bradley's almanac - a boston-based music blog

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tuesday, march 16th

bacchus king

croquet

cathy cathodic

the ugly fucklings

@ the middle east upstairs

wednesday, march 17th

joanna newsom

@ the sanders theatre, harvard

wednesday, march 17th

henry rollins (spoken word)

@ the somerville theatre

thursday, march 18th

TOURFILTER DJ NIGHT!

when tourfilter's chris +

the almanac's brad (aka, me)

spin songs by bands coming to

the boston area sometime soon

9pm sharp @ river gods

thursday, march 18th

apollo sunshine

drug rug

@ the paradise

friday, march 19th

i, pistol

mascara

planetoid

forgetful jones

@ tt the bears

saturday, march 20th

the whitehaus family blastfest

needy visions, manners,

morgan shaker, avi jacob,

and many more

@ cambridge ymca theatre

saturday, march 20th

air

@ berklee performance center

sunday, march 21st

the clientele

field music

@ great scott

wednesday, march 24th

extraneous noise presents...

golden spurs

spirit kid

some say fire

the novel ideas

@ the middle east upstairs

thursday, march 25th

"thursday night alright!" with

the beatings

aloud

action camp

hello ninja

@ great scott

thursday, march 25th

the donnas

@ the paradise

friday, march 26th

eldridge rodriguez (the beatings)

ryan lee crosby

ted billings (age rings/hot protestants)

@ the somerville armory

friday, march 26th

basia bulat

marissa nadler

lady lamb the beekeeper

@ tt the bears

saturday, march 27th

your say party! we say die!

the new collisions

static of the gods (cd release)

@ tt the bears

saturday, march 27th

the big pink

a place to bury strangers

magic magic

@ the paradise

saturday, march 27th

spoon

deerhunter

@ the house of blues

sunday, march 28th

beach house

bachelorette

@ the paradise

monday, march 29th

the soft pack

nodzzz

beaters

@ great scott

tuesday, march 30th

shearwater

wye oak

hospital ships

@ tt the bears

tuesday, march 30th

manchester orchestra

the features

biffy clyro

o'brother

@ the paradise

wednesday, march 31st

japandroids

love is all

girlfriends

@ the middle east downstairs

wednesday, march 31st

miike snow

delorean

@ the paradise

wednesday, march 31st

a sunny day in glasgow

pants yell!

bearstronaut

@ great scott

thursday, april 1st

girls

dum dum girls

@ the paradise

friday, april 2nd

the xx

jj (late show only)

two shows @ the paradise

friday, april 2nd

drive-by truckers

lucero

langhorne slim

@ the house of blues

saturday, april 3rd

cassavettes

the grownup noise

kingsley flood (cd release)

spouse

@ the middle east upstairs

saturday, april 3rd

black rebel motorcycle club

alberta cross

@ the house of blues

saturday, april 3rd

nada surf

dawn landes & the hounds

@ the paradise

sunday, april 4th

serena maneesh

depreciation guild

black fortress of opium

@ tt the bears

tuesday, april 6th

wilco

@ the orpheum

tuesday, april 6th

ben fold & a piano

kate miller-heidke

@ the house of blues

wednesday, april 7th

florence & the machine

@ the paradise

wednesday, april 7th

rocky votolato

brooke waggoner

@ great scott

thursday, april 8th

faces on film

hands & knees

st. claire (cd release!)

mr. sister

@ tt the bears

thursday, april 8th

thom yorke + atoms for peace

flying lotus

@ the citi/wang theatre

friday, april 9th

midlake

@ the paradise

saturday, april 10th

xiu xiu

tune-yards

@ the middle east downstairs

saturday, april 10th

ted leo & the pharmacists

obits

screaming females

@ the paradise

saturday, april 10th

pissed jeans

confines

sqrm

@ great scott

sunday, april 11th

fanfarlo

lawrence arabia

robert francis

@ the paradise

monday, april 12th

the wedding present

play their 1989 lp 'bizarro'

with openers girl in a coma

@ the middle east downstairs

monday, april 12th

titus andronicus

the babies

@ great scott

thursday, april 15th

jakob dylan with guests

neko case + kelly hogan

@ the wilbur theatre

thursday, april 15th

red sparowes

doomriders

@ the middle east downstairs

friday, april 16th

guillermo sexo

freddie t and the people

(ex-june of 44 / hoover)

travels

ghost box orchestra

@ pa's lounge

friday, april 16th

have nots (vinyl release!)

the appreciation post

razors in the night

wicked whiskey

the swaggerin growlers

@ tt the bears

saturday, april 17th

kaki king

an horse

@ the middle east downstairs

saturday, april 17th

the morning benders

miniature tigers

@ tt the bears

sunday, april 18th

heavy trash (w/jon spencer)

the konks

the cobra-matics

@ tt the bears

sunday, april 18th

the thermals

past lives

@ the middle east downstairs

monday, april 19th

trans am

@ the middle east downstairs

tuesday, april 20th

owen pallett (aka final fantasy)

