[Boston Music Miscellany] Animal Hospital, Strange Mangers, Earthquake Party!, Halleluah the Hills
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 1:47 pm | No Comments
Hey, remember these? Yeah, I used to run down random things I was digging, but it’s been some time since I’ve done so. Pardon me while I share various and sundry Boston-centric musical items….
I’ve seen Boston’s Animal Hospital (aka Mr. Kevin Micka) a few times, always in his regular solo drumming/looping/triggering form, and never better than when he opened for the Jesus Lizard at the Paradise two years ago this month. Well, I’m thinking that set is about to get trumped. He’s pulled together something very special called the Animal Hospital Ensemble, and it sounds pretty much amazing. I’ll let him explain…
“After six years of crafting vast, unforgettable works of aural experimentation by himself and an arsenal of looping hardware, Animal Hospital’s Kevin Micka is announcing the first ever live performances of his music by an ensemble of seasoned local guitarists, string players, and drummers.
This fall, audiences in Boston, MA and Pawtucket, RI will experience pieces from 2009’s “Memory” album in full surround sound, with a platoon of musicians encircling the audience.”
Seriously. Micka’s musical co-conspirators include members of local faves Shepherdess, The Broken River Prophet, Roh Delikat, Hallelujah the Hills, and Neptune… and that’s just naming a few. Check out the full stacked list of guests here. Two lone shows and an audience-enveloping setup that promises to be unlike anything ever. How can you miss such a thing? Easy answer is you can’t.
Your only chances to see this spectacle will be on Saturday, December 3rd at Machines with Magnets in Pawtucket (starts at 8pm with openers Big Digits), and the next night, Sunday, December 4th at MassArt’s Pozen Center in Boston (starts at 6pm with openers Beautiful Weekend). Both shows are all ages. Check out the super-slick poster.
A couple weeks back a note from relatively new Boston combo Strange Mangers hit my inbox, letting me know that they’ve just released their self-titled debut EP via Bandcamp. I’ve listened to the songs a whole lot over the past week, and am totally digging on them. I’ll spare you my descriptive attempts and share the lead off track…
Head over to Bandcamp and pay-what-you-want for the 6-song EP, and keep an eye on their Facebook page for their next area live show, which should be sometime in January.
TONIGHT! Earthquake Party! Release Party!
Yes, I should have given more notice, but hopefully you’re already aware that Earthquake Party! officially releases their new 3-song “EP! vs Pizza” EP tonight at Great Scott. You can already listen to the five-minute blast over on Bandcamp or Soundcloud, but if you want one of the special cassettes (yup, it’s on tape), you’ll have to get yourself over to Allston proper this evening. Joining EP! on the bill are Pretty & Nice, Miniboone, & the Clippers. Here’s the tape’s first cut, which you can download for free over at Bandcamp…
Hallelujah the Hills (who played the Milky Way last night) have just finished mixing their fan-funded 3rd LP, which is due out in 2012 – but to tide us over until then, they’ve offered up two brand new non-album songs in the form of a digital single: Side A is “Amateurs” and the B side is “The Girls Are Here“. Have a listen over at Bandcamp, or stream “Amateurs” here…
I’ve got plenty more I could write about, but in the interest of timeliness (I know, go ahead and laugh), I’ll fire this one off…
[Overdue Playlist] New Music Night III at River Gods w/MP3s
Posted on October 31, 2011 at 7:48 am | No Comments
Wait, was this really over two weeks ago? Well, that was a blur. While I won’t deny I got my usual kick out of playing new songs for sociable patrons at my favorite Cambridge bar, the preparation and follow-through were just plain rough. Jetlag + influenza do not a fun equation make.
I was freshly back from drumming on the (flat-out amazing) 10-day Let’s Whisper UK tour, which ended with a 7-hour drive, a 7-hour flight, a few hours sleep, a crazy workday, a 4-hour drive, and a homecoming show. Followed closely by a full-body collapse. And yes, just as I started getting over some fairly debilitating jetlag, and began plotting my NMNIII playlist, the first flu symptoms arose. I came so very close to bailing out on my co-DJ (Mr. Jay Clicky Clicky), but I hung in there – hoping that the songs, and a hot tottie, would heal me. While that combo (mostly) got me through the night, it merely delayed the inevitable… a string of long days in bed. Took me over a week afterwards to feel even remotely like myself.
But enough of the whining. I’m healthy and over it. Let’s get to what was played a couple Thursdays back at River Gods. First, go read Jay’s list of new songs he played that night. You’ll note that he posted his playlist precisely at 1:00am on October 14th. Exactly when his set ended. Holy hell, he’s on the ball. Puts me to shame, he does. Even if I wasn’t sick, or jetlagged, or generally out of my mind, I still wouldn’t have been able to beat that. I mean, daaaaaaayum.
My NMNIII selections were as follows. Listen/buy info included if available, and click on the MP3 links to download the artist-approved tracks directly.
