bradley's almanac - a boston music blog

boston area shows of note:

friday, july 25th

comedian joel mchale

(from the soup)

@ the wilbur theatre

saturday, july 26th

bon iver

bowerbirds

@ the museum of fine arts

sunday, july 27th

the new collisions (debut)

red quiet

melt

@ tt the bears

sunday, july 27th

sunfold

antiques

@ the middle east upstairs

wednesday, july 30th

we are scientists

@ the middle east downstairs

wednesday, july 30th

earlimart

@ the middle east upstairs

wednesday, july 30th

spiritualized

the dirtbombs

@ the wilbur theatre

thursday, july 31st

the police

elvis costello & the impersonators

@ the tweeter center

friday & saturday

august 1st & 2nd

eddie vedder

liam finn

solo @ the opera house

saturday, august 2nd

wolf parade

@ the paradise

monday, august 4th

coldplay

@ the garden

tuesday, august 5th

(and every tuesday this month)

neil cleary's 'doozy'

a guest-packed 4-show residency

@ the lizard lounge

wednesday, august 6th

neil halstead (slowdive/mojave 3)

rogue wave

jack johnson

@ the tweeter center

saturday, august 9th

margot & the nuclear so and so's

@ the middle east

saturday, august 9th

melvins

@ the paradise

sunday, august 10th

ho-ag

six finger satellite

the in-out

certainly, sir

@ great scott

tuesday, august 12th

thao nguyen with

the get down stay down

david schultz & the skyline

pepi ginsberg

@ tt the bears

tuesday, august 12th

(and every tuesday this month)

neil cleary's 'doozy'

a guest-packed 4-show residency

@ the lizard lounge

wednesday, august 13th

radiohead

grizzly bear

@ the tweeter center

thursday, august 14th

grizzly bear

violens

outside in the courtyard

@ the museum of fine arts

friday, august 15th

the ex

getachew mekuria

debo band

@ the middle east downstairs

saturday, august 16th

+/- (plus minus)

broken river prophet (cd release!)

animal hospital

ba-na-nas

free kickass cupcakes from 9-10pm!

@ the middle east upstairs

tuesday, august 19th

(and every tuesday this month)

neil cleary's 'doozy'

a guest-packed 4-show residency

@ the lizard lounge

wednesday, august 20th

human league, belinda carlisle, abc,

flock of seagulls, naked eyes

@ the bank of america pavilion

thursday, august 21st

yndi halda

caspian

irepress

@ tt the bears

friday, august 22nd

obits (ex-hot snakes/rftc)

@ the middle east

saturday, august 23rd

amo joy!

franklin bruno

(from nothing painted blue)

one happy island (ep release!)

@ the lily pad

saturday, august 23rd

newbury comics / unnatural axe

30th anniversary bash

the meatmen, queers, nasties,

unnatural axe, sleazies

@ the middle east down

tuesday, august 26th

the final installment of...

neil cleary's 'doozy'

a guest-packed august residency

@ the lizard lounge

wednesday, august 27th

liz phair performing

'exile in guyville'

@ the paradise

wednesday, august 27th

xiu xiu

prurient

@ the paradise

monday, september 1st

the juan maclean

@ the middle east downstairs

friday, september 5th

silver jews

@ the middle east downstairs

saturday, september 6th

my morning jacket

@ the bank of america pavilion

sunday, september 7th

ryan adams & the cardinals

@ the bank of america pavilion

tuesday, september 9th

paul weller

@ the berklee performance center

saturday, september 13th

wfnx disorientation 2008

the kooks, flogging molly,

alkaline trio, rogue wave,

and more to be announced

@ bank of america pavilion

monday, september 15th

james

@ the paradise

tuesday, september 16th

a place to bury strangers

@ the paradise

thursday, september 18th

the walkmen

@ the middle east downstairs

friday, september 19th

sigur ros

@ the bank of america pavilion

friday, september 19th to

sunday, september 21st

all tomorrow's parties

with my bloody valentine, low

built to spill, mogwai, shellac,

polvo, yo la tengo, lilys, autolux

dinosaur jr, mercury rev, & more

@ the catskills in nyc

monday, september 22nd

mogwai

fuck buttons

@ the wilbur theatre

tuesday, september 23rd

writer dennis lehane

(release day for 'the given day')

@ the coolidge corner theatre

wednesday, september 24th

low

@ the museum of fine arts boston

saturday, september 27th

built to spill

performing 'perfect from now on'

dinosaur jr.

