

@ the middle east upstairs

thursday, october 28th

the tt's halloween bash

with members of mean creek + campaign

for real time (as talking heads)

john powhida (as todd rundgren)

preacher roe (as guided by voices)

@ tt the bears

friday, october 29th

frightened rabbit

plants and animals

the phantom band

@ the paradise

saturday, october 30th

hallelujah the hills

magic magic

boy without god

@ great scott

sunday, october 31st

florence and the machine

the smith westerns

@ the house of blues

monday, november 1st

blonde redhead

pantha du prince

@ the paradise

monday, november 1st

social distortion

lucero

frank turner

@ the house of blues boston

tuesday, november 2nd

junip (jose gonzales)

sharon van etten

@ the royale boston

tuesday, november 2nd

black mountain

the black angels

@ the paradise

wednesday, november 3rd

the dandy warhols

blue giant

@ tt the bears

wednesday, november 3rd

land of talk

suuns

little scream

@ tt the bears

thursday, november 4th

through sunday, november 7th

the international pop overthrow

4 nights @ pa's lounge

thursday, november 4th

matt + kim

javelin

@ the house of blues

thursday, november 4th

blitzen trapper

@ the paradise

friday, november 5th

guided by voices

blitzen trapper

@ the paradise

sunday, november 7th

drivin 'n cryin

@ tt the bears

monday, november 8th

clinic

the fresh & onlys

@ the paradise

tuesday, november 9th

the morning benders

@ the paradise

thursday + friday

november 11th + 12th

sufjan stevens

@ the orpheum

thursday, november 11th

shearwater

horse feathers

damien jurado

anais mitchell

@ the house of blues

thursday, november 11th

deer tick

@ the royale boston

thursday, november 11th

mumford & sons

cadillac sky

king charles

@ the house of blues

friday, november 12th

bottomless pit

black helicopter

chris brokaw

@ the middle east downstairs

saturday, november 13th

roky erickson

@ the royale boston

saturday, november 13th

grinderman

(nick cave, warren ellis, + more)

@ the house of blues

sunday, november 14th

elizabeth mitchell (of ida)

and friends

(a children's show!)

4:30pm @ club passim

sunday, november 14th

man or astro-man?

@ the middle east downstairs

monday, november 15th

la roux

@ the house of blues

tuesday, november 16th

a night of springsteen covers

with chris keene (mean creek),

corin ashley, dave aaronoff,

brendan little, hilken mancini,

the dirty truckers, drew o'doherty,

and more to be announced

marking the release of the new

6-disk 'darkness on the edge of town'

box set @ tt the bears

tuesday, november 16th

the posies

brendan benson

aqueduct

@ the royale boston

wednesday, november 17th

cornershop

@ the middle east downstairs

thursday, november 18th

kate nash

@ the paradise

thursday, november 18th

bear in heaven

@ the middle east downstairs

friday, november 19th

township

the lights out

the organ beats

@ tt the bears

saturday, november 20th

delorean

lemonade

@ the middle east downstairs

wednesday, november 24th

idlewild

happy hollows

@ the middle east downstairs

thursday, december 2nd

director/actor kevin smith

@ the house of blues

saturday, december 4th

peter hook + the light

play joy division's "unknown pleasures"

@ the royale boston

saturday, december 4th

killing joke

@ the paradise

visit tourfilter for more shows

Hoo-boy. The blog backlog threatens to bury me so deep that you'd likely never hear from me again. You should only be so lucky. Insert work-and-play-related excuses about my lack of updates here. You've heard 'em all before...

And so ReaganFest 2004 has come to an end. The world keeps turning, Iraqi car bombs keep coming, Bush and Kerry return to their regularly scheduled campaigning. My self-imposed media blackout over, I can finally turn on NPR again... and of course they're in the middle of another endless fund drive. Necessary evil abounds.

Uh oh. Could our appointed president actually be cracking? I wouldn't put too much faith (so to speak) in the source of that article, but it's good for a laugh. Actually, if it's even remotely true, there's no laughs to be had. Watch out, Mr. Morrissey, or he might send a gun-totin' god-squad after ya. I'm guessing he's not a fan.

