Black Taxi at Tommy Doyle’s, 96 Winthrop Street, Cambridge (Harvard Square)
TONIGHT (Friday, January 20)
21+ / 8pm / $5 or FREE before 9:30pm

Late notice on this one, but infectiously poppy and danceable Black Taxi, hailing from Brooklyn, New York, are at Tommy Doyle’s tonight. They just released their second album, We Don’t Know Any Better. Check out their video below.

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On their debut EP Noisemaker (released Dec 13 of last year), Boston band The Dirty Hit give a very nice sampling of their eclectic and far-reaching sound. There’s the noisy garage fun of “Romero” and “Back To You” (though both have melodic elements), the folky social commentary of “All Seeing Eye,” and some really nice psychedelic ambiance of “Days End” and “Bring Light,” which have little experimental touches including a a slight aroma of reggae rhythm. “Renovator,” which closes the EP, is just a nice, tight pop song. There’s something about the writing (I’m a lyrics girl, remember), the tasteful guitar licks and the delightful harmonies that makes these guys stand out. It’ll be cool to see what they do next – there’s plans for a full-length this year.

For now, you can check them out in the flesh at the Church of Boston Friday, February 3. They’ll be playing along with The Dukes of Funk, Sidecar Radio, Among Criminals and Last Call.

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Three of the four amazing bands to be gracing the 'stage' (such as it is) at the Lizard Lounge tonight - Black Fortress of Opium, Marc Pinansky, and The Fatal Flaw.

Black Fortress of Opium with St. Helena, The Fatal Flaw,
and Marc Pinansky (of Township) at the Lizard Lounge
Saturday, January 14, 2012
$8 | 18+ | doors at 8pm | facebook event

Here’s an absolutely ridiculous line-up of bands at the cozy little Lizard Lounge tomorrow night (or rather *tonight*, but the time I get this posted..). And speaking of my tardiness, apologies for this ‘quick and dirty’ preview, but this is seriously worthy of a mention, despite its hastiness. This may well sell out, so get there early. See you there.

Black Fortress of Opium
Gothic Americana featuring Ajda the Turkish Queen on vocals, mandolin, guitar and keyboard. Their new album Stratospherical will be out March 6. | web | facebook | bandcamp | YouTube

St. Helena
Lyrically wistful, lush and lovely, with male/female vocals and rich, full instrumentation. Their debut full-length album, Modern Tan, was released January of last year. | web | facebook | St. Helena | bandcamp | twitter

The Fatal Flaw
“For those of us who enjoy pretty pop music and a cynical, sarcastic world view.” (I’m quoting myself). I’ve been wanting to see these guys since catching the very end of their set on a chilly Boston Common, New Year’s 2011. Took me a friggin’ year. | web | facebook | bandcamp

Marc Pinansky (Township)
Lead vocalist and guitarist for the band Township, in a (somewhat) rare solo acoustic performance. | facebook | bandcamp | blog | twitter

Levon Helm, Crooked Fingers, Toyah Willcox with The Humans

Ok, so last year I had a ‘Top 10′ list. What can I say; 2011 was kind of a struggle. But I did discover a common theme for this year’s favorites: delivering a stellar performance in the face of adversity. Whether it was a legendary performer who had overcome personal struggles to come back, absolutely blazing (Toyah Wilcox, Levon Helm, and Eric Bachmann with his band Crooked Fingers); or just a rough night (lead singer Evan Way of The Parson Red Heads being really sick but soldiering on anyway, and The Drowning Men and their ‘road trip from hell’); my soaring admiration combined with musical prowess to create these special evenings.

Levon Helm at the Life Is Good. Festival – Sept. 25

As drummer and sometimes lead singer for legendary 60s group The Band, Levon Helm’s strong, distinctive vocals were a highlight of several of their classics – “The Weight”, “Up on Cripple Creek”, “Ophelia” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”. Yet in the late 1990s, he was diagnosed with throat cancer, no question the worst news a singer could receive. Rather than have a laryngectomy (as his doctor suggested), he instead went through radiation treatments which fortunately in time proved successful. While his voice of course isn’t what it once was, he took a turn at some lead vocals throughout the show, and his skill and fortitude sent that enthusiastic, supportive crowd over the edge. It was a very emotional experience, and my first time seeing him. Amazing. Read my review on Ryan’s Smashing Life (and check out Kira Doucette’s wonderful photos).

