[Thanksgiving Nutshells] David Bazan, TW Walsh, Fuzzy, Ben Gibbard, Tanya Donelly, Lemonheads, Now Now, more

Posted on November 21, 2012 at 6:08 pm | No Comments

Greetings, and happy official-start-of-the-holidays, dear readers. All 12 of you. I keed, I keed… there are at least a couple dozen of you out there, I’m sure. One of these days I’ll check my stats and find out.

I’ve got plenty of things in my life to be thankful for, though “blogging time” is not one of them. As I’ve said, I seem to be spending my non-work, non-being-a-dad hours seeing shows rather than writing about them. There was a time I could do both, but lately it’s just not happening. Que sera, etc.

Thanks to my place of employment, I was set free a little early today, so I had a couple unexpected hours to spare. How did I spend it? Enjoying some Kiwi Rising and sharing up some songs. You’re welcome.

David Bazan, former Pedro the Lion focal point, current solo-but-with-a-band guy, and longtime personal fave, brought his “Control” tour to Brighton Music Hall last week, and it was maybe the best I’d ever seen him. That’s saying a lot, because I’ve seen him oh so many times. The sound was great, the crowd was psyched, his 3-piece band (which includes Andy Fitts on bass and Alex Wescoat on drums) was tight as hell. A well-oiled machine, as they say. And that machine was playing the entirety of what may be Pedro The Lion’s best album, though “It’s Hard To Find A Friend” holds a perfectly special place in my heart. First love and all.

The trio played “Control” side one, then a handful of other well-chosen Bazan-penned songs, and finished up the show with side two. No encore, as per usual, but there was one major bit of unusual: Dave’s friend and former Pedro the Lion bandmate (and ace songwriter on his own) Tim “TW” Walsh took Alex’s place behind the drum kit for a couple songs, including “When They Really Get To Know You They Will Run” from the aforementioned “It’s Hard To Find A Friend”. Considering they only ran through it once in soundcheck, he nailed it. Here it is…

Check out the setlist from the show, which gives (spoiler alert) the list of songs that Dave & co. draw from for the non-Control creamy filling of the set. The rest of my photos from that night are here.

Speaking of TW, his fans successfully (over-)funded a vinyl pressing of the the two fantastic Soft Drugs EPs he released in 2006 and 2008.  They’ll be joined together on one slab of undoubtedly-expertly-mastered colored wax (with bonus digital goodies), and you can get an early peek at the artwork on the Kickstarter page

Want to know what “When They Really Get To Know They Will Run” would sound like without drums? Have a listen to this live version from a recent episode of the Live Wire Radio variety program podcast. Check out the full stream of the show for a live take on “The Fleecing” as well…

Can’t remember the last time I had as much unfiltered fun at a show as I did at former Fuzzy member Chris Toppin’s birthday bash at the Midway Cafe in Jamaica Plain a couple weeks back. She turned the big Five-Oh, and the place was packed with friends and fans to wish her a happy. Fuzzy reunited, Buffalo Tom rocked the smallest room they’ve played in awhile, Tanya Donelly sang a couple of Belly songs (with Buffalo Tom backing her), and a celebratory crowd was treated to some surprising covers.  One of those was “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around“, with Tanya playing Stevie Nicks and Buffalo Tom’s Bill Janovitz channeling his best Tom Petty. Nailed it…

Photos from that special night are here.

The next day, during some random Fuzzy-related surfing, I happened upon this short video of Chris Toppin and her bandmate Hilken Mancini doing a bit of “Pulp“, a Smudge song the band used to cover back in the day. The clip, however, is a recent one, recorded over the summer during an interview segment for an in-the-works music documentary called “If It’s Catchy, It Means You Stole It”. The subject? Australian musician and Half A Cow record label founder Nic Dalton, a one-time member of Boston’s own Lemonheads. The connection? Fuzzy and Smudge were Half A Cow labelmates. Here’s the trailer…

When Chris Toppin’s birthday party (above) was announced, I knew I’d be going, but I was bummed it went up against Now, Now‘s set at the Paradise, opening up for Motion City Soundtrack. While I’m no fan of MCS, I’m a longtime admirer of Now, Now (fka Now, Now Every Children), and they don’t play around here often enough. Back in 2009 I wanted to see them play so badly that I set up and presented a rare Almanac show at TTs, the trio’s first visit to Boston. I hadn’t been able to catch them since, and the fact that I had conflicting plans was painful.

