[Tonight In Somerville] New Music Night at the ONCE Lounge (plus past playlists)
Posted on November 28, 2016 at 10:01 am | No Comments
The November edition of New Music Night goes down this evening at the ONCE Lounge in Somerville, and I’m deep into prepping the 2-hour playlist of nothing but new tracks. While you’re absorbing the carefully-selected songs (and savoring tacos from the ONCE kitchen), I’ll be picking winners’ names for tickets to some ace upcoming local shows, including Boston-area appearances from Kristin Hersh, Matt Pond PA, Sad13 (Sadie from Speedy Ortiz), and Kurt Vile. Admission is free, taco time starts at 5pm, and I’ll be behind the DJ table promptly at 6 o’clock. Come hang, chow down, listen up, and say hello if you get a chance.
Bonus: As New Music Night wraps up at 8pm, another excellent Bob Colby-presented show kicks off with sets from Só Sol and Cold Expectations. Admission is also free, though donations are encouraged, so toss some dollars in the hat if you’re so inclined. Find more details over on the FB event page.
Want an idea of what you’re in for during tonight’s DJ set? Have a look at the playlists from the previous two NMN installments…
New Music Night playlist
from Monday, October 24th, 2016
@ ONCE Somerville
01. Minor Victories – “Cog” (Orchestral version)
02. Lou Barlow – “Anniversary Song”
03. Tony Molina – “See Me Fall”
04. Kristin Hersh – “Hemingway’s Tell”
05. Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions – “Let Me Get There”
06. Really Big Pinecone – “Big Plans”
07. Squirrel Flower – “Not Your Prey”
08. Thee Oh Sees – “The Poem”
09. Soft Pyramids – “Planes”
10. Plastic Flowers – “Falling Off”
11. Suburban Living – “If It’s Real”
12. Allison Crutchfield – “Dean’s Room”
13. Cleo Tucker (of Girlpool) – “Call It Tie”
14. Nice Try – “Glow”
15. Loney Dear – “Humbug”
16. Flock of Dimes – “Potential”
17. Mary Onettes – “Juna”
18. The Hermit Crabs – “Wonderful” (Rose Melberg cover)
19. American Football – “Desire Gets in the Way”
20. Sleepy Monks – “Bodiddly”
21. Crying – “Wool in the Wash”
22. Dead Cats Dead Rats – “Radio Face”
23. The Magic Es – “Colour Up My World”
24. Exit Verse – “Sleeping In Graceland”
25. Ted Leo – “More Hard Times”
26. Sad13 – “Devil In U”
27. Vanishing Life – “Realist”
28. Affordable Hybrid – “Bat”
29. The Wedding Present – “Bells”
30. Elephants – “In Place Of”
31. Peyton Pinkerton – “Lips and Lungs” (premiere)
32. Hundred Plus Club – “Reminders”
33. Terry Malts – “Used To Be”
34. Philosophical Zombie – “Inanimate Ending”
35. J. Robbins – “Static”
36. Pill – “Fetish Queen”
37. Major Stars – “For Today”
38. Psychic Dog – “Rev Mike”
39. Honey Lung – “End Of Time”
40. La Bete Blooms – “Breaking In”
41. Mint Mile – “City of Speed Traps”
42. J Mascis – “Waltz 2” (Elliott Smith Cover)
43. Caspian – “127 North”
New Music Night playlist
from Monday, September 19th, 2016
@ ONCE Somerville
01. Sharon Van Etten – “Not Myself”
02. Lou Barlow – “In Your Eyes” (Peter Gabriel cover)
03. Ultimate Painting – “Song For Brian Jones”
04. Dyr Faser – “Estranged”
05. Wilco – “Someone To Lose”
06. Tanya Donelly – “Tooraloo”
07. The Dodos – “Never Meant” (American Football)
08. American Football – “Give Me The Gun”
09. Hiss Golden Messenger – “Tell Her I’m Just Dancing”
10. Douglas Fir – “I Know That You Don’t”
11. Flock Of Dimes – “You The Vatican”
12. The Minders – “Into the River Pt. 2”
13. Philosophical Zombie – “Dream On”
14. Soft Pyramids – “Paper Houses”
15. LVL UP – “Spirit Was”
16. The Needy Sons – “Lost Against the Twilight”
17. Pixies – “Tenement Song”
18. The Dazies – “Little Things”
19. The Wedding Present – “Lead”
20. Terry Malts – “Seen Everything”
21. Boys Forever – “Voice In My Head”
22. Halfsour – “Ten Year Tenure”
23. Strange Passage – “Lament”
24. Tokyo Police Club – “My House”
25. Tangible Excitement – “Muddled Whine”
26. Bodyheat – “Moon Singer” (Rose Melberg cover)
27. Real Numbers – “Wordless Wonder”
28. Split Single – “Leave My Mind”
29. Nancy Sin – “Room For Rent”
30. La Sera – “Queens”
31. Krill – “Happy”
32. James Rocket – “Clothes Make the Man”
33. Pansy Division – “He’s Trouble”
34. Kestrels – “No Alternative”
35. Expanda Fuzz – “It’s Your Glow UFO”
36. Kim Gordon – “Murdered Out”
37. E – “Great Light”
38. Cavemen – “Too High To Die”
39. Poster Children – “If You See Kay” (demo)
40. Whoa Melodic – “Goodbye Good Luck And See You”
For more ‘Nac-endorsed new music, check out my always-in-progress Nac Tracks playlists over on Soundcloud.
