Mp3s: New Pornographers in Boston
Posted on April 18, 2006 at 6:37 am | No Comments
The New Pornographers came to town last week for a strange little show at the Paradise, a night whose primary purpose was to extol the virtues of Jack Daniels to a bunch of random contest winners. Whatever the reason, I’m just glad I got a chance to see ’em after having missed their shows with Belle & Sebastian a couple months back. The New Porno’s last two albums both wound up in my year-end top ten, but this show took me to a slightly higher level of fan-love.
The songs from ‘Twin Cinema‘ sounded great, but it was the improved energy of the older stuff that really struck me. In a live setting, I dug the stuff from ‘Mass Romantic‘ and ‘Electric Version‘ even more. Just a great set start to finish, excepting a very rough mix during the first song (and despite a lack of ‘All For Swinging You Around‘, my favorite NP song for a long while). Anyone who worried about a lack of Neko Case (out promoting her own solo album) on recent tours had absolutely nothing to fear… Kathryn Calder (A.C. Newman’s neice, and she also appears on ‘Twin Cinema’) is an excellent replacement on vocals and keyboard.
Here’s their set, and as I mentioned, don’t let the dodgy, keyboard-heavy mix of the first song scare you off, the soundguy fixes it soon enough. If you look at the setlist photo below, they skipped ‘Stacked Crooked‘, and the encore was made up of requests…
Live at The Paradise
Boston, MA
Monday, April 10th, 2006
(note: mp3 files removed on 10/1/2006)
01. Twin Cinema
02. Use It
03. banter 1
04. July Jones
05. The Laws Have Changed
06. Jackie, Dressed In Cobras
07. The Bleeding Heart Show
08. Testament To Youth In Verse
09. The Jessica Numbers
10. banter 2
11. Mass Romantic
12. From Blown Speakers
13. The Body Says No
14. The Bones Of An Idol
15. It’s Only Divine Right
16. The Slow Descent Into Alcoholism
17. Sing Me Spanich Techno
encore…
18. The Fake Headlines
19. Jackie
20. Miss Teen Wordpower
The inherent cheeziness of the promotional event was not lost on Mr. Newman, who dedicated ‘The Slow Descent Into Alcoholism‘ to Jack Daniels (“both the cause and the solution to man’s problems“), and set up his guitars while donning full promo-gear, decked out in a cheap black J.D. hat and t-shirt combo. Apparently couldn’t bring himself to wear it during the set, maybe realizing there was a chance many in the possibly unfamiliar crowd would think he was as serious as all the JD girls working the room.
A comment to the JD marketing team: If you’re holding an event to promote a particular brand of alcohol, it might be a good idea to actually provide those in attendance with said beverage. Don’t know if it’s a legal thing, but discounted shots, samples, or even coupons would make more some kind of sense. I’m not sure the free hors d’ouevres (all meat, ‘boo‘ said Amie) and the iTunes coupons made me wanna drink more Jack. I suppose they figure that putting a ton of banners and a great band in front of us might secure our purchasing allegiance. Or maybe it’s not about the people there, but all about the advertising and tie-ins (with both WBCN and the Weekly Dig) leading up to the event. I mean, hell, how many times have I mentioned Jack Daniels in this post already? Feeling thirsty yet?
Footnotes: If anyone has an issue with this live set being made available, just lemme know (email link on left). Recorded with a Sony Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 192kbps mp3s. And keep in mind, sets are made available for a few weeks, and are not reposted once removed.
[Live MP3s] Silver Jews in Cambridge, MA
Posted on April 10, 2006 at 10:33 am | No Comments
As David Berman said from the stage when he and his Silver Jews came to town a few weeks back: “It’s not a once in a lifetime thing…“. Before this first ever Joos tour, most of us figured it’d be a “not in our lifetime” thing, but Berman, his wife Cassie, and some musical friends made it happen. Only took him 15 years or so, and he even promised they’d return to these parts again.
Until then, or until another Silver Jews album arrives, here’s a little something to hold onto – the entire set from their show at The Middle East in Cambridge, MA. It was the 8th night of the tour, and according to someone there who’d also seen the two previous NY shows, it was a night that they really came together as a ‘band’. I’ve got nothing to compare it to, but it all worked for me.
The usual difficulty of mixing in the confines of the low-ceilinged Middle East downstairs was overcome by their touring soundperson, who just happened to be Pavement drummer Steve West. I thought I recognized him when checking to see if it was cool to record the show (and yeah, it was), and sure enough, he was along for the trip. Definitely explains why the drum sounds, which can be the first things to get lost in a sometimes-muddy MidEast mix, come through pretty clear. This SJs & Pavement fan got a kick out of seeing him behind the board when ex-bandmate (and now tour manager) Bob Nostanovich came on stage to drum on a couple songs. I’ve loved “Trains Across The Sea” for what seems like forever, and having him play his part was a real treat.
Here’s the show, more links below…
Live at The Middle East Downstairs
Cambridge, MA
Sunday, March 19th, 2006
01. intro
02. Black & Brown Blues
03. Animal Shapes
04. banter 1
05. Smith & Jones Forever
06. Pet Politics
07. Buckingham Rabbit
08. Trains Across The Sea
09. How Can I Love You If You Won’t Lie Down
10. How To Rent A Room
11. I’m Getting Back Into Getting Back Into You
12. Random Rules
13. Horseleg Swastikas
14. banter 2
15. The Poor, The Fair, & The Good
16. Slow Education
17. There Is A Place
18. Punks In The Beerlight
19. I’ve Loved Them Every One (TG Sheppard cover)
Although the setlist indicated they’d close with “Inside the Golden Days of Missing You“, they decided against it.
- For an excellent recollection of the night, head over to False 45th.
- The Phoenix has a nice SJ article and review of the show as well.
- For an entirely wrong-headed write-up, read this Boston Globe one.
- Some pictures from the evening can be found over at donut muse, and well as planetswest.
- Not only do the Joos have a very detailed fansite, The Corduroy Suit, but they’ve also got a myspace page that’s maintained by a friend o’ the band. Good stuff.
- Want some more live Silver Jews? Into the whole torrent thing? You can grab the entire March 21st set from the Starlight Ballroom in Philadelphia over at dimeadozen.
Again with the fine print: If anyone has an issue with this live set being made available, just say the word (email link on left). Songs recorded with a Sony Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then to 192kbps mp3s. And keep in mind, sets are made available for a few weeks, and cannot be reposted once removed.