Thanks everyone for reading and commenting. I’m very happy to announce I have joined up with Ryan over at Ryan’s Smashing Life.

I’m going to keep doing what I’ve been doing…although ironically more frequently then I have been doing it here. I’ve already got a few posts up over there, so come check us out.

Jose Gonzalez Returns

The Ting Tings & Anni Rossi

Shadows and Summer Music

I’ll be keeping this site up for some time since I’m always referring back to myself. Email is the same, so feel free to drop me a line if you’ve got something interesting for me to check out. See ya at the RSL

On the recommendation of Ryan at The RSL Blog, I had the pleasure of catching VD this past Thursday….yeah I know. You should see the buttons.

Anyway, these guys have an old-school new-wave sensibility. You hear a bit of Cake and early 80’s Elvis Costello flavoring their own brand of solid indie rock music. This is a style that’s easy to do bad. Instead, these guys pull it off with a sophistication that you don’t see in bands that have been doing it for decades.

Their tunes have a lot of transitions, relatively speaking, but they’re unforced. You don’t hear them try to shoe-horn a bridge in just to keep things interesting. Their songs are simply well composed, with good energy and a great effort from all parts. No one piece overshadows the others.

I’d highly recommend you pick up the CD, “Let’s Become Machines” it’s a great addition to your collection. Also, catch them live. They’re solid performers and Rob Morris does this thing with his Wii-mi bar….or perhaps its a WiiWii Pedal. Cool to see, great to hear.

Vivian Darkbloom

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MP3 - Jamie

I could call it some sort of virtual performance art but…..OK, I’ve been really bad about being AWOL for the last few months. I had some employment related mishaps that totally threw me off my game.

by Toronto School of Creativity & Inquiry

So, although I am not offically back yet, I will be back shortly. In the meantime, I wanted to let you know I haven’t been eaten by wolves and to give a big shout out to Dany at Exitfare for posting a cool video of my man, Billy Bragg.

Billy Bragg with Kate Nash on Exitfare at SXSW

Originally, my inspiration for this post is that I have been so psyched at the number and variety of “real” instruments people are touring with. I dig electronic music just fine, but I’ve been totally into seeing something more “organic”.

Now, I thought about whether this was simply a case of nostalgia, but I don’t think that’s possible. I’ve seen plenty of shows. For the most part, anyone who wasn’t a band with big money or playing jazz, would opt for a keyboard, samples or a loop, rather then bring real horns or strings on tour.

Now, I’m perfectly willing to accept that Rock n’ Roll may not be the most precise musical adjective for all the cellists I’ll be talking about. However, since I’ve seen the cello make a showing four times in the last three months, you’ll excuse the generalization.

The first cello appearance was Alexandra Lawn with Ra Ra Riot when they opened up for the Editors back in September. This was the most rockin’ of the cello performances and an overall great show. They are very exciting live and I highly recommend catching them on December 15 at the Middle East. It is a benefit concert for the John Ryan Pike Memorial Foundation, their drummer who died in a tragic drowning accident.

The second appearance of the cello featured Linnea Weiss putting on a great performance with Mates of State at the MFA on October 25. In addition to the usual drums and keys, grand piano for this show, they brought in Linnea on cello and filled things out with Christian Owens on bass and backing vocals. Kori Gardner said during the show that this was the first time they ever used this arrangement, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell. It was outstanding.

Mates of State at The MFA

(As a side note, the accordion made a brief showing with Via Audio, who opened up that night. A great band who I’ve seen in two sit down shows, The MFA and an abbreviated set at Berklee. I can’t wait to catch them in a club show.)

The third cello appearance was with the Swell Season at the Orpheum on November 28. The Swell Season is the project of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, who you’ll remember from the movie “Once“. I had expected a standard arrangement of guitar, bass and drums to go along with the Hansard’s powerful strumming and Irglova on piano. Instead (apologies if I’ve gotten the name wrong) we were treated to Bertrand Galen on cello and Colm Mac Con Iomaire on violin. This was simply one of the best shows I’ve seen. Absolutely amazing and I can’t recommend seeing them highly enough.

So coincidentally, we start with an Alexandra on cello and end with an Alexandra on cello. As I wrote about in my last post, the most recent cello appearance was Alexandra Spalding with Annie Lynch & the Beekeepers. One of my favorite discoveries of the last couple months. There was another accordion appearance in this show as well. I’m very happy they had just cut their eponymous CD that night, because I picked it up and its been in regular rotation. “Next to Me” is gorgeous and probably my favorite on the album.