NEW MUSIC NIGHT vol. III
Thursday, October 13th, 2011
at River Gods in Cambridge, MA
co-hosted by DJs Brad Almanac & Jay Clicky Clicky
[ download the 7 guilt-free MP3s shared below in a 43 MB .zip file ]
[ * = Boston-area artist ]
Set One / 9pm-10pm
Brad Almanac
01. Dan Mangan – “About As Helpful As You Can Be Without Being Any Help At All“
[ Lead-off track from his new LP, “Oh Fortune” / Buy it / Stream song @ KCRW ]
02. Tommy Stinson – “One Man Mutiny“
[ Title cut from his new solo record / Buy it / Download MP3 @ Topspin ]
03. Loney Dear – “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” (Shirelles cover)
[ Live on Sverig Radio 8/31/11 / Buy new “Hall Music” LP / Stream LP / Live MP3 ]
04. Standard Fare – “Darth Vader“
[ From their forthcoming (brilliant!) second LP, “Out Of Sight, Out Of Town” ]
05. Crooked Fingers – “The Counterfeiter“
[ My fave track from the new “Breaks In The Armor” LP / Buy LP / Stream LP ]
06. We Are Augustines – “New Drink For The Old Drunk” (Crooked Fingers cover)
[ From their debut LP, “Rise Ye Sunken Ships” / Buy on iTunes / Soundcloud / Stream LP ]
07. Fanfarlo – “Deconstruction“
[ First single from forthcoming “Rooms Filled With Light” LP / Stream two songs ]
08. M83 – “Raconte-Moi Une Histoire“
[ From the new “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming” LP / Buy it / Soundcloud stream ]
09. The Drums – “Days“
[ From their new “Portamento” LP / Buy it / KCRW live video ]
10. Kathryn Calder – “Who Are You?“
[ From her just-released “Bright and Vivid” LP / Buy on iTunes / MP3 ]
11. Rob Crow – “Scalped“
[ From the new LP, “He Thinks He’s People” / Buy it / MP3 of “Sophistructure“ ]
12. Hospitality – “Friends of Friends“
[ First song from new Merge Records band / Pre-order album / MP3 ]
13. Model Village – “Bouncers“
[ From their self-titled EP / Buy or stream at Bandcamp ]
14. Sulk – “Wishes“
[ Debut single / Video / Download the B-side ]
15. For Abel – “Yorkshire“
[ Latest single from new full-length / Stream at Soundcloud ]
16. * Reports – “Sub Toucher“
[ Off the new “Dinamo Cambridge” LP / Name your price at Bandcamp / Stream song ]
17. * Slowdim – “Wishing Well” (Reverb Mix)
[ Alternate version from “Spirals” EP / Buy at Bandcamp / Download MP3 at OTD ]
[ Visit Clicky Clicky for Jay’s 10-11pm playlist ]
Set Three / 11pm-12pm
Brad Almanac, until I succumbed to the plague, then Jay
18. Tennis – “Tell Her No” (Zombies cover)
[ Free non-album cover version / Stream or download at their website ]
19. Speed The Plough – “Inbetween Dreams“
[ From their new LP, “Shine” / Buy it from Dromedary / MP3 ]
20. The Mommyheads – “Another Crowded House“
[ From “Delicate Friction”, their first new LP in a looong time / Buy it on Dromedary / MP3 ]
21. * TW Walsh – “Make It Rhyme“
[ From the new “Songs of Pain and Leisure” LP / Buy via Bandcamp or Graveface / Stream song ]
22. * Wheat – “House Of Kiss“
[ From a new 2-song single (1st of 3 in a series) / Buy at their webstore / ]
23. The Long Afternoon – “The Chamelionaires“
[ From their 3rd album, “An Index of Maladjustments” / Buy from the band / Video ]
24. Tokyo Police Club – “All My Friends” (LCD Soundsystem cover)
[ From their “10 Covers 10 Days 10 Years” project / Buy at iTunes / Stream at Soundcloud ]
25. * Age Rings – “Bounty Hunter“
[ From the upcoming Midriff release, “Black Honey” / Stream some songs on Soundcloud ]
26. Wild Flag – “Electric Band“
[ From the self-titled Merge debut / Buy LP / Stream LP / Video ]
27. Standard Fare – “051107“
[ From their forthcoming second LP, “Out Of Sight, Out Of Town” ]
28. * Travels – “Lucky“
[ From their upcoming limited 7-inch & digital EP / Stream & pre-order at Soundcloud ]
29. * The Hush Now – “Rooftops“
[ From their new LP, “Memos” / Buy on Bandcamp / Stream song ]
30. Ume – “Rubicons“
[ From their debut full-length, “Phantoms” / Buy from Modern Outsider / Stream on Soundcloud ]
31. Camp Radio – “Turn Up The Radio“
[ From their new “Campista Socialista” LP / Buy via Bandcamp / MP3 ]
32. * Dan Wholey – “Tiny Coals“
[ From his new eponymous EP / Buy at Bandcamp / Stream song ]
33. Seaweed – “The Weight“
[ From their new 7-inch on No Idea / Buy from No Idea ]
34. * Soccer Mom – “Celebrity Unrest“
[ Off their new 10-inch, “You Are Not Going To Heaven” / Buy via 100m / Stream song ]
35. Signal Hill – “Van Gogh Sky“
[ From a new split 7-inch with All India Radio / Buy it / Stream track ]
[ Visit Clicky Clicky for Jay’s 12-1am playlist ]
We’ll be returning to the booth in November, I think. I’ll share the date here, and given my severe slackness, I’d should probably start working on that next playlist immediately…