Boston Ticket Giveaway: THE FUTUREHEADS @ the Paradise on 6/7
Posted on June 1, 2010 at 1:57 pm | No Comments
Geez… four giveaways in a row. Five if you count le Twitter. I’m either wicked generous, or a mere promotional tool, depending on your point of view. But I wouldn’t be handing out this stuff if it wasn’t from bands I’m genuinely into, so there’s that. I will, in fact, have actual non-contest content soon. I hope.
Today brings the release date of “The Chaos”, the fourth album from Sunderland, England quartet The Futureheads, which means their ‘new album every two years’ trend is right on schedule. Finely-tuned clockwork, they’ve got. Hard to believe their super-sharp self-titled debut came out way back in ’04… that album pretty much knocked me on my ass (sorry, ‘arse’), hitting me during a brief ‘sick of music’ phase, and was a much-needed dose of ultra-catchy, harmony-laden goodness. Tight, snappy, back-to-basics English pop-punk, with that killer Kate Bush cover thrown in for great measure. Loved it, still do.
The two albums since, while having their respective individual high points, haven’t done as much for me as a whole… they seemed a bit more studied, not quite as brash, and perhaps suffered from my own high expectations. There’s nothing like that first surprise, you know? But my initial 2004 crush, the good songs they’ve been stacking up, and their generally excellent live shows will keep me coming back.
After a few listens, I can safely say that album number four feels like a frenetic, energy-crammed return to form. It kicks quickly into high gear and pretty much stays there, the harmonies sound fresh again, and many of the tracks get you thinking “Man, I bet this would be even better live…” straight away.
A quick 10-date North American tour starts tonight in Brooklyn, and hits the Paradise in Boston this coming Monday, June 7th. A pair of guest list spots goes to one lucky sod who emails me by Noon this Friday, so send off a quick one to giveaways [at] bradleysalmanac [dot] com before then, title it “F’HEADS @ PARADISE”, and include your city of residence. The singular condition: You’d better damn well be able to make it to the show. No wasties allowed. I’ll email the winner on Friday.
I’ll leave you with the first promo track from the album, which also happens to be one of my faves, courtesy of Dovecote Records, the band’s excellent U.S. label…
For tickets of your very own to see the lads next week (with LA-based openers The Like), head here, or to the ‘Dise box office to skip the extra charges.
Boston Ticket Giveaway: Robyn Hitchcock at the Coolidge on 6/8
Posted on May 31, 2010 at 8:19 am | No Comments
When it was announced that singer/guitarist/eccentric-genius Robyn Hitchcock would be making a special appearance when Jonathan Demme was given the Coolidge Award at Brookline’s Coolidge Corner Theatre earlier this year, I had no idea what we’d be in for. I was already looking forward to seeing Demme in the flesh as he introduced his latest live concert doc (“Neil Young Trunk Show“), so getting what was rumored to be “a short set” from Mr. Hitchcock (a frequent Demme collaborator) was just about the best bonus ever. Well, his set certainly was short. A single song, in fact.
Hey, I’m not complaining – the new song, “Born On The Wind” off his most recent album with the Venus 3, “Propellor Time”, was a keeper. And a little Hitchcock does go a long way… but even after a I see a full length RH set, I’m left wanting more. So when he quit the stage too quickly, I was in my seat wishing he’d get back up there.
Well, it took a few months, but my wish is coming true. On Tuesday, June 8th, Robyn Hitchcock returns to the Coolidge for a solo show, and I’m pretty well thrilled. Seems he must have felt pretty comfortable up there on that Brookline stage, considering how quickly he’s coming back. It’s the first of just four dates he’s booked this spring (and his first area show since he performed “I Often Dream Of Trains” as a trio in Somerville in late ’08), with two nights in Toronto and one in western Massachusetts to follow. We should consider ourselves lucky, to say the least, so here’s hoping we can pack the place for the man.
To help do just that, the Coolidge crew has generously given me 5 pairs (yes, five) of tickets to hand out to ‘Nac readers. Easily the most tix I’ve been able to give away for a single show, that’s for sure. I’ll be doling out three pair the usual way (from emailed entries), and the others on Twitter over the next few days. And yeah, feel free to enter each one separately to increase yer chances.
The email details: Send a message to giveaways [at] bradleysalmanac [dot] com before Noon this Friday, June 4th. Use “Visible Hitchcock” as the subject, include your full name, and make sure you can be at the show on Tuesday, June 8th. I’ll pick three random winners who will each have a pair of tickets waiting for them at the box office that night.
For the Twitter giveaway, keep an eye on my account tomorrow, and again on Thursday, when I’ll be randomly tweet a message that says “First person to reply gets a pair of tickets to Robyn Hitchcock at the Coolidge on 6/8”. Which, y’know, is pretty self-explanatory.
For non-free tickets to the show, click over to the Coolidge, or visit their Brookline box office. The other dates on Robyn’s short tour are…
June 8th at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline
June 9th at the Iron Horse in Northampton, MA
June 11th + 12th, 2010 at the Drake Hotel in Toronto
Other goings-on in Hitchcock’s world…
Every few months, he lets loose a free digital single that he’s calling a “Phantom 45”. Each two song download is free for a short time after they get posted, after which you can buy them from his web store (and they’re pretty top-notch so far). He’s put up two 45s (four songs) already, with the third pair arriving on July 15th, so the cost-conscious should keep an eye on this page to score the freebie. When Robyn played at the aforementioned Jonathan Demme event, Demme gave audience members free reign to film the performance, after which he said “something will happen” with the footage – ideally it would be compiled, edited from all those involved, and shared for fans. Well, it was never really made clear how that would happen, but fortunately Bostonian Mr. Bill T. Miller was in attendance, and he’s shared his own edited footage right here. Robyn recently took part in the excellent “Black Cab Sessions” video series, performing “Born On The Wind” for them as well, and here are the results… It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a live show, rather than a film, inside the Coolidge (anyone else remember the stunning Ida/Low double-bill years back?), so I’m really hoping this gig signals a new trend. Make it so, Coolidge.
Alright, send off those emails, keep an eye on my Twitter, and look out for a couple more ‘Nac giveaways this week.