musings from boston

screams, whispers and songs from planet earth

Tinariwen returning in 2014 with a new album (Emmaar) and tour!

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On December 18, 2013

In Indie Music

©Marie Planeille

©Marie Planeille

How wonderful to see that the hypnotic, “old soul” guitar-driven magic of Tinariwen will once again grace our shores. They have a new album called Emmaar coming out February 11, with a North American tour planned for February and March. This new release will be the follow-up to their Grammy award-winning 2011 album Tassili, which was recorded in a tent in the Algerian desert. This time around, due to continuing political tensions and instability in their homeland of Mali, they recorded in a home studio located in a U.S. desert — Joshua Tree, California. The music features their trademark powerful electric guitar sound and traditional drumming, and was recorded in a natural live setting, with all the musicians performing in one room together. The recording features original members from the group’s beginnings in the 1980s (vocalists and guitarists Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni, and Alhassane Ag Touhami) and newer members from the 1990s (multi-instrumentalist Eyadou Ag Leche, guitarist Elaga Ag Hamid, and percussionist Said Ag Ayad). They also invited some American artists to join them — Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, Matt Sweeney from Chavez, Nashville fiddler Fats Kaplin, and poet Saul Williams. Good heavens. I can’t wait to hear this. For now, here’s a small taste — the official video for “Toumast Tincha.”

To help with the costs of touring, Tinariwen have a crowdsourcing campaign at Microcultures. Donate some funds and support their amazing music and their vision. In return, there’s all sorts of great items such as the upcoming CD, vinyl, autographs, show tickets and t-shirts, all the way up to an autographed guitar or an acoustic performance in your home! Give what you can. The France-based Microcultures is “an indie production company that offers preorders and subscriptions in order to fund creative projects, pays artists better, and deliver awesome rewards.”

I can’t recommend Tinariwen’s music and live show highly enough. I had the great honor of seeing these stellar musicians the last time they were at the Paradise Rock Club, and they were absolutely astonishing. The Boston show is again at the Paradise on Tuesday, March 25. See their official site for all the tour dates. To read about this group’s fascinating history, see the article I wrote about them last year.

web | facebook | twitter | youtube | Preorder Emmaar

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Sarah Rabdau and Sophia Cacciola Take on Shakespears Sister

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On December 15, 2013

In Boston Bands, Indie Music

Two of Boston’s “leading ladies,” Sarah Rabdau and Sophia Cacciola (of Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling), have teamed up for a passionate and hilarious remake of the 1990s classic “Stay” by Shakespears Sister. Not only is the cover itself spot-on (and seemingly made for these two), but the video… Have a look at Sarah and Sophia’s version and the original below. Campy magnificence.

Other Sarah Rabdau and Self-Employed Assassins news: their new album “Free As Thieves” can be heard (and purchased) on bandcamp, and they recently covered fellow Boston Band Dead Cats Dead Rats’ song, “No God In Massachusetts,” which can be heard here. Sarah also joined Lifestyle for a Thomas Dolby cover of “Cruel”. As for Sophia, I believe her next appearance may well be with the Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library on January 13 for the Encyclopedia Show at the Davis Square Theater. What with DFMOMD, the MJEML, Darling Pet Munkee and Space Balloons, it’s tough to keep up, but you can visit her official site and add yourself to the mailing list.

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On Escaping A Personal History

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On December 12, 2013

In Musings

She was fearful of whatever it was that the future held. The familiar confines of her childhood room, this comfortable prison, kept her immersed in a kind of cold comfort. There were warring factions inside — a restless spirit and indefinable dissatisfaction on a low boil, with the tattered clothes of her past around her, her history, which she loathed but from which she was loath to escape.

The impatient snapping of fingers drew her attention to the situation’s importance, and to the cruel passage of time. Rust and mold from the ages grew all around, vines intertwining, and the overwhelming temptation was to hide in the weeds — or to run. But to run from a shadow is a pointless and exhausting exercise.

In a clear mirrored lake she bore witness to her life in parallel, but was powerless to help. The only solution was right in front of her, in her own toils, if only for the courage to face them.

A string of paper dolls without physical substance though enduring and strong as a singular iron soul joined hands in solidarity as her elite guard.

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Introducing… Saintseneca

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On December 9, 2013

In Indie Music

Saintseneca came together in Columbus, Ohio, but their spiritual home is rural Appalachia. Their debut EP was released in October of 2012, and they have their debut album, Dark Arc, coming out on April 1. The band features multi-instrumentalist Zac Little and their sound includes violin, mandolin, dulcimer, Turkish Baglama and floor percussion, in addition to the more “traditional” electric guitars and synths. Their harmonies are exuberant and uplifting.

