Live Mp3s: Telekinesis in Cambridge, MA
Posted on August 11, 2009 at 11:05 am | No Comments
I’ve had the good fortune of seeing Telekinesis play live a couple times in the six months since the release of their gloriously catchy self-titled debut disc – once here in Boston on the eve of the album’s arrival back in late March, and again just two weeks ago down at XX Merge in North Carolina. While the album showcases the songs and multi-instrumental talents of Seattlite Michael Lerner, he’s taken a far different approach than most singer/songwriters (who might hit the road with a guitar and a microphone) and brings along a couple guitarists and a bass player to surround him as he handles vocals and drums with ease. And despite being anchored to a drum throne, he provides an energetic focal point for the four-piece, propelling his already-infectious songs along with rock-steady floor tom beats and perfectly-placed cymbals strikes. It really is a joy to watch.
The band’s March set at Cambridge’s Middle East was a too-short, first-of-four opening slot (with Blind Pilot, the Broken West, and Say Hi), and I’ve been hoping for a proper (i.e. headlining) return to town ever since. Well, the wait might be awhile longer, as a broken hip has sidelined one of Michael’s bandmates, and a personal loss kept the other two from joining him at XX Merge. If you’re a SCORE! subscriber, you’ve seen the gorgeous new mini-book that reprints the artwork of every single Merge release from their first 20 years, and you’ll find the Telekinesis cover on the very last page. I couldn’t imagine there was any way Merge’s most-recent signing and anniversary book-end was going to miss the party down in Carrboro. I’d heard whispers of some unfortunate circumstances causing the pre-fest band-scramble, and wondered if we’d actually get a rare Telekinesis solo set this time, until I saw a drum kit and a couple of amps being lined up on stage. So while it appeared we get some kind of last-minute line-up, I certainly didn’t expect who walked out on stage – Nada Surf‘s frontman Matthew Caws on guitar and backing vocals with Ivan Howard of the Rosebuds on bass. And after just one practice, well, the trio simply nailed it.
While we patiently wait for audio and visual evidence of that special set to see the light of day, and while the Boston area awaits the live return of Telekinesis, here’s my recording of their Spring set (minus the missing opening song), shared with M.L.’s permission. Note that it includes the non-album “One Step Forward“, as well as a version of “Calling All Doctors” that differs pretty dramatically from the album recording…
Live at the Middle East Downstairs
in Cambridge, MA
on Monday, March 30th, 2009
01. All Of A Sudden
02. Imaginary Friend
03. Tokyo
04. Great Lakes
05. Calling All Doctors
06. One Step Forward
07. Coast Of Carolina
Some Telekinesis links…
Their MySpace page, Wikipedia entry, Merge Records artist page, the Telekinesis Merge news blog posts, and Michael’s own Flickr page. Additional Audio: You can stream the entirety of the Telekinesis debut over at Merge, sample some songs on MySpace, and make sure you listen to both this KEXP/NPR live session, where four songs were laid down, and an excellent set for KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic. Buy your own copy of “Telekinesis!” right here. Video: There are official clips for “Tokyo“ and “Awkward Kisser”, and lots of live video through a Telekinesis YouTube search (filtered by music, unless you were hoping to see some mind-induced movement). The above KCRW set has video, as does an in-studio appearance at The Alternate Side. Photos: My Flickr-hosted shots are here, including the ones from XX Merge. Check out the full Telekinesis Flickr search (which will include photographic evidence of attempted mental motion). Upcoming tourdates: Just the one – an appearance at the Bumbershoot fest in Seattle on September 5th. As always, stream any ‘Nac-shared Mp3s at the Hype Machine.
the finest of prints… 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 192kbps Mp3s. Files are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed.
Boston: Some August Shows of Note
Posted on August 2, 2009 at 8:56 am | No Comments
As promised a month ago, here’s a continuation of the list of upcoming Boston-area shows that have me very, very psyched for the second half of summer. Wait, summer’s almost half over? Well, rats.
I’m thinking of making this run-down a monthly deal. But then again, I think about doing lots of things…
If you went to Wheat‘s CD release show at Great Scott last night, I hope you saved some of your weekend energy for tonight, ‘cuz former Bostonian (and ex-Helium frontwoman) Mary Timony returns to town for the first show with her new band Soft Power at TT the Bears. If that’s not reason enough to be there (and it should be), they’re joined on the bill by Gramercy Arms, the NY-based collective who happen include Mary’s early-90s Boston indie rock compatriots, Dave Derby of the wonderful Dambuilders, and Boston’s own Hilken Mancini, formerly of Fuzzy. And with that band, you never know who else might show up on stage (check the ‘about’ section of their website for the amazing list of contributors to their album). Added bonus? Locals Shepherdess open up, which shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, given Hilken’s presence in that band as well. Can never get too much Hilken, really. What is a surprise, at least to me, is that former Fudge drummer Mike Savage (who rules) and Operators guitarist Emily Arkin (who also happens to rule) are also in Shepherdess… how did I not know this until this week?! Throw in bass player Winston Bramen (also formerly Fuzzy, and in Thalia Zedek‘s band) and that’s a recipe for greatness. I mean, how can anyone not go to this show. While the likelihood of my presence at any Sunday night show can be low, this one gives me no real choice. I apologize in advance to my bosses for my lackluster Monday performance.
