A Monday Music Conundrum
Posted on October 16, 2006 at 9:40 am | No Comments
Monday nights in Boston are not typically ones that involve me trying to juggle concert-going choices, but tonight is indeed the exception. And a couple of these shows I wasn’t even aware of until just this morning. Check it out…
Option A: There’s the long-scheduled Art Brut / Spinto Band / Tokyo Police Club triple bill over at the Middle East, which was definitely an option until… Option B: This morning I find out that Broken Social Scene is playing a barely-promoted show at Brandeis University. Keanu says whoa. Sucker’s not even listed on the BSS website, but still, how could I not know about this? A short trip down the MassPike and I’ll be surrounded by students and the sound of one of Canada’s finest musical exports, who I’ve been wanting to see for ages. Hmmm. Option C: But wait, there’s more! OTD reveals a rare live appearance by The Gothic Archies (aka Mr. Magnetic Fields Stephin Merritt and Lemony Snicket author Daniel Handler) out in Natick, MA. Another drive but just a little further down the turnpike, and that one’s earlier at 7pm.
Combine those choices with the fact that I’d already won tickets to a screening tonight of the “Fast Food Nation” flick that features a Q&A with director Richard Linklater. I was really looking forward to that, too, as well as maybe catching one of the N.E.S.T. shows going on around town tonight (that’s the “North East Sticks Together” fest, which you should be attending. Seriously.). Scheduling gods, you injure me on the inside.
Ok, the wheels are turning… I think I’m going to try and do a combo of options A & B. And to think, when I woke up this morning I had no idea I’d be seeing either of them, and at such unexpected locations. Yeah, this week’s starting off pretty swell.
Mp3s: Portastatic live in Boston
Posted on October 16, 2006 at 9:04 am | No Comments
As much as I love Superchunk, I’ve often found myself making a more emotional connection to the songs of Mac McCaughan’s other (don’t call it a side-) project, Portastatic. What started out as his lower-fi solo outlet has transformed itself into a full-on live entity over the years, and while the band occasionally flirts with the near-punk of the loudest ‘Chunk, they’re also able to incorporate that softer side with ease. We saw both facets this past Friday night when Mac brought the current lineup to town for a set at Great Scott.
Live at Great Scott in Allston, MA
Thursday, October 12th, 2006
01. Sour Shores
(not shared for techy reasons, see below)
02. Truckstop Cassettes
03. Through With People
04. You Blanks
05. Oh Come Down
06. Drill Me
07. Sweetness and Light
08. Polaroid
09. Like A Pearl
10. Spying on the Spys
11. I’m In Love (with Arthur Dove)
12. Noisy Night
encore…
13. Bye Bye Pride (Go-Betweens cover)
14. San Andreas
15. I’m Not Sayin’ (Gordon Lightfoot via Nico cover)
16. I Wanna Know Girls
Joining Mac on stage was ‘new guy’ Jeff Clark on 2nd guitar, bass player Aaron Oliva, Matt McCaughan on drums, and Margaret White on keys, violin, backing vocals, and other various noise-making things. We also got a guest appearance from an audience volunteer for some extra nut-shaking percussion on “Sweetness and Light“. Well played, random stranger. I hope you find this here recording, and if you do, say hello in the comments. I’ve got a photo for ya.
Personal highlights? It’s hard not to lean towards the old stuff I first connected with (“San Andreas“, “Oh Come Down“), but I was equally enamored with the moving “Like A Pearl” off the latest record, “Be Still Please“, which came out this past Tuesday. It was also a total treat to get a Go-Betweens cover, and Mac & Margaret’s beautiful version of “Bye Bye Pride” made me miss Grant McLennan a little bit more.
I’m mighty glad I ordered “Be Still Please” early and straight from the label, as not only did I score the bonus disc of demos and unreleased tracks, “Some Small Things You Can’t Defend” (which you can also pick up at shows), but was surprised with the spiffy set of four Portastatic coasters, which were nice enough that I’d have bought ’em anyway. Thanks very much, Merge. I’ve already used one underneath my new Rose Melberg coffee mug.
This was the second night of an in-progress headlining tour that has just four more East Coast dates left, and if you’re lucky one is near you. Arrive early for tour-support Jennifer O’Connor and her NYC-based band (also featuring Margaret White), whose recordings I’d not yet heard, but impressed me enough live to fix that immediately. And if you miss Portastatic this time around, fear not: They’ll be back out in November for a few more dates.
A few Portastatic links…
Mac’s been keeping a little tour diary on his blog, so have a look. (and sorry the monitor sound in Boston wasn’t up to snuff, it sounded ace out front). Jennifer O’Connor stopped by the site to share some words as well, with a promise for more. Baby, You Got A Stew Goin’ wrote up the Mercury Lounge stop in NYC, which Mac called “the best of the tour so far…GREAT crowd, good times”. The live “Sour Shores” didn’t rate sharing up (there was a massive crackle during a chunk of the song that is just brutal on the ol’ eardrums), so console yourself by listening to the studio version: Mp3: Portastatic – “Sour Shores“ There’s also a digital-only “Sour Shores” EP that you can grab over at Merge. And don’t forget, you can stream the entirety of “Be Still Please” (as well as some other fine Merge releases) from links on their main page. While you’re at it, snag the album version of the set-closer… Mp3: Portastatic – “I Wanna Know Girls“ More? There’s a couple live radio recordings and unreleased live tracks on their sounds page.
the fine print… If anyone has an issue with this live set being made available, just say the word (email link on left). Recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 192kbps mp3s. Mp3s are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed.