navigate the 'nac
almanac mp3 archives almanac shared mp3 archive
live show photo archive boston-area live shots on flickr
'my life or some dream'
original mp3 compilation

free mp3 compilation on club fub
bands i've been in bands i've played drums in
the 'nac faq & contact info
contact info and more

the 'nac on the 'net

the almanac rss feed
subscribe to my rss feed
follow me on twitter the almanac twitter account
become a fan on facebook the 'nac on facebook
hype machine 'nac page the almanac hype machine page
the 'nac songkick gig page the almanac songkick gig page
almanac events on sponty the almanac sponty events page
the almanac last.fm page the almanac last.fm page

the almanac archives


search the 'nac


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, March 19, 2007

Monday Music Miscellany
Sharing some things that have caught my eyes and ears lately...


Following up on my Rob Crow / Heavy Vegetable live post from last week, tomorrow sees the official release of yet another Rob-related project: "Wake Up Swimming" is the first album from Other Men, and it's arriving courtesy of his own Robcore label. The band is the crack trio of Rob, Manolo Turner, and Travis Nelson... in other words, 3/4ths of Heavy Vegetable. Listen to three songs on their MySpace page, including this one...


The only place I can see to order the album so far is via Amazon, or straight from Rob himself at live shows. The final show of his solo tour (with the backing band that includes Manolo and Travis) is Wednesday in San Diego.


Also on Wednesday, and right here at home, is the long-awaited (and long sold-out) return of Explosions in the Sky to the Boston area. After listening to NPR's live broadcast of the band's Saturday night stop in Washington, DC, I'm even more jazzed for the show. NPR has already uploaded the EiTS set from that night (along with tourmates The Paper Chase and Eluvium), so head over there to start streaming. Here's a taste...

Mp3: Explosions In The Sky - "Your Hand In Mine" (live)
(via NPR, at the 9:30 Club, Washington, DC, 3/17/07)


Courtesy of another fine public broadcasting medium: my TiVo recently grabbed a rebroadcast of Cat Power's fantastic set with the Memphis Rhythm Band on Austin City Limits, and was happily surprised to see them perform a live version of Chan's "Cross Bones Style". As far as I knew, they didn't have this older song worked out for last year's full-band tour, so we didn't get to see it when they hit Boston. Here it is, segued seamlessly into the Stones' "Satisfaction"...


Check out a video clip from the show and a brief interview with Chan (along with the same from the Raconteurs, who shared the episode) at the Austin City Limits site.


On the subject of Cat Power, Chan Marshall was recently subjected to the confounding entity known as Ian Svenonius on an episode of Soft Focus, the chat show he hosts on VBS.TV. The interview is divided in four video chunks, and here are direct links to each one: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4. Other guests on the show so far include Ian Mackaye, Will Oldham, Henry Rollins, Genesis P. Orridge, and most recently, Andrew W.K..


I don't put much stock in the whole Rock & Roll Hall of Fame business, nor any other meaninglessly subjective music awards shows, so until this year I'd never actually watched one of the televised ceremonies. But the presence of R.E.M., one of my "formative bands", and to a lesser extent Patti Smith, sucked me into recording and skimming through the entire over-long stroke-fest. And as expectedly ridiculous as most of it was, I found myself genuinely moved by Eddie Vedder's spoken induction of misters Stipe, Buck, Mills, & Berry. While I'm not a fan of the guy's band, he sure gives good speech. And to see Bill Berry behind the kit for "Begin The Begin" and "Gardening At Night" provided a certain thrill that the boys from Athens haven't conjured up in me in quite a long time. While Buck's too-quiet amp seemed to go on the fritz for that first song (perhaps explaining why he chucked it off the stage, and straight at some suit's legs, after the set. Well, that or booze.), the sound on "Gardening At Night" was just right.

Here are those two cuts, along with "Man On The Moon" (a song I'm not exactly partial to) performed with Mr. Vedder, and their cover of the Stooges "I Wanna Be Your Dog", with assistance from Patti Smith and Lenny Kaye...



A couple of excellent online interviews I'd like to draw your attention to...
  • Kristin Hersh interviewed by Andrea at Warped Reality Magazine. Kristin brings her backing band (aka 50 Foot Wave) and a string section (aka The McCarricks) to the Boston area to perform her solo songs on Saturday, April 21st at the Regent Theatre in Arlington. Tickets are available here.

  • Glorious Noise interviews Larry Crane (Tape Op / Vomit Launch), who has become Elliott Smith's "official archivist". Larry has put together "New Moon", the double-disc collection of Elliott rarities that will be released on Kill Rock Stars on May 8th. Can't come soon enough.
  • And speaking of Elliott, The Rawking Refuses To Stop has just started an amazing week-long series of posts spotlighting Mr. Smith's live covers, 47 in all. Today's first installment gathers together the Beatles-related songs, and tomorrow is the Kinks. Amazing stuff, and it makes me miss him all the more.


    Boston's own Wheat officially sprang back into action last December with the release of the "That's Exactly What I Wanted... Exactly That" mini-album on Empyrean Records, but that was just a tease for the May 22nd release of the full-length "Everyday I Said A Prayer For Kathy And Made A One Inch Square" (colored vinyl arrives later this year). A video for the song "I Had Angels Watching Over Me" should show up on Pitchfork next month, but first, we'll get a chance to see the band return to the stage: Wheat plays Cambridge's TT the Bears on March 31st, and then hits Philly & New York City in late-April. Check this tourdates page for details, and keep an eye there for a full North American tour once the album arrives.


