bradley's almanac - a boston music blog

boston area shows of note:

monday, october 6th

catfish haven

dead confederate

mean creek

the motion sick

@ tt the bears

monday, october 6th

the wedding present

the jealous girlfriends

@ the middle east downstairs

monday, october 6th

fleet foxes

frank fairfield

@ the somerville theatre

monday, october 6th

stereolab

le loup

monade

@ the paradise

tuesday, october 7th

liam finn

the veils

@ the paradise

wednesday, october 8th

lucinda williams

@ the orpheum

wednesday, october 8th

the opening night of

carrie fisher's one woman show

'wishful drinking'

@ the huntington theater (bu)

wednesday, october 8th

allison moyet

@ the wilbur theatre

wednesday, october 8th

wire

@ the middle east downstairs

thursday, october 9th

chuck ragan (of hot water music)

ben nichols (of lucero)

tim barry (of avail)

with guest jesse malin

@ the middle east

friday, october 10th

kirsten a. malone

scholarship fundraiser

ho-ag

bone zone

tinsel teeth

cathy cathodic

@ the milky way

friday, october 10th

writer sarah vowell

7pm @ brookline booksmith

saturday, october 11th

the new year

dirty on purpose

tre orsi

@ the middle east upstairs

saturday, october 11th

les savy fav

passion pit

phil and the osophers

@ the middle east downstairs

saturday, october 11th

the feelies

@ the roxy

sunday, october 12th

the residents

@ showcase live, foxboro

sunday, october 12th

the notwist

@ the roxy

sunday, october 12th

jamie lidell

janelle monae

@ the paradise

sunday, october 12th

against me!

ted leo & the pharmacists

the future of the left

@ the wilbur theatre

monday, october 13th

tv on the radio

the dirtbombs

@ the wilbur theatre

tuesday, october 14th

cold war kids

@ the paradise

thursday, october 16th

TOURFILTER DJ NIGHT

with dj's chris tourfilter

and bradley almanac

featuring only songs by bands

playing soon in the boston area

9pm @ river gods, cambridge

thursday, october 16th

ben kweller

whitley

@ the paradise

thursday, october 16th

jonatha brooke

glen phillips

(from toad the wet sprocket)

@ the wilbur theatre

friday, october 17th

hallelujah the hills

wonderful spells

capstan shafts

needy visions

@ tt the bears

friday, october 17th

jonathan richman

with drummer tommy larkin

@ the somerville theatre

saturday, october 18th

asobi seksu

the broken river prophet

@ tt the bears

saturday, october 18th

ra ra riot

walter meego

the morning benders

@ the middle east

sunday, october 19th

the spinto band

frightened rabbit

@ the middle east

monday, october 20th

magnetic morning

(adam swervedriver & sam interpol)

julie ocean

springhouse (w/jack rabid)

@ great scott

tuesday, october 21st

annuals

live in-store performance

7pm @ newbury comics, newbury st.

tuesday, october 21st

minus the bear

annuals

sylvie

@ the wilbur theatre

tuesday & wednesday

october 21st & 22nd

billy bragg

@ the somerville theatre

wednesday, october 22nd

writer/expert john hodgman

6pm @ the coolidge corner theatre

wednesday, october 22nd

yeasayer

@ the paradise

wednesday, october 22nd

lyle lovett & john hiatt

(acoustic, on stage together)

@ the orpheum

thursday, october 23rd

robert fisher

(of willard grant conspiracy)

chris brokaw

drew o'doherty

@ the lily pad

thursday, october 23rd

lykke li

@ the paradise

thursday, october 23rd

deerhoof

experimental dental school

@ the middle east down

friday, october 24th

fujiya & miyagi

prototypes

@ the paradise

sunday, october 26th

scars on broadway

the duke spirit

@ the paradise

sunday, october 26th

broken social scene

land of talk

@ the wilbur theatre

monday, october 27th

matthew sweet

@ the paradise

wednesday, october 29th

legendary pink dots

@ the middle east down

thursday, october 30th

of montreal

@ the orpheum

friday, october 31st

hotel cafe tour

with rachael yamagata, meiko,

thao nguyen, samanatha crain,

and jenny owen youngs

@ the paradise

friday, october 31st

the rumble strips

birdmonster

@ tt the bears

friday, october 31st

david byrne

performing the songs of byrne & eno

@ the wang center

saturday, november 1st

henry rollins (spoken word)

@ the orpheum

monday, november 3rd

matt and kim

best fwends

@ the middle east

monday, november 3rd

coldplay

@ the td banknorth garden

wednesday, november 5th

conor oberst +

the mystic valley band

@ the roxy

thursday, november 6th

the decemberists

loche lamond

@ the orpheum

friday, november 7th

"my name is bruce"

area theatrical premiere

with director/star bruce campbell

@ the kendall square cinema

sunday, november 9th

the hold steady

drive-by truckers

@ the orpheum

tuesday, november 11th

deerhunter

times new viking

the vivian girls

@ the paradise

wednesday, november 12th

the sea and cake

@ the middle east down

wednesday, november 12th

kings of leon

we are scientists

the whigs

@ the orpheum

thursday, november 13th

nicole atkins & the sea

salt & samovar

@ tt the bears

friday & saturday

november 14th & 15th

smashing pumpkins

@ the citi wang theatre

saturday, november 15th

scarce (cd release!)

