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Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Hey hey, another day, another ticket giveaway. I'm actually going to be doing two today -- the one below and a last-minute chance to win 2 tix to see Tapes 'n Tapes, Wild Light, and the Subjects at the Paradise tonight. But to mix things up, I'll be doing that particular contest on the Almanac Twitter account, so follow me over there and keep an eye out for my first-ever free-ticket-tweet. And congrats to Natalie from Cambridge, who was the winner of the Ben Kweller / Watson Twins giveaway, and will be attending that show tonight in Somerville.   First I'll kick off a giveaway for two pairs of tickets to another show at the Paradise, this one on Friday, where you can catch three of the best damn bands this area's got: Drug Rug with Helms and Viva Viva. While I dig the headliner D.R. and opener V.V. quite a bit, it's the middle band that is the personal highlight of this killer lineup -- it should be something special to see the mighty trio that is Helms up on that stage. Last time I caught them was far too long ago, when they absolutely destroyed me with a powerful set at PA's Lounge. While the Paradise experience will no doubt feel drastically different than the rec-room vibe of PA's, I still expect sonic ownage.So if you're game for spending your Friday night at the 'Dise, send an email (subject: "Hot Local Action!") to me at giveaways [at] bradleysalmanac [dot] com. Include the city you live in, and get it to me before noon this Thursday, when I'll use my trusty random number generator to pick two winners, who will both be contacted that afternoon. If one of them is you, you'll find your name (with a guest) on the list at the Paradise ticket window on Friday. For the rest of ya, pick up tickets of your very own right here, or at the venue's box office to save on fees. And remember, hit up my Twitter account, where I'll be handing out a pair of list spots for tonight's Tapes 'n Tapes / Wild Light, / Subjects gig sometime this afternoon. Labels: giveaways  Monday, February 23, 2009
It dawned on me a few days back that the Almanac passed its 9th anniversary on Sunday, February 15th. Or at least that was the date, in the year 2000 (cheers, Conan), that I registered this here domain name. While it would be a couple years before the place morphed from a personal site into a bonafide blog, I started shouting my musical obsessions into this series of tubes from the get-go. To mark this minor occasion, I thought I'd share up what may be the most treasured live set I own, a document of one of my favorite bands on their last-ever tour. A performance and recording that, in a way, inspired me to do what I do... to share my own recordings with others who might find them as valuable as I find this one. I didn't record it myself, but I owe a debt of gratitude to the person who did. In late April of 1998, some friends and I made the long drive down route 7 from my then-hometown of Burlington, Vermont to Bennington College, about 120 miles straight south. Truthfully, the distance didn't matter, because the band performing was Bedhead. I was, and still am, deeply in love with their work, and to that point had never seen them play in person. I instantly adored all three of their three long players, still place them high in my desert island discs, and will forever follow the musical output of the brothers Kadane, whatever form it takes. Soundtrack work, collaborations, or with their current band, The New Year... I'm on board for any and all of it. It would take total hearing loss or their retirement to shake me loose.  By the time we showed up to the woody Bennington campus, it was already pitch dark, and we wandered aimlessly until a student directed us to the Carriage House, which was one not just in name, but formerly of function. The large open barn had no stage to speak of, just instruments on the floor at one end, and a relatively sparse crowd leaning against the walls during the opening band (who I believe featured the student who made this recording, but I've long since forgotten his name). After so many years listening to Bedhead, and the emotional impact their songs had on me, they'd become near-mythic figures... they seemingly resisted most press coverage, didn't have many photos out there, and their ultra-spare album artwork and minimal liner notes left an aura of mystery around them that bands rarely have nowadays. So when they walked up to their instruments that night, I was about as excited as I could have been. A let-down would have been easy, but it never came.Methodically, magically, the band played their entire latest (and unfortunately, final) album, "Transaction