San Francisco's Film School came to town a week ago, taking the stage at Allston's Great Scott just after a great set by Margot & the Nuclear So and So's. I'd missed them the last time they were in town, and again when they had to cancel a show in Wellesley after their gear was stolen back in March. This time had to be the charm, especially since the bar's just a few blocks from my place.

It's not hard to spot the five-piece (and fifty pedal) outfit's influences, and my shoegaze-filled brain couldn't help doing just that ('here's the Ride-ish drumbeat', 'there's the early-Slowdive-style intro'). Fortunately for Film School, they're able to take these influences and tweak them just enough to own (or at least rent-to-own) them, and they deliver their songs with no small amount of energy and sincerity. Hey, if they're going for a certain sonic aesthetic, at least they picked my favorite one.

In the small confines of Great Scott, earplugs were required, but I couldn't help removing them near the end to feel the guitars (and the beers, thanks false45th) fully wash over me. Totally transported, I could have stayed for far more than their 9-song set, but both bands knew you should leave the crowd wanting more. So they did...



Seven of those can be found on their excellent self-titled second disc, and the other two ('p.s.' and 'Ms. Connection') appear on last year's 'Alwaysnever' EP.

A brief aside: For the first time, the 'most annoying audience member' contest results in a tie! Couldn't decide between the socially-inept dork with the incessant WOOOOoooOOOOooo!-ing in my ear (listen to the mp3s, ya can't miss him), or the tool who felt compelled to yell 'San Francisco represent!' after every song. I'd love to see these two fight it out in a to-the-death cage match, all the while screaming their respective battle-cries.

Film School video for '11:11' here, their MySpace page (with three streaming songs) is right here, and their tour with Margot & the Nuclear So & So's continues tonight in Atlanta. The two bands will part ways in Texas as F.S. heads west for a homecoming show at Slim's in San Francisco (uh, represent!).


the fine print: If anyone has an issue with this live set being made available, just say the word (email link on left). 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 just a few weeks, and are not reposted once removed.

Labels: livemp3s

posted by brad at 3:02 PM | direct link | rss (1:2) | |

Here's a quick one before I post the Film School set: mp3s from a couple radio broadcasts you may have missed over the past few days...


The Twilight Singers are about a week into their 'Powder Burns' summer tour, and they stopped by the CD101 'Big Room' in Columbus, OH to chat a bit and plow through a couple songs...


While the streaming sound quality wasn't spectacular, I did a little tweaking, and their performance has me even more psyched for this Monday night when they play the Paradise here in Boston. Dulli & Co. never disappoint, and I'm pretty surprised it's not sold out yet. Believe me, that won't be true by the time they hit the stage.

Oh, and get there early -- it's a close-knit opening line-up. Dulli cohort Jeff Klein starts the night, and a band Greg has been a touring part of, Italy's Afterhours, is up second.


BBC6Music had David Gedge of the Wedding Present on the phone on Wednesday, calling from France during their current European tour, ostensibly to promote the just-released CD/DVD collection "Search for Paradise: Singles 2004-5". Not only did Gedge chat about the current tour, but he hinted that once they're off the road in June he'll start plugging away at songs for the next Wedding Present album. Good news indeed.

Once the interview was over, the BBC dusted off a few songs from the Weddoes 1988 appearance at the London's Town & Country Club, so here they are...


Not only did they start that show with 'Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft' (the only song I've ever sang live on stage... don't ask), but Gedge introduced 'Be Honest' as 'a new one'. 18 years ago. Ok, now I feel ancient again. Glad to hear that they're actually playing that one on the current tour... sometimes you just can't beat the old stuff.

Listen to the stream of that BBC6 broadcast until this coming Wednesday right here.

Labels: livemp3s

posted by brad at 10:39 AM | direct link | rss (1:2) | |

The eight Margot & the Nuclear So and So's members wedged themselves onto the small stage of Allston's Great Scott as part of another fine 'Fenway Recordings Session'. And no, that doesn't mean that the 'session' was being officially 'recorded'; they are so-titled because the excellent Fenway Recordings record label puts the occasional lineup together, usually with at least a great band or two. Monday night's show was maybe the best one-two-punch yet, with a couple bands I've been wanting to see for awhile.

