So, last Friday, my friend dragged me out to see this guy Jonathan Colton. We got there right at eight and we didn’t have to wait very long at all, which was good because my mom wanted me home by 11. *pout* The opening band were pretty fun – I don’t really remember their name. […]
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Concert notes: Ted Leo
December 8, 2008[embedded YouTube video; if you can’t view it, click here] [TT the Bear’s, Cambridge, MA; Saturday, December 6, 2008] I really love Ted Leo. So it was terrific to seem him do a solo gig at the tiny TT the Bear’s in Cambridge, MA (capacity: about 300), even if it was utterly jammed. The setlist […]
Concert Notes: The Mountain Goats and Kaki King
October 21, 2008[embedded YouTube video; if you can’t see it, click here] [Showbox at the Market, Seattle, WA; October 20, 2008] I’ve seen the Mountain Goats umpteen times, and every show that I’ve been to has been amazing – I’ve never been to a show where I felt like John Darnielle has given less than his best. […]
Concert notes: Okkervil River
September 18, 2008[embedded YouTube video; if you can’t see it, click here] [Showbox at the Market, Seattle, WA; September 17, 2008] Note to Okkervil River: Let your bassist sing on more songs. Previously: Upcoming: Okkervil River and Sea Wolf
Concert notes: Billy Bragg
June 15, 2008[embedded YouTube video; if you can’t see it, click here] [Park West, Chicago, IL; June 14, 2008] The songwriter Darrell Brown wrote in the New York Times’ ‘Measure for Measure’ blog that every good song needs three things: honesty, humanity, and hooks. An honest song will show innocence, vulnerability and strength all at the same […]
Concert notes: Destroyer
April 22, 2008[Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge, MA; April 21, 2008] I heart Dan Bejar. Backed by an able four-piece (plus his own guitar), he put on a relatively brief but typically intense show at the Middle East last night. Much as I liked Trouble in Dreams, I really enjoy the way Bejar’s voice sounds when it is […]
Concert notes: Ezra Furman and the Harpoons
April 17, 2008[Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge, MA; April 16, 2008] Ezra Furman and his band, the Harpoons, tie together down-home style tunes with angst-y, sarcastic Midwesterner lyrics. They performed an energetic 45-minute set at the Middle East on Wednesday night, opening for Cloud Cult. Give them a few more months and the concerts will be singalongs, I […]
Concert notes: Miracle Fortress
March 25, 2008[Middle East Upstairs, Cambridge, MA; March 22, 2008] Montreal-based Miracle Fortress played a sold-out show at the Middle East Upstairs, opening for fellow Canadian scenesters The Most Serene Republic. Based on their single ‘Hold Your Secrets to Your Heart,’ I expected them to be quite a bit more ethereal than they were, especially given their […]
Concert notes: Holy Fuck
March 22, 2008[embedded YouTube video; if you can’t see it, click here] [Middle East Upstairs, Cambridge, MA; March 21, 2008] I wrote about Holy Fuck the last time I saw them – they are utterly phenomenal live. You can look at the clips on YouTube, but they don’t really capture the experience (that’s why that’s a video […]
Concert notes: Born Ruffians
March 2, 2008[Middle East Upstairs, Cambridge MA; February 29, 2008] Toronto-based trio Born Ruffians played at the Middle East Upstairs on Friday night. They were astonishingly tight, especially considering that it was only the second night of their tour. Luke LaLonde’s jagged, warbling vocals were ably backed by both bassist Mitch DeRosier and Steve Hamelin, the drummer, […]
Concert notes: Dan Deacon at MassArt
February 3, 2008[Massachusetts College of Art and Design; January 31st, 2008] Dan Deacon brought his Ultimate Reality Tour to MassArt on Thursday night, for a pretty low-key show, as this signage on a nearby bus shelter sugests. The video art was fun, especially for aficionados of Arnold Schwarzenegger movies (we clocked all three Terminators, Predator, Total Recall, […]
Concert notes: Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
December 3, 2007[Roxy, Boston, MA; December 1, 2007] Ted Leo and the Pharmacists are amazingly fun live, and I’ve seen them several times in the last year or so. Ted Leo writes and sings tightly constructed songs, with literate and interesting lyrics, and the Pharmacists are an excellent set of musicians. But the real joy of a […]
Concert notes: Holy Fuck
November 30, 2007[Middle East Upstairs, Cambridge, MA; November 29, 2007] Holy Fuck lived up to their name at their show last night. Their music is like the bastard lovechild of Battles and Dan Deacon – while less virtuosic than the former and less straight-out batshit than the latter, they possess a tremendous anarcho-punk energy. And they were […]
Concert notes: The Pipettes
November 17, 2007[Great Scott, Allston, MA; November 15, 2007] The Pipettes are my guilty pleasure. They sing these sweet, catchy songs that almost exclusively about, as they freely admit, love and dancing. And they are this total retro throwback to the girl groups of the 60s, which I’m not particularly into. But somehow, they manage to produce […]
Concert notes: Nicole Atkins and the Sea
November 17, 2007[Great Scott, Allston, MA; November 15, 2007] Back in the realm of the dark and mopey, the big surprise of the night was Nicole Atkins and the Sea, who opened for the Pipettes. Aside from also singing songs about love and also being a retro throwback (we decided on ‘Blondie crossed with Edith Piaf if […]
Concert notes: Battles
November 13, 2007[Paradise, Boston; November 12, 2007] They absolutely rock live. You should go see them. That is all.
Concert notes: Sea Wolf
November 7, 2007[Middle East Upstairs, Cambridge; November 6, 2007] Sea Wolf played an modest little show at the Middle East Upstairs last night (no pics, sorry – there wasn’t enough stage light for my poor little camera, and I didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere by using a flash). Despite the intimate setting, they didn’t sound quite […]
Concert notes: Pansy Division
November 3, 2007[Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge; October 26, 2007] Pansy Division totally rocked out at the Middle East Downstairs. I think they are the perfect pop-punk songwriters, and their hilarious and/or touching lyrics are just an added bonus. I was delighted to hear that they are working on a new album, and they played some new songs, […]
New Röyksopp track, remixed by Holy Fuck
March 3, 2009The new Röyksopp track, “Happy Up Here” (from the upcoming album Junior), and a remix by z=z faves Holy Fuck were leaked. I normally wouldn’t post leaked tracks, but I did hear about it in a tweet by Holy Fuck’s manager, so it carries a certain imprimatur. Enjoy! MP3: Röyksopp – Happy Up Here (more […]
Threesome: Theme songs
November 13, 2008One of my friends tweeted something about how all bands should have theme songs, along the lines of “Hey Hey We’re the Monkees,” which got me thinking. The pure theme songs that came immediately to mind were “We Are The Pipettes,” and both “Freezepop Forever” and “Parlez-Vous Freezepop?” (the existence of both a French and […]
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