de Novo", from start to finish, track one to track nine, from the first note of "Exhume" to the last strains of "The Present"... and then proceeded to take requests for the rest of the set. From relative oldies "Haywire" and "Bedside Table" (the first Bedhead song I ever heard), to all-time personal favorite "What's Missing" (my request) and their seldom-played cover of Joy Division's "Disorder", it was far more than I could have hoped for. Two months after that show, I left Vermont for Boston. And two months after that, Bedhead broke up. While I've long traded for this set, I've never posted it to the 'Nac (preferring to only share what I record myself), so I took this opportunity to clean up the original, maximizing volume levels and doing some EQ work. I think it's a marked improvement over what's out there, so enjoy... Bedhead Live at Bennington College in Bennington, VT on April 20th, 1998 01. Exhume 02. More Than Ever 03. Parade 04. Half Thought 05. Extramundane 06. Forgetting 07. Lepidoptera 08. Psychosomatica 09. The Present 10. The Dark Ages 11. What's Missing 12. Haywire 13. Bedside Table 14. Disorder (Joy Division cover) 15. Losing Memories 16. The Rest Of The Day To learn more about the band that was Bedhead, visit their official site at Brainwashed, MySpace page, Wikipedia entry, and Touch & Go page. To stream the songs shared here, visit the Hype Machine. the fine print... If anyone has an issue with these Mp3s being made available, just let me know (my contact info in the 'nac faq). Live sets (are usually) recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 192kbps Mp3s. This set was recorded by someone else, but delivered to me on a cd made from the source files, edited, then converted to Mp3. Files are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed. Wednesday, February 18, 2009  This coming Tuesday, February 24th, Ben Kweller returns to the area for a show with singing sisters The Watson Twins for a show at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square. Openers Jones Street Station round out the bill, and I've got a pair of tickets to give away to a random Almanac reader.Ben's here to spotlight songs from his new album, "Changing Horses", released just a couple weeks back, while Chandra & Leigh have a new live EP titled "Live At Fingerprints", recorded at that esteemed Long Beach, CA record shop. The six-song set includes the unreleased "Rebel Soldier", along with live versions of songs from last year's "Fire Songs" full length. Here's a track from each, compliments of the artists' labels... Mp3: Ben Kweller - "Hurtin' You" Mp3: The Watson Twins - "Old Ways (live)" If you're up for checking out the show, fire off a quick email (subject: "Kweller/Watsons") to me at giveaways [at] bradleysalmanac [dot] com. Include the city you live in, and make sure you send it before 9AM this coming Monday, when I'll randomly draw a name and let the winner know that very afternoon. If it's you, you'll find your name (with a guest) on the list at the Somerville Theatre's box office next Tuesday night. Saturday, February 14, 2009
Lots of great stuff coming out of Boston lately, some recently released, some arriving soon, and all with sample mp3s below for our/your aural pleasure. Only a month or so into the year, and I'm already pretty confident that '09 will trump '08 when it comes to new local faves. Listen to and love new album tracks from The Hush Now, Logan 5 and the Runners, a brand new single from Boy In Static, an exclusive teaser from You Can Be A Wesley's long-awaited debut disc, and a special Valentine's Day cover from Somerville duo Travels... As I write this, I'm at a table at TT the Bears, where in just a couple of hours The Hush Now will be officially celebrating the release of their self-titled debut. For some background on the band, who have gone through both a relocation and a lineup change on their way to the TT's stage tonight, check out a new interview at my compatriot Clicky Clicky, and do yourself a favor and download the entire album for free, right here. While CC likens their sound to Poole and The Ocean Blue, I swear at times they're ringers for a sonically-improved Fudge, and that's high praise indeed. If you aren't convinced to go grab the full-length yet, here's a taste that should seal the deal... Stream some more at MySpace, although I don't know why you'd do that, because hey, free album download. Also celebrating the arrival of their lovingly haunting (hauntingly lovely?) new album is the heartcore (did I just invent that? doubt it.) duo Travels, the oft-mentioned (by me) combo that joins Mona from Victory at Sea with Anar from Metal Hearts, who will be playing this Saturday