screams, whispers and songs from planet earth

Tag: Indie Music

Band Profile: The National

The National (from their myspace)

The National (from their myspace)

Well, I was going to drive into Boston to see if I could scalp a ticket to see The National at the sold out House of Blues, but 1) I’m still getting over a cold, 2) if I was in the mood for anything, it would be something “low-key”, which the newly opened HOB on Lansdowne Street clearly isn’t (yes, I’m still smarting a bit over the loss of Avalon and Axis, and haven’t been there yet), and 3) Leonard Cohen is in town next weekend, and I absolutely don’t want to be sick for that! So, to assuage my guilt, I’m going to do a mini-band profile for them.

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A Weekend In Somerville: Jonathan Richman Tribute/Arts Council Benefit & Somerville Open Studios

This past weekend turned out to be “Focus on Somerville”, a little stomp around my old neighborhood. I mourn the loss of The Someday Cafe and cheap apartments (long, long gone), but some of the bohemia of yore remains, and there’s still cool stuff going on.

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Boubacar Diabaté of SambaLolo and Don’t Kill Antz @ Toad, April 17, 2009

Don't Kill Antz

Don't Kill Antz

I managed to get a Friday night off and headed to Toad again to catch a few bands. I’m hesitant to repeat what a nice, cozy place this is to see music in, because it gets packed enough as it is. But it is a cool little venue, and they have some really great performances – albeit some noisy and clueless patrons. But more about that in a minute [yes, it’s going to be another one of Julie’s rants, so buckle up.].

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Band Profile: Rademacher

Malcolm Sosa and Greer McGettrick of Rademacher

Malcolm Sosa and Greer McGettrick of Rademacher

This is the first of, if things go as I envision, an ongoing series of band profiles. I’m not able to get out to shows too often right now, but there are many bands I really like and want to talk about. Some I hear of through various means (including those from the Boston area), and maybe a few will stumble upon my humble blog and send me stuff, ’cause I’m lonely and I like when people email me out of the blue like that. I begin with a Fresno, California-based band called Rademacher.

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“Indier than thou”?

An email popped up via my Airborne Toxic Event google alerts this afternoon. The article, from MTV.com, was titled “Exclusive: Rachael Ray Plans Return To South By Southwest” – The Hold Steady and The Airborne Toxic Event being the first two rumoured bands invited to her event. For those of you who don’t know her (that includes me, not being a Food Network viewer, and not being able to cook either, apart from maybe fried eggs and steamed vegetables), she hosts a cooking show, and is apparently quite a celebrity. And an indie music fan. Which should be fine, right? I mean, I like hanging out in skanky clubs listening to bands, and I also enjoy bird watching. But for some reason, she caused quite a stir when last year, she hosted a party at SXSW (that’s South by Southwest for those poor lost souls out there who don’t know, a very popular annual indie music gathering – of all music genres – that takes place in Austin, Texas). I guess it was startling and somehow unacceptable for someone who does something considered “mainstream” to also be interested in something well, not considered mainstream. Whatever. The bands she invited to last year’s soiree were considered respectable by those who had appointed and anointed themselves as qualified judges for us poor huddled clueless masses who obviously don’t know what’s good for us.

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