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, February 12, 2007

Boston Bits, Tix, + Music Flicks

Here's a quick one this morning before I share up the weekly live set...

We shouldn't have much longer to wait for the arrival of perennial Boston band (and Jon Stewart fave) Buffalo Tom's seventh album. According to an update from singer/guitarist Bill Janovitz: "Looks like our record will be out around May". Here's hoping. Looks like Bill, Chris, and Tom will be heading down to SxSW next month, so catch 'em for me if you're down there.

For those in the downtown Boston area this week, Bill will be playing a free solo set at noon on Wednesday the 14th at the First Act Guitar Store on Boylston (and I'm sure he won't be able to resist covering a love song of some sort). The following week, on Friday the 23rd, you can catch another free lunchtime set from Dear Leader / Sheila Divine frontman Aaron Perrino.

Another Valentine's Day show to make note of is an appearance by The Community Sisters, which brings together three of Boston's best: Seana Carmody (Swirlies/Syrup USA/Shenzou 5), Mona Elliott (Victory at Sea/Spore), and Deb Warfield (Broken River Prophet/Shenzou 5). The acoustic trio plays on Wednesday night at PA's Lounge in Somerville with Carlisle Sound, Kahoots, and Jeff Chasse, and if the Community Sisters' MySpace page gives any indication, fans of our furry outdoor friends will be most pleased.

Mp3: The Community Sisters - "Scrubby Paws"

Former Bostonian and ex-Helium frontwoman Mary Timony has announced the title and release date for the next album with her band (which includes Medications singer/guitarist Devin Ocampo on drums and bass player Chad Molter). It'll be called "The Shapes We Make", and will be out on May 8th, 2007 on Kill Rock Stars. I'm sure we'll get a preview during a March tour they have planned, which includes a stop at SxSW.

Here's a link to the track that the band contributed to the recent KRS "Winter Holiday Album", which was recorded at J. Robbins' Magpie Cage studios in Baltimore during the same sessions for "The Shapes We Make"...

Mp3: The Mary Timony Band - "Hapi Holidaze"

In case you hadn't yet heard, former Belly frontwoman and Throwing Muse Tanya Donelly has generously offered up 10 downloadable demos that she recorded before the album that eventually became Belly's "Star". According to Tanya's notes, some of the tracks include contributions from Kim Deal, as they almost ended up as Breeders songs before the parting of musical ways that resulted in Belly and a Tanya-less Breeders. Along with those 10 tracks, you'll find almost 20 other demos from her solo career, and while all the songs are freely shared, there's a Paypal tip jar you can use to return Tanya's generosity with a little of your own.

The Shins just added a bunch more stops to their now-in-progress North American tour, and Boston is one of 'em. The band will hit the Orpheum on Thursday, March 15th with Viva Voce (so, yes, look for Anita Robinson to add her gorgeous harmonies to some Shins songs on stage). Tickets will go on sale this Saturday, February 17th, at 10am, and will sell out shortly thereafter.

I'm actually slightly surprised that Bloc Party hasn't yet sold out their own show at the Orpheum on March 28th, but I'm guessing it's gotta be close. I was on the fence about seeing them this time around, but after spending tons of time with "Weekend In The City" (and the dozen-or-so b-sides), I checked ticket availability over the weekend and scored a couple seats in the front row of a balcony box. Tight budget be damned, I'm there.

You have until this Wednesday night to catch one of the only Boston-area showings of the re-released mid-90s indie-rock-ish flick Half-Cocked (that's a lotta hyphens). The film, which was co-directed by Suki Hawley and former Sleepyhead bass player Michael Galinsky, is screening daily at 6:30 and 8:30pm at The Video Underground in Jamaica Plain (pdf flyer here). If you're at all a fan of the American indie-rock scene circa 15 years ago, the black and white film will either spark all sorts of fond memories, or act as a minor history lesson if you weren't paying attention back then. But a rocking history lesson, to be sure. The Grifters' performance of "She Blows Blasts of Static" is worth the price of admission alone.

If you're looking to see it on your own smaller screen, the film has just been released on a 10th-anniverary DVD, which includes Galinksy & Hawley's follow-up film, "Radiation", and a slew of bonus material. I'll write more on the DVD release later on, but you can check out some of the bonus material over at the Half-Cocked site.

Another music-specific film I'm really looking forward to is coming to Boston in April, just a month after it premieres at Austin's SXSW. "The Silver Jew", which follows David Berman as he plays the Middle East (yes, the actual Middle East, not our local club) with his band, The Silver Jews (via Aquarium Drunkard). The 50-minute documentary (.mov trailer here) will be part of the 2007 Independent Film Festival of Boston, which will be marking its fifth year on April 25th through the 30th. This is the first bit of lineup news I've heard about the festival, and I'm already excited... can't wait to see what else the IFFBoston crew has planned for this year.

Lastly, thanks to Will at Northeast Performer magazine for asking me to contribute some music-blog-related ramblings to an article in their February issue titled "Blogs and Internet Radio: The Online Explosion of Personal Preference". I was pretty pleased to discover my thoughts alongside those of WOXY's Bryan Jay Miller (I do love me some WOXY), and also to read the phrase "as Searles wisely points out". I'm not sure the word "wisely" and I have ever been linked.

posted by brad at 10:47 AM | direct link | rss (1 :2) | |

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