musings from boston

Lost and Found (VIII of XII)

On October 20, 2013

A Los Angeles story of madness and awakening, in twelve parts

the view from The Grove's parking garage

Part VIII: A missed deadline, a fall from grace and a brush with celebrity at The Grove

After the musical highs of the Echo Park Rising Festival and my cross-town Eastside L.A. Round-up live and in person, it was inevitable that the reality of my current situation would rear its methed-out head. There was the bleary haze of extreme fatigue, mixed with circular stories of hustlers and crackheads and being locked out, strung out and disoriented. This was not my personal experience. I was feeling freer to be my crazy self than ever before, but it seemed like my duty somehow and the least I could do to talk my addled friend through his misery and try to come up with some course of action. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: it was a fool’s errand.

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Introducing… Clara Berry & Wooldog

By julie

On October 18, 2013

In Indie Music, Show Previews

Drawn from the dark, enchanted seas off Southern New Hampshire, Clara Berry’s magical tales are intricately-woven pieces that dress themselves up differently for each new piece. Her haunting voice is yet another multicolored instrument in addition to a colorful buffet table that includes platters of pedal steel and baritone guitars, piano, bass, violins, violas, cello, percussion, trumpet, french horn, tuba and saxophone. That sounds like a cacophonous mess, but it’s not at all. It’s quite nice. Songs like “When This Mountain” and “Waltz for my Victims” are quieter and simpler, while “Air Traffic” is a fully orchestrated gem. There are many different shapes and colors, such as the dare I say avant-garde (and personal favorite) “Your Moon,” the jazzy “Boys,” the bluegrass-soaked “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues” and the bluesy “Stella.” Such is the journey taken on Berry’s new album, The Magician’s Wife.

On her second full-length album, Berry, who grew up in Southern Maine, is joined by Wooldog (Joe O’Neill), a musician from Boston’s South Shore whose influences include Billy Martin (Medeski Martin & Wood) and John Zorn, which explains where the avant-jazzy stuff comes from. The album features many Lowell-area musicians arranging and recording Berry’s songs, and was recorded by Bradford Swanson (Mason Jennings, The Bad Plus) at UMass Lowell. A local effort, to be sure.

They’ll be performing tomorrow night at Pete’s Candy Store in Brooklyn, and at Church on Monday, November 20, opening for Kill Madonna and The Swindlers.

Upcoming shows: 10/21 Pete’s Candy Store, Brooklyn NY; 11/1 live at the HIVE!, Kennebunk ME; 11/20 Church of Boston, Boston MA; 11/21 The Red Door, Portsmouth NH; 12/6 Slainte, Portland, ME; 12/14 Radio Bean, Burlington VT; and 12/27 St. Elmos, Alexandria VA.

Berry’s previous releases were Wave (2008) and the Creature 5-song EP (2010).

<a href="http://claraberry.bandcamp.com/album/the-magicians-wife">The Magician's Wife by Clara Berry</a>

web | facebook | twitter | soundcloud | bandcamp

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Introducing… Los Angeles Police Department

By julie

On October 15, 2013

In Indie Music

You fall off, you get back on. Fall off again, get back on again… As Kurt Vonnegut once said, “so it goes.” Here’s a little something that floated into my inbox. It’s some very lovely lo-fi indie folk, and it’s from Los Angeles Police Department, which features the music of Ryan Pollie and might have four guys in the band. Which also gave me a little scare when I first received it, as I was certain they were asking for more money for that damned street cleaning ticket I got back in August. Fortunately, I was most pleasantly surprised. They recorded an album last year and just released the first single, “The Only One.” I really don’t know anything more about this band. Only that I like them. Hopefully you will, too. Oh yes, they’re from Los Angeles. Naturally.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/109884385″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

facebook | twitter | soundcloud

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Lost and Found (VII of XII)

By julie

On October 12, 2013

In Indie Music, Musings, Road Trips

A Los Angeles story of madness and awakening, in twelve parts

123Death at Los Globos, Silver Lake

Part VII: Boardner’s in Hollywood to Los Globos in Silver Lake… and back again.

It was now Day 6 in my bleary haze of broken sleep and beautiful sights and sounds. Tuesday night — must be time for my personally-curated “Julie’s Eastside L.A. Welcoming Party” (or so it seemed). Former members of Death To Anders, Rademacher, Radars To The Sky and The Henry Clay People, all in new projects at two different clubs at opposite ends of town. It was also the night when I wondered why, despite all our technological advances, transporters haven’t yet been invented.