And while it wasn't officially recorded, I'd done a little messageboard reading and discovered that the bands were each comfortable with tapers and traders, so I was able to document the evening and offer it up to you guilt-free. First up is the nine-song set from Indianapolis' Margot & the Nuclear So and So's...


All but two of those songs can be found on their debut album, "The Dust of Retreat", which originally came out last year, and was re-released a few months ago on Artemis Records. They're well on their way towards a follow-up disc, and you can preview a tentative tracklisting over at their MySpace page. According to that, you should be able to find those two new live songs ('As Tall As Cliffs' & 'Broad Ripple Is Burning') on that eventual release.

Listen to the set on Hype Machine, and for more live M&tNSaS's (most awkward initialization ever), WOXY has a four song radio session. For a few studio recordings, their MySpace page has some songs from the album. To dig a little deeper, head to the Margot messageboard.

I'll follow up this up with Film School's performance, hopefully in the next few days if I can find the time...


the fine print: If anyone has an issue with this live set being made available, just say the word (email link on left). 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 just a few weeks, and are not reposted once removed.


Oh, and... Remember my complaint about Sonic Youth skipping Boston during their upcoming tour? Well, I shall complain no more. Turns out they're coming to town on Sunday night, September 3rd, and with the Flaming Lips, no less! That double-bill puts them in the oh-so-charmingly-named Bank of America Pavilion on the waterfront, a venue far larger than if they were on their own, but hey, I'm game. Size aside, it is a beautiful setting for a show. No word on when tickets will go on sale, but with my luck I'll get shut out anyway, Radiohead-style. Oh, Ticketmaster, you broken system you.

Sonic Youth's 'Rather Ripped' arrives on June 13th, and you can stream the entire thing here.

Labels: livemp3s

posted by brad at 7:12 AM | direct link | rss (1:2) | |

Finally, a few straight days of sunshine in Boston, erasing the memory of ten gray ones and seemingly endless rains. I'm sitting outside on our little Allston deck, laptop in front of me, rays on my face... I'd nearly forgotten what this feels like. Look at me, writing about the weather. Riveting!

This is going to be a quick one, a brief look at the week ahead...


Tonight: Film School and Margot & the Nuclear So & So's squeeze into Allston's Great Scott. I'm guessing the only reason that tix are still available is that school's out for summer, but I'd show up early-ish if you're going to chance tickets at the door.

Also tonight, Metal Hearts at the Middle East in Cambridge, and like I said, if I hadn't just seen 'em, I'd be there instead.

And if not there, then next door at TTs to see Laura Veirs, Karl Blau, and Drew O'Doherty.

What's the deal with three good shows on the same Monday night!? Yeesh.


Tomorrow night the 23rd brings Stella & the State's Michael Ian Black to the Paradise. I'm still kinda miffed that Comedy Central didn't give Stella a second season, but at least you can grab existing episodes on iTunes.


Wednesday night is sure to be a special one at the Museum of Fine Arts when Rachel's take the stage with the Invert String Quartet.


Thursday evening I get a break from the music when I check out a preview screening of the third X-Men movie. To recap: Liked the first one, loved the second one (and it remains my favorite super-hero film), but my expectations for the third are dangerously low. I was raised on the various X-books, so it'd be nice to see myself proven wrong again, as I was with X2.


Friday it's back to the MFA for a sold-out set from Red House Painter / Sun Kil Moon-man Mark Kozelek and guitarist Phil Carney.


This week's live mp3 offering will be a little late, as I'm hoping to share up tonight's Film School / Margot show. It'll take some time to edit that one down, especially with everything else I've got going on, so muster up a little patience...

posted by brad at 10:25 AM | direct link | rss (1:2) | |

Glasgow's Mogwai played Boston a couple nights back, their first area show in over five years. I remember griping when they skipped us on their '03 tour, but better missing out then than now, as I think the new 'Mr. Beast' is leaps and bounds above than their previous one.