The Humans with Toyah Willcox at Church of Boston – Sept. 25

Catching up with Toyah’s career over the years (I had no idea she had been mostly an actress), I read about her early life, which included battling extreme physical disabilities from birth, including many operations and years of therapy, and the alienation that type of childhood experience will cause. In addition to overcoming all that (I’m guessing it’s what propelled her independent, ambitious spirit), she came back to the U.S. with her band, The Humans, after primarily an acting career in England. It was their first time here in the states, doing a small handful of club dates with no clue as to how they’d be received. Brave as hell. And they put on a brilliant show that had the vibe of a Broadway musical, in her performance and delivery. I was impressed with her back in the ’80s when I was a big fan, and I’m even more impressed now. She’s one special lady, and knowing more about her, my admiration of this powerful singer and performer has increased exponentially. I didn’t get any video or photos that evening, but you can read my advance of the show for a little background.

The Parson Red Heads at Great Scott – Sept. 26

It’s not just that The Parson Red Heads are based in Portland, Oregon, and that they’d been traveling cross country in a van on a national tour to promote their new album, Yearling. Or that being a small indie band, they all still have “day jobs,” and Evan continues to do his – as a web developer – from the road, while on tour. Or that some of these shows, in places where people don’t yet know them, have been for small handfuls of people. On top of it all, he had to get ridiculously sick. But being the troopers that they are, not only did the show go on, but it went on beautifully, with their warm and loving embrace of sunshine-filled West Coast folk-rock and those delicious harmonies. And when Evan’s voice gave out, they revamped their entire set ‘on the fly’, with Sam taking over vocal duties… stunningly. They sounded great, and it was obvious they won over an audience of new fans. Love these guys.

Also check out: Happy We Agree with Sam on lead vocals.

Crooked Fingers at T.T. the Bear’s Place – Nov. 6

Before this latest album with his band, Crooked Fingers, Eric Bachmann had a kind of “vision quest” in Taipei, where it seems he was trying to figure out just what he wanted to do with his life. He might have stayed and been an English teacher, but fortunately for us, he came back, released an album, and went on tour – with both Crooked Fingers and his “other band,” Archers of Loaf. One still gets the sense that there’s some lingering ambivalence, but that only adds to the power of his lyrical gravitas and emotionally stirring music. Here’s my review of the show.

The Drowning Men (and The Airborne Toxic Event) at The Orpheum Theatre – Nov. 19

For the full story on what made this particular show so special, see my article, The Airborne Toxic Event and The Drowning Men: A Road Story. Being in a touring rock band and traveling in a van cross country is stressful enough without being hit by a drunk driver on some godforsaken stretch of highway in the dead of night. Apart from the miracle that no one was hurt (thank god), the fact that The Drowning Men could perform at all that night – never mind as well as they did – is quite astonishing.

You can see their performance of their wonderful song “Rita” in the article above, with good friends Airborne adding to the merriment. Here’s some more of their lovely set, in the nearly sold out Orpheum Theatre.

Honorable mention to Airborne as well for a great show, despite having two radio promotions to deal with earlier in the day (which included a beautiful acoustic set at The Black Rose – thanks ‘FNX!), after what was probably no more than a few hours of sleep. I don’t need to remind any readers of this blog how much I love that band.

In the video below, Mikel defies the limits of human endurance (and I think of common sense as well) with his performance of “Something New” and “Does This Mean You’re Moving On?”:

Take Note! If you’re doing First Night, they’ll be bringing their “posse” once again to the Hynes Convention Center, 900 Boylston Street, starting at 7:30 and going until 11pm.

In a sudden burst of ambition and enthusiasm (we’ll see how long it lasts), I’ve decided to continue something I started last year – a Resource Guide for touring musicians passing through the Boston area, and for those who live here as well. For now, you’ll find a list of area venues, capacity and booking info., and just added, a list of local promoters. Coming soon (I have, what, seven more days left?) I’ll have radio and press, rehearsal space and recording studios, and much more. Have a look. And very happy holidays, everyone. Stay tuned for my ‘Favorite Shows of 2011′, and also some ‘end of year angst’. I’m sure I’ll be able to summon some up for ya.

photo 2010 by Dan Tappan

Here’s something a little different from me, in amongst all the existential angst and bitter regrets. Well ok, it’s a song about a lost love, but it’s sung in such a sweetly reminiscent way, you almost don’t feel so bad for him.

