screams, whispers and songs from planet earth

Month: October 2009 Page 1 of 2

Built To Spill at The Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge, MA – 10/11/09

BTS_MiddleEast03

It feels like I went to see this show years ago, though in reality, it’s only been two weeks. One hell of a two weeks, but two weeks all the same. So I approached the chore of writing this review with some trepidation. For one, while I really, really like this band and have great respect for their place in indie rock history, I can’t say I’m completely familiar with their entire catalog, even enough to reconstruct a set list of what they played. Secondly, my notes, while amusing, are pretty fucking useless. I labeled the night’s proceedings as “Hipster Heaven”, and indeed it was. But I still had only (probably incorrect) fragments of lyrics to try to identify to tell you what was performed, and with four other reviews breathing down my neck, little time.

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Show Preview: Andrew Hoover & Sister Hazel at the Paradise Rock Club, 10/21/09

Andrew Hoover, Sister Hazel (headliners)
at the Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA
Wednesday, October 21 7pm, $25
967 Commonwealth Ave.
Boston, MA
(doors at 7pm; 18+ show)

Singer-songwriter Andrew Hoover

Singer-songwriter Andrew Hoover

Better late than never; that’s what I always say. Especially this past week and a half.

Singer-songwriter Andrew Hoover will be opening for Sister Hazel at the Paradise Rock Club on October 21 (that’s tonight, in a few hours from now). Bluesy and soulful with pop influences; a nice sound that probably transfers very well live. Have a listen.

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Connecticut singer-songwriter Andrew Hoover at Borders in Braintree MA today 7pm

Andrew Hoover Borders

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It’s Good To Be Back Home: The Airborne Toxic Event in Boston

The Airborne Toxic Event, The Henry Clay People, and Red Cortez at the House of Blues, Boston, MA, October 13, 2009

Airborne_Boston_1586

On a chilly autumn night in the rather impersonal caverns of the new Landsdown Street House of Blues, this show had the feeling of a family barbecue on a lazy, warm summer afternoon. Anna’s hometown and the rest of the band’s adopted one, it’s clearly a special place for them, and while it’s not like being back home in L.A. with family and friends, I like to think it a reasonable facsimile. A comforting respite from the long and weary road.

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Parson Red Heads October East Coast Tour Dates (but not Boston, bummer!)

ParsonRedHeads

Ok, so technically this isn’t a show preview, because they’re not coming to Boston, and the closest they’ll be is a 2+ hour drive away near Albany (I’ll let you know what it ends up being). But I thought I would mention The Parson Red Heads and their East Coast visit, as they’re a great band I’ve been enjoying for a little while now. They have a lovely psychedelic and folky, upbeat sound with delightful harmonies, reminiscent of bands such as The Byrds, Big Star, CSN&Y, The Kinks, Fairport Convention, and Wilco.

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Show Preview: Youth Group, The States, The Honors, Leo Blais ~ T.T. The Bear’s Place, Cambridge ~ Friday, October 16, 2009

Youth Group (midnight), The States (CD Release, 11:00 pm), The Honors (10:00 pm), Leo Blais (9:00 pm)
at the T.T. The Bear’s Place, Cambridge, MA
Friday, October 16
(doors at 8pm; 18+ show)

Youth Group, at their show @ TT's last April

Youth Group, at their show @ TT's last April

I had the pleasure seeing Sydney-based Youth Group at T.T.’s back in April. Very impressive. With a strong focus on the considerable songwriting and vocal abilities of Toby Martin (who also plays guitar), he’s joined by Danny Allen (drums), Cameron Emerson-Elliott (guitar) and Patrick Matthews (bass). They’ve been performing together since the late nineties, with a big following in Australia, having supported such artists as Elliott Smith and The Strokes. They became better known here in the U.S. when they toured with Death Cab For Cutie. Their music has been compared to Teenage Fanclub, Pavement, Matthew Sweet, and the aforementioned Death Cab. Toby Martin cites Teenage Fanclub as a strong influence.

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Twilight Sad, We Were Promised Jetpacks and Brakesbrakesbrakes at Great Scott in Allston, October 7, 2009

A lovely evening for Anglophiles. And for Scotsmen – or Irishmen, as the case would be here in Boston. Apart from the apt choice of venue, a particularly boisterous and no doubt ale-fueled Irish fellow up front repeatedly – and loudly – professed his kinship with the two Scottish bands. Irish, Scottish – ah hell, close enough. Which only added to the celebratory, over-the-top enthusiasm of the nicely packed-in crowd.

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Show Preview: The Happy Hollows, Dark Martini & The Dirty Olives, The Wrecking Coast ~ T. T. The Bear’s Place, Cambridge ~ Sunday, October 18, 2009

The Wrecking Coast (9:15 p.m.), The Happy Hollows (10:15 p.m.), Dark Martini & The Dirty Olives (11:15 p.m.)
at the T.T. The Bear’s Place, Cambridge, MA
Sunday, October 18
(18+ show)

Photo by Dan Monick

Photo by Dan Monick

The big and exciting news of this show is the first Boston appearance of The Happy Hollows. Having just been proclaimed by Radio Free Silver Lake as “the best band playing regularly in Los Angeles right now”, they’ve just released their debut album Spells, and will be performing a few shows here on the East Coast along with an appearance at CMJ.

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Show Preview: Silversun Pickups, Cage The Elephant, An Horse ~ Providence RI and Hartford CT ~ Saturday, October 17 and Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Silversun Pickups, Cage The Elephant, An Horse
at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel, Providence, RI
95.5 WBRU 40th Birthday Bash
Saturday, October 17
(doors at 5pm; All Ages show)

::: buy tickets :::

and at the Webster Theater, Hartford, CT
Tuesday, October 20
(doors at 7pm; All Ages show)

::: buy tickets :::

An Horse, photo by Nadia Mizner; Cage The Elephant, photo by Danny Clinch; Silversun Pickups, photo by Timothy Norris

An Horse, photo by Nadia Mizner; Cage The Elephant, photo by Danny Clinch; Silversun Pickups, photo by Timothy Norris

Looks like the “Boston date” for this really excellent lineup is either Providence, Rhode Island (about an hour’s drive) or Hartford, Connecticut (about 2, but an easy drive via Mass Pike and I-84). Being how jam-packed this autumn is with bands coming through the area, I’m guessing it was a scheduling difficulty rather than an oversight that led to this sad state of affairs. If you can somehow make it, or find yourself in a place they’re performing (see entire schedule), it should be a fantastic show.

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Show Preview: Daniel Johnston, Capitol Years ~ Paradise Rock Club, Boston ~ Thursday, October 15, 200

Daniel Johnston, Capitol Years
at the Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA
Thursday, October 15
(doors at 8pm; 18+ show)

Photo by Yves Beauvais

Photo by Yves Beauvais

DanielJonnston_HiVinyl


My earliest recollection of Daniel Johnston is hearing his now classic song “Speeding Motorcycle”, performed as a special over-the-phone collaboration with Yo La Tengo, for WFMU’s “The Music Faucet” show on February 4, 1990. Actually, this song from the hour-long session was on ‘heavy rotation’ over at Boston College’s WZBC, and it was early 90s that I heard it, when I first moved up here.

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