I remember very clearly when I fell for Mogwai... October 6th, 1997 at Toast in Burlington, Vermont. I was there to see Pavement, and didn't know much more about the openers than they were Scotland-based and Matador-signed, having released their first stateside collection, 'Ten Rapid', earlier that year. Burlington was actually the first date of their first U.S. tour (after three NYC shows earlier that year), and I can honestly say that to this day I've never been more completely blown away by an opening band. And I mean that emotionally and physically... the small Toast stage wasn't enough to contain them. They were as loud then as they are today, and right from the beginning they were able to perfectly alternate between melodic delicacy and ear-splitting walls of sound. The lack of vocals never bothered me, the music is always good enough on its own, and their more recent incorporation of the occasional lyric hasn't detracted either. They've stuck with what works, while at the same time stretching the boundaries of the ol' 'quiet-loud-quiet-loud-out' formula. It's actually the restrained recordings, the ones that threaten to break big but instead stay beautiful, that stick with me longer. In a live setting I'm up for the occasional near-metal riff, but it's the quiet moments I relish.

There were plenty of both on Sunday, songs from all over their discography, including a few older personal faves ('Helicon 1', '...Long Way From Home', 'Stanley Kubrick'). Got a little thrill hearing both parts of 'Helicon' back-to-back, as I used to flip that import 7" incessantly (and paid a pretty price for it on a record shopping trip to Montreal).

So here's the (nearly) complete Mogwai set (I arrived almost too punctually to the Avalon, walking in just as 'Hunted By A Freak' started up, and I missed out recording it)...


Thanks for Mogwai forum visitor Narlus for those excellent solo-shots just above.

For more Mogwai action, visit the indespensible Bright Light! fansite. For more words and pics from the tour, hit up BrooklynVegan (NYC show) and Information Leafblower (DC show). Leaky Sparrow wrote about their stop in Paris last month as well, and keep an eye on Chromewaves (like I need to say that), since Frank is likely catching them tonight in Toronto.

To find out where the Scotsmen have been, and are headed, you can track their journies at the Follow the Beast site, which includes setlists and tour reports. And, needless to say, there's a Mogwai MySpace page as well.

Need more Mogwai live recordings? There are a bunch a up at the Internet Archive (including their Coachella set), or you can grab a big honkin' high-quality mp3 recording of their Washington, DC show courtesy of NPR. Sounds excellent, it does.


oh, and... If anyone has an issue with this live set being made available, just say the word (email link on left). Recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 192kbps mp3s. fyi, these live mp3s are made available for just a few weeks, and are not reposted once removed.

Labels: livemp3s

posted by brad at 1:13 PM | direct link | rss (1:2) | |

I swear I've written the introduction to this post about five different times over the past few weeks, but whenever I'm near the end, it keeps growing until the intro is totally irrelevant. Yeah, this one's been a loooong time in the making, and it could be a long time in the reading.

Going to cover a fair amount of musical ground here, and I'll spend the first bit on some friends & acquaintances...


The Essex Green's new album, "Cannibal Sea", came out a bunch of weeks back on Merge, and it's another hook-filled gem. Chris, Jeff, Sasha, & friends have improved upon 2003's "The Long Goodbye" by a catchy, country-tinged mile. And I liked that one lots, too. The production's so good, Jeff's stand-out guitar-licks so perfectly placed, Chris & Sasha's layered harmonies just fantastic... their voices have never sounded better together. I'm listening to it as I write this, and it's an ideal Sunday morning soundtrack...

They finished a little German jaunt last month, cruising the Autobahn with the Shout Out Louds, and now they're in the middle of a three week stateside stretch. I'm a bit bummed they're skipping Boston this time, especially since I'm so much more familiar with the new songs they played us last time around, but lots of you will get the chance to see 'em.

