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Tuesday, September 28, 2010  I've gone on record as saying last month's Built To Spill show out on Cape Cod was my favorite of the year so far, and in the time since nothing has topped it (although last week's Superchunk/Versus gig and Sunday's Come reunion show came damn close). It was the perfect combination of setting, sound, setlist, and summertime mood. Something really special.The Idaho quintet returns to Massachusetts later this week, this time to our capital city, for a pair of nights at the recently remodeled Paradise. Now, I'm not saying these shows will be your faves of the year, but the potential is most certainly there. Part of the reason I had such a ridiculously good time in Wellfleet? The kick-ass opening bands, one of whom was Boston's own Pretty & Nice - and they're tagged to open both Friday and Saturday's 'Dise shows. While the also-excellent Boise-based band Fauxbois won't be making it a total Beachcomber lineup flashback, and I don't know much about openers Revolt Revolt, you've gotta put your faith in BtS's choice of playmates. Wanna go to Thursday night's show, for free and with a friend? Yeah, you do. So send an email to giveaways [at] bradleysalmanac [dot] com, simple subject line: "Built To Spill". One condition, though - If you win, you go. I'd hate these two list spots to go to waste, and I've had that happen a couple times lately with people who enter on a whim without being able to actually take advantage. A freebie faux pas, fer sure. Get me your entry before 1pm on Thursday, and if I randomly draw your name, I'll let you know right away that you and a friend have surprise plans that night. Really great surprise plans. Buy tickets to Thursday's show here, or Friday's right here. Prepare yourself by checking out the Built To Spill @ the Beachcomber write-up and live recording I shared up last month. The second half of "Kicked It In The Sun"? Mind-altering, I tell you.  Friday, September 24, 2010  My complete inability to make timely Almanac updates has resulted in my giving short-shrift to this most-excellent of giveaways: A pair of tickets to tomorrow night's Teenage Fanclub show at the Royale here in Boston. So this is going to be a quick one, with no dilly-dallying: You'll need to enter by following the easy instructions below before 4 o'clock this very afternoon, and I'll let you know toot-sweet. Joining the Scottish rock legends are their ace Merge Records labelmates from LA, Radar Bros. (making this the second all-Merge show at the Royale this week, after Tuesday's killer Superchunk / Versus team-up). I caught Radar Bros. live for the first time last summer at the XX Merge festivities down in North Carolina, and while they were one of the few Merge bands I was relatively unfamiliar with, I walked away a pretty big fan. And despite my being a Teenage Fanclub fan since, oh, 1991, I've never had a chance to see them play. The time has come. Each band has a new album to hawk - Teenage Fanclub released "Shadows" back in June, and The Radar Bros. gave us "The Illustrated Garden" in March. Both records are part of what has become an all-around banner year for Merge, and can sit proudly alongside the higher-profile Arcade Fire and Superchunk releases. To catch tomorrow night's show for free, send off a quick email to giveaways [at] bradleysalmanac [dot] com (subject: Royale Teenage Radar). Include your city of residence, be sure you're free on Saturday night, and get it to me by 4pm today. Shortly thereafter, I'll drop the winner an email, and it'll be their job to ask (or make) a friend to join them. Piece of pie. Easy as cake. Labels: giveaways Sunday, September 19, 2010  It's 2010, and both Superchunk and Versus have just given us albums that can sit proudly on the shelf beside the best work in their discographies. How about that? With both bands pretty much silent for the past decade or so, there were plenty of times I might've bet against them ever coming back - so when whispers of studio time and potential release plans surfaced over the past year, well, to say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. Less of a surprise? That these new records rank among my faves of the year. Welcome back, you guys. Bostonians will be able to welcome back both bands in person this Tuesday the 21st, as the Merge Records labelmates team up for a theatre-district show at the Royale. Thanks to Bowery Presents Boston, who book bands at the venue, I've got two sets of two guest list spots each to hand out.To enter, fire off a quick email to giveaways [at] bradleysalmanac [dot] com before Noon on Tuesday, and write "SUPERCHUNK + VERSUS!" in the subject line. Include your full name and city of residence, and I'll randomly pick two winners when the clock strikes 12. Those two winners will be notified immediately, and each will get to bring a guest to the Royale that night. If you enter, make sure you keep your Tuesday evening free, just in case. And if you don't enter, well, I'm assuming it's because you already bought tickets. We're very lucky to have these bands on active duty again, not only giving us new songs, but sharing a stage in our little town. This is going to be a special one. Visit Superchunk's newly revamped website (and pay close attention to one of the rotating photos at the top of the page) for more tour dates, have a look at this excellent Versus fan site, and check out Bowery Presents Boston on the web, Facebook, and Twitter to get the word on upcoming shows at the Royale and elsewhere. Labels: giveaways Wednesday, September 15, 2010  While the band name Death Culture at Sea may be unfamiliar to you, the three gents involved should not be: Matthew Gallaway, guitarist/vocalist for NYC's Saturnine; Matt Kadane of Bedhead and The New Year; with their mutual friend and bandmate - Saturnine and The New Year bassist Mike Donofrio.Their 5-track debut EP, "God Loves Lola", arrives as a complete surprise. Recorded a couple months ago when the trio convened for a two-day session in Brooklyn with engineer/musician Ian Love (of many bands, including Rival Schools), it features Gallaway on vocals and guitar, Donofrio on bass, and Kadane on both drums and guitar. Given that, you'd imagine it would sound like a perfect marriage (or a least a weekend fling) between Saturnine and The New Year... and you'd be right. To me, that's nothing but a good thing, and a perfect addition to my impending autumn's