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recommended boston area events

thursday, september 2nd

lou barlow + the missingmen

wye oak

the unfamiliars

@ the middle east upstairs


saturday, september 4th

mg lederman (ex-victory at sea)

cd release show with

the wrong reasons

the beat awfuls

brant deatley

@ the plough & stars


sunday, september 5th

sweet apple

(w/j mascis on drums)

black helicopter

zombie radio

@ the middle east downstairs


sunday, september 5th

the milling gowns

what time is it, mr. fox?

faux ox

jaggery

@ harper's ferry


monday, september 6th

wallcreeper

@ charlie's kitchen


monday, september 6th

shellac

helen money

@ the middle east downstairs


tuesday, september 7th

tortoise

greg davis

ben vidas

@ the paradise


tuesday, september 7th

someone still loves you boris yeltsin

telekinesis

golden bloom

@ tt the bears


tuesday, september 7th

kele (from bloc party)

does it offend you, yeah?

@ the royale boston


wednesday, september 8th

hot hot heat

22-20s

hey rosetta!

@ the middle east downstairs


wednesday, september 8th

airborne toxic event (acoustic)

with the calder string quartet

@ the somerville theatre


thursday, september 9th

apple betty

this blue heaven

the backup factor

apollo run

@ tt the bears


friday, september 10th

i, pistol

black fortress of opium

the crushing low

@ precinct


friday, september 10th

the charlatans uk

sherlock's daughter

@ the royale boston


saturday, september 11th

school of seven bells

active child

@ the middle east downstairs


saturday, september 11th

neutral uke hotel (nmh covers on ukelele)

the michael j. epstein memorial library

@ cafe 939, berklee


saturday, september 11th

28 degrees taurus

magic shoppe (record release!)

@ the rosebud


saturday, september 11th

jamie lidell

@ the royale boston


friday + saturday

september 11th + 12th

the life is good festival

lots of bands, raising money for kids

over 2 days in canton, ma


sunday, september 12th

jarrod gorbel

(of the honorary title)

air traffic controller

@ great scott


sunday, september 12th

blondie

@ the house of blues


sunday, september 12th

vampire weekend

beach house

dum dum girls

@ the boa pavilion


monday, september 13th

dirty projectors

owen pallett (final fantasy)

@ the wilbur theatre


monday, september 13th

isobel campbell

mark lanegan

willy mason

@ the middle east downstairs


tuesday, september 14th

rush

@ the td garden


wednesday, september 15th

laura veirs + the hall of flames

the watson twins

led to sea

@ tt the bears


thursday, september 16th

of montreal

janelle monae

@ the house of blues boston


friday, september 17th

one happy island

kevin dunn

cotton candy

7:30pm @ the lily pad, cambridge


friday, september 17th

broken social scene

@ the house of blues


friday & saturday

september 17th & 18th

the 5th annual

viva la vinal festival!

with live performances from

audrey ryan, kingsley flood,

this blue heaven, bridget + the squares,

the international string trio, & justin shorey

6-10pm on friday + 12-9 on saturday

@ somerville community growing center

on vinal ave. in somerville's union square


saturday, september 18th

pavement

jenny (lewis) + johnny (rice)

@ agganis arena


saturday, september 18th

wavves

@ brandeis university, waltham


sunday, september 19th

thee oh sees

the human tail

thick shakes

@ the magic room gallery, brighton


sunday, september 19th

caribou

holy fuck

emeralds

@ the paradise


monday, september 20th

girlfriends

carnivores

weekend dads

@ o'brien's


tuesday, september 21st

superchunk

versus

@ royale boston


tuesday, september 21st

basia bulat

the acorn

john shade

@ tt the bears


tuesday, september 21st

sea wolf (alex acoustic)

sera cahoone

patrick park

@ the middle east upstairs


wednesday, september 22nd

phantogram

railbird

@ the paradise


wednesday, september 22nd

david bazan

the mynabirds

@ tt the bears


wednesday, september 22nd

field music

@ great scott


thursday, september 23rd

aloud (album release party!)