If you missed it, check out a high-falutin' feature story over at MSNBC, a recent EG post at You Ain't No Picasso, and another at Villains Always Blink. See some YouTube footage of their SxSW visit, some shared Flickr photos, and recent radio sessions for Minnesota Public Radio, where they performed three songs from the new disc, and NPR, who played a couple album tracks. (Speaking of the radio, I've been hearing the leadoff track from Cannibal Sea, 'This Isn't Farm Life', on Sirius Radio's Left of Center channel quite a bit lately.)

For a little history lesson, head over to Latitude 44.2N. They've got a couple of chapters of exploration into the Green's past, starting with one about Guppyboy (the best band to come outta Burlington, VT), and another about the Green themselves.


Long as we're talking about my old home state, it was nice to see Neil Cleary's name in a post title over at False 45th a little while back. Neil is responsible for one of my favorite Burlington-spawned pop albums, 1997's "Made To Feel", under the moniker of Stupid Club. Many, many good songs on that sucker, and you'd can still grab it here.


Could we really be nearing the release of the long lost My Own Sweet studio sessions? I've been in possession of roughly-mixed mp3s for ages, but I'd love to hear 'em higher-fi. For now, let's be content that they've actually got a myspace page. You can hear a few songs there, and many more have been mixed 'n mastered. Good news all around.


Tim Lauben (a member of My Own Sweet, Huffy, and most recently, The Red & The Black), has also jumped on myspace, and he's sharing up some of his solo stuff. I'm a longtime fan of his songs, so I'm glad he's doing that.


Too many years went by without my old friend and bandmate Shawn F. having any recordings to show off, but his latest outfit, the Burlington, VT-based Fire the Cannons! has a few from last year's demo up at myspace. Shawn & singer/guitarist Marie have found a new drummer since those songs were put down, and I'm hoping they record again soon; a couple live songs from their TTs show a few months back have really stuck with me.


And even though Shawn's not on their recordings (yet), he should be psyched to also be playing bass in a band called The Hero Cycle. False 45th tipped me to them a few weeks ago, and I was more than immediately impressed by the three songs they've got at (where else?) myspace, especially 'Breathing In'. I'll have to find out if the (at least) 7-piece project is planning on recording again soon, but until then, these songs will stay solidly in my playlist.


Another old friend sharing new music via myspace is Sean L., recording under the name seanpaultragedy. Four songs to either stream or download, including a new-ish acoustic one.


It's been a couple years since Jay Cox left both his old band (The Ivory Coast), and his old home (the East Coast) behind, settling in Seattle and putting together a project-turned-band called The Sea Navy. Jay's in the studio finishing up some new songs, working with drummer Andrew Rudd (ex-Aqueduct) and Mr. TW Walsh, who's adding bass, keys, and also sitting behind the board. While we wait to hear that new stuff, grab some mp3s from the first album, 'Breathing in the Old World', on the Sea Navy songs page, and read a recent Sea Navy post over at rbally.


Speaking of TW Walsh, the ex-Pedro the Lion & Headphones guy is readying a new EP under the name The Soft Drugs. Titled 'The Soft Drugs in Moderation', it was made with the help of some familiar names, including members of the Crystal Skulls, Sufjan Stevens' band, and PTL's David Bazan. It's officially out June 6th, and you can now pre-order it now at the Undertow Music store. It's being released on Walsh's own label, Tower of Song, and while you're waiting for it to arrive, check out a couple tracks from it at myspace, or grab TW's monthly free mp3s over at the Soft Drugs site, including an early version of the eventual Pedro the Lion song, 'Start Without Me'.


Which brings us to ex-Pedro guy David Bazan, who will also be releasing a solo EP of his own June 13th on Jade Tree, his first since leaving the PTL moniker behind late last year. It's titled 'Fewer Moving Pieces', and as of yesterday you can order it through the Undertow Music store as well. It's a five-song but ten-track affair, with each number getting both an acoustic and electric treatment. The tracklisting, which gives each song two titles depending on the version, is...