wheat

triplethick

@ tt the bears

sunday, november 16th

centro-matic

@ the middle east

monday, november 17th

margot & the nuclear so and so's

@ tt the bears

tuesday, november 18th

m83

school of seven bells

@ the middle east down

thursday, november 20th

bishop allen

@ the middle east

friday, november 21st

robyn hitchcock

performing 'i often dream of trains'

@ the somerville theatre

saturday, november 22nd

sondre lerche

@ the paradise

sunday, november 30th

18th dye

devon williams

@ tt the bears

tuesday, december 2nd

nada surf

delta spirit

jealous girlfriends

@ the paradise

friday, december 5th

mercury rev

dean & britta

@ the paradise

saturday, december 13th

neil young

wilco

everest

@ the dcu center, worcester

sunday, december 14th

bon iver

@ the wilbur theatre

monday, january 5th, 2009

glasvegas

rails to russia

@ great scott

sunday, january 18th

frightened rabbit

@ great scott

visit tourfilter for more shows

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Mp3s: Drew O'Doherty

I first saw Drew O'Doherty live during his days as the second guitarist with now-defunct Boston band The Ivory Coast. While Drew wasn't the frontman (that'd be Jay, now of The Sea Navy), and I'm not aware of how involved he was in the band's songwriting (their excellent disc 'Clouds' came out in 2001 on Polyvinyl), his playing and on-stage energy was, for me, an integral part of the band. And while he was only one of Ted Leo's Pharmacists for a relatively short time, he brought that same energy to their live performances, and I got a little thrill watching him rock out on Conan O'Brien back in 2003.

Post-Ivory Coast, I was glad to see Drew's name appear solo on local live calendars, even happier to discover that he was as talented a songwriter as he was a guitarist. I didn't know what to expect the first time I caught him, and was immediately drawn in by his gentle acoustic playing, his warm voice, and his somber songs that evoked a little Eitzel, a little Springsteen, a little Tweedy. Some lyrics may have come from his past, some told the sad yet beautiful tales of others, but all were both intimate and captivating.

The songs he's been playing for awhile finally take recorded form on Drew's just-released debut, the 11-track 'Starts'. While the disc is self-released on his own Twenty-Four Teeth Records for now, I can't imagine it won't see a re-release on a larger label sometime soon... it's a fully-realized and gorgeously produced piece of work. Some of the Boston area's most talented players add to the affair: Drummers Tom Polce (ex-Letter to Cleo) and Zach Barocas (ex-Jawbox) on some songs, Jeff Goddard (ex-Karate) adds some trumpet, and cellist Jonah Sacks (Empty House Cooperative) sits in as well. Journeyman bassist Joe McMahon plays both the electric and the upright, and there's even some banjo from likely-related Hugh O'Doherty. Even though I love the simple beauty of Drew's solo live sets, his guests contributions make the album so much more than a one-guy-and-his-guitar project.

Drew's MySpace page has a few songs for you, including a cover of Sabbath's 'Changes', a Christmas cover from the old Rudolph special, and two great songs from 'Starts'. He's also given me the ok to host an exclusive mp3 from the album, the third track, called 'Feathers'...

Mp3: Drew O'Doherty - 'Feathers'

A couple weeks back, Drew opened up for David Bazan, and I offer that seven-song set up for you here. Six songs from 'Starts', and an unrecorded closer with a working title of 'Oh, E'. Enjoy...

"It was thunder that woke me last night, but it was you who wouldn't let me sleep"
- from 'Saturday Suit'

Drew O'Doherty

Live at TT the Bears
Cambridge, MA
Monday, June 19th, 2006

01. Angels Live In My Town
02. Philadelphia Song
03. Saturday Suit
04. On Greenpoint
05. Oneway
06. Christmas Or Columbus
07. Oh, E

To order your own copy of Drew O'Doherty's 'Starts' (which includes layout & photo contributions from Drew's old bandmates Nick Hubben and Jay Cox, along with violinist David Michael Curry), send 12 bucks through PayPal to [paypal -at- drewodoherty.com], or drop an email to [orders -at- drewodoherty.com] and he'll send you non-PayPal ordering deets. Better yet, if you're in the Boston area, catch him on July 8th at the Lily Pad, or on July 30th at TT the Bears in Cambridge and get one from the man himself. He'll be playing with Levi Fuller and Buick Audra at the Lily Pad, and with Nicolai Dunger and Jim & Jennie (from The Pinetops) at TTs.

Labels: livemp3s