soundtrack. Here's my favorite of the five songs... Grab the rest, for free, at the new DCAS website. While the band has no concrete future plans, no live dates in the works, Matthew says they haven't ruled out getting together and recording more songs down the road. Here's hoping. Tuesday, September 14, 2010  This Friday, the traveling roadshow that is Broken Social Scene hits Lansdowne Street for a show at the Boston House of Blues. Any appearance by this Canadian collective is worth noting, but this night's got something special: Chicago smooth-rock masters The Sea and Cake open up. Which means musical genius John McEntire won't even have to leave the stage, as he's pulling double-duty in both his own band and BSS (whose latest album, "Forgiveness Rock Record", he produced and plays on).Thanks to Live Nation, two guest list spots will go to a randomly chosen Almanac reader, assuming that random area reader sends an email titled "Forgive Me!" to giveaways [at] bradleysalmanac [dot] com. Include your full name and town of residence, and make sure it hits my inbox by Thursday, 9/16, at 2pm EST. If I pull your email out of the virtual hat, I'll let you know that afternoon, giving you one day to secure yourself a co-pilot. Here, stream the new BSS "All To All" remixes or watch the new video as you fire off your entry, and be sure to buy your own tickets if you don't end up the winner... Labels: giveaways Saturday, September 11, 2010  Greetings from Prowse Farm in Canton, Massachusetts, located just south of Boston off interstate 93 in the beautiful Blue Hills (and literally in the shadow of one of 'em). This is the site for the super-sized 2010 Life Is Good Festival, which has taken place for the past few years in smaller form on the Boston Common. By teaming up with Superfly Presents (the team behind Bonnaroo and Outside Lands), LiG's Jacobs brothers have given the event a serious upgrade, with 3 stages of music, tons of kid-friendly activities, socially-conscious organizations on site, and general good vibes galore. In fact, this wide open field, blue skies above, and the sounds of Eli "Paperboy" Reed and his band have forced my cynical side to take the day off. How can it not when the whole shindig is a one big fundraiser for children?  Speaking of Mr. Reed, his set just started, and I want to get over to the main stage to check it out, so I'll rattle off some info, tips, and photos for those of you planning to come on down... Photos from the day so far...       Tuesday, September 07, 2010  It's fitting that more than a few Doug Martsch-penned lyrics are about dreams, because this particular Built To Spill show still feels like a vivid one. On a hot early-August evening on the hook of Cape Cod, after a dark drive down a Lost Highway-lit road, I was directed down a dirt-covered driveway for my first-ever look at the Wellfleet Beachcomber - a glorified summer shack that was very sold out at just 400 sweaty souls. The place was hoppin', the parking lot totally packed, the secluded scene something out of a late-night-beach-party flick.When the show first appeared on the Beachcomber's summer schedule, being there was a no-brainer. I'd seen Built To Spill plenty of times, but never in a place so intimate. I'd make a getaway out of it, book a couple mid-week nights at an area motel, grab some precious family and beach time. So after a relaxing evening filling up on seafood with friends, I headed solo to the 'Comah, but wouldn't feel alone - ended up there were more than a few familiar friends in the crowd - Two thirds of the wonderful Sleepyhead, Mr. Flyweight himself, and even some long-distance drivers from my beloved hometown. These friendly faces were offset by a fairly substantial number of bro-dudes and backhatters, of both the local and vacationing variety, but the die-hard BtS fans in the crowd squashed their drunken, aggro vibe. We're talking joyous, appreciative sing-a-long here, people. Grinning from ear to grateful ear. Best Built To Spill set I've ever seen? Ayup. Show of the summer? Newt says "Eye-firmative". Show of the year? It's looking good. 2010 has just four full months to change my mind. More comments on the night, along with a free mp3 from the new Electronic Anthology Project, are below these downloadable live tracks...  Built To Spill Live at The Wellfleet Beachcomber in Wellfleet, MA on Wednesday, August 4th, 2010 [Download the set as a 131 MB .zip file] 01. In The Morning 02. Hindsight 03. Kicked It In The Sun 04. Else 05. Twin Falls 06. Reasons 07. Traces 08. Nowhere Lullaby 09. Three Years Ago Today 10. Car 11. Carry The Zero 12. Life's A Dream 13. Big Dipper 14. You Were Right   Nope, no mention of Built To Spill on there, but it's them. Specifically, it's BtS bassist Brett NeLson (no, not guitarist Brett NeTson) rebuilding seven Built To Spill tracks electronically, with Dug Martsch re-singing his vocals over the whole shebang. And I love it. It brings Doug's longstanding mastery of melody to the forefront, hits just the right nostalgic notes, and shines a new light on some old faves. Don't recognize the titles? Well, it requires some decoding, and *spoiler alert*, here's what you're in for - one song from every proper BtS album, done up 80's synth-style... 01. I Dim Our Angst In Agony (Goin Against Your Mind)So why no mention of Built to Spill on this sucker? Why the scrambled song titles? My guess is it ain't just to be obtuse, but also to avoid the legal shenanigans of the band's major label, the good ol' double-you bee. Allows the guys to do their own thing, release something just for fun and on the down low, make a little bit of scratch without the brothers Warner sticking their hands in there. Hell yeah, I say. All the more reason to buy the thing. (CDBaby / iTunes / eMusic). As for the relatively non-specific band name? Well, word is that Brett hopes to involve other artists in the project down the road, creating electronic versions for a wish-list of bands. Does the idea of electro-Dino-Jr. tickle your fancy a bit? Well, keep your fingers crossed, and like I said, buy the thing to show your support. Brett graciously gave me the go ahead to share up one of the EAP tracks, so I picked my fave... September  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 recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 256kbps Mp3s. Files are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed. |
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