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It’s HONK! Festival time again! (Boston, Somerville & Cambridge Fri 10/11 – Sun 10/13)

By julie

On October 11, 2013

In Boston-area news, Show Previews

Well damn, I almost missed the boat on this year’s Honk! Fest. It begins today and runs through Sunday, in and around Boston, Somerville and Cambridge. If you’re not familiar with Honk!, it’s an annual gathering of noisy and wildly festive guerrilla street theater with horns — and is a hell of a lot of fun. I dare you to stay in a somber autumn mood for very long with these merry pranksters running around. This is definitely NOT your daddy’s high school marching band — be prepared for anything and everything! SEE THE FULL SCHEDULE ~ and the COMPLETE LIST OF BANDS

official site | facebook | twitter | youtube highlights

This year’s new bands include:

Os Siderais

from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/107330944″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Perhaps Contraption

London, England

Photo by Marc Sethi at Secret Garden Party

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/104595400″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

The Original Big 7 Social Aid and Pleasure Club

New Orleans, Louisiana

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RadioBDC Live on the Square on Sunday, October 13 – FREE Concert at Union Square!

By julie

On October 9, 2013

In Boston Bands, Boston-area news, Indie Music, Show Previews

Are you looking for some FREE live music this weekend? RadioBDC (along with Budweiser, Goodwill Industries and FIVE cool Boston-based or Boston-born bands) will be showing Union Square in Somerville some big love. This happens on Sunday, October 13, starting at 12 noon. The Sheila Divine headlines, and also on the bill are American Authors, Speedy Ortiz, Christian McNeill & Sea Monsters and Rhett Price. This is a really strong lineup of local musicians. And Goodwill are going to have their trucks there, so bring along your old stuff to donate!

The Sheila Divine are something of a Boston tradition, with a hardcore “cult following” in, inexplicably, “Boston, Buffalo and Belgium.” They’ve been in business since 1997 with two hiatuses and two reunions, the most recent of which was in 2010. In 2012, they released a new album, The Things That Once Were. You can listen to more of them on bandcamp and read a little history lesson on Wikipedia.

American Authors formed back in 2006 at Berklee (known as The Blue Pages), although they’re now based in Brooklyn, NY. Gaining in popularity recently, their debut EP features the singles “Believer” and “Best Day of my Life” (heard in US and UK TV ads). They’re currently in the midst of a U.S. tour which continues through December.

Hailing from Northampton, Mass., Speedy Ortiz produce some nice, noisy garagy stuff,, with Sadie Dupuis on lead vocals and she and Matt Robidoux on dueling guitars. Their debut album (as a full band) was Major Arcana, and their most recent release was the “Ka-Prow!” and “Hexxy” single. A limited 7″ vinyl is available from Inflated Records. Here’s a little background info. They have shows this month and next around the East Coast, but not typically free ones, so get on it.

Founded in 2007, Sea Monsters are a musical collective led by Christian McNeill which started as an acoustic group of revolving songwriters performing together. They took up what became a three-year residency at Precinct Bar (in Union Square, so this appearance is quite appropriate and special). That residency garnered them a Boston Music Award and spun off into a recording session at the legendary Q Division Studios, the fruits of which became a debut single and subsequent Everything’s Up For Grabs album.

As it said in the Boston Globe back in August, “Homeless violinist to YouTube sensation.” Rhett Price is originally from Texas but was schooled at Berklee and is now based in Boston. He’s been getting some serious buzz recently with his cover of Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble,” performed along with his friend Josh Knowles at a Red Line subway station. It’s well deserved attention, too. They’re amazing.

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Lost and Found (VI of XII)

By julie

On October 6, 2013

In Indie Music, Musings, Road Trips

A Los Angeles story of madness and awakening, in twelve parts

Ryan Fuller and Rob Danson of Fort King, at The Echo

Part VI: Echo Park Rising, Sunday

Upon waking on Sunday morning, the second day of the Echo Park Rising Festival, I was badly in need of loud music, comfort food and a cozy spot to curl into a fetal position. Preferably all at once. I had a strange dream during the night. There was a paranoid and delusional crack head who had left a cryptic message on my friend’s cell phone, threatening to come by the house and quite possibly do us bodily harm. In a dazed panic, we discussed various options (call the police, take a posse back to the house, not go home that night and stay elsewhere, etc.), while standing in a drunken crowd that included a throng of KXLU DJs on the sidewalk outside the Lot 1 Cafe in the middle of the night. As the fog began to clear from my sleep-deprived brain, I realized it was not a dream. After an hour of strategizing our next move, we actually listened to the message and determined that he was not a serious threat after all. As it happened, our sleep was only disturbed by the usual roving dogs and ghetto birds. At a friend’s suggestion (thank you, Rob Danson), I grabbed my stuff, scrambled back to Lot 1 and found the safe haven, satisfying brunch and healing music I was looking for.