This is old soul music. Have a listen. Their latest offering is a new video for the song “Visions,” an off-kilter family home movie with poetic, haunting imagery — “I was always fond of the notion / I was drenched in some spirit ocean / And all my visions merely the symptom of eyes open so wide / That I could peer into the other side.” They previously released the first 7″, “Uppercutter,” and are touring in January and all through March. Their local Boston show is at Great Scott in Allston on January 16, 2014. See their full schedule of tour dates.

web | facebook | twitter | bandcamp | youtube | ANTI-

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The Parkington Sisters ~ December In The Pines

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On December 6, 2013

In Indie Music

If this isn’t December in New England music, I don’t know what is. “In The Pines” is a Southern Appalachian murder ballad dating back to the mid-19th century. The Parkington Sisters hail from the the mysterious and artsy spirit town of Wellfleet, which seems perfectly fitting for this song.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/117053321″ params=”color=ff6600&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

How did I not know about these sweet ladies? Their Inside My Head EP is a lovely acoustic bouquet of strings (guitar and fiddle), piano and gorgeous close-knit vocal harmonies, the kind which you only get from blood siblings, so I’m guessing they really are sisters. They’ve performed with artists as diverse as Bruce Springsteen, Mavis Staples and Dropkick Murphys. Their new album will be released Spring 2014.

web | facebook | twitter | bandcamp | youtube

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Introducing (to myself only, apparently)… He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister

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On December 3, 2013

In Indie Music

It’s a swingin’ gypsy jamboree for the dark times, and it would seem that, as usual, I’m late to the party. He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister are five merry pranksters from Los Angeles. The band features a tap-dancing drummer, upright bass and lap slide players, and the brother and sister duo of Robert and Rachel Kolar, for a vintage albeit magic mushroom-laced Americana folk feel. Since 2010, they’ve toured nationally with bands such as Alabama Shakes, Jack White, The Black Keys, The Civil Wars and Local Natives, and last summer in the UK with kindred spirits Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. Their debut album, Nobody Dances In This Town, was released in October of 2012 on Park The Van Records, and they’ve performed at Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo, Firefly and other festivals.

They recently finished a tour and are now back at home in L.A. working on new music.

web | facebook | twitter | bandcamp

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Introducing… Vikesh Kapoor

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On November 30, 2013

In Indie Music, Show Previews

To summon the emotions from another person’s life story and personal struggles, and be able to convey everyday events that instantly evoke a sense of time, place and personality takes a special gift. When one thinks of master storytellers who touch people’s souls, names like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan come to mind. While many musicians have been inspired by Guthrie and those such as Seeger and Dylan who proudly carried the torch after him, very few have the necessary gravitas to convincingly pull it off. Folk music is a tricky animal. It’s a rare breed who can sing about the seemingly mundane life of the common man and elevate his actions and feelings to a reverent realm, without coming off as simplistic or overly sentimental. To delicately weave in a socio-political message is even trickier. Bruce Springsteen can do it. So can Tom Waits, Johnny Cash, Townes Van Zandt and Steve Earle. It’s not a long list. So when I saw Vikesh Kapoor mentioned alongside the legendary Guthrie and Dylan, and even named in The New Yorker as one of Guthrie’s natural successors, I was skeptical.

Vikesh Kapoor hails from rural Pennsylvania and did some time as a mason’s apprentice, getting a firsthand taste of blue-collar life. Upon performing at author and activist Howard Zinn’s funeral in 2010, he had an epiphany of sorts and set out to tell socially conscious and politically informed stories of everyday people. What got my attention are the songs themselves on his debut album, The Ballad of Willie Robbins (Mama Bird Recording Co.).


This is a young man with an old soul. His first effort is a concept album about working man Willie Robbins and his real-life daily struggle to not only survive but thrive, most simply and poignantly expressed in the title track. The songs are sad but also celebratory, raising the human condition to lofty heights. Other stand-out tracks are the mournful and solitary “I Dreamt Blues,” with its heart-wrenching lyrics and harmonica cry, the bittersweet banjo-tinged lament of “Bottom Of The Ladder” and the haunting “Carry Me Home,” in which his expressive voice is especially effective in carrying the wistful mood. “Forever Gone” is an absolute stunner of a song, a kind of “gypsy klezmer dirge” that seeps deep into the bones.

