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

tuesday, september 23rd

cut copy

the presets

@ the paradise

wednesday, september 24th

low

tulsa

@ 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

sunday, october 12th

jamie lidell

@ the paradise

tuesday, october 14th

cold war kids

@ the paradise

thursday, october 16th

ben kweller

whitley

@ 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, October 23, 2006

Mp3s: Broken Social Scene at Brandeis

Since so much of my waking life (and some of my sleeping) is spent looking forward to the next live show I'll be at, last Monday was a major anomaly. When I woke that morning I'd never have imagined that in a few short hours I'd be in front of one of the bands that had long been on my 'must see' list: Canada's Broken Social Scene. No time for growing impatience, no build up, no pre-show listening binges... I learn about the show and next thing ya know, I'm right there.

I'd been out of town when BSS played Boston's Avalon last year, so when their current two-week tour was announced without an area date, I was more than a bit bummed. Seeing them became even more vital upon learning that this could be their last tour for a long, long while, at least in the current (ever-rotating) incarnation. Recent interviews aren't clear on what kind of band will emerge from the hiatus cocoon they're about to enter.

So last Monday, when an upcoming.org notification said that, waitaminute, Broken Social Scene would be playing just a few miles west at Brandeis University that very night?, I trusted but verified: Nope, no mention on the BSS site. Nope, not even on their label's tour listings. Hmmm. Check the Brandeis site. Ahhh, there we go. Hot diggity damn.

And so it was that me, Ashley, Susanne, and Ryan ended up out in Waltham for the first night of their tour, surrounded by students and suffering through a painful dub-reggae DJ opener. Do Make Say Think was scheduled to play first, but for some reason couldn't make it... better silence than what we got instead. But it made the eventual on-stage appearance of a stripped-down BSS even more fulfilling (only with this Canadian collective can seven members be considered "stripped-down"). Kevin Drew (vocals/guitar/keys), Brendan Canning (bass), Amy Millan (vocals), Andrew Whiteman (guitar), Charlie Spearin (guitar/horn), Justin Peroff (drums), and, uh, another guy (David?) on horns & percussion, straight off their big honkin' Canadian tour bus.

Here's the set...

Broken Social Scene

Live at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA
Monday, October 16th, 2006

01. Intro / Fire Eye'd Boy
02. 7/4 (Shoreline)
03. Cause = Time
04. Stars and Sons
05. Late Nineties Bedroom Rock for the Missionaries
06. Shampoo Suicide
07. Superconnected
08. Anthems For A 17 Year-Old Girl
09. Almost Crimes
10. Major Label Debut
11. banter
12. Looks Just Like the Sun
13. Swimmers
14. Ibi Dreams of Pavement

encore...
15. The Wagon (Dinosaur Jr. cover)
16. KC Accidental

While there were some first-night kinks, a few between-song technical glitches, it never impacted the band's enthusiasm or performance... they pushed through some funky monitor mixes and reverby vocal weirdness to give a great set full of dynamic ups and downs, beautiful lulls between powerfully moving moments. It lived up to all I'd read and then some (and hey, bonus Dinosaur Jr. cover). And while I can cross them off the ol' must-see list, a drive down to Providence on November 8th is looking likely...

Some BSS links...

Check out some more of my photos from the show over here.

Visit their official site, Myspace page, Wikipedia page, or the Broken Social Scene forum.

Ryan and Ashley both wrote up their BSS experience as well (and I nearly titled this post "Broken Social Scene at Brown Dice", but Ryan beat me to it).

A couple SueTube live clips from the show here and here.

The recently released tour-footage video for the BSS song "Major Label Debut".

Recent articles in Creative Loafing and the Post-Gazette discuss BSS's upcoming hiatus. (via cw via lhb)

Shortly after the BSS tour ends, singer and Stars member Amy Millan heads out on a tour of her own to support her solo release "Honey From The Tombs". The 10-date trip begins at the Paradise here in Boston on November 15th. Tickets here or cheaper at the 'dise box office.

the fine print... If anyone has an issue with this live set being made available, just say the word (contact info in the 'nac faq). 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.

A couple of asides, as long as I'm posting today...

It's a slightly notable time in the blog-centric world, in that my Boston blogging neighbor rbally just decided to fold up the tent at his live-music sharing site. Apparantly Jennings has a real life to live (do I ever relate), but hey, so long and thanks for all the songs, and best of luck.

Another not-as-drastic decision was made by Frank over at Chromewaves, who remarkably hit consecutive post number 1,001 today, and will from here on out post more like a normal person instead of a obsessive freak (meaning not every damn day of the year). My heart skipped a beat when he wrote the words "I quit" in today's commemorative post, but thankfully it's just the grueling schedule he's leaving behind... I'd get the shakes if he ever abandoned my favorite blog for good. Congrats on the streak, sir.

And finally, on such a somber note... this past Saturday, October 21st, marked three years since the day the world lost Elliott Smith. His death hit me harder than the loss of any artist I've ever loved, and I still find it tough to listen to him without imagining what he'd be writing if he was still around. I'll always wonder. Sigh.

Labels: livemp3s