Holy War (Making It, Faking It, Breaking It)

How I Remember (Don't Cry, I'm Not Gonna Hurt You)

Backwoods Nation (Here We Go Again)

Fewer Broken Pieces (Precious, Please Make Up Your Mind)

Cold Beer and Cigarettes (The Devil Is Beating His Wife)

A couple of those song title may look familiar to Pedro the Lion followers: Two demo versions of 'The Devil Is Beating His Wife' have been available at PureVolume for awhile, and Bazan performed it as part of the recent Undertow Orchestra tour. 'Backwoods Nation' was released as a PTL song on the 2002 Jade Tree sampler 'Location Is Everything Vol 1'. Not sure if we'll get re-recorded versions of those songs, but here's hoping.

Super fun fact: Ex-Low bassist and indie-comic publisher extraordinaire Zak Sally did the artwork for the EP. Actually, we can now officially refer to him as "the Eisner-nominated Zak Sally". Because this year, he is.

Indie Interviews posted an excellent David Bazan chat awhile back as part of its podcast series, in which he discussed leaving the Pedro the Lion name behind, the use of profanity in his music, and much, much more. I.I.'s Garrison Reid was kind enough to send me an unused five-minute chunk of the interview, so I'm sharing it up right here for a little while. In the excerpt, David talks about the absurdity of the Christian 'club' mentality, and his frustration with freaks like James Dobson who use faith to preach intolerance. Definitely worth a listen for Bazan/PTL fans, along with the rest of it.

For Boston-area readers, David will be playing with the also-excellent Drew O'Doherty at TT the Bears on Monday, June 19th. Might want to grab tickets early for that one.


I simply cannot get enough of Rose Melberg's new solo cd on Double Agent, 'Cast Away the Clouds'. I ordered it pretty early from Darla, and was very psyched to see it arrive well before the official late-April release date. I shouldn't be surprised that her beautiful voice, perfect harmonies, soft strumming, and light piano touches have become my spring soundtrack... I don't think she's been involved in anything I haven't liked, whether it was Tiger Trap, the Softies, or Go Sailor.

Order up the album direct from Double Agent, and listen to some songs over at Rose's myspace page, including a cover of an old Anne Briggs folk song called "The Time Has Come", which you can also download here. For some other Rose-colored coverage, BrooklynVegan wrote about a recent live appearance, and For the 'Records' wrote something (and stole my intended title for this post :-)) on the eve of the album's release.


Norway's Serena Maneesh are offering up a free mp3, a remixed version of 'Sapphire Eyes' that has so far only appeared on the b-side of a 7". The mix itself is a bit of an aural train-wreck, and you have to sign up for their mailing list to get it, but it's worth a listen if you love the original. Go get it here.


Lots of great shows here in Boston this month, including last Saturday's Pinback show, this coming Sunday's Mogwai show, and others including Film School, Metal Hearts, Rachel's, Mark Kozelek, and Twilight Singers. Also really looking forward to seeing Mary Timony on June 1st, since the addition of bass player Chad Molter has made the guitar-and-drums duo a full-on trio. Can't wait to see how it helps fills out her live set, especially since they'll be playing some new stuff in preparation for the imminent recording of Mary's next album.

(I was kinda looking forward to seeing Radiohead, until I got completely shut out when I attempted to get tickets last Saturday morning. My click-fu was not strong. Anyone got an extra? I'd letcha ravage my tradelist. :))

Other announced shows that I'm really looking foward to: Boston's own Buffalo Tom at the Paradise, that Bazan / O'Doherty double-bill at TTs, and Head Like A Kite at the Paradise, all in June.

July brings us A Silver Mount Zion (a GYBE offshoot) at the Middle East and a few great shows at the Paradise: The Futureheads on the 1st, Mission of Burma on the 13th, and Editors on the 30th. While tickets for that Editors show don't officially go on sale until May 15th, you can already grab pre-sale tix right over here (username: editors, password: munich). Going there would be most wise, as there's no doubt about a sell-out.

Edited to add: Mission of Burma is doing a pre-sale for their tour as well, including stops in DC, Philly, Toronto, Cleveland, and Detroit, in addition to the two shows in Massaschusetts. Head over to MusicToday to grab your early tix, which have just gone on sale.