A few days later, on Wednesday, August 5th, former Bostonian (and now Torontian… Toronto-ite? Torontist? Help me out, Frank) Joe Pernice comes home for not one, but two shows at the Brattle Theatre. And they ain’t just your average shows, no sir. Along with the singin’, there’ll be some book-readin’, too, maybe some autographin’, thanks to the release of Joe’s debut novel, “It Feels So Good When I Stop“, this Tuesday. Naturally, the novel includes references to lots of music, including cover songs and fictional tunes, so Joe has thrown together a soundtrack that he’ll be drawing from for these live performances. Day-jobbers can grab tickets to an early 7pm show and late-nighters can pick up ones to the 9:30pm show. Opening up will be former Charlestown (and now L.A.) comedy duo The Walsh Brothers, and remember… the Brattle now serves beer.
On Thursday, August 13th, Baltimore-based duo Wye Oak returns to the Middle East Upstairs for a show with the Starlight Mints. Both bands are here on the heels of just-released new albums, and I’m especially excited to see Wye Oak play songs from “The Knot” in a more intimate setting than the gi-normous Memorial Hall they played to close out XX Merge last week in North Carolina. It was a wonderful performance, but I’m ready to get a whole lot closer to Andy & Jenn’s amps n’ drums. Tickets here, and arrive early for the indescribable antics of JP Inc, who used to be known as Pleaseeasaur. The transition from that into Wye Oak will be… interesting.
In case you haven’t been paying attention, charming Scottish quartet the Trashcan Sinatras are gratefully still around, still making music, and in fact, have just released their fifth album, the gorgeous “In The Music”. Their debut, 1990’s “Cake”, is one of my all-time faves, rivaling some of the Smiths’ best work, as far as jangly UK pop with brilliantly twisted wordplay goes. And while each subsequent album didn’t hit me quite as hard as that one did (certain subsequent songs, yes, but whole albums, no), I’m always on board for whatever they’re up to. And what they’re up to is a rare U.S. tour in support of the new album, which kicked off a couple weeks ago and finishes up at TT the Bears in Cambridge two weeks from tonight, on Sunday, August 16th. I’ve only seen them once, and it was ages ago, so a TTs show will be a true treat. Opening is Brookville and Paul Sentz (of This Car Up & Putnam Murdock). If there’s any justice, this sucker will sell out, so grab a ticket here.
By the way, if you’re smartly thinking of picking up a copy of the new album, you can grab a special (deep breath) limited edition, individually-numbered, clothbound, screen printed, digipak version (whew) at their website which includes an instant download of high-quality DRM free MP3s (320kbs) while you wait for it to arrive, and they’ve thrown in two bonus tracks for good measure. And excitedly, word is that all four previous Trashcan albums should be re-released with b-sides at some point. Fingers are crossed.
The following night brings the Deal sisters back to town for another Breeders show at the Paradise. That’s Monday, August 17th, with openers The Whispertown 2000. Tickets here. The band self-released the “Fate To Fatal” EP on Record Store Day, and you can download the title track here.
August will end, for me, on Boston’s waterfront as I take in Explosions In The Sky with The Flaming Lips at the BoA Pavilion. The opportunity to see Austin’s EitS in such a potentially beautiful outdoor setting is nothing less than a gift… anyone who’s familiar with their powerful soundscapes can imagine what we’re in for. And while I haven’t been as much of a Lips fan as I was when “The Soft Bulletin” and “Yoshimi…” came out, it’s high time I experienced them live, and the possibility of Wayne’s big ball. Who knows, maybe he’ll end up in Boston Harbor, floating out to sea as “Do You Realize?” plays on. Openers are Stardeath and Whitedwarfs, who I know next to nothing about, although I heard (and liked) one of their songs just yesterday, and you can buy tickets here. I’ll be the guy smiling, probably with his eyes closed, third row center, during the entirety of EitS’s set.
Oh, and if you use that link to buy tickets, you’ll get to download 3 songs from the upcoming Flaming Lips album “Embryonic”: “Convinced of the Hex,” “The Impulse,” and “Silver Trembling Hands.” Then, sometime before the show, you’ll supposedly be able to download 3 rare Lips b-sides, picked by the band. And finally, 3-5 days after the show, you’ll get a link to download an official live recording of the set you just saw. Because getting that link before the show would require time travel technology. And if the sound quality of that recording even half-decent (and given that it’s official, it should be), I’m hoping to hell they record EitS’s set, too. And that we get to listen to it. Someday.
There are so many more August shows I could write about (see my big ol’ list on the left), but if I don’t stop here I’ll never get this done. Keep an eye out for posts on other shows when the urge and the free time strikes me…