at PA's Lounge in Somerville. "The Hot Summer", their second self-released full-length, is here to warm us in the middle of a long, cold winter, and it is perfectly fitting that the release party comes on Valentine's Day. Ever-generous, Mona and Anar have recorded a special (non-album) cover of "My Funny Valentine", and have gifted it to me so that I can gift it along to you... Joining Travels on Saturday at PA's to welcome "The Hot Summer" to the world are Animal Hospital, Arms & Sleepers, and Mary Page. Take someone special with you. Local quintet Logan 5 and the Runners released their own introductory album "Featurette" into the wild just last month, making it available for digital download at Digstation and iTunes, as well as at shows, of course. I just missed one on the 6th, but they'll return to the stage in Worcester on March 14th at the Lucky Dog, and better yet (for me, anyway) at the Cantab Lounge in Cambridge on March 27th. Here's a track from "Featurette" that the band has graciously offered up for sharing... I'm going to keep referring to Boy In Static as a "Boston duo", even though they now belong to San Francisco just as much as us. Alex Chen, who started the band here on the East Coast, has moved out to the West one while his partner-in-sound Kenji Ross remains a local boy (in static). After making me a fan with their second album, 2007's "Violet" (specifically, when Ashley played the track "Where It Ends" on WMBR), the duo has left much of their washy-guitar stylings behind, taking a decided turn towards more stripped down electro-pop sound with their upcoming third album, "Candy Cigarette" (due out on April 14th). Think mid-80s dance pop, or even the lighter side of Labrador Records' current roster (the Legends made a similar transformation recently). I'm still firmly on board the BiS bus, because while the instrumentation has mutated a bit, their knack for hooks has only gotten better. Proof: The first single, an ode to Alex's new stomping grounds... Boy In Static has also harnessed the remixing skills of Montreal's Montag for an alternate version of the song, which you can find over at RCRDLBL (who also previously featured a Helios remix of BiS fave "Where It Ends"). Alex made an appearance on KEXP's airwaves when they visited SF recently (check out photos here), and will also be performing an in-store at the city's Apple outlet on February 28th. It is with much pride that I've been given the go-ahead to share up the initial taste of You Can Be A Wesley's very first full-length, which should be arriving sometime this Spring. I fell for YCBAW pretty hard when I saw them at Great Scott last year, and have been trying to remain patient for news of recordings (if only to prove that they were as good as I remembered them being). This preview song, titled "Creatures", not only satisfies that hope (bringing to mind Rilo Kiley before their over-produced fall, and before they lost their distortion pedals), but has me officially impatient for the other tracks. I can't resist a band that knows exactly the right time to throw in a handclap or two (restraint is key). Enjoy... And remember, you and your sweetheart have an after-dinner date tomorrow: Travels and friends at PA's Lounge in Somerville. And if you don't have a sweetheart, maybe they'll be waiting there for you... Tuesday, February 10, 2009  This coming Monday night, on February 16th, I'm extremely proud to be hosting the Boston-area listening party for the upcoming 4AD-released "Dark Was The Night" benefit cd compilation at my beloved River Gods in Cambridge. The disc, which arrives in stores the next day and was put together by Bryan and Aaron Dessner from the National, features some amazing artists (see full list below) donating 31 exclusive songs to the Red Hot Organization, whose efforts go towards raising money and awareness for HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment. The night will include giveaways (several copies of the two-disc compilation, along with some surprise musical goodies, and even some complimentary beverages), and guest DJ Ryan Walsh from Boston-based band Hallelujah the Hills, who will join me in selecting songs to play before and after the album itself. And in the spirit of the occasion, we'll also be collecting donations for the Boston Living Center, an area HIV/AIDS assistance program, so bring a few extra dollars for the jar if you can spare them. The evening kicks off at 8pm, and is brought to you by Red Hot, 4AD, Insound, River Gods, Dewar's, and of course, Bradley's Almanac. River Gods is located at 125 Cambridge St., in Cambridge, MA, near Central Square. The Facebook event page for the listening party is here, and to preview some songs