@ the ica boston

tuesday, april 20th

elvis costello & the sugarcanes

@ the orpheum

tuesday, april 20th

the low anthem

timber timbre

@ the paradise

tuesday, april 20th

quasi

let's wrestle

@ the middle east downstairs

wednesday, april 21st

the church

special 30th anniversary

acoustic career retrospective

@ the somerville armory

wednesday, april 21st through

wednesday, april 28th

the 8th annual independent

film festival of boston

@ various boston area theatres

including the somerville + brattle

thursday, april 22nd

the mary onettes

@ great scott

saturday, april 24th

graham parker with

the figgs

@ johnny d's, somerville

saturday, april 24th

los campesinos!

here we go magic

@ the paradise

sunday, april 25th

harlem

@ the great scott

monday, april 26th

echo + the bunneymen

hatcham social

@ the paradise

wednesday, april 28th

gogol bordello

devotchka

jesse malin

st. mark's social

@ the house of blues

thursday, april 29th

frightened rabbit

@ the paradise

friday, april 30th

the everyday visuals

the lights out

the flying machines

aloud

@ tt the bears

friday, april 30th

corinne bailey ray

@ the house of blues

friday, april 30th

the album leaf

sea wolf

@ the paradise

wednesday, april 28th

little boots

dragonette

fan death

@ the middle east downstairs

saturday, may 1st

white rabbits

here we go magic

@ the paradise

monday, may 3rd

yeasayer

sleigh bells

@ the paradise

tuesday, may 4th

gregory & the hawk

lady lamb the beekeeper

@ tt the bears

tuesday & wednesday

may 4th & 5th

public image ltd.

@ the royale (formerly the roxy)

wednesday & thursday

may 5th & 6th

jonsi (from sigur ros)

@ the house of blues

thursday, may 6th

shout out louds

@ the paradise

friday, may 7th

ok go

earl greyhound

robert francis

@ the paradise

saturday, may 8th

local natives

@ great scott

tuesday & wednesday

may 11th & 12th

dr. dog

deer tick

@ the paradise

thursday, may 13th

small brown bike

bridge and tunnel

your skull my closet

wallcreeper

@ great scott

saturday, may 22nd

killing joke

@ the paradise

tuesday, may 18th

spectrum (featuring sonic boom

from spacemen 3 + e.a.r.)

with the broken river prophet

@ the middle east upstairs

tuesday, may 25th

the smittens

allo darlin'

one happy island

hearts!attack

a smile and a ribbon

horowitz

@ the lizard lounge

wednesday, may 26th

reverend horton heat

cracker

miss derringer

@ the house of blues

friday, may 28th

mono

the twilight sad

@ the middle east downstairs

wednesday, june 2nd

kings of convenience

franklin for short

@ the paradise

wednesday, june 2nd

ryan bingham & the dead horses

@ tt the bears

wednesday & thursday

june 2nd & 3rd

the national

@ the house of blues

friday, june 4th

brian jonestown massacre

@ the paradise

friday, june 18th

reigning sound

movers & shakers

triplethick

@ tt the bears

saturday, june 19th

james taylor

carole king

@ the garden

sunday + monday

june 20th + 21st

isis

melvins

totimoshi

@ the paradise

thursday + saturday

august 19th + 21st

tom petty + the heartbreakers

my morning jacket

@ the comcast center

visit tourfilter for more shows

If you're anywhere near Boston, and you've been following me on Twitter, you've probably been pleased with my recent flood of fairly exciting Boston-area rock show announcements. If you're elsewhere, well then, I'm assuming you're a bit jealous. Rather than relegate all that good info to 140-char info-blasts, I figured it was time to neatly pull it all together so you can get your tickets and mark your calendars.

So, in chronological order, here's some upcoming area events that have given me high hopes for the weeks and months ahead...

Tomorrow night, Saturday, June 27th, brings the second half of the celebration marking WMBR DJ Jon Bernhardt's incredible 25-year run on morning slot "Breakfast Of Champions". Both nights are, appropriately, fundraisers for the station, each featuring some of the artists that Jon has played most frequently over his many years on the air. Last weekend brought Yo La Tengo (playing as the Condo F*cks), The Bevis Frond, and Sleepyhead to TTs, and as fantastic as that lineup sounds, this weekend's show at Church is personally more thrilling: The return of Versus with Buffalo Tom and Rebecca Gates of the Spinanes. I mean, wow. Details are here, and tickets can (surprisingly) still be had here.

Next Thursday, July 2nd, I'll be making my first-ever trip down to Showcase Live in Foxborough to catch The Church, who happen to be touring with Adam Franklin and his backing band Bolts of Melody. I was a Church completist back in the day, but have lost track of them over the past several years. In fact, I think the last time I caught them was a decade ago at (the now defunct) Mama Kin on Lansdowne. It was a good show, although it didn't necessarily reignite my completism. The fact that they're playing this time around at a place I've never been to (always a plus), and with Swervedriver frontman Franklin, well, that was enough to get me to grab a ticket. If anyone's been to Showcase Live and has any tips to share, drop a comment below. I've been meaning to pick up The Church's latest album, which bears the non-name of "Untitled #23" (yes, it's their 23rd release), but I think I'll wait until the show to put more cash in their own hands.

