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boston area shows of note:


sunday, september 7th

ryan adams & the cardinals

@ the bank of america pavilion


monday, september 8th

mates of state

the cool kids

tim fite

(free, but students only)

5:30pm @ northeastern university


tuesday, september 9th

paul weller

@ the berklee performance center


wednesday, september 10th

'what the fluff?' fest

comic book art exhibit opening

somerville community access tv

5-8pm, 90 union square, somerville


friday, september 12th

mission of burma

in-store performance

7pm @ newbury comics, newbury st.


friday, september 12th

buffalo tom

@ the boston arts festival

6pm @ christopher columbus park


saturday, september 13th

rogue wave (in-store)

@ newbury comics grand opening

8:30pm in norwood, ma


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

juliana hatfield (full band)

hayden

@ the brattle theatre


sunday, september 14th

lymbyc systym

this will destroy you

arms and sleepers

@ harper's ferry


sunday & monday

september 14th & 15th

james

unkle bob

@ the paradise


monday, september 15th

lagwagon, mxpx,

only crime, & tat

@ harper's ferry


monday, september 15th

sunset rubdown

@ the middle east


tuesday, september 16th

a place to bury strangers

sian alice group

neptune

@ the paradise


thursday, september 18th

bell x1

wild light

@ the paradise


thursday, september 18th

the walkmen

@ the middle east downstairs


friday, september 19th

sigur ros

@ the bank of america pavilion


friday, september 19th

the swell season ('once'/frames)

bill callahan (smog)

@ agganis arena


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

wye oak

@ cafe 939 @ berklee


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


wednesday, september 24th

gemma hayes

sydney wayser

@ great scott


friday, september 26th

ben folds

missy higgins

@ the orpheum


saturday, september 27th

mike viola (solo)

(2nd of 3 weekly residencies)

@ the lizard lounge


saturday, september 27th

julie doiron

mount eerie

calm down, it's monday

@ massart


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

panther

e*rock

@ the paradise


tuesday, september 30th

boston spaceships

(gbv's robert pollard)

big dipper

@ the paradise


tuesday, september 30th

say hi

jukebox the ghost

@ the middle east


wednesday, october 1st

chromeo

treasure fingers

@ the paradise


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

sbach

@ the paradise


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


saturday, october 11th

les savy fav

passion pit

@ 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

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

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

@ the middle east


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

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

@ a boston-area theatre (tbd)


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


thursday, november 13th

scarce (cd release!)

wheat

triplethick

@ 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, december 13th

neil young

wilco

@ the dcu center, worcester


visit tourfilter for more shows




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Monday, October 30, 2006

Mp3s: Cat Power at the MFA Boston

This year has easily been the busiest and most media-exposed Chan Marshall has been since she started performing as Cat Power a dozen or so years back. It's seemed non-stop since the release of her seventh studio album, "The Greatest", back in January: The abrupt cancellation of the supporting full-band tour for "health reasons", its eventual rescheduling, the revealing New York Times piece, a solo tour, a job as 'the new face of Chanel Jewelry', and now a final tour with the Memphis Rhythm Band starting this Wednesday. Dozens of articles, interviews, live sessions, and media appearances, including tonight on Conan O'Brien.

As I wrote back in June after seeing her here in Boston, reports of her steadier and more confident live persona were not at all exaggerated, especially in the presence of that rock-solid backing band she'd pulled together. Hints of the old Chan showed during a short solo portion of the show, but it disappeared when the Memphis Rhythm Band came back out on stage. The night was an uplifting one, a word I certainly wouldn't have used for past shows, which ranged from slightly uncomfortable to emotionally draining, yet still somehow beautiful. It seemed as if those shaky days were long behind her... until she appeared solo at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston early last month.

It was the second show of the night in the museum's Remis Auditorium, after an earlier one that by all accounts went pretty smoothly. Unfortunately whatever comfort level she had with the monitor mix didn't carry over to the later set... Chan's always been particularly sensitive to sound problems, preferring to bail on songs rather than toughing things out, and did exactly that after starting a cover of "House of the Rising Sun". Some adjustments, and another attempt... still no go. She eventually moved on to her own "Love & Communication", coming close to making it through before stopping yet again. More sound issues, tuning problems, and getting somehow distracted by the stage-side soundman during "Wild Is The Wind" (who had no choice but to stare at her in case she indicated a level change, poor guy)... halfway through the show it felt like she hadn't made it all the way through a single song, although the recordings below reveal it wasn't as bad as all that. There was palpable tension in the room, especially after she abruptly left the stage for a few minutes for a self-proclaimed pee break. More than a few of us wondered if she would return.

But she did, and while the apologizing continued, the technical problems (or perceptions) disappeared. As she continued to sit behind her piano or strum her guitar, the awkwardness evaporated and the sparse beauty of her songs took over. When she'd add another "I'm sorry", some in the crowd let her know that everything was ok... and the applause were loud, the cheers enthusiastic, we became one big support group trying to hold her up. In the end, she pulled out of what could have been a tailspin to simply soar. Emotionally draining, indeed.

I'd actually considered not sharing this one up, or at least particular parts of it. But I fall on the side of the full experience, and I think the show as a whole is worth hearing, warts and all. It was a bear to edit down, and I did make one little chop, offering the original interrupted version of "Wild Is The Wind" alongside an edited one that removes the break.

Getting good pictures at this show was near impossible, as flash photos would have intruded on the mood even more, and the lighting was appropriately low. Glad I got a shot of one of the few times she smiled that night, though. Here's the solo set...


Some Cat Power links...
  • Boston blog synapticblur was at the same MFA show, and offers up a brief review.

  • Vancouver-based From Blown Speakers saw the August 27th show up there and wrote that one up as well.

  • For another Canadian's perspective, check out Chromewaves' words and pictures from the Toronto show, which happened the night before the Boston stop.

  • For the 'records' was there in Toronto, too, and shares some thoughts.

  • The Boston Phoenix's music blog, On The Download, shares up Mark E. Moon's review of the show as well, dubbing it her "MFA Meltdown".

  • Cat Power's MySpace page, her Matador Records site, Wikipedia entry, and an album site for "The Greatest".

  • There've been two videos from "The Greatest" so far: "Living Proof" and "Lived in Bars".

  • Cat Power's last U.S. tour with the Memphis Rhythm Band behind her starts in a couple weeks after some dates overseas and a solo appearance at the Bob Dylan tribute show at NY's Lincoln Center on November 9. All date details can be found here.

  • And don't forget about her Conan O'Brien appearance tonight...

  • 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.

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