The Thermals: April 18th at the Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge, MA

Hey there you filthy animals,

The wonderful ladies at TeaPartyBoston.com have once again published one of my creations. This is an interview with one of my favorite current songwriters, Hutch Harris of Portland's The Thermals. So yea, click on the link below and see if you can pin-point the exact moment Hutch makes me giggle like a schoolgirl.

http://www.teapartyboston.com/2010/04/the-thermals/

The Hold Steady: April 6th at The Pearl in Northampton, MA

Maybe I’ve been too positive lately?

A problem with a blog like this is I’m only reviewing bands I truly enjoy. I would be going to these shows whether I had a revolutionary concert review site or not. I’m not paying 15 bucks to go see a band I dislike just so I can snidely make fun of them on the Internet. I’ll leave that to the true assholes. So I began to worry if my incessant praise of bands would become repetitive and boring. Then The Hold Steady came along. As I watched the Brooklyn band perform for their Western Mass brethren at The Pearl in Northampton, Craig Finn’s overjoyed exuberance had the opposite effect: I felt a little cynical.

Traveling over two hours to see The Hold Steady probably didn’t help. Sticking to their small-town club roots, the group scheduled only one Massachusetts show this tour. While it would have been nice to see them at say, The Middle East Downstairs, The Pearl is really just that. In an age that encourages the stagnant and lifeless features of venues like The House of Blues, The Pearl is a throwback. Reminiscent of any number of Western Mass Town Halls, the show had the flavor of a whole city coming together for the usual Tuesday night entertainment. And after buying a Budweiser for $5.50, I felt like I had never left Boston in the first place.

Speaking of throwbacks, this had to be one of the most varied and strange crowds I had ever witnessed. Turn to your right, and you would see a group of 16 year olds discussing which high school party to attend following the concert. Turn to your left, and you would see a group of 60 year olds discussing which high school party they had to pick their kid’s up from after the show. To The Hold Steady’s credit, this broad-based appeal covering several generations is an extremely unique one in any music scene. Hipsters, Former Hippies, Metalheads, People Who Actually Saw Led Zeppelin Live, Indie Rock Snobs, you name it. They were all there on Tuesday night. It’s not a certain type of music fan that enjoys The Hold Steady; it’s a certain type of person.

Yet as I watched the band play a lengthy 23-song set, I couldn’t help but feel I had missed my chance with The Hold Steady. Relying heavily on 2008's Stay Positive and their new release Heaven is Whenever, the concert had the feeling of a band holding on to the last remnants of their creative energy. Keyboardist Franz Nicolay quit the band earlier this year, and his explanation says more that I ever could about The Hold Steady’s current state:

“The need for a change, Nicolay says, is about ambition. ‘They have their one big idea—making literate, wordy lyrics over big anthemic rock—and the last two records were about as good as I felt like I could do with that idea.’”

Unfortunately, it appears as though that quote may apply to Finn and the rest of the band. The new songs are not new in style or tone, but simply watered-down versions of the group’s better and more exciting older catalogue. Nicolay probably figured this out in the midst of recording Stay Positive and quit before The Hold Steady became exceedingly unnecessary. Finn tried his best that night to sell the band’s new material, but no sheen of positive energy could save the lukewarm and unoriginal new single “Hurriance J” or the awkward nature of performing “Navy Sheets” without Nicolay’s signature keyboard line. Much like Rivers Cuomo without Matt Sharp (you’ll notice I bring up Weezer a lot when speaking of disappointment), there was a sense I missed out on the real thing, and I would never get a chance to experience it.

Of course, it wasn’t all bad. Opening with “Hornets! Hornets!” off the incredible Separation Sunday, no song sums up the group’s quiet-to-loud, slow guitar-chugging style better. Finn was obviously ecstatic to be playing for the Western Mass crowd, and had the look of a man who wished he could just hug the entire audience. And after screaming for it several times, concert-goer and huge Fleetwood Mac fan (just kidding) Adam Shulman got his wish with a rousing version of “Stevie Nix”. At their best, The Hold Steady can make you love music like few band’s can, and those moments of triumphant ecstasy were still there on Tuesday night. “Little Hoodrat Friend”, a personal favorite of mine, closed out the show extremely strong.

Music appreciation is so deeply tied to time and place. It’s not only the music, but how and when you experience it. It would have been great to see The Hold Steady in their heyday. But I didn’t drive around my hometown in high school listening to Craig Finn describe my adolescent experience. On the contrary, I came to The Hold Steady as a young adult. And while I’m glad to have finally seen one of this country’s true American Rock bands, The Hold Steady is much like the United States: well past it’s prime.

