boston area shows of note: thursday, august 21st yndi halda caspian irepress @ tt the bears friday, august 22nd varsity drag lump charcoal lavage jake and the jakes @ o'briens friday, august 22nd obits (ex-hot snakes/rftc) viva viva dead cats dead rats sunday morning music @ the middle east saturday, august 23rd the soft drugs higgins the toothaches drama queens @ pa's lounge 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 sunday, august 24th don cabellero ponytail irepress @ harper's ferry 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 friday, august 29th liz phair performs 'exile in guyville' @ the paradise monday, september 1st the juan maclean @ the middle east downstairs wednesday, september 3rd ryan's smashing life presents... justice of the unicorns tigers & monkeys spanish armada wild business @ the middle east friday, september 5th silver jews hallelujah the hills who shot hollywood @ the middle east downstairs saturday, september 6th my morning jacket @ the bank of america pavilion saturday, september 6th matt pryor (get up kids) kevin devine mike fiore (faces on film) @ harper's ferry sunday, september 7th ryan adams & the cardinals @ the bank of america pavilion tuesday, september 9th paul weller @ the berklee performance center friday, september 12th mission of burma in-store performance 7pm @ newbury comics, newbury st. friday, september 12th buffalo tom as part of the boston arts festival @ christopher columbus park saturday, september 13th wfnx disorientation 2008 the kooks, flogging molly, alkaline trio, rogue wave, and more to be announced @ bank of america pavilion sunday, september 14th lymbyc systym this will destroy you arms and sleepers @ harper's ferry monday, september 15th lagwagon, mxpx, only crime, & tat @ harper's ferry monday, september 15th sunset rubdown @ the middle east 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 saturday, september 20th mike viola (solo) (1st of 3 weekly residencies) with guest blue and their band, the major labels @ the lizard lounge saturday, september 20th noah & the whale @ toad sunday, september 21st the low lows magic magic ryan lee crosby @ tt the bears monday, september 22nd the broken west @ the middle east monday, september 22nd oxford collapse love as laughter takka takka @ tt the bears 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 tuesday, september 23rd weezer angels & airwaves tokyo police club @ the tsongas arena tuesday, september 23rd cut copy the presets @ the paradise wednesday, september 24th joan as policewoman @ the middle east wednesday, september 24th low tulsa @ the museum of fine arts boston saturday, september 27th mike viola (solo) (2nd of 3 weekly residencies) @ the lizard lounge 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 sunday and monday september 28th and 29th ratatat @ the paradise thursday, september 30th boston spaceships (gbv's robert pollard) big dipper @ the paradise thursday, september 30th say hi jukebox the ghost @ the middle east thursday & friday october 2nd & 3rd baltimore round robin 29 bands playing in a circle, non-stop, one song at a time, with you in the very center with dan deacon, beach house, creepers, the death set, adventure, and everyone listed here @ mass art friday, october 3rd death cab for cutie @ agganis arena friday, october 3rd the fratellis airborne toxic event electric touch @ the orpheum saturday, october 4th mike viola @ friends (3rd of 3 weekly residencies) @ the lizard lounge sunday, october 5th old 97s @ the wilbur theatre sunday, october 5th pinback @ the paradise monday, october 6th the wedding present the jealous girlfriends @ the middle east downstairs monday, october 6th fleet foxes @ the somerville theatre monday, october 6th stereolab monade @ the paradise tuesday, october 7th liam finn the veils @ the paradise 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 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 @ 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 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 @ tt the bears 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 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 minus the bear annuals sylvie @ the wilbur theatre tuesday & wednesday october 21st & 22nd billy bragg @ the somerville theatre wednesday, october 22nd yeasayer @ the paradise wednesday, october 22nd lyle lovett & john hiatt (acoustic, on stage together) @ the orpheum thursday, october 23rd lykke li @ the paradise thursday, october 23rd deerhoof experimental dental school @ the middle east down friday, october 24th fujiya & miyagi @ 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 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 coldplay @ the td banknorth garden sunday, november 9th the hold steady drive-by truckers @ the orpheum tuesday, november 11th deerhunter times new viking the vivian girls @ the paradise wedneseday, november 12th kings of leon we are scientists the whigs @ the orpheum tuesday, november 18th m83 school of seven bells @ the middle east down thursday, november 20th bishop allen @ the middle east saturday, december 13th neil young wilco @ the dcu center, worcester visit tourfilter for more shows |