Last year I shared up a pretty great song by NYC trio City Breathing off their debut full-lengther. And then, for inexplicable reasons, I neglected to spend time with the rest of the album, and the band's name got washed away in the never-ending flood of promo emails I get. Well, shame on me. Because earlier this week I discovered their newly-released follow-up EP, entitled "My Apple IIe Is Singing Sad Songs To Me", and was quite rightly blown away. Four beautiful songs repeated all day long, prompting me to throw some money in their paypal account, then head back and listen closely to that debut, "Look How It's Snowing Upwards, Look How They Move Towards Heaven". Wow. And here's the thing: You can download all of their stuff for free, using the links above. Just toss a little cash in their tip jar if you love it as much as I do. And lucky me/us, they're hitting the Middle East Upstairs on Sunday, July 5th, as the last band on a four band bill. Now, that's not exactly prime-time - it's going to be rough getting myself out for it - but I think I've fallen hard enough to make that happen.

Here's the first track from City Breathing's new EP...

[Mp3] City Breathing - "A Place To Bury Old Mistakes"

Another band it took me far too long to fall for: Boston's own Aloud. I'd heard and liked their song "Sometimes I Feel Like A Vampire", but recently dug into their sophomore full-length ("Fan The Fury", released last year) and found a whole lot more to love. Catchy, melodic guitar work that rocks without being overly indulgent, some fantastic boy/girl harmonies (I'm struck by singer Jen de la Osa vocal similarities to Concrete Blonde's Johnette Napolitano, and that's some praise), all contributing to memorably dynamic songs that each have their own specific identities. While it took me far too long to connect with this band, it was just in time to make sure I arrive early to the Paradise on Saturday, July 11th when they open up The Luxury's CD release party (The Click 5 and Midatlantic round out the lineup). Tickets for that show can be had here. Listen to some Aloud at MySpace, or better yet, stream their entire latest full-length...

[Album Stream] Aloud - "Fan The Fury"

If you haven't already got tickets to see American Music Club's Mark Eitzel (with AMC's Marc Capelle on keys) at the Lizard Lounge on Tuesday, July 21, well... you'd best get on that. 'Cuz the place ain't that big, and opener Rick Berlin is bound to bring in his share of loyal followers. Eitzel & Capelle will be playing a whole bunch of AMC songs along with, word is, some choice covers, and to see them in this intimate setting will be a total treat (especially after that last AMC gig at the relatively cavernous Harpers Ferry). The show takes place as part of a 12-date tour surrounding their appearance at the Merge Records 20th anniversary shindig down in North Carolina the following week. Which I'll be at. Oh yes I will.

On Wednesday, July 29th, London-based combo The Veils comes to TT the Bears as part of a 3-week North American tour to deliver songs from their recently-released third album, "Sun Gangs". Rather than headlining outright, they're alternating the closing spot with tourmates Foreign Born, who released a new record of their own ("Person To Person") earlier this week. I'll be giving out a pair of tickets to the show as it gets closer, but if you can't wait until then (and given the pairing, along with openers Faces On Film, I wouldn't), pick up tickets here.

A track from The Veils latest...

[Mp3] The Veils - "The Letter"

The first night of August brings the official release party for Wheat's latest album, "White Ink Black Ink", at Great Scott, though if you pre-ordered it as I did, you've already got it in your hands (and headphones). Openers are locals Bon Savants with Brooklynites The XYZ Affair, and tickets can be purchased right here. I'm hoping to have a few live tracks from their last Great Scott gig shared up before the show (including a cover of Daft Punk's "One More Time"), but I still need to check with the band to make sure that's cool.

Here's a track from Wheat's "White Ink Black Ink"...

[Mp3] Wheat - "Half Of The Time (H.O.T.T.)"

Alright, I'm going to make myself stop here for now... I swear I've got twice as many shows to write about, but I'll leave you with two quick and timely things...

The internet pre-sale for the just-announced reunion of Sunny Day Real Estate at Boston's House of Blues on September 28th started this morning (presale password: SUNNYDAY), so head over here to get in on that, or try again tomorrow morning for the regular public on-sale.

And the show that will end our summer in sonic style: On Sunday, August 30th, Austin's Explosions In The Sky will play with The Flaming Lips on the Boston waterfront at the BoA Pavilion. Uh, Wow. Tickets go on sale tomorrow morning at 10am, and I'll be one of the many clicking refresh as the hour approaches. I'm infinitely more excited to see EiS than Coyne & Co., but that doesn't mean I'll won't be staying for the whole shebang. And a bonus: Seems a new Flaming Lips EP will be made available to those who purchase tickets to the show, which will include 3 tracks from their upcoming double album and 3 b-sides. I'm down. But the only bonus I really want is this: While Explosions in the Sky are playing, how about some actual waterfront fireworks? Ah, a boy can dream.

And with that, here come the thunderstorms... have a good weekend, all. Maybe I'll see you at Church tomorrow night for Versus, Buffalo Tom, and Rebecca Gates? So damn excited...

posted by brad at 7:02 PM | direct link | rss (1 :2) |