st. claire

old jack

with special emcee

poet/author james caroline

@ church of boston


thursday, september 23rd

stars

wild nothing

@ the house of blues


thursday, september 23rd

!!! (chk chk chk)

fol chen

@ the royale boston


thursday, september 23rd

bettie serveert

meandjoancollins

the painted lights

@ tt the bears


friday, september 24th

eels

@ the royale boston


saturday, september 25th

teenage fanclub

@ the royale boston


saturday, september 25th

james

ed harcourt

@ the paradise


sunday, september 26th

come (reunited!)

wussy

@ tt the bears


sunday, september 26th

mr. sister (debut album release!)

coyote kolb

tallahassee

@ great scott


sunday, september 26th

mates of state

@ the paradise


monday, september 27th

rogue wave

midlake

peter wolf crier

@ royale boston


tuesday, september 28th

lcd soundsystem

sleigh bells

@ the orpheum


tuesday, september 28th

best coast

male bonding

@ the middle east downstairs


wednesday, september 29th

quilt

paper castles

toothache

@ the lilypad


wednesday, september 29th

foals

esben + the witch

@ the paradise


thursday, september 30th

mc frontalot

@ tt the bears


thursday, september 30th

menomena

suckers

@ the royale boston


thursday + friday

sept 30th + oct 1st

built to spill

revolt revolt

pretty & nice

@ the paradise


friday, october 1st

the tallest man on earth

s. carey (of bon iver's band)

@ the somerville theatre


friday, october 1st

ra ra riot

chikita violenta

we barbarians

@ the royale boston


saturday, october 2nd

gayngs

(with bon iver's justin vernon)

glasser

@ the paradise


saturday, october 2nd

film school

the depreciation guild

static of the gods

night fruit

@ tt the bears


sunday, october 3rd

the xx

@ the orpheum


sunday, october 3rd

tom tom club

caravan of thieves

tony castles

@ the paradise


sunday, october 3rd

lost in the trees

@ tt the bears


tuesday, october 5th

the vaselines

jeffrey lewis

@ the paradise


tuesday, october 5th

chapterhouse

ulrich schnauss

@ the middle east downstairs


tuesday, october 5th

ratatat

dom

@ the house of blues boston


wednesday, october 6th

gorillaz

@ agganis arena


wednesday, october 6th

the hold steady

wintersleep

@ the royale boston


thursday, october 7th

the walkmen

a.a. bondy

blood feathers

@ the royale boston


friday, october 8th

death

@ the middle east downstairs


friday, october 8th

fountains of wayne

marshall crenshaw (solo)

@ the paradise


friday, october 8th

bell x1 (acoustic)

@ the brattle theatre


saturday, october 9th

paul f. tompkins

@ the brattle theatre


sunday, october 10th

deerhoof

xiu xiu

father murphy

first show @ the paramount!


sunday, october 10th

miike snow

@ the house of blues


sunday, october 10th

primus

mucca pazza

@ the orpheum


tuesday, october 12th

ingrid michaelson

@ the house of blues


wednesday, october 13th

dead kennedys

@ the paradise


thursday, october 14th

the thermals

cymbals eat guitars

@ the paradise


thursday, october 14th

the morning after girls

the lovetones

the december sound

ghost box orchestra

@ tt the bears


friday, october 15th

nick lowe + his band

graham parker (solo acoustic)

@ the somerville theatre


friday, october 15th

jimmy eat world

@ the house of blues


friday, october 15th

bowerbirds

death vessel

@ tt the bears


friday, october 15th

belle + sebastian

@ the wang theatre / citi center


saturday, october 16th

deerhunter

real estate

casino vs. japan

@ royale boston


sunday, october 17th

the henry clay people

the dig

@ tt the bears


monday, october 18th

greg dulli

(afghan whigs/twilight singers)

first-ever solo tour

with opener craig wedren

(of shudder to think)

