Bodega Girls, Mark Lind & The Unloved (photo by Nicole Tammaro), The Deli New England Launch Party, and the Pixies
A quick introduction. I’m going to start posting previews of selected shows in the Boston area for the following week which feature local bands. My hope is for this to be a new weekly feature on ‘musings’. We’ll see how it goes.
This week: some great Boston-area bands to see, from dance music at the Middlesex Lounge, to “best punk act of 2009” at T.T.’s (as part of their Thanksgiving Eve Fiasco), the Pixies @ The Wang Theatre, and a cool launch party for The Deli/New England at The Middle East Upstairs.
Bodega Girls @ Middlesex Lounge – Wed 11/25
For those of you in the mood for dancing, Boston-based Bodega Girls will be playing at Middlesex Lounge on Wednesday night. Their music is a combination of soul, hip-hop, electro, with influences ranging from Marvin Gaye and LL Cool J to New Order and Prince. Pretty interesting, and they received two Boston Music Awards Nominations last year. They also are involved with The Hector Fund, which connects bands with their fans for the purpose of raising money to complete projects (in their case, a full-length album in the form of an iPhone Application). This sort of thing is becoming increasingly popular with indie bands trying to get their music out and heard in these tough economic times. Awesome.
Mark Lind & The Unloved @ T.T. The Bear’s Place – Wed 11/25
photo by Nicole Tammaro
If you prefer punk to dance music, head over to T.T.’s for their Thanksgiving Eve Fiasco. Voted “best punk act” of 2009 by WFNX/Boston Phoenix, Mark Lind & The Unloved just released Homeward Bound, which sounds, um, rather tuneful for a punk band, though they definitely have the attitude. The band line up, in addition to Mark Lind, consists of Jay Messina on drums, Mike Savitkas on bass, Steve Young on guitar and Brittany Gray on vocals, providing some nice layered harmonies. You can read more about the band in a recent Phoenix article.
Also on the bill: Death & Taxes (Newburyport), The Scars (Somerville), The Rebel Dead (NY), and Far From Finished (Boston).
The Pixies @ the Wang Theatre, Boston – Fri 11/27 & Sat 11/28
I shouldn’t have to say too much about The Pixies. Quintessential Boston Band and all. They’ve been celebrating the 20th Anniversary of their wonderful album Doolittle with a world tour. All I’ll say is this: my two reasons for moving to Boston in 1992 were 1) to work at an indie label and get involved somehow in the music biz; and 2) to see the Pixies in a small club, like maybe The Rat (after stupidly deciding not to see them when they supported U2 in Hartford CT). We all know what happened with #2. Yup, they broke up. And yes, The Rat closed as well. By the time the Pixies regrouped in 2004, I was… well, I don’t know, but I didn’t see ’em. And now? Now they’re playing the Wang Theatre for $62. Hrmph. [those of you who can afford that should probably go, though it ain’t gonna be the sweaty crazed love fest I had dreamed of…]
Deli Magazine New England Launch Party @ The Middle East Upstairs – Sat 11/28
featuring: 28 Degree Taurus, Muy Cansado, Otis Grove, and The Days Weight
This is pretty exciting, and I’ll be heading back from CT in time to catch this great little showcase of Boston (and Vermont) bands, to celebrate the launching of the New England edition of The Deli – an extremely cool webite that covers local music scenes (NYC, LA, Nashville, Chicago, SF, Portland, Austin, Philly and now New England). They also publish a quarterly magazine focused on the NYC independent music scene. Their mission, as stated on their site, is “to expose local musical artists that have not yet reached a level of international fame: this is why all of our printed articles feature up and coming bands and singer-songwriters (while our websites also cover the most popular breakout bands).”
28 Degrees Taurus are a dreamy, ambient and psychedelic outfit with influences such as My Bloody Valentine, Lou Reed & The Velvet Underground, Cocteau Twins, Yo La Tengo, and Jefferson Airplane. Nice sound. This should be really good.
The trio of Muy Cansado (Chris Mulvey-guitar and vocals, Lisa Libera-bass and vocals, and Jon Ulman-drums) describe themselves as “rock/punk/alternative”, and, interesting in light of my last entry, they’re compared by a few reviewers to the Pixies. Ok, “Telemundo” definitely sounds like the Pixies. Not a bad thing, mind you! Quite good, in fact.
Otis Grove (from “Lower Allston”) is funky, jazzy, cool stuff; very nice instrumental jams. The band features Sam Gilman on Hammond Organ, Fender Rhodes, Clavinet, and acoustic piano (though what he’ll have on the smallish upstairs stage of the Middle East, I don’t know); Tyler Drabick on guitar; and Blake Goedde, drums. They’re currently playing all around the East Coast, and their latest release is Crank It Up.
Rounding out this very diverse mix of musical styles is Burlington, Vermont-based The Days Weight with their soulful-sounding rootsy country/folk/Americana-flavored rock. The Days Weight are: Patrick McDermott – Lead Guitar, Vocals; Kyle Toomey – Rhythm Guitar, Vocals; Andrew Abboushi – Bass Guitar, Vocals; and Jereme Vinette – Drums. Listening to their songs like “Remedy” and “Lordsburg”, my guess is they’ll sound really great live.
I’ll definitely make every effort to be at this one! Once again, Saturday, Nov. 28 @ The Middle East Upstairs. 8pm doors.
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Boston Radio: Shows Featuring Local Bands
Monday
WBRS 100.1 FM or WBRS.org, Mass Produced, 2-3:30pm, Brandeis University
Tuesday
WMBR 88.1 FM or WMBR.org, Pipeline, 8-10pm, DJs: Jeff Breeze, Mike Reed, John Hecker. MIT.
WBRS 100.1 FM or WBRS.org, The Joint, 10pm – Midnight, Brandeis University. Live performances from Shapiro Campus Center.
Wednesday
WMFO 91.5 FM or WMFO.org, On The Town With Mikey Dee, 9pm – Midnight, DJs: Brian Young and JoEllen, Tufts University. Podcast available online.
Friday
WBRS 100.1 FM or WBRS.org, The WBRS Coffeehouse, 3pm – 5pm, Brandeis University. Live acoustic performances from Shapiro Campus Center.
WZBC 90.3 FM or WZBC.org, Mass. Ave and Beyond, 5pm – 7pm, DJ: Gavin, Boston College. Includes live performances. Archived online (past 2 shows).
Sunday
WBCN 104.1 FM or WBCN.com, Boston Emissions, 10pm – Midnight, DJ: Anngelle Wood
WFNX 101.7 FM or WFNX.com, New England Product, 11pm-midnight.
WAAF 107.3 FM or WAAF.com, Bay State Rock, 10pm-midnight, DJ: Carmelita
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