[Friday Nutshells] Kristin Hersh, Tanya Donelly, Rose Melberg, David Bazan, & Exit Verse
Posted on October 7, 2016 at 8:58 am | No Comments
A ‘nutshells’ post, in which I share five new things rattling around my between my ears…
On November 11th, Kristin Hersh will deliver her long-awaited next album, “Wyatt At The Coyote Palace”, in the U.S. (and in the U.K. 2 weeks earlier – lucky sods). It’s her first solo LP since 2010’s “Crooked”, and continues her unique practice of combining her singular talent for songwriting with her more-recently explored knack for book-writing — by releasing it with an accompanying collection of essays.
The Throwing Muses founder hasn’t exactly been resting on her laurels in the six years since her last solo release – Two books (the acclaimed “Rat Girl” memoir and “Don’t Suck, Don’t Die”, her moving reflection on her special relationship with the much-missed Vic Chesnutt – the KH-narrated audio version was just released), a double-length Muses LP (“Purgatory/Paradise“), two releases from her noise-rock trio, 50 Foot Wave, including this year’s “Bath White” EP, and a new trio, Outros, with Chris Brady from (the real) Pond/Audio Learning Center & 50’~ drummer Rob Ahlers. All of this while sharing her creative process with a small army of devoted fans (dubbed “Strange Angels”, who support her work through regular contributions) and suffering some personal upheavals that she’s candidly discussed in recent interviews. There was a time she’d worried she’d lost her songwriting spark, so the announcement of this record came as welcome news indeed.
The first sonic taste of the 24-track (!), double-disc, hardcover book “Wyatt At The Coyote Palace” is “Soma Gone Slapstick“, which also has a new Orrin Anderson-directed video to go along with it…
Pre-order WATCP through Kristin’s website, and while you’re there, check out what it takes to become one of her Strange Angels. Signing up not only gets you her releases, but free tickets to upcoming shows — she hits the road (and the airport) in November for a 6-week international tour that finishes up here in the Boston area at the Sinclair on Sunday, December 18th. Grab tickets for that one right here.
Speaking of the Muses, erstwhile TM co-founder Tanya Donelly is having one hell of an active year with both the return of her beloved 90s-era quartet Belly to live stages and the release of her collected “Swan Song Series” of solo work on American Laundromat records. She just played a couple dates in support of that triple-LP (!) with an ace backing band and a slew of guests at the Somerville show that included Bill Janovitz (Buffalo Tom/Needy Sons), Tom Gorman (Belly), Sam Davol (Magnetic Fields), and duo Damon & Naomi (Galaxie 500). Not long before that she shared the Brighton Music Hall stage with Janovitz and Mike Gent of (the Figgs/Needy Sons) as part of the Concert Across America. Boston is one lucky town that we get to see these kind of live collaborations so often.
Bill Janovitz, Tanya Donelly, & Mike Gent
at Brighton Music Hall on September 25th, 2016
Tanya’s busy year includes a gorgeous contribution to American Laundromat’s incredible “Say Yes! A Tribute to Elliott Smith” collection, which sees its official release next week. My pre-order package arrived a couple days ago, and it’s a something special to behold and be heard, with striking design work from Daykamp Creative, and a ridiculously stacked lineup of artists that includes J. Mascis, Juliana Hatfield, Waxahatchee, Lou Barlow, Adam Franklin (of Swervedriver), Yuck, and more. Order yours over at ALR.
Here’s Tanya Donelly’s gorgeous take on Elliott Smith’s “Between The Bars“…
Another lovingly-produced tribute to one of my all-time favorite songwriters was released just last week: The 21-track “Constant and True – A Tribute to the Songs of Rose Melberg” on February Records. The covers come from all throughout Rose’s musical career, including songs from Go Sailor, Tiger Trap, the Softies, her solo releases, and more. Especially excited to see my pals in The Smittens contribute their version of Go Sailor’s “Together Forever In Love“. Have a listen to that track below, hear the rest of the songs at Bandcamp, and order your own copy (with proceeds benefiting Rose’s chosen charity of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada) right here.
After years of begging/demands/threats from the miscreants at the PedroTheLion.org forum, David Bazan is finally gathering together his long-out-of-print Christmas singles into a collection titled “Dark Sacred Night”, which will be out on November 11th.
While he’s released a total of 14 carols since the first 7-inch on Suicide Squeeze in 2002, the compilation gathers just 10 remixed/remastered tracks. Completists need not fear, though, as Amazon let slip the news that there will be a limited edition “Christmas Bonus” 12-inch with the other 4 remaining songs. Look for an official announcement on that companion EP soon, and in the meantime pre-order the “Dark Sacred Night” collection from Undertow or Suicide Squeeze, where you can snag one of the 2000 limited edition blue vinyl (with white snow flakes!) copies.
Here’s one of the tracks, David Bazan’s cover of Low’s “Long Way Around The Sea“…
I’ve been a fan & follower of Geoff Farina‘s work since his days in Boston trio Karate and duo Secret Stars, have dug his solo work and frequent collaborations with Chris Brokaw, and always look forward to news of another full-band record on the way. November 25th will bring “Grant No Glory”, the sophomore full-length from Exit Verse, Farina’s trio with bassist Pete Croke (Brokeback, Tight Phantoms) and drummer Chris Dye (Speck Mountain, Chin Up Chin Up). The 9-track record follows their 2014 self-titled debut, which was also released by the Ernest Jenning Record Company. Pre-order “Grant No Glory” through Bandcamp while you stream lead-off track “Sleeping In Graceland“…