Just ten days until Fahrenheit 9/11 opens nationwide, and it's good to know that the Coolidge will be showing it (as if it wouldn't be shown in Boston... yeah, right). My pal Micki was lucky enough to see an early screening of it out in LA, and her review has me even more psyched up. I've heard so much about the film, from both sides of the fence, that I'm eager to finally see it for myself, to make up my own mind about what is fact and what could be Moore-tinted embellishment. I've heard he stepped back a bit in this one, and let the footage speak more for itself, which is only good news. My high hope is that Moore's detractors, and even W's supporters, can keep their minds open enough to see it. If anything, they might go in to see what they're up against, and come out with a bit of truth. Which could be exactly why some won't go at all.

Oh, and hey, Mr. Ray Bradbury... lighten up.

Speaking of both sides of the fence, I've found myself often stopping by the two-month-old blog of Sergeant Chris Missick, a place he calls A Line in the Sand. He writes regularly from his battalion's current position along the Iraq-Kuwait border, and while I may disagree with his politics (he's a die-hard Republican, an unabashed Reagan fan, he worked on the Bush campaign back in 2000), we find common ground in our love of Elliott Smith, Sondre Lerche, and the Kings of Convenience.

He's an excellent writer, enthusiastic, and it seems, a damn good soldier. I'm getting a lot from his words, experiencing no small part of his perspective, trying to empathize with those like him on the ground, there to do a job and do it well, helping to fight for what they believe in.

Things nowadays are so splintered, so overwhelmingly partisan, that it can be too easy to dismiss those we don't agree with. To knee-jerk label others 'the enemy', place our hands over our ears while shouting unwavering messages at each other, no one really listening. Those messages, and any middle ground, get lost in the delivery, and this lack of respect will never lead to real change. That's why I keep Chris' ALITS bookmarked, 'cuz I can disagree with him and still respect the hell out of him. He's not using his blog to put down people who don't share his views, not spouting propaganda, and in his own thoughtful words, "Everyone is welcome here."

While we're on the subject of "real change", please go register to vote if you haven't yet. It's become so much easier ... print out, sign, and mail. There are no excuses, aside from outright apathy.

This link's for Sergeant Missick... every Elliott Smith b-side, available for download. An online treasure trove.

If you're a Pixies fan, you already know this, but I can't not mention it... they've released a new freakin' song. It's called Bam Thwok, a catchy little Kim-fronted number, and you can download it through iTunes. Can you hear the buzzing modulations of the universe? Can you hear her channeling Fozzie Bear? Sure, I knew you could.

Glad to hear that Serenity, the feature film launched from the excellent (and Fox-killed) TV series Firefly, has an official release date of April 22nd, 2005. Filming is well under way, and one fan was fortunate enough to get cast as an extra on the shoot. Head on over to the official messageboard (Browncoats know it as "the OB") to read about his experience, which includes a tour of the set. Sign in as a 'guest' if you don't want to register for delphi, or head on over here to check out photos from his on-set visit.

Speaking of sci-fi series given new life, the Farscape mini-series is getting closer. The final season ended in a serious cliffhanger, so it's damn nice to see promo shots from the four-hour follow-up, "Farscape: Peacekeeper War", appear online. Hard to believe it's really happening until you see that cast together again. More photos can be found here and here.

Finally, Pee Wee's Playhouse is coming to DVD this fall. An injustice will finally be remedied. 45 episodes, including 6 "lost" ones. If I ever have kids, I'll so be looking forward to sharing these with 'em.

Our close friends will find this seriously funny: We bought Dance Dance Revolution. Yes, Amie and I have jumped on the DDR train, and we're dancin' fools. Two-player, pad-hopping action in our livingroom, scaring the hell outta the pets. Can't remember the last time I've laughed so hard as when we tried the training levels and fell all over our feet. We're getting better, little by little, but so far... Amie has the distinct edge. Not just in skill, but she looks a hell of a lot less goofy than yours truly. No surprise there.

Just in case you're in the mood to get completely freaked out, and relive the Bizarro episode of Sealab 2021, here's a Turtleface soundboard for ya. Or maybe your job's gotcha down? Listen to some Lumbergh samples and remember... it could always be worse.

Pedro the Lion fans, take note. They're posting a new live recording every single day from their current U.S. tour. After each show, they send a set recording to their manager/webmaster, and he picks one track to share up a few days later. Each song is only available for a short time, so add this page to your daily links to make sure you don't miss out.