@ the brattle theatre


monday, october 18th

bad religion

the bouncing souls

@ the house of blues


monday, october 18th

the drums

the hairs

@ the paradise


monday, october 18th

phoenix

two door cinema club

wavves

@ agganis arena


tuesday, october 19th

massive attack

thievery corporation

@ the orpheum


wednesday, october 20th

the pains of being pure at heart

yuck

eternal summers

@ the paradise


wednesday, october 20th

helmet

@ the middle east downstairs


sunday, october 22nd

gary numan

rasputina

playing 'the pleasure principle'

@ the paradise


saturday, october 23rd

local natives

the ruby suns

union line

@ the house of blues


sunday, october 24th

woven bones

frankie rose & the outs

@ tt the bears


monday, october 25th

the corin tucker band

hungry ghost

darren hanlon

@ the paradise


wednesday, october 27th

a sunny day in glasgow

candy claws

@ great scott


wednesday, october 27th

black prairie

(members of the decemberists)

sarah jarosz

@ the middle east upstairs


thursday, october 28th

the tt's halloween bash

with members of mean creek + campaign

for real time (as talking heads)

john powhida (as todd rundgren)

preacher roe (as guided by voices)

@ tt the bears


friday, october 29th

frightened rabbit

plants and animals

the phantom band

@ the paradise


saturday, october 30th

hallelujah the hills

magic magic

boy without god

@ great scott


sunday, october 31st

florence and the machine

the smith westerns

@ the house of blues


monday, november 1st

blonde redhead

pantha du prince

@ the paradise


monday, november 1st

social distortion

lucero

frank turner

@ the house of blues boston


tuesday, november 2nd

junip (jose gonzales)

sharon van etten

@ the royale boston


tuesday, november 2nd

black mountain

the black angels

@ the paradise


wednesday, november 3rd

the dandy warhols

blue giant

@ tt the bears


wednesday, november 3rd

land of talk

suuns

little scream

@ tt the bears


thursday, november 4th

through sunday, november 7th

the international pop overthrow

4 nights @ pa's lounge


thursday, november 4th

matt + kim

javelin

@ the house of blues


thursday, november 4th

blitzen trapper

@ the paradise


friday, november 5th

guided by voices

blitzen trapper

@ the paradise


sunday, november 7th

drivin 'n cryin

@ tt the bears


monday, november 8th

clinic

the fresh & onlys

@ the paradise


tuesday, november 9th

the morning benders

@ the paradise


thursday + friday

november 11th + 12th

sufjan stevens

@ the orpheum


thursday, november 11th

shearwater

horse feathers

damien jurado

anais mitchell

@ the house of blues


thursday, november 11th

deer tick

@ the royale boston


thursday, november 11th

mumford & sons

cadillac sky

king charles

@ the house of blues


friday, november 12th

bottomless pit

black helicopter

chris brokaw

@ the middle east downstairs


saturday, november 13th

roky erickson

@ the royale boston


saturday, november 13th

grinderman

(nick cave, warren ellis, + more)

@ the house of blues


sunday, november 14th

elizabeth mitchell (of ida)

and friends

(a children's show!)

4:30pm @ club passim


sunday, november 14th

man or astro-man?

@ the middle east downstairs


monday, november 15th

la roux

@ the house of blues


tuesday, november 16th

a night of springsteen covers

with chris keene (mean creek),

corin ashley, dave aaronoff,

brendan little, hilken mancini,

the dirty truckers, drew o'doherty,

and more to be announced

marking the release of the new

6-disk 'darkness on the edge of town'

box set @ tt the bears


tuesday, november 16th

the posies

brendan benson

aqueduct

@ the royale boston


wednesday, november 17th

cornershop

@ the middle east downstairs


thursday, november 18th

kate nash

@ the paradise


thursday, november 18th

bear in heaven

@ the middle east downstairs


friday, november 19th

township

the lights out

the organ beats

@ tt the bears


saturday, november 20th

delorean

lemonade

@ the middle east downstairs


wednesday, november 24th

idlewild

happy hollows

@ the middle east downstairs


thursday, december 2nd

director/actor kevin smith

@ the house of blues


saturday, december 4th

peter hook + the light

play joy division's "unknown pleasures"