Randall Kromm, lawyer by day, folk singer by night; it seems like a strange dichotomy, but his songs are about real life experiences and everyday challenges, and what can be more real and challenging than balancing the life of a musician with another life as a lawyer, husband and father of four? He’s performed at coffeehouses, open mikes, and clubs in the Boston area, including a sold-out show at the legendary Club Passim, and released his debut album, Water Wheel, earlier this year. He also has a collection of seasonal songs called Holidays and Homecomings. He counts among his fans seasoned performers Christine Lavin and Don White.

Randall has two shows coming up – a performance of holiday songs with other local musicians at Main Streets Market and Cafe in Concord on December 22 at 7pm, and at an open mic at Emerson Umbrella on January 9, 2012, along with songwriter Laura Gold.

official site | facebook | myspace | youtube

The BOSTON HASSLE Playbutton

BOSTON HASSLE Underground Music Compilation Playbutton Release Party
featuring: Debo Band, Fat History Month, Creaturos, The Needy Visions, Saralee, Ming Ming, Exusamwa, and Kid Romance
Great Scott – Sunday, December 11 (tonight)
9pm | 18+ | $5 – $10 sliding scale

If you’re sitting there thinking, “how can I be so much cooler than everyone else around me, so that my Boston music scene street cred is forever secured?” , you need to know about this awesome new music compilation. It is in honor of the Boston underground music scene, fearlessly supported by the folks at Body Of Water (B.O.W.) and Boston Compass, who regularly promote shows within a wide range of ‘outside the mainstream’ genres in alternative venues. For this unusual new release, they’ve partnered with The Boston Hassle, a music blog and events guide that specializes in “Psych, punk, weird, pop, electronic, experimental, and awesome music… high and low brow smashed to pieces and forever mixed together.” Attention hipsters: you can now (quite literally) wear your love of underground music on your sleeve.

BOSTON HASSLE features 13 tracks from Saralee, Exusamwa, Doomstar, Needy Visions, Kid Romance, Ming Ming, Debo Band and others. It is being released by Bodies of Water Arts and Crafts (the record label of show promoters B.O.W.), who’ve also put out albums for Tunnel of Love, Mittens, Bezoar, Hats and Glases, and the Mules.

What makes this compilation even more exotic is that it’s being released on a brand new format – the 3” wearable Playbutton, for a wicked reasonable price of $10. Yes, it’s as cool as it sounds. Put on your button, plug in your headphones, and press play. How great is that?

BOSTON HASSLE’s “Button Release Party” is this Sunday (December 11) at Great Scott, with sets from eight of the fascinating bands featured on the compilation. This will be followed by a northeast and midwest tour in the winter of 2011/2012. There will be all sorts of sounds this evening, from psychedelic garage to fuzzy surf and dreamy pop, funk and dark-tinged dance to bizarre experimental, and Ethiopian pop music from Debo Band.

Can’t make it to the show? Get yourself the BOSTON HASSLE Playbutton now!

BOSTON HASSLE tracklisting:
1.Saralee – Soft Sounds
2.Pile – Pigeon Song
3.Exusamwa – Button
4.Doomstar – I Don’t Understand
5.Needy Visions – Kinda But Not Really
6.Fat History Month – Nudity
7.Big Digits – Black Sweatshirts
8.Kid Romance – Jimnicluc
9.Cuffs – Albert Kroft
10.Skimask – Fine China
11.Kal Marks – Not Afraid To Die
12.Ming Ming – Sez
13.Debo Band – Addis Ababa Bete

Boston Hassle: official site | facebook | twitter
Body of Water Shows & Blog: official site
Boston Counter Culture Compass: official site

Have a listen, and then download the 5-track EP from his website.

The Lowbred Watts will be performing at McGann’s Pub tomorrow night, during a fine evening of folk, Americana and country-blues (see set times above). It seems like a well-thought-out lineup of kindred spirits, presented by F Nice Records, who handle all of the live music at McGann’s, and who regularly offer discounted tickets for these shows on their site. F Nice is an indie music company that offers merchandising, show bookings and promotion, rehearsal space, production and distribution, in service to local musicians. “F Nice is here to reclaim the local music scene from those who let it down.” Amen.