meat puppets

@ the orpheum

sunday, september 28th

the bird and the bee

willoughby

@ great scott

thursday, september 30th

boston spaceships

(gbv's robert pollard)

big dipper

@ the paradise

sunday, october 5th

pinback

@ the paradise

monday, october 6th

the wedding present

@ the middle east downstairs

monday, october 6th

stereolab

monade

@ the paradise

wednesday, october 8th

wire

@ the middle east downstairs

sunday, october 12th

the residents

@ showcase live, foxboro

sunday, october 12th

the notwist

@ the roxy

tuesday, october 14th

cold war kids

@ the paradise

friday, october 17th

jonathan richman

with drummer tommy larkin

@ the somerville theatre

saturday, october 18th

ra ra riot

walter meego

the morning benders

@ the middle east

tuesday & wednesday

october 21st & 22nd

billy bragg

@ the somerville theatre

wednesday, october 22nd

lyle lovett & john hiatt

(acoustic, on stage together)

@ the orpheum

thursday, october 30th

of montreal

@ the orpheum

saturday, november 1st

henry rollins (spoken word)

@ the orpheum

monday, november 3rd

coldplay

@ the td banknorth garden

visit tourfilter for more shows

Monday, June 12, 2006

Mp3s: Cat Power in Boston

Getting tickets to see Cat Power (aka Chan-pronounced-Shawn Marshall) in person is a risky proposition. The show might not happen (witness her cancelled tour this past February), and even if it does, you may not actually be able to see her (years ago, at the Middle East Upstairs in Cambridge, she insisted that every single light in the place be turned off). She's a sensitive soul, often fidgety, very particular about her live environment, often stopping songs mid-stride for reasons known only to herself. Some people can't stand it ("saw her once... painfully awkward... never again"), but others know what to expect and embrace her quirkiness as part of her charm. For me, if the stars align, just being in the same room with that voice for awhile can be pure magic. (also magical... the last minute tickets. Thanks again, John.)

We saw a couple different sides of Cat Power this past Wednesday when she performed with the Memphis Rhythm Band at the Berklee Performance Center here in Boston. Mostly the so-called 'new-and-improved' live persona that's been written about recently, far less of the unsteady girl who looks like she'd rather be anywhere but on stage. A lot of that, I'm sure, is owed to the rock-solid 12-piece band (fronted by steady studio-vet Teenie Hodges) that backed her up. In the constraints of structured songs that she can't call a halt to, she let herself go... dancing, smiling, waving her arms, strutting all over the stage. She was a whole new frontwoman, free of guitar strap and piano bench for most of the show, except when the band exited and she showed us brief signs of her fragile self.

For those few solo songs, whether behind the grand piano or strumming softly, we got a whole different show, and not just musicially. Beautifully mutated covers, abrupt throat clearing, stops, starts, and momentarily forgotten parts. She even changed her own lyrics, revealingly proclaiming that she does not hate herself, does not want to die ("I hate myself and I want to die" - from 'Hate', off her latest, 'The Greatest'). A more straightforward declaration of the transformed Chan came at the end of the show, when she held her cup high in the air, pointed at it, and yelled "Sober!... It's tea!" to the crowd. The applause got louder, and her smile got wider.

Here, for a few days, is Cat Power & the Memphis Rhythm Blues Band's wonderful Boston performance...

Cat Power
& the Memphis Rhythm Band

These mp3s will be removed on Friday, June 16th at 12pm EST.
The songs can still be heard through the Hype Machine.

Live at the Berklee Performance Center
Boston, MA
Wednesday, June 7th, 2006

01. Introduction
02. Soul Serenade (instrumental)
03. The Greatest
04. Living Proof
05. Lived In Bars
06. Could We
07. Empty Shell
08. Willie
09. The Moon
10. Islands
11. Where Is My Love?
12. Who Knows Where The Time Goes (Sandy Denny)
13. Wild As The Wind (Nina Simone)
14. House Of The Rising Sun (traditional)
15. Hate
16. Hit The Road Jack (Ray Charles)
17. Love & Communication / Acapella #
18. All I Have To Do Is Dream (Everly Brothers)

The Boston Globe reviewed the show, as did the Boston Herald (and the Herald, of course, wins the 'cheesiest headline' award), and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer wrote up her appearance there last month. The tour continues on Wednesday in Washington, DC, and she's on stage on Bonnaroo in Tennessee on Friday before heading off to London.

update from the comments: The Phoenix reviewed the Boston show as well, with the best of the headlines.

And as an added treat, here's Chan rockin' out with the Flaming Lips on a cover of Black Sabbath's 'War Pigs' in September, 2004 on Austin City Limits. Pure gold.

the fine print: If anyone has an issue with this live set being made available, just say the word (email link on left). Recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 192kbps mp3s. Mp3s are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed.

Labels: livemp3s