screams, whispers and songs from planet earth

Tag: Michael J. Epstein

Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling Forsake Boston for L.A. – Bon Voyage!

::: Give them a raucous send-off at the Middle East Downstairs TONIGHT! :::
with special guests Psychic Dog, Endation, and Petty Morals – plus drummer Jess Townsend

Those of you who follow the Boston music scene will already know that the dynamic duo of Sophia Cacciola and Michael J. Epstein, two of the area’s creative luminaries, will soon be packing up to move west to Los Angeles. Before that happens, though, they have a special going-away party at the Middle East Downstairs — and they’ve given us a lovely going-away gift.

First, the show. They’ll be joined tonight (June 23) by special guests and friends Psychic Dog, Endation and Petty Morals, and drummer Jess Townsend will join them onstage.

As for the gift, it’s a shiny new three-song EP called In The Village. It’s very pretty, moody, ethereal and dark. How’s that for an endorsement!? Could this be a new direction for the band? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

For everyone who has been following along, DNFMOMD is devoted to the 1960s British television series The Prisoner — hence their name and their raison d’être. The first two tracks of the EP are, in fact, episodes 13 and 14 in their Prisoner project and the third track is an absolutely hilarious and quite wonderful cover of Loverboy’s “Working for the Weekend.” Because, you know, Loverboy.

Check out their features on Boston Emissions on WZLX and Vanyaland And if you can, join them at the show!

Safe travels and best of luck, Sophia and Michael. We’ll miss you!

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Seeing Out The Year That Was: My 12 Favorite Shows of 2012

A last minute addition: The Magnetic Fields at Symphony Hall for First Night (last night)

A last minute addition: The Magnetic Fields at Symphony Hall for First Night (last night)

It’s a good thing I held off posting this, because I’ve just made it an even dozen in honor of the year that just flew by, 2012. The last one? A band I had the immense pleasure of seeing for the first time, on First Night just last night at the majestic Symphony Hall. [Why do they call it “First Night”? Shouldn’t it be “Last Night”?]

I saw a total of 24 shows this year. Not a whole lot for a music blogger, but I’ll tell you—nearly all of them were spectacular. That’s damn good odds. I’ve heard some people say that 2012 was an awful year. What I’ll say, from my personal perspective, is this: 2012 was a year of massive challenges and difficulties, but the rewards, if you were prepared to step up, and I mean step up in a major way, were equally impressive. It was most definitely not a year for lightweights. But it’s all moving forward, and it’s moving forward quickly. Hold on to something sturdy, because I have a feeling 2013 is going to be just as intense. Remember, with challenge comes opportunity. Happy New Year, everyone.

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How will you spend your Last Day On Earth?

It seems like only yesterday I was wandering around Copley Square wearing my 2012 glasses, taking in a spontaneous Hare Krishna First Night celebration and eating strange little packaged treats handed out by devotees. At that time, the long-anticipated, mysterious Mayan Prophesy was this curious notion still comfortably off in the distance. I decided on that heady evening that I would spend 2012 as if the prophesy were in fact true—that everything would end on December 21. We’re often told that we should always live our lives as if each day were to be our last. So, facing what may have been the final year of my life, or at least the last stretch before some sort of cataclysmic event, did I spend each waking moment in the most meaningful way possible? Did I push myself to the outer limits? Did I reach for the stars in terms of productivity and my search for enlightenment? No, not exactly.

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Your Samhain/Halloween Plans: Walter Sickert’s SquidHouse of Horror

Walter Sickert’s SquidHouse of Horror
with Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys, Moe Pope, Darling Pet Munkee, XNY
Hosted by Johnny Blazes
Wednesday, October 31
Doors at 8 PM; Show at 9 PM; 18+ Show
Advance Box Office Price $15 | BUY TICKETS


There’s something about this show that makes perfect sense right now, with how positively loony life has been lately. It’s the combination, you know, of time exponentially speeding up, pent-up mass frustrations bursting at the seams and boiling over, crazy ranting lunatics running for public office, full moons, high tides, and bizarro ‘biblical end times’ weather. It all makes a person kinda nuts. Tell me, what kind of world are we all living in, at this very moment, than a Squidhouse of Horror? So it’s especially apropos that the master and mistress of that Victorian carnival funhouse of the apocalypse, Mr. Walter Sickert and Miss Edrie (along with the Bunny Collective, I presume), are hosting this ominous and not-to-be-missed event.

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Tomorrow is Crazy Thursday – Get Thee To A Rock Show!

(clockwise from top left: Brown Bird, Space Balloons (a.k.a. Michael J. Epstein and Sophia Cacciola), Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Somerville Symphony Orkestar, and The Human League

(clockwise from top left: Brown Bird, Space Balloons (a.k.a. Michael J. Epstein and Sophia Cacciola), Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Somerville Symphony Orkestar, and The Human League

Every so often the stars align and we have an auspicious evening on our hands here in Boston. Tomorrow night is such a night. You have (among other things), the choice between old-time-folky Brown Bird (whom I can wickedly highly recommended, after having seen them at the Newport Folk Festival) along with Coyote Kolb and Mister Sister; a multimedia extravaganza in tribute to the immensely brilliant (and my favorite author), Kurt Vonnegut Jr; and a time-travel adventure back to the ’80s with The Human League and Men Without Hats (bring along your big hair).

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Review: Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling: Questions Are A Burden To Others

You can say that Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling has a thing for British cult classic TV show The Prisoner. After all, they’re named for its 13th episode. Their debut release last year, The New Number 2 (referencing one of the show’s characters) featured tracks such as “Episode 1: Arrival” and Episode 2: Dance of the Dead” (actual episodes). Their new EP, Questions are a Burden to Others (taken from a sign in the first episode, the rest of it being “answers a prison for oneself”) continues on this curious theme.

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