Tuesday, September 05, 2006 Spotlit: Silkworm Tribute + the Soft Drugs Trying something new here on the 'Nac, where I take a couple discs or artists I've been listening to lately and shine a brief but bright spotlight on them. Reasons can be timely (a tour, a new release), nostalgic (a rediscovered old fave), or entirely random, but it's all music I feel deserves your utmost attention... The world lost Silkworm when the world lost Michael Dahlquist, a prince of a man and one hell of a drummer, a guy who attacked his kit with the same passion he led his life. It's no surprise that there was already a Silkworm covers project in the works well before Michael passed away, or that it's become as much a tribute to the man as it has to his beloved band. The collection is called "An Idiot To Not Appreciate Your Time - The Songs of Silkworm", and it's a labor of DIY love all the way. Pulled together by a motivated fan, with contributions from messageboard loyalists, far-away followers, and a bunch of music-making, SKWM-loving friends, it compiles 29 varied tracks over two discs, and the thing is just 8 bucks including shipping (proceeds go to Michael's charities of choice, the Jane Addams Hull House and the Nature Conservancy).There are far too many great versions on the tribute to list 'em all, but personal highlights so far are Treasure State's cover of 'Something Hyper', the Kadane Bros. (Bedhead / The New Year) with their piano-based 'Clean'd Me Out', The Bismarck's 'The Cigarette Lighters', a French language take on 'Beyond Repair' by Grand Hotel... oh hell, I'm not even past the first 7 tracks. Take my word for it, I've yet to hear a tribute so infused with love and respect for the artist it covers. From the names you might recognize, to the ones you've never heard of, everyone's admiration for one of the best bands there ever was is obvious. The Silkworm tribute record site has a few of the covers available to download, so here they are with their original counterparts... The Kyle Sowashes - 'Slave Wages'The complete tracklisting... 'An Idiot To Not Appreciate Your Time:While you may quickly recognize names like the Kadanes or Steve Albini, there are some other fine artists behind the less-familiar monikers. Here are just a few details, courtesy of compilation curator Isaac himself... And that's barely half the contributors. So here's the thing: Just 1,000 copies of this thing were printed, and when they're gone, they're gone. No do-overs. I'm guessing they won't last much longer than the Touch & Go Anniversary shows this weekend, where Silkworm's Andy Cohen & Tim Midgett are playing a set of songs, as is their new band, Bottomless Pit. So head here and order one up straightaway. And fellow fans, have no fear, 'cuz this ain't the last time you'll be able to buy some Silkworm songs: there's one more Silkworm disc coming in October from the 12xu label, an EP titled 'Chokes'. An unintended, and bittersweet, swan song of sorts. The artist that brings disc one of the Silkworm tribute to a beautiful close is The Soft Drugs, the name under which longtime solo songwriter (and former Pedro the Lion/Headphones member) T.W. Walsh has chosen to release his latest recordings. He gets the honor of singing the collection's title in the last lingering lyrics of 'Give Me Some Skin' ('You never saw what I'd become, an idiot to not appreciate your time'), and he delivers the line perfectly. The Soft Drug's excellent debut EP, 'In Moderation' (which christens Walsh's own imprint, Tower of Song) came out a couple months back, and while some summer releases can get lost in the deluge of discs that arrive in autumn, this five-track fix deserves a lasting listen.There's a comfort found in these songs, in their meticulously warm crafting, and it's as ideal for a Sunday morning spin as it is for a late-night mellow out. The EP reveals a impressive attention to multi-track detail, with each song taking on a whole new life between a pair of headphones. While the production may be warm, the song subjects are weighty ones, as Walsh sings of his own self-doubt, strained relationships, driving dilemmas, and growing older. Maybe I'm reading a little too much into the material, since I know a bit about T.W.'s struggle to balance his craft, his day job, and his family life, but there's much to relate to for anyone trying to juggle those very things as time carries us along. A couple songs, including 'Brand New Name', have an almost mid-70s soul feel, with bouncing bass lines, gentle keyboard lines, distant falsetto harmonies. I picked up even a hint of Gerry Rafferty's solo side, with a noticeable (though less strained) Neil Young quality to Walsh's vocals (and for the few who'll get the reference, his voice more closely resembles Tom Lawson of the recently-reunited Pants). It's worth noting that while it's clearly T.W.'s project, he enlisted the assistance of some talented friends to play along, including ex-Pedro and current-Senator Senator bassist Ken Maiuri, and ace journeyman drummer/solo artist Frank Lenz behind the kit. Other contributors include Ester Drang's James McAlister on percussion, Seldom/Crystal Skulls drummer Casey Foubert on drums & guitar for a track, and Crystal Skull's frontman Christian Wargo for a bit of backing vox. Frequent T.W. collaborators Frank Padellaro and Pedro's David Bazan (who, interestingly, stopped using a band name for his releases around the same time that T.W. started using one) also pop up in the credits, collectively providing the indispensable services of "online poker, wine, carpentry, and conspiracy theories". 'In Moderation' is the best kind of EP: There's a cohesiveness in production and songwriting that works ideally in a five-song dose. That said, and assuming a full length may come eventually, I would love to hear T.W. break things up with a full-on rocker (his guitar playing, especially on the great bridge of 'Defending the Paint', shows he can go there), or maybe sparser song or two, like the acoustic Silkworm cover. Either way, I look forward to more; sometimes that fade out on track five comes far too soon, so I hit up The Soft Drugs 'free monthly demos' page for more. Or I start searching online stores for his hard-to-find 1999 debut 'How We Spend Our Days, the 2001 follow-up 'Blue Laws', or 2002's 'Pollensongs' EP. I was an idiot to not appreciate them the first time. Two songs from the 'In Moderation' EP... Mp3: The Soft Drugs - 'Defending the Paint'Order it here. post soundtrack: the album leaf - 'into the blue again' $blog_id=115498169470348452; $blog_mail="bsearles@gmail.com"; $file_name=$PHP_SELF; global $blog_id, $blog_mail, $file_name; include ("blogkomm/module/blogkomm_show_link.php"); ?> |
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