@ the royale boston


saturday, december 4th

killing joke

@ the paradise


visit tourfilter for more shows






Monday, January 01, 2007

Mp3s: Touch & Go's 25th - Day Three
My first mp3 post of 2007 is the third and final installment of my look back at the Touch & Go Records 25th Anniversary Celebration. The 3-day September festival out in Chicago was the high-point of my live music-going year, and it's been a joy going through all my recorded audio and cleaning it up for sharing. Well, mostly a joy. At times it can be tedious work, and these three posts have taken an insane amount of time to put together. And the irony? I'm posting this great stuff at a time when Almanac readers are at a holiday-induced low-point.

So you regular visitors are well rewarded these with live mp3s from Arcwelder, Quasi, The Monorchid, Enon, Three Mile Pilot, Tara Jane ONeil with Chris Brokaw, Seam, Brick Layer Cake, The Black Heart Procession, Coco Rosie, Pinback, and festival-closers Calexico. Some great performances, including a few excellent covers, can be found below.

Head over here for songs from first day performers Shipping News, Supersystem, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, Girls Against Boys, and !!!, or right here for the second day, which included The New Year, Uzeda, Pegboy, Tim & Andy (of Silkworm & Bottomless Pit), the Ex, Killdozer, Jon (Mekons) & Kat (The Ex), Didjits, P.W. Long, Negative Approach, Sally Timms (Mekons), Scratch Acid, Man or Astro-Man?, Big Black, and Shellac.








Arcwelder

Mp3: "Truth" (live)

Mp3: "Cranberry Sauce" (live)

While the weekend included more than a few reunited acts, there were two bands that sealed my trip to Chicago when I heard they'd be playing: Arcwelder and Seam. Though neither band "officially" broke up, live appearances from either can come years apart, and newly recorded material is nowhere in sight.

The first and only other time I saw Arcwelder was well over a decade ago when they opened for Six Finger Satellite and Jesus Lizard in Burlington, Vermont. I'd never have guessed I'd be more blown away by them than their tourmates, especially considering the other two bands were amazing that night. But Arcwelder just killed me, from the first notes of set-opener "Cranberry Sauce". Their 1993 album, "Pull", became one of my all-time faves, I grabbed up all their 7 inches, and eagerly awaited future releases and their live return. But that second show never came. Until this festival.

And if I never see them again, "Cranberry Sauce" makes the perfect instrumental bookend as both the first and last song I ever saw Arcwelder play. But I truly hope that doesn't end up being the case.

(Official site / T&G page / MySpace)





Quasi

Mp3: "All The Same" (live)

Mp3: "Peace & Love" (live)

I'm a longtime Quasi fan, and far too much time had passed since I'd seen 'em live, so I was psyched to see songs played from the couple albums they've put out in the meantime. Singer/guitarist/piano-man Sam Coomes and drummer/singer Janet Weiss were joined by Joanna Bolme on bass, who I hadn't yet seen as part of the trio. (an aside: Weiss and Bolme are now both part of Stephen Malkmus' Jicks, so hopefully both bands will be able to stay relatively active as they share a rhythm section).

For whatever reason, it struck me that Quasi's piano-based jams didn't work as well for me in the open outdoor (and unfortunately rain-soaked) environment, but the guitar stuff hit me just right. Listening back to the recording, though, it's the key-centric songs that stand out. Go figure. Either way, when they come back through Boston and play a more appropriately-sized venue, I'm there.

