Ticket Giveaway: Longwave, Wheat, + Bon Savants @ Great Scott
Posted on January 20, 2009 at 9:39 am | No Comments
Great Scott and Massconcerts present a pretty stellar triple-bill this Saturday night, headlined by NY’s Longwave, who are joined by a couple of the Boston-area’s best: Wheat and Bon Savants.
Longwave are here on the heels of their latest album, “Secrets Are Sinister”, and while I’ve generally liked what I’ve heard from the band, it wasn’t until their opening set for the reunited Swervedriver last June at the Paradise that something really clicked for me. I was surprised to learn that they didn’t have a label at the time, but given the strength of the new songs they played, I figured it wouldn’t be long. November proved me right, when Original Signal Recordings released the new disc.
I’m dying to see Wheat again, to erase the disappointment of being out of town for their long-awaited return to the stage at TT’s a couple months back. The band will no doubt be playing familiar favorites alongside preview tracks from their upcoming full-length, “White Ink, Black Ink”, due this Spring. To say I’m looking forward to hearing new sounds from them would be an understatement, and I count myself very lucky to live in the area they call home.
Bon Savants have been relatively quiet as well, playing less than a dozen times (and only a couple in town) last year as they focus on finishing the followup to 2006’s well-received debut, “Post Rock Defends the Nation”. When they have played out, the band hasn’t been shy about sharing the new stuff (check out “Destroyer” on MySpace and a live clip on Youtube), and I figure we’ll get a healthy dose on Saturday (and hopefully an album-release update).
The crew at Great Scott has generously given me a couple guest list spots for the show, so if you’re free this Saturday, January 24th, drop an email to giveaways [at] bradleysalmanac [dot] com before Noon this Friday, the 23rd. Throw “Great Scott!” in the subject line, include the city you live in (area residents or in-town visitors only, obvs), and oh, double-check your ID to make sure you’re over 21. Otherwise they won’t let you in, ya whipper-snapper. I’ll pick the winner on Friday and let you know right away if the two guest list spots are yours.
If you could bet on such things, I’d throw tall dollars down on the show selling out, if not in the next few days then surely at the door. Stay on the safe side and grab your own tickets via Ticketweb. Again, it’s 21+, ten bucks, and kicks off at 9pm. Ah, sweet, sweet Saturday night show… my sleep-deprived self thanks you.
Premiere: new Travels track – “Severed”
Posted on January 12, 2009 at 9:26 pm | No Comments
The year 2007 saw the welcome arrival of Travels, the musical team-up of ex-Metal Hearts member Anar Badalov and former Victory at Sea singer/guitarist Mona Elliott. Their self-released debut disc was a gorgeously haunting labor of love, written mostly as the two fell for each other during the 2006 European tour of their two bands, and as Mona dealt with the onset, treatment, and recovery from breast cancer. Well, this brand new year brings us the gift of their second full-length, a batch of songs penned as the two settled into their Union Square digs.
The upcoming disc, titled “The Hot Summer”, officially arrives in a month or so, but the duo has been gracious enough to allow me to share the very first downloadable preview in the form of the song “Severed“. As much as I loved their self-titled debut, this single track already shows remarkable growth, both in songwriting and their home-spun production, and has me hankering hard for the rest of the album…
Two other new ones, “The Forgotten” and “Favorite People“, can now be streamed at their MySpace page, along with a brand new demo of a post-“Hot Summer” song titled “Fiction“. Keep an eye on that page for future demos, as well as ordering info for new album.
update 1/14 – Pre-ordering info is now available, and can be made via PayPal (see link on their MySpace page). Early orders get emailed a digital copy of the album in a month, on February 14th, and get mailed the disc that week, along with an ‘extra-fun gift’.
Travels will celebrate the release of “The Hot Summer” on, appropriately enough, Valentine’s Day, with a show at PA’s Lounge in (where else) Somerville. Joining them to mark the occasion will be Animal Hospital, Arms and Sleepers, and Mary Page. Can’t wait.