SETLIST: Hornets! Hornets!, Hurricane J, The Swish, Magazines, New Song, Navy Sheets, Banging Camp, Massive Nights, Chips Ahoy, Constructive Summer, Multitude of Casualties, New Song, Lord I'm Discouraged, New Song, Stevie Nix, Hot Soft Light, Stuck Between Stations, Sequestered in Memphis, New Song, ENCORE: New Song, Stay Positive, Little Hoodrat Friend

The Bronx: April 5th at The Paradise in Boston, MA

Hey everyone. Due to some very nice friends, I got to review The Bronx show for TeaPartyBoston.com. Click the link to check it out. Fans of my long-winded and pompous style may be disappointed.

http://www.teapartyboston.com/2010/04/the-bronx/

Nada Surf: April 3rd at The Paradise in Boston, MA

"In five years, they'll be gone and we'll still be Nada Surf." -Daniel Lorca

In 2006, I was lucky enough to smoke a cigarette with Daniel, the bassist for Nada Surf. It was after their short 30-minute set at the WFNX Block party. They had been the 3rd of five bands playing at the now-defunct Avalon. I complained that a less renowned and much worse emo band had gotten the top bill with an hour-long set. Daniel simply shrugged and said the above quote. Five years later, his arrogance has proven to be completely correct.

It is that lack of regard and respect for Mainstream music that has driven Nada Surf all these years. After their 1996 hit "Popular" slowly faded away from radio, so did any recognition for the band. The following 14 years, Nada Surf carved out a unique niche in the Indie Rock scene. With a lack of mainstream singles and overblown ambition (think Rivers Cuomo), this trio has relied on a combination of incredible pop sensibility, relentless touring, and above all, consistency. Matthew Caws, Ira Elliot, and Lorca have been together since the very beginning, and that confidence Lorca displayed is due to the band's camaraderie. Let other bands deal with the Bullshit, Nada Surf is here to enjoy themselves.

And enjoy themselves they did. Adding a touring keyboardist and extra guitar to the lineup, Nada Surf was able to display the fuller sound of their newer albums. Early on, Caws told the crowd this was going to be the longest set the band has ever played. He wasn't kidding.

They ended up playing 25 songs in total, a blistering two hour set that covered their entire catalogue. As my fellow concert goer Christophe Porier noted early on (when he wasn't musing on proper concert drink etiquette...3 fingers on the side with the pinky stabilizing on the bottom), these guys just love playing live.

In fact, they seemed to outlast the somewhat sleepy and unenthusiastic crowd last night. Nada Surf's style does not inspire overt enthusiasm, let alone something along the lines of a mosh pit. It's easy to take such a consistent band for granted. But the sold out crowd was especially dormant. The fact that Nada Surf's new release is an album of covers did not help. It's a tell-tale sign that an older band is losing creative momentum. And that showed somewhat in the audience last night.

Luckily, the band had no dearth of energy. "Weightless" off of their last album Lucky opened the show, leading into "Hyperspace", the relentless and fast-paced opener off 1998's The Proximity Effect. Elliot is in charge of pumping up the band, as are most drummers, and "Hyperspace" gave him an early chance. Lorca, famous for constantly smoking during

performances, was without his trademark billow of smoke surrounding him. Either he's chosen the healthy life, or The Paradise finally insisted on enforcing the law. My guess is the latter.

"Bad Best Friend", a rarely played track from Proximity Effect, was a great treat for any hardcore fan of the band. As was "Neither Heaven Nor Space", one of Caws most beautiful and eerie tunes. Let Go is widely considered their best release, as well as the album that rescued the band from non-existence. Nada Surf affirmed that view, playing 7 tracks off the 2002 release. They also played a whole lot of covers. Of the seven played, six are featured on their new cover album, If I Had a Hi-Fi. The seventh was an unexpected version of "I Fought the Law" that closed out the 25 song set. For my money, Caws has one of the best voices in pop music and to hear it live is pretty remarkable. It is an effortless and natural style, as though he was born singing elaborate melodies.

Inevitably, the time will come when this mid-90's trio closes up shop. But it wasn't after being deemed a one-hit wonder in 1996. It wasn't after being kicked off their record label in 1999. It wasn't five years ago as their bassist gave some cigarette-smoking nerd the time of day. And it certainly wasn't after last night's barn-burner of a show. Lets give it another five years or so.