Sam Coomes recently shared some lengthy and slightly sad thoughts on the festival at the Quasi site, written after he'd received a stack of festival reviews from Touch & Go that included only one mention of Quasi's performance, and a negative one at that. I'll copy a chunk of his words here...
"Normally I pretty much shrug, toss these things into the garbage & forget them - easy enough after having been in bands making records etc. for over 20 years & seen 100s of these critics come & go, & no one remembers a word they wrote. But the fact that it was the sole entry in a large stack of reviews has to give some pause. Granted, we were playing a shitty slot early on a rainy Sunday, but that says something in itself, since we were deemed only to merit such a slot by the festivals organisers. I'm starting to get the feeling people dont like atonal piano banging! & after practicing all those years to get the atonal piano banging just right. Oh well. Our last record was easily one of our best, but few could be bothered to notice that. So probably the logical thing to do at this point would be to call it a day - our time in the sun is over & our little audience has evaporated. But of course that is not our way, so now we begin to work on new material & discuss how to record the next album & I feel confident we can again create a fine record perhaps our finest which may or may not achieve the slightest notice. If that is our fate I can live with that."
Read the rest here. Someone always has to get the short end of the schedule at festivals, but honestly, with bands as great as Arcwelder, the New Year, and Shipping News starting off each day, the early slots weren't exactly filler. Too bad about the rain, though. He's right about their latest album, "When The Going Gets Dark", by the way. It's one of their best, and deserves to be heard by many more discriminating ears.

(Official site / T&G page / MySpace)





The Monorchid

Mp3: "Curse of the Potty-Trained Children" (live)

Mp3: "New Tricks" (live)

Equipment failure dogged The Monorchid's performance, but that only added to gripping recklessness of their set. An angry mess, with Chris Thomson screaming and growling all over it, eventually declaring it their own "civil war reenactment". Hard to say which side won.

(T&G page / Southern page / Simple Machines page)





Enon

Mp3: "Ashish" (live)

Mp3: "Which Way To Go?"
(live Big Boys cover)

I think I'd maybe heard just one or two Enon songs before they took the stage, and I remembered them sounding nothing like they did on this day. What we got was a catchy-as-hell pop trio with a killer drummer in the animated Matt Schulz. I loved 'em, and find myself listening more to this live recording than to the album I picked up at the Reckless Records tent after their set (2003's "Hocus Pocus"). They played a bunch of new songs, including "Aashish" above, which has me very much looking forward to their next release.

(Official site / T&G page / MySpace)





Three Mile Pilot

Mp3: "97-MT" (live)

Mp3: "Aqua-Magnetic" (live)

While I knew the story behind Three Mile Pilot (a band that pre-dates the curent projects of Pinback's Zach Smith and Black Heart Procession's Pall Jenkins), I hadn't actually heard much of their musical collaboration until they hit the stage. And whaddya know, it kinda sounded like a nice gelling of BHP and Pinback, what with Zach's distinctive bass playing and Jenkin's vocals. The studio versions of the two songs shared here can be found on 1995s "Chief Assassin To The Sinister", and while their last album was in 1997, word is they'll be releasing one on Touch & Go sometime in 2007.

(Official site / Wikipedia page / MySpace)





Tara Jane ONeil

Mp3: "Howl" (live)

Mp3: "Famous Yellow Belly" (live)

I couldn't have asked for a better lead-in to a reunited Seam than Tara Jane ONeil with Chris Brokaw. I'd picked up Tara Jane's new disc, "In Circles", at the Reckless tent the night before, glad that it was available there a few days before its official release the following Tuesday. I went to sleep after the first night of the fest with it playing softy on my host's stereo, and being able to see her play those same songs the next day was a real pleasure. Even with Seam on deck, I wanted more.