And looking waaaaay too far ahead to September, we'll be treated to Bottomless Pit at the Middle East. 'Bottomless Pit?', you may be asking. That's former Silkworm guys Tim Midgett and Andy Cohen's new band, with ex-Seam drummer Chris Manfrin and .22 singer/guitarist Brian Orchard on bass. They're playing with Shearwater and Magnolia Electric Co., and I cannot freakin' wait. Tickets go on sale this Friday, and I'm guessing that date is part of a larger tour, so keep an eye out in other cities as well.


Was going to write about a whole lot more, but this chunk has taken long enough as it is. Time to click the 'Publish' button...


Pssst... hey, Bostonians: Wanna see a free preview screening of the new Terry Zwigoff / Daniel Clowes flick 'Art School Confidential' tomorrow night? Then go here and print out the pass. See ya there.

posted by brad at 12:30 AM | direct link | rss (1:2) | |

The five-piece touring version of Pinback hit Boston on Saturday night, cranking through 21 songs in about 90 minutes to a sold-out Paradise Lounge. I've been into 'em since 2001's Blue Screen Life, but bad timing and big-crowd aversion have kept me from seeing them live until now. Real glad I made the effort and braved the packed Saturday night show.


The band was pretty tight, you could tell they'd been on the road for a few weeks. They even pulled out 'Sender' for the first time on this tour, claiming they were going to 'fuck up real hard right now'. Which they didn't. Actually, the only time they bailed on a song wasn't even their fault; it was thanks to a stereotypically drunken frat-ish type who stormed the stage during 'Penelope' and started slurring non-sensically into Rob Crow's microphone. Rob's response was ace, though: "I'm sorry dude, Slapshot broke up, like, years ago." The stagediving pinhead got thrown out, although it sure took the Paradise bouncers long enough to do it.


The recording came out pretty well, thanks mostly to the excellent house mix. Whoever Pinback has on the road doing their sound has got their balance down. It's been awhile since I've heard the 'dise sound that good...


Opening 'band' Pleaseeasaur (one guy with lots of costumes, and another manning two overhead projectors) could easily have been annoying, but ended up winning me over with their over-the-top goofiness. Total artistic commitment to songs about Star Wars, pizza, and limo companies that would have fit right in on a James Kochalka Superstar double-bill. If you know James, you know what I'm talkin' about. According to Pleaseeasaur's site, they've just signed a multi-cd/dvd deal with Comedy Central, so you'll no doubt be hearing much more from them.


The Pinback tour continues tonight in Portland, Maine, then heads south and west, finishing up at the end of May in San Francisco. If you're at all into them, make sure you visit the excellent PinbackFreak site. Also check out this Rob Crow-centric fansite, or some new music from his Pinback partner Zach, who just released an EP under his solo moniker, Systems Officer.


He adds knowingly: If anyone has an issue with this live set being made available, just say the word (email link on left). Recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 192kbps mp3s. fyi, these live mp3s are made available for just a few weeks, and are not reposted once removed.

Labels: livemp3s

posted by brad at 12:51 PM | direct link | rss (1:2) | |

It's about time I did another one of my catch-all mp3 posts, pulling together lots of live songs I've been gathering over time but haven't yet had an opportunity to share.

Random live recordings from six bands this time: Five from The Crystal Skulls, a few each from Metal Hearts and locals Frank Smith, a complete Dios (Malos) set, a couple from The Twenty-Twos, and just one from Boston's own The Luxury. Most of 'em were opening acts, and the lack of complete sets is either explained by my own tardiness, or by the bands playing new songs that haven't seen a proper studio recording. I've left those unreleased ones out in deference to the artists (that's the case with Metal Hearts, The Luxury, & the Twenty-Twos).

Much variety to be found below, and remember, an easy way to hear 'em all is to check out the Almanac stream on the Hype Machine, which should update itself with these songs shortly...


