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recommended boston area events

tuesday, may 15th

races

herego

@ tt the bears


wednesday, may 16th

father john misty

har mar superstar

@ brighton music hall


wednesday, may 16th

hyper-local craft brew tasting

two sessions: 3-6pm / 7-10pm

@ the somerville armory


saturday, may 19th

the somerville porchfest!

a wide variety of bands

playing all over town

12-6pm on porches around somerville


saturday, may 19th

foolish ida - ep release!

(featuring sarah rabdau)

an homage to maurice sendak

& inspired by his book

"outside over there"

also performing: jaggery,

heather christian & the arbornauts

red room @ cafe 939


tuesday, may 22nd

the polyphonic spree

@ the paradise


wednesday, may 23rd

sinead o'connor

canceled

@ house of blues


friday, may 25th

black fortress of opium

varsity drag

peter buzzelle &

soul clinic bible school

birdsmakebirds

@ radio


saturday, may 26th

the kooks

mean creek

royal teeth

@ house of blues


saturday, may 26th

garbage

@ the paradise


tuesday, may 29th

radiohead

caribou

@ the comcast center


wednesday, may 30th

the psychedelic furs

@ showcase live


friday, june 1st

jonathan coulton

john roderick (long winters)

@ the paradise


friday, june 1st

the dandy warhols

@ the royale


friday, june 1st

marissa nadler

faces on film

@ the somerville armory


saturday, june 2nd

the okay win (ep release!)

7pm @ the lily pad, cambridge


monday, june 4th

the clean

times new viking

@ brighton music hall


tuesday, june 5th

the cult

against me!

the icarus line

@ house of blues


wednesday, june 6th

primordial sounds presents...

prefab messiahs (reunion/tour kickoff)

bobb trimble

jesse gallagher (apollo sunshine)

@ middlesex lounge


thursday, june 7th

endless wave

ghost box orchestra

soccer mom

hex map

@ great scott


thursday, june 7th

the temper trap

@ house of blues


tuesday, june 12th

keane

mystery jets

@ house of blues


wednesday, june 13th

2:54

widowspeak

@ tt the bears


thursday, june 14th

the union square round table

presents "too much too soon"

with kristin hersh

eugene mirman

& cotton candy

@ the brattle theatre


thursday, june 14th

the david bromberg quartet

loudon wainwright iii

@ somerville theatre


friday, june 15th

laura marling

@ berklee


friday, june 15th

deer tick

turbo fruits

@ the paradise


friday, june 15th

the duke spirit

hacienda

@ berklee


friday, june 15th

foster the people

tokyo police club

@ boa pavilion


friday & saturday

june 15th & 16th

the figgs!

new album release shows!

@ church of boston


saturday, june 16th

mogwai

@ house of blues


saturday, june 16th

alejandro escovedo

@ brighton music hall


tuesday, june 19th

matthew sweet

@ the paradise


wednesday, june 20th

destroyer

sandro perri

@ the paradise


friday, june 22nd

built to spill

@ the paradise


saturday, june 23rd

the hives

@ house of blues


tuesday, june 26th

the beach boys

@ boa pavilion


thursday, june 28th

billy bragg

@ the somerville theatre


friday, june 29th

fountains of wayne

the winterpills

@ the paradise


saturday, june 30th

codeine

@ brighton music hall


saturday, june 30th

fiona apple

@ the citi/wang theatre


sunday, july 1st

roger waters: the wall

@ fenway park


tuesday, july 3rd

fruit bats

yellowbirds

@ brighton music hall


thursday, july 5th

tangerine dream

@ house of blues


sunday, july 8th

dirty projectors

purity ring

@ the paradise


wednesday, july 11th

debo band

grupo fantasma

@ brighton music hall


wednesday, july 11th

the b-52s

squeeze

@ the boa pavilion


wednesday, july 18th

best coast

those darlins

@ the royale


friday, july 20th

refused

off!

@ house of blues


saturday, july 21st

the promise ring

@ the paradise


wednesday, july 25th

gomez

@ the paradise


thursday, july 26th

shonen knife

@ great scott


friday, august 10th

real estate

@ the paradise


friday, august 24th

brian jonestown massacre

@ the royale


tuesday, august 28th

beirut

@ house of blues


monday, october 1st

godspeed you! black emperor

@ the orpheum


visit tourfilter for more shows






Friday, October 06, 2006

Friday Boy

Going to try and get one out the door before the weekend starts. Info on Ted Leo, Tanya Donelly, David Bazan, and, um, Borat lies below. But first...


Billy Bragg appeared on the Late Late Show last night, performing an always-updated version of his 1988 song "Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards". Sideman Ian McLagan helps out with keys and backing vocals, and host Craig Ferguson gushes appropriately during Billy's introduction.

The bard of Barking is out spreading the word about his new book, "Billy Bragg: The Progressive Patriot - A Search For Belonging", as well as his upcoming Volume II Box Set, which will be out on Yep Roc on October 17th.

Here's the YouTube video, along with a link to listen to the original version...