Annie Lynch & The Beekeepers at The Beehive, Boston

Clearly there’s lots that could be said about many other bands using instruments beyond the cello. Hell, as I mentioned, the accordion has been popping up quite a bit as well. But from Beirut to Polyphonic Spree folks are getting creative and I love it. Spoon even had a horn section in tow with them last week at The Orpheum. I just can’t wait to see it keep coming.

Ra Ra Riot

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mp3 - Dying is Fine

Mates of State

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Web Site

mp3 - Like U Crazy

Swell Season

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mp3 - Leave

Annie Lynch & The Beekeepers

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mp3 - Charlotte’s Web

Sorry for the hiatus. Got a cool new gig that’s got me on brain overload just soaking up tons of info. That, and a bit writers block combined with a healthy dose of reinvention vapor lock has thrown a wrench into the works.

So, back to blogging with a short post. Gotta give big kudos to the hardest working man in blog-biz. Ryan at Ryan’s Smashing Life put on another (his third) great showcase Tuesday night at the lillypad.

It opened up with the stellar vocals and finger picking of Tom Thumb. He was followed by a rare acoustic gig from Eldridge Rodriguez, who braved the wrath of his bride-to-be to play the show just a few days before his wedding.

The final performance of the night was my personal favorite, Annie Lynch & the Beekeepers. They have a style that you could describe as alt-country or alt-folk. They’re a wonderful combination of acoustic guitar, stand-up bass, cello and a rotation of mandolin, accordion, banjo and saw….yes the saw. Annie’s vocals are gorgeous and they have great harmonies.

Check out the Ryan’s post to download samples from each artist.

The Editors were very close to putting on the best show that I’ve seen all year at The Paradise back on September 6. However, Of Montreal put on a totally sick performance back on October 12 at The Roxy nudging them out of my top spot. I’ll leave that show for discussion another time, because I’m way overdue posting a couple things about that Editors show.

Leaving The Paradise back in September, all I could come up with was a one sentence review. “They were fucking amazing.” That would have been a perfectly cromulent review. Seriously, those guys hit on all cylinders and the only negative thing I had to say is that I think their light show was meant to be used in a place the size of The Orpheum. I think I left half blind, but with a tan.

The next time they are back in town, do not miss the chance to see them.

Editors - Munich

Seeing the Editors, reminded me of another of my all-time favorite shows. It was a brilliant and oddly named band who played at the dingy and oddly named, Club Baby Head, in Providence. If you like the Editors and you’ve never heard of Kitchens of Distinction, you are in for a treat. Man, the swirling guitar and trebbly bass. There were moments at that Editors show when I swear I was back in Providence…probably in one of those times when I was stunned after being blasted in the face with one of their million watt lights.

Kitchens of Distinction formed in 86′ and broke up in 96′. Patrick Fitzgerald, the singer/bass player is still around and you can check him out here. I saw them on the tour for Strange Free World, that you can still get on Amazon for under five bucks. I’ll let you judge for yourself, but although the Editors have more edge and KOD have more Echo & the Bunnymen to them, I think you’ll find a distinct similarity and really dig it.

Editors

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An End Has A Start

Kitchens of Distinction

MySpace - Tracks and Videos

MP3 Railwayed

MP3 Quick as Rainbows

These folks have been generating a lot of buzz ever since the release of Gulag Orkestar in 2006, but they were under my radar until they came to my attention a few weeks back. Beirut has been know for being more of a music collective, than a formal band, similar to Broken Social Scene, although I’ve read a couple places the lineup may be solidifying.

What finally got me was a live performance of them from SXSW 2007 on largehearted boy. Totally sucked me in. This was once again a great piece of luck, since The Flying Club Cup, their second LP, was released just a few days later.

Zach Condon the 21-year old singer/songwriter, who heads up Beirut, has a crooners voice that is laid over an updated version of gypsy folk music. Their instrumentation is outstanding. In addition to the standards like guitars, bass, drums and violin, you have accordion, ukulele, mandolin, glockenspiel, a variety of brass and percussion and other unusual instruments. They create simply gorgeous interlocking melodies.

This is a brilliant album from beginning to end. Ever since I picked it up, its been in regular rotation. What’s interesting is that as good as it is, there is a whole other version of it. You can hear and see it at this site. Its a complete set of videos for The Flying Club Cup. Each video is one continuous shot where the music is recorded live. It is brilliant. I can’t recommend them highly enough. I keep going back to watch them again and again. (Thanks to Hip To Be Square for bringing the new collection from La Blogotheque to my attention.)

These folks are a must see next time they are in town. All the live recordings I’ve heard are just spectacular.