SET LIST:

1. Weightless

2. Hyperspace

3. Happy Kid

4. Whose Authority?

5. I like What You Say

6. Killian's Red

7. What is Your Secret?

8. Bad Best Friend

9. Your Legs Grow

10. Electrocution (cover)

11. Enjoy the Silence (cover)

12. Blizzard of '77

13. Neither Heaven Nor Space

14. Hi-Speed Soul

15. The Way You Wear Your Head

16. You Were So Warm (Cover)

17. Unknown Cover (by unknown, I mean I didn't recognize it)

18. Unknown Cover

19. Unknown Cover

20. Blonde on Blonde

21. See These Bones

ENCORE

22. Do It Again

23. Always Love

24. Blankest Year

25. I Fought the Law (cover)

The RX Bandits: March 31st at Harper's Ferry, Allston, MA

Bands change.

It's a hard fact for the music-obsessed fan to accept. We are a selfish-animal, only interested in the version of a band that pleases our mostly arbitrary expectations and strict guidelines.

When a band strays too far from those guidelines, we accuse them of selling out. When that same band stays within those guidelines, we accuse them of lacking creativity and ambition. Simply said, 9 times out of 10, an artist can't win.

There is that rare occurrence however when a band can progress and bring their fan base along for the ride. This requires A) Longevity, B) Desire to progress, and C) Talent to progress. Not many music fans from the late 90's would have guessed it, but in 2010, The RX Bandits perfectly fit this bill.

I am fan of the Bandit's latest release, Mandala. The first five tracks have a spot in the band's classic canon. And it perfectly fits into their new identity: Progressive, alternative rock with melodic pop hooks. The Bandits have replaced their ska roots for a strange version of Frank Zappa playing hard rock. When it was announced that the 3/31 show would feature Mandala from beginning to end, I had my doubts. Not of the band, but of the audience. Would there be cries for earlier works such as Progress and The Resignation? Were people planning on throwing Trombones and Trumpets on stage? Could the chant "Play-a-ska-chord! clap-clap-clapclapclap" be a possibility?

Not only did the Bandit's literally play note for note their newest release (interludes included), the crowd could not have been more excited to witness it. Lead singer Matt Embree informed us this was the 3rd time the band had played the whole album in concert, and the previous outings showed. One of the key factors that led the Bandit's out of third wave ska is their incredible technical prowess. Guitarist/Keyboardist Steve Choi has the responsibility of switching off lead on guitar and keys even in the midst of a single song, and did so without missing a note the entire night. Chris Tsagakis continued his rightful quest to be recognized as the best drummer in modern rock. And when he wasn't leading the crowd in one of his annoying and overused call-and-response chants, Embree played like he always does: With tons of over-the-top energy, pitch-point singing, and guitar chops that would make most lead singers jealous.

Even though I wasn't as familiar with the second half of Mandala, the crowd shocked me in singing along to every word until the end of "Bring Our Children Home". While waiting for the encore, I wondered just how satisfying this experience would be for any veteran band; to put out a new album and perform it for a sold out crowd that already knows every word. The band came out for a three song encore, playing the title track of And the Battle Begun, "Never Slept Soundly" off of The Resignation and the unfortunately overrated single "Only for the Night" from ATBB.

So no "Consequential Apathy". No "VCG III". And no horns. But on a night that featured no tracks from their ska-pop punk classic Progress, the Bandits proved to everyone in attendance that they've done just that.

(I promised myself my first review would end in a horrible pun)

SETLIST:

1. My Lonesome Only Friend

2. It's Only Another Parsec?

3. Hope is a Butterfly, No Net It's Captor

4. Hearts That Hanker For Mistake

5. Mientras La Veo Sonar

6. March of the Caterpillar

7. White Lies

8. Bury it Down Low

9. Breakfast Cat

10. Bled to be Free

11. Bring our Children Home

Encore:

12. And the Battle Begun

13. Never Slept so Soundly

14. Only For the Night

The Shitty Beatles? Are they any good?

To the People of Earth and Future Civilizations Dying to Know Who Steve Albini Is:

Welcome. This is a blog. A blog of mammoth expectations and futile results. With it I hope to document experiences in the arena of live music.

I enjoy live music. I also enjoy writing. My hope is to bring these two passions together in a way that no man has ever done before. I don't know much of the internet, so I feel it's safe to assume It's Not Just A Clever Name is the first of it's kind, combining the experience of live music with the vanity of the internet. But here we are folks, at the edge of the universe. Who knows what could happen next?