Oh, you'll need a username and password to access them, which is located in the liner notes of their new disc, Achilles Heel. And no, I'm not telling. Buy it, ya bum.

A couple of my northern friends have some musical news to share ...

Rykodisc just made it offical, and announced their signing of the one and only James Kochalka Superstar. His march towards inevitable world-domination continues.

North of January just released "Her Life of Crime", an album of perfect pop from Colin Clary & the Magogs. Colin writes some great songs, and his friends help him fill 'em out. Download the sample track, then make with the purchasing.

NYC-based comedian Eugene Mirman sure does make me laugh. Nice to know he makes the fine folks at Suicide Squeeze laugh, too. They'll be releasing his next CD/DVD this October.

It can be a long, lonely wait between Dennis Lehane novels (although it feels like he followed up Mystic River fairly quickly with Shutter Island). In the meantime, have a look at this short story he wrote for Atlantic Monthly. Nice of 'em to put it online for those of us who missed the print version.

Not-so-guilty pleasure admission: Ok, I've been watching the Real World this season. And I am not ashamed. Looking for a Frankie fix since she left the show? Wanna know what happened after she bailed? How about a little story in her local newspaper? That'll do.

Gah. This post is never ending.

Jamie over at The Graphic Novels forum was kind enough to scan, crop, and share a bunch of comic-related AIM buddy icons. V for Vendetta, the Watchmen, Lone Wolf & Cub, a bunch more. I've got Ogami Itto going on right now.

Newsweek gives us early ignition on the hype-machine that will herald Batman Begins. It's a good article that actually gives me a bit hope. As Ren would say... "No rubber neeples!" Even more pictures here.

I've got a bunch more to say, but work looms large. I still wanna write about my first hike in the Middlesex Fells with Neeners, and the free movie previews I've seen lately (Stepford Wives: what a mess, Riddick: grand & goofy, Notebook: manipulative, but it got me, and tonight is The Terminal). I happily shelled out the cash for Twilight Samurai and was absolutely blown away. High up in my favorite films of the year, so far. Do yourself a favor and go see it if it's near ya.

I'll end this overlong post on a sad note, something I just learned that's been sitting with me all morning...

Most people outside Toronto may not know his name, but Tom Cheek is just one hell of a guy. He's the radio broadcaster for the Blue Jays, for their entire history in fact. He went over 4,300 games without missing a single one. 27 years straight worth of games... just imagine that kind of accomplishment. Picture doing anything 4,300 consecutive times. Mind-boggling.

To me, though, he's not just a broadcaster, but a longtime family friend. He lived next door to us for years while I was growing up in Essex Junction, Vermont, with his wife Shirley and their three kids, Tommy, Lisa, and Jeff. I liked the Cheek kids a lot, and have such fond memories of shared walks to school, holiday parties, and afternoons in their pool. I also remember how sad I was when they moved away, off to Toronto so Tom could call the Jays games.

One of the most vivid memories of my childhood is the trip we took over the border to visit them... Tom got us some great tickets to a game, of course, but surprised me with a tour of the clubhouse and a visit to the dugout to meet the players. For a little league-loving 11 year-old, it really doesn't get any better than that. To top it off, he says my name during the broadcast, and afterwards hands me a ball, signed by the entire team. He knew how much it meant to me then, and those memories still mean an awful lot to me today.

Tom made the Toronto news just last week when he had to miss his first game ever... for the very sad reason that he lost his father, a WWII veteran, to a heart attack. It shined a light on the loss of guy who wasn't just a hero, but raised a son whose professionalism and dedication is pretty damn inspiring.

As terrible as that tragedy is, it sadly doesn't end there for the Cheeks. In the days since his dad's death, Tom wasn't feeling well. Rather than chalk it up to understandable stress, doctors examined him and uncovered the worst... a brain tumor. He went in for surgery on Sunday, but it seems doctors weren't entirely successful... followup will be needed, so we're all hoping for the best. No matter where you're reading this from, if you could send some thoughts Tom's way, it'd be appreciated.

Read this touching write-up by the Toronto Star's Dave Perkins for more on Tom. If anyone deserves a get-well wish, it's him.

posted by brad at 12:32 PM | direct link |