Beirut

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Band Web Site

MP3 Nantes

MP3 A Sunday Smile

This past Monday night was the Winterpills show, Upstairs at The Middle East that I’d been looking forward to for a few weeks. Its just great when you discover a new band and get to catch them live so soon. It was a pleasure. I also got a chance to chat with most of the folks in the band at the show and it was great talking with them. I’ll plan to catch up again to talk music and the Northampton scene.

Photo Credit Henning Ohlenbusch

On to the show, its always tough for the first band on a Monday night bill, but they came out tight, right out of the gate. It was a simply great performance. The vocals were as beautiful as advertised and all the different parts weaved together perfectly. The space started filling up pretty quickly and they got a great reception from everyone there.

Winterpills played a great variety of songs from both albums including Lay Your Heartbreak, Handkerchiefs, Cranky and one of my personal favs from the first CD, Pills for Sara. Its one of those songs that builds and builds and that was even more effective live.

If you couldn’t tell, the show on November 2 at Great Scott highly recommended. Hope to see you there.

Winterpills

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Pills for Sara

Interview on NPR from December 05′

I’ve been under the weather for a few days here, so hopefully I’ll be catching up in the next day or so.

Jose Gonzalez put on an amazing show at The Paradise this past Sunday night in support of his new album In Our Nature. This is another great CD, although I’d stay away from the videos unless you have a thing for pig men with large growths on their heads. Just a warning.

The show was a great mix songs both new and old. Jose Gonzalez in an amazing artist. His live performance was technically and aesthetically perfect. Live, he loses nothing from the recordings, while adding possibly even more warmth. He plays seated the whole time, but he couldn’t have been more engaging if he had been jumping around grabbing people.

I find one of the things that can be tough about a seeing a “quiet” artist’s show, especially in a standing venue, is the tendency that people have to start talking. Now, I have been guilty of this more than once in the past. I’m not throwing stones here. It happens.

Thing is, the audience was so mesmerized by him, there was as close to dead silence in the room as I have ever heard at any show. It made for a stunning contrast when his songs would come to an end and you got a brief taste of that quiet before the thunderous applause.

A simply spectacular show and a highly recommended CD.

Jose Gonzalez

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Down the Line

NPR Interview & Live Recording

Last night’s Revenge of the Book Eaters show at the Berklee Performance Center easily lived up to my expectations. You had short 20-30 minuute sets from Via Audio, Mates of State and Kevin Barnes and Bryan Poole from Of Montreal who did an awesome acoustic set.

The bands were mixed in with some comedy and some presentations by and about 826 and the obligatory fund raising that goes along with these kinds of things. (I must say that Davy Rothbart, the creator of Found Magazine is a funny bastard and his brother is a pretty good singer) This was all to benefit 826 Boston, which is dedicated to helping inner city kids to be great writers through many different programs.

I’ll start by saying that I was so excited to go to this show because I’ve never seen any of these acts play live before. I’ll be seeing all of them in October, but I just couldn’t wait. Of Montreal will be at The Roxy October 12 and Mates of State and Via Audio will be playing at the MFA on October 25. After tonight’s warm up for my ears, I’m even more psyched.

Via Audio, who actually formed while at Berklee, opened things up with a solid performance. Jessica Martins even gave the shout out “I used to live upstairs here!!” My favorite song was “We Can Be Good”. It had passion and energy, getting the night off to a great start. Their new CD “Say Something” just came out yesterday and my half-baked review listening to it on the way home, a very solid album. Very happy with the pick up.

The next musical act was Mates of State. I was really interested in hearing how their music translates live. The studio versions have a lot of overdubs on the vocals and many acts can’t make that work live. They did. Kori Gardner’s voice is simply so powerful that when combined with the harmonies from Jason Hammell, there is no need for any overdubs. I love how full a sound they create with just piano and drums.

Mates of State

As good as the other folks, the guys from Of Montreal were the highlight of the night. First, they played acoustically the way I love to hear it, miked guitars, not pickups. Great work by the sound guy. There was no feedback, which is what usually makes that go bad.

They started with an unnamed new song, then Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse, another new song that Kevin described as being sung by a girl from Wyoming, followed by Suffer for Fashion and finally a great cover of Ever Fallen In Love, by the Buzzcocks. Simply fantastic.

Kevin Barnes voice is so strong and expressive and just knocks your socks off. The subtle harmonies between him and Bryan Poole were superb. Its great to have a chance to hear them in such a quiet setting without the full band.

I have to say last night was a perfect preview for two great shows next month!

Via Audio

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MP3 We Can Be Good

Via Audio on MOKB Radio - Check out the live tracks!

Mates of State

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MP3 Like You Crazy

Of Montreal

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MP3 Ever Fallen In Love - The Buzzcocks