    Seattle's loss is Boston's (re)gain: Songwriter, guitarist, former Pedro the Lion member, proud papa, and drummer T.W. Walsh has just returned east after a stint on the west coast, and the musical benefits arrive quickly: He'll play his first area show on Tuesday night, March 27th at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge. Word is he's working on a new full-band version of The Soft Drugs, and might get some assistance at the Lizard Lounge show from friends (which is why it's billed at T.W. Walsh & the Prohibition). Also playing that night are the Patrons, Summer Villains, and Neil Lawrence.

    Take a listen to some Soft Drugs songs at MySpace, or grab the most recent free downloadable mp3 below. You can also get accompanying lyrics and artwork for it right over here...


    Can't wait to see some Soft Drugs songs played on a stage in front of me. Our already-bustling music scene just got another boost.


    We're very fortunate to have another great songwriter back with us in New England, former Texan and Transona Five member Chris Anderson, whom I met years ago just after moving to Boston (brought together by our shared love of Low). Though he returned to Texas for school, he's once again living back here in the Boston area, and maintaining the Transona Five MySpace page, where he's been sharing up a whole bunch of unreleased songs.

    While T5 hasn't been active for a long while, and a criminally unreleased album haunted them after the slow fade, there were whispers of some kind of reemergence before the sad news struck: Transona Five (and more recently, The Swells) member Chris Foley tragically passed away in late-January. Chris A. has a heartfelt eulogy for his friend and bandmate shared here.

    In the wake of Foley's passing, the band continues to share streamable songs, and it looks like things are underway to change the status of that "lost" album to "unlost". Keep an eye on their MySpace blog for more.


    Also in tribute to a tragic loss: "Love Goes On", the almost-finished compilation of admiring artists performing songs by Grant McLennan and his Go-Betweens. Many covers have been gathered since McClennan's death last year, including ones by Portastatic, The Bats, The Clientele, Trembling Blue Stars, and the Orchids, but one song is conspicuously missing: the title track, "Love Goes On". Rare Victory has opened up that spot to anyone who wants to give the song a shot, and they'll pick the version they like best, so long as you submit it by March 29th. That's just 10 days away, so if you haven't motivated by now, time's a wastin'.


    And since I mentioned Portastatic, didja catch their four-song live appearance on NPR's World Cafe a couple months back? It's worth streaming, and to prove it I'll share up one song from the set...



    Out next week: The mouth-watering 6-disk box set of The Wedding Present's "Complete Peel Sessions" on Sanctuary Records. Drool. They were rarely less than brilliant when playing for Mr. Peel, either in his studio sessions or totally live... some of the best versions of their material come from those 12 sessions. I could easily justify buying the thing if I didn't have so many of the tracks already... but it appears there might be just enough unreleased ones to suck me in anyway. Oh, who am I kidding, there's no free will involved here.


    It is a simple fact that I worship at the altar of Jeff Martin, aka the man behind Idaho. Whether it's his early feedback-laden, full-band material or his more recent piano-based aural pastiches, I have unwavering faith that whatever he man releases, I will love. And so it feels like a very long wait since the 2005 Idaho disc "The Lone Gunman", but it appears that we may get some new songs, and even some live dates, sometime this year.

    A late-December note on his reborn messageboard says, about new material...
    "new CD in the works...no drums....sort of mellow but very different than the lone gunman.... im really having a good time with it. 5 songs done....need at least 5 more...should be ready for some sort of release by the spring. no soundtrack work as of yet.......some good prospects lurking in the background though...lets hope i dont get anything for the next couple of months so i can finish the CD....either way...it'll be out soon"
    And just a couple weeks back he posted...
    "got some good vocals done today. sorry to be cheeky but i think this is gonna be a great CD whenever if its ever done"
    So, barring any soundtrack work (he's scored a couple TV shows and films in the past), we should get word of a new Idaho album sometime soon. He also responded to a question about 2007 live shows with this: "i really do hope so. ill know a lot more in the next couple of months.". I hope so, too.

    While we wait, Jeff has started sharing up lots of random video footage at the newly established JeffMartin.net. Along with some family video, and everyday footage of him and his girlfriend Maryanna spending time together, he's also posted an excellent Idaho video and some samples of his soundtrack work...


    And what may be my favorite video find from his site (and those who know me will understand):


    If you're looking to listen to some Idaho, in addition to the MySpace page, check out this thread for a couple of live tracks from a full-band show in Spain last summer, or snag a few rarities from the unreleased page of the Sliding Past fan site. Jeff also made "Cactus Man Rides Again" (track 14 from "The Lone Gunman") available for free download, as it was left off the European release of the album. It is no longer on the official site, but you can still get it here...


    To stream "The Lone Gunman" album in its gorgeous entirety, go here, and you can read an interview with Jeff conducted by Loose Record last summer.


    And finally, congrats to Almanac reader Matt J. in Boston, who won himself admission for two to Wednesday night's Hero Cycle show at the Abbey Lounge in Somerville, along with a copy of their "Lakes and Ponds" EP.

    I'll have a couple more contests up shortly, but I'll leave you with a preview of this week's shared live set, which I should have up on Wednesday...

    Mp3: The Shins - "Caring Is Creepy" (live)
    (at the Orpheum, Boston, MA, 3/15/2007)











    featured mp3 download
    arcade fire
    live at the boa pavilion
    in boston, mass.
    on sunday, august 1st, 2010

    latest live band pics



    recent posts on the 'nac...


    latest comments...


    on the mp3 player

    on the screen

    on the nightstand


    other boston-area music blogs


    boston music media


    boston live show / event info


    music blogroll


    music audiocasts


    surf-worthy


    other frequent haunts


    boston-centric


    some cele-bloggers



    Locations of visitors to this page




    Weblog Commenting by HaloScan.com

    This page is powered by Blogger Pro.

    Blog Directory - Blogged