from the compilation, head here. The full track listing for "Dark Was The Night"... THIS DISC 01. "Knotty Pine" - Dirty Projectors & David Byrne 02. "Cello Song" (Nick Drake) - The Books featuring Jose Gonzalez 03. "Train Song" (Vashti Bunyan recorded, written by Alasdair Clayre) - Feist & Ben Gibbard 04. "Brackett, WI" - Bon Iver 05. "Deep Blue Sea" - Grizzly Bear 06. "So Far Around the Bend" - The National (arrangement by Nico Muhly) 07. "Tightrope" - Yeasayer 08. "Feeling Good" (popularized by Nina Simone) - My Brightest Diamond 09. "Dark Was the Night" (Blind Willie Johnson) - Kronos Quartet 10. "I Was Young When I Left Home" (Bob Dylan) - Antony & Bryce Dessner 11. "Big Red Machine" - Justin Vernon & Aaron Dessner 12. "Sleepless" - The Decemberists 13. "Stolen Houses" (Die) - Iron and Wine 14. "Service Bell" - Grizzly Bear & Feist 15. "You Are The Blood" - Sufjan Stevens THAT DISC 01. "Well-Alright" - Spoon 02. "Lenin" - Arcade Fire 03. Mimizan - Beirut 04. "El Caporal" - My Morning Jacket 05. "Inspiration Information" (Shuggie Otis) - Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings 06. "With A Girl Like You" (The Troggs) - Dave Sitek 07. "Blood Pt 2" (based on original song "You are the Blood" by the Castanets) - Buck 5 Remix (featuring Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti) 08. "Hey, Snow White" (Destroyer) - The New Pornographers 09. "Gentle Hour" (Snapper) - Yo La Tengo 10. "Another Saturday" (traditional song) - Stuart Murdoch 11. "Happiness" - Riceboy Sleeps 12. "Amazing Grace" (traditional song) - Cat Power and Dirty Delta Blues 13. "The Giant Of Illinois" (Handsome Family) - Andrew Bird 14. "Lua" - Conor Oberst & Gillian Welch 15. "When the Road Runs Out" - Blonde Redhead & Devastations 16. "Love vs. Porn" - Kevin Drew Tuesday, February 03, 2009  While we're all waiting for this particularly brutal winter to end, the crew behind the annual Independent Film Festival of Boston is working hard to make our approaching spring that much better. At this very moment, there's a team of people spending their precious free time organizing the best damn film fest New England has to offer --- traveling to Sundance and elsewhere, watching piles of screeners, inviting filmmakers, concocting schedules, and devising promotional schemes -- all to bring us hours and hours of visual entertainment in late April. What can get lost each year, in the exchanging of cash for badges, tickets, and fresh popcorn, is the simple fact that the IFFBoston is entirely non-profit. Not a single person involved gets paid, all funds made go towards mounting costs (which often involve the flying in and putting up some truly special fest guests) or back into the planning the next one. So as you're thinking ahead to April 22nd, when the 7th (has it really been seven years?) edition of the fest kicks off, think about the preparation that's going on behind the scenes. And in these fairly dire economic times, consider making a donation towards this year's fest. With the recession hitting businesses hard, apparently some IFFBoston sponsors are cutting back on funding this year, and the fest is in danger of losing the momentum they've been building for so long. I can tell you from experience that the IFFB has gotten bigger and better each and every year, and I can't be alone in wanting to see that continue. Any amount, from $10 to 100 times that, would naturally be appreciated. However, anyone who donates $1000 or more can get a visit from IFFBoston staff, who will show up at your house and serenade you with song (either requests or surprises, and be warned -- word is they specialize in '80s music, and have had mucho practice thanks to karaoke and Rock Band). While donations can be made anytime via PayPal, this particular offer is only good through the end of this month, as things could (hopefully!) get a little too busy for the crew in March and April to be out singing for our cinematic supper. For more information on IFFBoston fundraising, including where you could send a check, head here. Keep in mind that the fest is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, so all contributions are totally tax-deductible, and you'll get a note for tax time. You can also designate your donation as a gift, and the festival folks will send along a gift card notification to your recipient. For those who look forward to the fest as much as I do, make sure you sign up for their mailing list (where they often announce special year-round screenings they help put on), keep tabs on what they're up to with Twitter, and befriend them on Facebook (here's the specific event page). Stalk them, thank them, worship them. |
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