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New(ish) from Walter Sickert and the Army of Broken Toys: Toys of Future Past

By julie

On October 2, 2013

In Boston Bands, Indie Music, Show Previews

(and some shows)

Good evening. There’s been big doings from Walter Sickert and The Army of Broken Toys. I’ve popped on quickly to tell you of a few things, as one happens tomorrow. The other is a big 3-day Halloween Extravaganza. The third thing is new music. Make that new FREE music (though you should donate a little something to support starving musicians, if you can) (ok, maybe not starving, but still in need of your money, if you’ve got any). Anyway, this is a cool and curious collection of covers. Enjoy.

<a href="http://armyoftoys.bandcamp.com/album/toys-of-future-past">Toys of Future Past by Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys</a>

TOMORROW NIGHT – 10/3 at Oberon (Harvard Square) Kissing Oscar Wilde – “The Best Book Release Part EVER for Jade Sylvan” at Oberon. Featuring music from Walter Sickert and The Army of Broken Toys and The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library; performances from Jane Doe, Claude Kitten and UnAmerika’s Sweetheart Karin Webb; readings from poet Krysten Hill, the author herself and more; and staged performances of sections from the book. ::: GET TICKETS HERE :::

10/31, 11/1 & 11/2 – THREE NIGHT HALLOWEEN EXTRAVAGANZA “There will be awesome FOOD, spectacular DRINKS, dancing, shenanigans, revelry and maybe even a MARIACHI band (not kidding). Watch FB and Twitter for more info – we will announce this show SOON! (don’t worry, you can come for one night, two nights or ALL THREE!).” Yup, this is going to be utter madness. No question about it. And take from me — you’d better start planning your costume NOW.

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Lost and Found (V of XII)

By julie

On September 29, 2013

In Indie Music, Musings, Reviews, Road Trips

A Los Angeles story of madness and awakening, in twelve parts

Joey Siara at the final Henry Clay People show at the Echoplex during Echo Park Rising

Part V: Echo Park Rising, An Evening at the Echoplex

On this first evening of Echo Park Rising, it was all about The Henry Clay People. This was a band I first discovered in 2009 when they toured with The Airborne Toxic Event. Actually, it was before that, early on in 2008, as I was bouncing around from band page to band page on MySpace (remember MySpace?). If there was any band that captured the feeling of good ol’ classic rock ‘n’ roll and that careening out of control, celebratory and reckless spirit, it was HCP. Sadly, theirs was another one of those “almost but not quite” success stories. Here was a band that really seemed poised for at least the semi-big time, especially after major tours with Airborne and Silversun Pickups. But it didn’t happen as much nor as quickly as it needed to happen, and other important life events had to take precedence. So here we had their final performance, at Echo Park Rising, and Echo Park did indeed rise to the occasion.

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A Musical Celebration and Benefit for Warren Leslie – tomorrow night!

By julie

On September 25, 2013

In Boston Bands, Show Previews, Worthy Causes & Activism

A Musical Celebration & Benefit for Warren Leslie
with Haley Jane and the Primates, Warren Leslie and Dana Crowe, Kingdom of Love , Peter Montgomery band, Maura Young and special guests
The Plough and Stars, Cambridge MA
(Central Square)
$10 suggested donation
Facebook event

Ok, so this is rather late notice, but a very worthwhile cause. Singer-songwriter and blues musician Leslie Warren was recently diagnosed with inoperable stage 4 liver cancer, and his musician friends and non-musician friends have started a GiveForward campaign to raise badly-needed funds to help him.

The happy news is how many people are rising to the challenge. Tomorrow night, there will be A Musical Celebration and Benefit for Warren Leslie at The Plough and Stars in Cambridge. Have a listen to a few of the bands below, and make it out there if you can.

* Maura Young 9:30
* Peter Montgomery band 10:00
* KOL 10:30
* Warren Leslie and Dana Crowe 11:00
* Hayley Jane and the Primates 11:30

And then they jam into the night with special guests!!

<a href="http://hayleyjaneandtheprimates.com/album/color-me">Color Me by Hayley Jane and the Primates</a>

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