Stream:
Billy Bragg - "Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards"
(original from "Workers Playtime")


The timely lyrics to the live version...
Billy Bragg
"Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards"
live on October 5th, 2006

It may have been Camelot for Jack & Jacqueline
But on the Hugo Chavez highway, filling up with gasoline,
Little Donald Rumsfeld spies a rich lady who's crying
Over luxury's disappointments, so he goes over and he's trying
To sympathize with her, but he thinks that he should warn her
To prepare to be bombed back into the Stone Age

In the former Soviet Union, the citizens demand
To know why they're still the target of Strategic Air Command
And they shake their fists in anger and respectfully suggest
We take the money from our missiles and spend it on our hospitals instead

The Cold War now is over, but the stakes are getting higher
I'm frightened of collateral damage, and of friendly fire
and I don't believe we can defeat no axis of evil
but putting smart bombs in the hands of dumb people

Mixing pop and politics, they ask me what the use is
I offer 'em my acupuncturist and my masseuses
While looking down the corridor out to where my ego is waiting
I'm looking for the New World Order

Jumble sales are organized, all my mates got fat
Even after all this time, y'know you can still send me a fax
You can be active with the activists, or sleeping with the media
While you're waiting for the Great Leap Forwards

One leap forwards, two leaps back,
Will YouTube give MTV the sack?
Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards

Well here comes the future, and you can't run from it
If you've got a website, I wanna be on it
Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards

In a perfect world, we'd all sing in tune,
But this is reality, not American Idol
Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards

So join the struggle while you may
The revolution's just an ethical haircut away
When you're waiting for the Great Leap Forwards
This past Monday, KEXP radio also aired a live Bragg appearance at the Triple Door in Seattle. To listen to the performance, head over to the KEXP Stream Archive, and in the 'listen by time' section, choose Monday, October 2nd and 3pm. For now, here's a sample of the goodness you're in for...

Mp3: Billy Bragg - "Saturday Boy" (KEXP / live at the Triple Door)


Speaking of mixing pop & politics, it's exciting to hear that Ted Leo is finally in the studio, laying down all those great songs we've been hearing him play for the past few months with his Pharmacists. The trio is holed up somewhere in a Massachusetts barn, and rumor has it that the one and only Brendan Canty is at the helm. According to Ted's manager, Molly Nueman, "...it is sounding so incredible and uplifting and danceable and smart and important." Of that, I have no doubt (molly link via bvegan)


Former Belly leading lady and Throwing Muse Tanya Donelly has a disc on deck, also due out on October 17th. It's an album of new material called "This Hungry Life" that was actually recorded at a live performance up at The Windham (rip) in Bellows Falls, Vermont. She's joined by an amazing cast of players for the recording, too, including ex-Dambuilder Joan Wasser on vocals & violin, Buffalo Tom/Crown Victoria frontman Bill Janovitz on vocals, Tanya's hubby Dean Fisher on guitar, journeymen Boston-area players Rich Gilbert (pedal steel) & Joe McMahon (upright bass), and ex-Come drummer Arthur Johnson. That's one hell of a band, and I can't wait to hear the disc. Check out some song excerts and pre-order it here, or at the Eleven Thirty Records site.

update 10/9 - an exclusive track from Tanya's "This Hungry Life", and it's a great one...
Mp3: Tanya Donelly - "Kundalini Slide"
Tanya will be making a rare live appearance at the Government Center location of Newbury Comics in downtown Boston on the release day, Tuesday, October 17th at 12:30pm. Looks like a long lunch break for me that afternoon...


While it's waaaaaaay too early to put up any Christmas decorations, it's not too early to pre-order David Bazan's fourth Christmas single from Suicide Squeeze. This time around, Bazan (aka Pedro the Lion & Headphones) brings us his takes on classic carols "Away In A Manger" and "O Little Town of Bethlehem". It's limited to 1,000 marble-vinyl copies, with just 200 set aside for online orders, so click over here to spend your six bucks. Orders will ship on October 25th, but if you miss the online action, it should be available in finer record stores on November 7th.


And lastly, because I can't resist gloating a bit: I was lucky enough to get into a preview screening of Sacha Baron Cohen's "BORAT: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan", and my stomach still hurts from laughing so damn hard. I've been waiting for this movie for what feels like forever, and it ends up being the funniest film I've seen in years. Amie and I can't stop recalling bits of it for each other, and we laugh again every single time. There are moments that you can't believe you didn't hear about in the news, scenes that will leave you wondering how Sacha escaped some jail-time. Cohen & co. deserve to make a hundred bajillion Tenge off this thing, and I know I'll be contributing when I see it again on opening weekend, November 3rd. I think I missed some good stuff while the audience was dying around me.

I'm slightly hesitant to spread this link around, but what the hell, here you go: If you're in the Boston, Providence, or Hartford areas and want to see a free Borat screening, go here. To prepare yourself, check out this collection of "The 10 Best Borat Skits of All Time", compliments of Cracked. And because I'm always thinking of you, here's my favorite Bruno bit. Pure joy.


Alright, I'm outta here. A glorious New England autumn weekend awaits me. If you haven't yet, take some time and enter the Portastatic contest below before Monday morning. Until then...



featured mp3 download
the joy formidable
live in allston, ma
on march 29th, 2011
previously: fugazi - vermont 1991

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