Fortunately, RadioBDC had the band on for a “Live In The Lab” acoustic session that I was able to attend that very afternoon. While I was there, I discovered they’d be playing early enough at the Paradise for me to catch their set before I headed to the Midway. The scheduling gods smiled on me, for once. Y’know what else I learned? That 2009 show was the first time the band met their latest bandmate, Jess, who came down from Maine for the show. Proud to have played a small part in their band history.

Here’s one of the stripped down songs they played at RBDC (and one of my favorite songs of the year)…

My photos from the Live in the Lab session, and a few from the Paradise show that night, are right here. You can watch & listen to the band perform their 3-song acoustic set, which also includes”Dead Oaks” and “But I Do”, over at RadioBDC. Area music blog They Will Rock You reviewed their Paradise show here.

When Death Cab’s Ben Gibbard stopped by the Somerville Theatre a couple weeks ago in support of his new solo record, “Former Lives”, I figured we’d get a cover or two. What I didn’t expect was an old Lemonheads number. Major kudos for the local hat tip, Mr. Gibbard…

Ben’s setlist from that night pulled from all over his songwriting history…

Ben Gibbard
at the Somerville Theatre
Somerville, MA
11/4/2012

* from “Former Lives”

Shepherd’s Bush Lullaby *
Such Great Heights [Postal Service]
Oh, Woe *
These Roads Don’t Move [Farrar/Kerouac collaboration]
Dream Song *
Cath [DCFC]
When the Sun Goes Down [‘Arthur’ soundtrack]
Grapevine Fires [DCFC]
The Dream Of Evan & Chan [Dntel]
Something’s Rattling (Cowpoke) *
Couches in Alleys [Styrofoam]
Passenger Seat [DCFC]
Duncan, Where Have You Gone? *
Unobstructed Views [DCFC]
My Drug Buddy [Lemonheads cover]
Soul Meets Body [DCFC]
Cleveland [All-Time Quarterback!]
Teardrop Windows *
Crooked Teeth [DCFC]
You Remind Me Of Home [‘Home’ EP w/Andrew Kenny]
The District Sleeps Alone Tonight [Postal Service]

encore…
Broken Yolk In A Western Sky *
A Movie Script Ending [DCFC]
I’m Building A Fire *
I Will Follow You Into The Dark [DCFC]

More photos from Ben’s show are here.

Alright, enough outta me. Gotta head home before the big Metz / Pile / Speedy Ortiz triple-punch at the Middle East tonight. Jeez, I can’t remember the last time I was upstairs at the Middle East. Sad fact, that. Glad the Bowery has stepped in and given me a reason to go. See you there?

[Musical Nutshells] Kristin Hersh/Throwing Muses, Chris Brady/Pond, Ted Leo/Pharmacists, Survival Knife/Unwound, David Bazan/Pedro The Lion

Posted on October 24, 2012 at 3:15 pm | 4 Comments

Kristin Hersh, the distinctive voice and guitar of both Throwing Muses & 50 Foot Wave, let fly some seriously exciting news in her latest email update to fans, and I must share. Frankly, I can hardly contain myself.

First: “The new Throwing Muses record — four years in the making —  is finally mixed and mastered. We’re now designing the book that it will be (like the Crooked book, but with a CD included).” Kristin is supported, in large part, by regular contributions from fans (called “Strange Angels“), who get a variety of special perks and access to new songs in the making. One of those fringe benefits was an early listen to this upcoming 33-track (!) Muses record, not due out until early next year. It’s titled Purgatory/Paradise, and it is absolutely epic. I’m overwhelmed by it, in the best way.

Next, Kristin says: “I’ve just recorded basic tracks for what I believe is the best acoustic record I’ve ever made. And because of you, that record includes Martin McCarrick (cello) Rob Ahlers (drums) and Dave Narcizo (drums, too.)” For those unaware, Martin McCarrick is the brilliant cellist who has contributed to a wealth of beautiful string sounds to songs from the likes of Siouxsie and the Banshees, This Mortal Coil, The Glove, Therapy?, Lush, and so many more. And those drummers? Naturally they’re her bandmates from 50 Foot Wave and Throwing Muses, respectively. Both of them on the same record? Hot damn.