Kapoor is not only insightful into the human condition; he’s also quite enlightened about the art of storytelling. In a recent Interview Magazine article, he explains that although his debut album isn’t autobiographical, during the process of relating a story, one can’t help but be self-revealing. “In narrative, adding elements of fiction or stretching the truth can shed light on greater truths than just recounting something in a journalistic way.”

Upcoming Shows
w/The Melodic
04 Dec – The Saint / Asbury Park NJ
05 Dec – North Star Bar/ Philadelphia PA
06 Dec – Cafe Nine / New Haven CT
07 Dec – The Middle East (Upstairs) / Cambridge MA – Facebook event
08 Dec – Higher Ground / Burlington VT
09 Dec – Mercury Lounge / New York NY
13 Dec – Columbia City Theater / Seattle WA – w/Frank Fairfield & more

web | facebook | twitter | bandcamp

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Introducing… Metsatöll ~ Estonian folk-metal (yes, really)

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On November 27, 2013

In Indie Music

This is one of the more bizarre things I’ve heard in a long time, so naturally, I wanted to share it. The band is called Metsatöll (an ancient Estonian euphemism for wolf), they perform a mash-up of heavy metal traditional folk music with flute, and yes, they’re from Estonia, singing in their native tongue. What’s more, it all works. Beautifully.

They’re not actually new, though they are for me, so I have a little catching up to do. Their first album was in 1999, and their instrumentation includes not only the standard guitar and drums, but also torupill (bagpipes), kannels, flutes and zithers.

They recently released three albums from their catalog digitally, Äio (2010), Ulg (2011) and Tuska (2012), plus a new single called “Lööme Mesti” (“Together”), which is from an upcoming album due out in March.

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Rock Chick: Sexism and Exploitation in the Music Business

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On November 24, 2013

In Music Biz, Musings, Rants, Ruminations

The current pop wasteland. Clockwise from upper left: Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, the reinvented Miley Cyrus at the 2013 MTV VMAs and Taylor Swift, before and after.

The current pop wasteland. Clockwise from upper left: Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, the reinvented Miley Cyrus at the 2013 MTV VMAs and Taylor Swift, before and after.

I was inspired by a recent Facebook post by Anna Bulbrook, who plays viola, keyboards and is a vocalist with The Airborne Toxic Event. She posted a link to an article about the rude and demeaning things said to female musicians, and voiced her own frustration with the music industry’s rampant sexism. I’d like to dedicate this to all working musicians out there (and music professionals who support and nurture them) who happen to be women.

Wow, You Actually Know How To Play That?

The object that raised Ms. Bulbrook’s wrath (and started me on my investigative journey) was titled “Infuriating Things People Say to Women Musicians”. It was written by Steph Guthrie, who performs with Toronto-based band Patti Cake. The cringe-worthy comments from male musical instrument store employees, sound engineers, managers and others “in the biz” read like something out of the 1950s, but sadly they’re not. They’re comments that were made in the present day to seasoned and experienced female musicians. Sexism, of course, exists everywhere. Men in the music business still can’t get their heads around the fact that there are plenty of serious women musicians who are proficient with a wide variety of instruments, music composition and recording technology — and this includes the sacred lead guitar, historically the machismo status symbol of the (male) rock god. “Take Rolling Stone’s 2003 list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Only two women, Joni Mitchell and Joan Jett, were honored. In a Washington Post article written in response to Rolling Stone’s list, the writer suggests that as interest in electric guitar was revving up in the ’60s, women weren’t encouraged to step out of their ladylike gender roles, leaving them with an impossible game of catch-up to Jimi Hendrix and Page.” (from The 12 Greatest Female Electric Guitarists – Elle, 2009). I can only assume that this disrespect stems from an inferiority complex, leading men to feel threatened by strong women. Regardless of how far we may think we’ve come in gender equality, clearly we haven’t actually progressed beyond The Flintstones.

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Sir Walter Sickert and The Army of Broken Toys does Dr. Caligari

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On November 21, 2013

In Boston Bands, Indie Music

Alright, mind out of the gutter. This is actually one of my favorite Boston-imprisonedbased bands, Sir Walter Sickert and The Esteemed Army of Broken Toys, with their original soundtrack performed live to the legendary film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, at the Music Hall of Portsmouth (New Hampshire, I’m guessing) back on October 24. On this cold, dark and lonely Boston night, when I can’t wrap my head around any sort of meaningful writing, I know I can count on these guys. It’s a fine psychotropic romp through a surreal desert landscape while munching on psilocybin mushrooms, feeling mildly ill-at-ease but enjoying the fine view nonetheless. That’s without the film playing. With it, I imagine, even better.

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