It was a year ago, on April 28th, 2005 to be exact, that I first heard of the Crystal Skulls, when they opened for the Wedding Present at the Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge, MA. Naturally the set consisted of songs from their then-current album, last year's 'Blocked Numbers', but they did play a new one that ended up on their just-released disc, 'Outgoing Behavior'...


Listen to more at the Crystal Skulls' MySpace page, or grab a couple songs from their site.


Another band on the ace Suicide Squeeze label, Metal Hearts, played a strange show at Northeastern University a couple weeks ago. It certainly wasn't their set, which was as good as I'd hoped it would be, that made it strange, but the setting. A large student lounge, and just a few kids in attendance, most of whom seemed to be friends of the 'headlining' pop-punk band. The place made Metal Hearts start early, so much so that I sadly missed the first couple songs. As it was, they were scheduled against a new episode of '24', so most TiVo-deprived students were getting their Bauer on and missing a great band in their own school yard.

The MH duo of Anar & Flora were somehow able to bring the bedroom-vibe of their 'Socialize' album to the odd live setting, and the addition of the recording engineer Sam on drums did nothing to take away from that. He brought just the right touches to the material, and it was great to find out that he's playing on the follow-up. The new stuff I heard that night was promising indeed.

Here are live versions of a few songs from 'Socialize', recorded on April 17th, 2006...


Hear more at their MySpace page, where you can also see the new video for 'Foothills' (or try YouTube). Also well worth hearing is their recent live set at WOXY, recorded just a few days ago. Metal Hearts are in the middle of a huge tour that's taking them all over North America, and they'll be back in the Boston area on March 22nd.


I'd read some good things about Boston-based band Frank Smith before I found out they'd be opening for that free New Pornographers show at the Paradise a few weeks ago, but wasn't sure they'd be my cuppa tea until they took the stage. I was overly psyched for the New Pornos, but found myself pleasantly surprised by the laid-back banjo-dusted songs the openers offered up. Here are a few, recorded on April 10th, 2006...

(note: mp3 files removed on 10/1/2006)


It's to the point where I don't need to say you can find more at their MySpace page... just assume it, and do it. You can also head to the Phoenix's On the Download blog for another mp3.


I was completely unfamiliar with Dios (Malos) when I caught them opening for Matt Pond PA back on February 8th of this year, and I'm still not entirely sure what to make of them. I do know their recordings have a more lo-fi, meandering feel than their live stuff, which came across as more fleshed out and energetic than the mp3s I've heard since. I think I need to spend more time with the latest album before I call myself a fan, but I do remember enjoying their set as I saw it. Here's the whole thing...


MySpace songs? Yup.


Amie looooved the Twenty-Twos far more than I did when we saw them back on January 20th at Great Scott in Allston, but she's a sucker for girls pop-rockin' it on their guitars. The pure greatness of the Editors set that came after them sort of overpowered any impression I'd had, but Amie had to leave early and was psyched to pick up the Twenty-Twos' self-titled EP. Too bad the thing has that Sony ECP DRM crap on it... not going near my cd-rom drive, thank you very much. At least I can hear some MySpace songs, and a couple live tracks here...



And lastly, a live song from the Luxury, a Boston band fronted by ex-Halogen Jason Dunn, playing with ex-members of the band Baby Strange. Their full-length debut, 'This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things', is on the way, and you can grab the first song from it at On the Download. They played a bunch of stuff at TT the Bears back on January 22nd that I assume will also be found on the album, but since the song 'Docile' sits in demo form on their MySpace page, I'll share the live version up here...


And speaking of The Halogens, they'll be playing a one-off reunion show this Friday, May 5th, at Bill's Bar. Word is they'll be handing out free discs of unreleased material to those in attendance.


the blahblahblah: If any of the artists above have an issue with this live material being made available, just say the word (email link on left). No worries if you want something yanked.

Recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 192kbps mp3s. And keep in mind, sets are made available for a few weeks, and are not reposted once removed.

Labels: livemp3s

posted by brad at 7:00 AM | direct link | rss (1:2) | |