But wait, there’s more: “50 Foot Wave just finished another Ep with Mudrock. As soon as we find a spot in the release schedule where it will get the most attention — from us and you — we’ll get it out there in the world where it can make friends.” More 50’~? Yes, please.

Also? “I’m writing a new book, with another two in the pipeline…” I inhaled her written debut, “Rat Girl”, and the promise of more thrills me.

As exciting as all that info is, she tops it with this corker: “I’ve started a happifying new project called Outros, with Rob Ahlers and Chris Brady (Pond & Audio Learning Center), two of my favorite people and favorite musicians.” Now this, I can hardly believe. Y’see, I’m basically a Chris Brady fanboy. I absolutely adore the songs he wrote with Pond and ALC, love his bass playing, voice, and lyrics, and have always hoped he’d get back to making new music. The fact that he’s doing so with Kristin is a dream come true – a dream I never knew I had. This trio is the musical version of a comic book superhero team-up.  The first time I heard a Chris Brady-penned song? 1992, just before (the real and only) Pond’s debut album for Sub Pop was released, and just after they finished their first UK tour… opening for Throwing Muses. Full circle.

Work on Ted Leo & his Pharmacists’ next full-lengther is well underway, and I’m assuming/hoping we’ll get some news from Matador any day now on when we’ll hear the results. While we wait, Ted’s been touring solo with some truly talented ladies lately (the UK with Rebecca Gates last month, and a North American tour with Aimee Mann, that starts tonight – with Boston on 11/3), and I figure he’ll kick into full-band mode once the record hits (in early 2013?). His personal Soundcloud page, where he shares the occasional self-recorded oddity, has been pretty quiet for the past few months, until he offered up a little gem a few days ago. As he says: “Francesca Blumenthal’s heart ripping torch song re-purposed for election season.” Have a listen…

I’ve lamented this too many times, but one of the great disappointments of my band-loving life is the cancellation of Unwound’s Boston-area show during the tour for their final (and my favorite) album, “Leaves Turn Inside You”. The reason was more than understandable (the date? 9/11/2001), but the fact that they broke up shortly after was a tough pill to swallow. No future chances to see them, and worse, no new Unwound songs. Ever.

Which makes this year’s unexpected arrival of Survival Knife all the more appreciated. It’s Justin Trosper (vocals/guitar) and Brandt Sandeno (guitar) from Unwound, Meg Cunningham (bass/vocals) from Blues Druid, and Kris Cunningham (drums) from Western Hymn. The quartet made their debut in late March with a show in Olympia, Washington, and they were tight right out of the gate. According to Facebook, they’ll start recording in November, and yes, they sound just enough like Unwound for me to love them immediately and intensely. Oh, how I’ve missed Justin’s guitar playing and songwriting style. Feels like a long-empty void has been filled.

Gloriously, you can watch the entirety of their first show on YouTube. Here it is…

I first became aware of the band back in early May thanks to Swan Fungus, who shared up the setlist from that debut show along with a soundboard recording of one song, “Thud of the Jackboot” (it’s since been removed). Rather than reshare that track, here’s another live one. Tag team: Let’s see another blog share another song, and so on…

Next week David Bazan and his band will hit the road for a month to play Pedro the Lion‘s amazing “Control” album from front-to-back, and they’ll be in Boston at Brighton Music Hall on November 13th. Tickets here. They’ll no doubt be lugging boxes full of newly-remastered Pedro the Lion vinyl releases, so make sure you bring extra cash and hit the merch table. I couldn’t quite pull the trigger on buying the beautiful box set of Sloan’s “Twice Removed” LP for $90 when I was at their BMH show last week… but $70 to pre-order those 5 remastered Pedro LPs (Hard To Find a Friend, The Only Reason I Feel Secure, Control, Achilles Heel, and Winners Never Quit)? With bonus goodies that won’t be sold individually? Yeah, I pre-ordered that sucker the day it was announced. Bring it on, Mr. Mailman. They have arrived!

Listen to the remastered “Control”…

… and one remastered track from each Pedro the Lion LP …

Big weekend coming up… heading down to Brooklyn with Colin & Dana to play drums on some Let’s Whisper recordings. Equal parts nervous and excited… hope the rust comes off easily. Keep an eye on my Twitter account for potential in-studio updates from within Marlborough Farms, if you’re into that sort of thing.