(Official site / T&G page / MySpace)





Seam

Mp3: "Berlitz" (live)

Mp3: "Sweet Pea" (live)

My beloved Seam, oh how I missed thee. I'd been fortunate enough to see them a bunch (terrible pun) when they were around, and honestly never thought I'd get the chance again. Save for a couple benefit-inspired appearances, the band all but disappeared once frontman/songwriter Sooyoung Park left Chicago for the West Coast years ago, eventually to join up on guitar with the band EE. And while I'm glad he's still making music, I hold out hope that he's been writing and hoarding some songs of his own all this time, and that another Seam album remains in our future.

(T&G page / unofficial MySpace page / Fansite)





Brick Layer Cake

Mp3: "Sitting Pretty" (live)

Mp3: "Stars" (live)

BLC is the solo guise of Shellac drumming god Todd Trainer. Just the man, his stylin' haircut, and a guitar he borrowed from Arcwelder's Bill Graber. Shared here are two songs, written over a decade apart.

(T&G page / MySpace / Southern page)





The Black Heart Procession

Mp3: "Not Just Words" (live)

Mp3: "You Got Lucky"
(live Tom Petty cover)

Of all the acts that played that weekend, The Black Heart Procession were probably the one that I'd heard most without ever seeing live, and I'm glad to have remedied that. Songs from "The Spell", their most recent release, had an added emotional weight to them, and really made me want to catch the band in a more intimate setting. Oddly enough, that particular Petty cover perfectly fit BRP's sound, something I wouldn't have guessed. "A good label is hard to find" indeed.

(Official site / T&G page / MySpace)





Coco Rosie

Mp3: "K-Hole" (live)

Mp3: "South 2nd" (live)

While I can understand the artistry and pure sonic diversity that the duo called Coco Rosie bring to the Touch & Go table, they may very well define the phrase "not my cup of tea". After a day that included two of my favorite guitar-heavy bands of all time, I simply couldn't get into the harp-meets-human-beatbox-meets-children's toys combo. I used the opportunity to grab a long-awaited meal, but not after capturing a couple songs for any fans out there.

(Official site / T&G page / MySpace)





Pinback

Mp3: "Syracuse" (live)

Mp3: "Non-Photo Blue" (live)

Pinback was in fine form, as always. You could tell, not just from their between-song words but from their in-song energy, that they were more than honored to be part of the T&G family. Rob Crow's fanboy humility was seriously endearing, and his band's own fans let him know that they deserved to be up on that stage. While another Rob solo album is imminent, as well as something brewing from Zach's Three Mile Pilot, let's cross fingers that it's not too long before we get some more Pinback.

(Official site / T&G page / MySpace)





Calexico

Mp3: "Sunken Waltz" (live)

Mp3: "Alone Again Or"
(live Love cover)

Mp3: "A Letter To Bowie Knife" (live)

A fittingly celebratory end to the three days and thirty-something bands, Calexico's raucous set of Southwestern-flavored songs really hit the spot, and accented just how diverse Touch & Go's lineup has become over the years. While other indies have either struggled find an identity, or simply struggled to stay afloat, Touch & Go has succeeded by discovering a wide variety of truly talented bands and treating them well. And dudging from the unending accolades that T&G founder Corey Rusk received throughout the weekend, he treats them very well indeed.

(Official site / T&G page / MySpace)





And just as he welcomed us about 50 hours earlier, The Hideout's talkative Tim Tuten bids the appreciate crowd farewell as we wander off into the Chicago streets, hunting for hard-to-find cabs and crowded buses...


Lastly, some T&G-related links...
  • Torrent-friendly types can download a few full festival sets over at DimeADozen, including Arcwelder and Quasi. Most are thanks to this taper, so check their profile for a list of available sets.

  • Check YouTube for various T&G 25th-related video clips, including one of Arcwelder performing "Raleigh".

  • As always, you can listen to all the songs shared on the Almanac at The Hype Machine

  • If you haven't yet, check out my posts on day one and day two of Touch & Go's 25th, where you'll find more related links.
  • the fine print... If anyone has an issue with these live tracks 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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