TONIGHT!: BLACK TAMBOURINE listening party at RIVER GODS in Cambridge, MA
Posted on April 8, 2010 at 10:08 am | No Comments
Live near Boston? Got plans tonight? No? Well, lemme take care of that for you…
Understatement alert: I love Slumberland Records. Like, really, really love them. So much so that I flew out to California a couple weeks ago to attend one of the label’s 20th Anniversary shows at the Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco. And while I had to endure the incessant death-breath of a fellow JetBlue passenger for 6 excruciating hours, in the end, it was worth it. So totally worth it.
And tonight, I get to bring a little bit of that Slumberland magic back to the Boston area. Y’see, the label has just released a new compilation of tracks from legendary and highly influential (in some circles, namely ones I live in) quartet Black Tambourine. The self-titled CD/vinyl release pulls together all their studio material, including early demos along with two newly recorded (!) covers and, yes, two brand new tracks (!!). This, for many early indie-pop fans like me, is a quote-unquote “Big Deal”. Capital ‘B’, capital ‘D’.
When Slumberland main man (and Black Tambourine member) Mike Schulman announced that several cities would be hosting listening/release parties for the BT comp, I was bothered enough by the Boston-area’s absence in that list that I just went ahead and volunteered to make it happen. So, this very night in Cambridge, we’ll be commemorating this blessed event by hosting a special evening of music at River Gods on River St. near Central Square. Here’s what’s on the agenda…
Starting at 9pm sharp, I’ll be playing songs from my own Slumberland 7″ and CD collection (and also, um, a few Twin Peaks soundtrack songs, because the show premiered exactly 20 years ago tonight, and I’m an unabashed TP fanboy). At around 10pm I’ll start playing the new Black Tambourine compilation in its entirety, and will give away a stack of it on sweet, sweet vinyl (oh, and CDs, buttons, and posters, too).
Acting as the the label’s New England ambassador, singer/guitarist Andrew Churchman from the Boston-based Slumberland-signed band Pants Yell! will be playing any songs he damn-well pleases (all on vinyl, ‘natch) after I finish up, and then guest DJ Rav from WZBC‘s esteemed Flyweight radio show will spin his own stack of Slumberlandy songs to close out the night. He’ll probably play the BT compilation again for those who missed it, and will be giving away more free stuff until it’s gone.
Get it? Got it? Good.
The night is absolutely free, it’s 21+ (sorry ’bout that, young snappers of whippers), and hey, it’s at River Gods. Which is a safe bet for a good time regardless of what music happens to be playing. So I’ll see ya there, fellow noise-pop fans…
Ticket Giveaway: Ted Leo + the Pharmacists in Boston (with Obits + Screaming Females)
Posted on April 7, 2010 at 2:19 pm | No Comments
Another post, another giveaway. One of these days I’ll get around to posting actual content instead of just handing out free stuff. Not that the winners are complaining, mind you…
This Saturday night, being the 10th of April, 2010, Mr. Ted Leo and his fellow Pharmacists come back to Boston to showcase tracks from their first full-length for Matador Records, “The Brutalist Bricks”. But instead of hitting their usual spot downstairs at the Middle East, they’re back at the Paradise for the first time since 2006. And to headline a pretty killer lineup: White hot power trio Screaming Females (whose frontwoman, Marissa Paternoster, blew me away with her guitar work last year opening for Throwing Muses) and the excellent Obits (anchored by former Hot Snakes/Jehu singer/guitarist Rick Froberg). Either of those bands could’ve headlined their own Boston-area shows, so the fact that we get to see all of them in one night, on one stage, is a minor musical miracle. Something not to be taken for granted.
The show is very nearly sold-out, but I’ve got a pair of tickets to bequeath to a loyal reader (or, really, any casual surfer-by) thanks to LiveNation. Instructions are as usual – send a digital note to giveaways [at] bradleysalmanac [dot] com before 1pm on Friday, two short days from now. Just put “Pick (Timorous) Me!” in the subject field and let me know what town you live in, then on Friday I’ll randomly choose and contact a winner who will be on Saturday night’s Paradise guest list with a +1 for a pal.
Tickets of your own can be purchased here (for the moment), or at the ‘Dise box office if you hurry. Oh, and be safe by arriving early to the show, so you don’t miss a moment of either opener.
Parting gifts…
[INTERVIEW] The Village Voice shares a recent chat with Mr. Leo
[VIDEO] Ted + the Pharmacists do Tears For Fears’ “Everybody Wants To Rule The World“ for the AV Club’s “Undercover” series
[MP3] Ted Leo + the Pharmacists – “Everybody Wants To Rule The World“