Eric Olsen has an interesting project in the works: Free CDs/music for bloggers. He wants to hear from at least 100 bloggers before pitching the ideas to his music-related connections. Sounds like a fun idea. We could certainlly make use of free CDs here at Listen Up! I wonder if independent labels will be included. I'd rather share my review about the upcoming Sheila Divine and Loveless CDs than blather on about a major label star. Check out what Eric has to say and send him an email if you want to get involved! And as always, guest contributions are welcome right here at Listen Up!
Aaron Perrino, lead singer for The Sheila Divine, played a solo show Friday night at TT The Bears Place in Cambridge, MA. It was a great night of music including The Also-Rans, featuring Listen Up! contributor Brad Searles on drums. But more about The Also Rans in another entry.
The Sheila Divine met at college in upstate New York. The band was born after they each independently relocated to Boston. Aaron has some of the best vocal cords in all of music. The band reminds me a little bit of The Cult (especially on the song "Sideways") and I hear resemblence to The Tragically Hip in "I'm A Believer." Overall, they are an amazing pop/rock band. They've got a great website designed by fans with a variety of MP3s to download: both live and from their albums. The band's six-song EP "Secret Society" is due out in September. A highlight to Aaron's show Saturday night was his self-discribed sacrilegious cover of The Cure's "Fascination Street". It was a brooding, almost country rendition.
Hear the music
(These links take you directly to the MP3 file posted on The Sheila Divine website. To download the file, right click the link and chose "save link as" or "save target as". There are more audio files on their MP3 page.)
Back to the Cradle : live
I'm a Believer : live
Sideways : From the "Where Have My Countrymen Gone" album
I've been wanting to see Loveless live for several months and finally had a chance to check them out at The Lizard Lounge last week sharing a bill with Nathan Brulee and Reverse. Based on each band member's individual backgrounds and the songs on their February 2002 self-titled EP, I had a feeling the show would be entertaining.
Loveless is a pop/rock band from Boston/New York City whose name comes from a My Bloody Valentine album. The band's lineup consists of notable Boston rockers:
» Dave Wanamaker (lead vocals, guitar) from Expanding Man
» Pete Amata (bass) from Expanding Man
» Jen Trynin (guitar, back-up vocals)
» Tom Polce (drums) from Letters to Cleo
When it comes to my favorite bands, I'm always a bigger fan of live shows than recorded albums. Loveless is no exception. Don't get me wrong: the EP is great. Outstanding, in fact. But there's really nothing quite like seeing a live performance. Especially when it's a band that does their thing live so well. Dave Wannamaker's voice and lyrics are equally fabulous. My favorite Loveless song is definitely "Go." It's been playing in my head for days. It's interesting to hear Jen Trynin as backing vocals since she had previously released several albums (including two on Warner Brothers) as a lead singer. Fortunately it all works out and the band proves to be a complimentary mix of immense talent.
A few amusing moments at the Lizard Lounge show included Pete Amata adjusting the little track lights above him so the light hit his bass just right. And then there was the dangling cigarette hanging from his mouth while he rocked out.
Hear the music / Buy the EP
An MP3 of "Darling Would You" and Real Audio files for the rest of the album are available for download at Loveless' website. You can also download a couple MP3s on Loveless' page at MTV.com. I wasn't able to get "Go" to download from MTV but "Tonight" downloaded just fine. The EP is available online for $6 from Q Division, the band's label.
Loveless is currently working on a full length album. It will be interesting to see how well received the band is beyond Boston.
A live concert and webcast to help save the Internet radio industry will take place tonight from the State Theatre in Falls Church, Virginia near Washington, D.C. at 7:30PM ET. The concert will feature The Gerry Beaudoin Trio (with Jay Geils, formerly of the J.Geils band), The Mike O'Meara Blues Band featuring Mike O'Meara of the nationally syndicated "Don and Mike" radio show, and Signorello.
Visit the concert info page for more information about the various Internet radio stations that will be streaming the concert.
Interested in helping small webcasters on the Internet? Send a fax to Congress. Also worth checking out is Save Internet Radio.com's website.
Sooz & I saw a great triple bill at the Lizard Lounge the other night (well, I saw 2 of the 3, so she'll have to tell you about Loveless).
First up: Brulee, or as we dubbed him "Elvis Costello in a cowboy hat." This was not meant in a pejorative sense by a long shot -- he just sounds a lot like Elvis Costello. Except when he's in whisper-voice Billy Corgan mode. But I digress. Brulee has the whole one man and his gee-tar thing down pat. If you like Elvis Costello, you'd probably like him a lot, as I caught myself singing Costello lyrics along to the tunes, and they fit just fine.
Reverse, on the other hand, were more rock-riffic. The closest comparison I can come up with is Green Day...and again, that's not meant in a snarky way. I like Green Day -- saw them play with the Mr. T Experience in Prague on the European leg of the Insomniac tour (1996). The best part about bands like this is the palpable energy they send out into the room, energy that makes you want to jump up and down like a two-year-old on a sugar high. Funky Flea (from the Red Hot Chili Peppers) bass, catchy choruses, drums that can only be described as rockin'. Yep. Reverse was really good.
Brulee : searched for a webpage to no avail; let me know if you find one
I've mentioned my love for acts that have bowed instruments. Blue Horizon is one such band, folk, with some rock influence. Touching lyrics, beautiful harmonies, and a violin. What more do you need?
Blue Horizon : Blue Horizon : When the Sun Goes Down
See them at the Kendall Cafe Saturday, July 20th at 10pm in Cambridge, MA to hear songs from their second CD, Locust Years.
Cover charge too high for you? Print out their handy coupon and bring it along.
News about a documentary featuring Jess Klein hit my email inbox earlier. Jess is a Boston folk rock singer who was also 1/4th of Voices on the Verge, the foursome collective of singers/songwriters that put out a fabulous live CD on Rykodisk last year. If you're in the Boston area, read on for information about a screening of the movie on August 1st at The Brattle Theater. Tickets are $7 and festivities start at 9:30PM.
(Posted from Jess Klein's email list)
You are invited to the BOSTON PREMIERE of "Take It From Me", a documentary film by rachel clift
Please join local filmmaker Clift with Jess Klein, Aparna Sindhoor, and Chandra Dieppa Ortiz at the Brattle Theatre for a special ONE-NIGHT ONLY screening and live performance!
Thursday, August 1st
Brattle Theatre,
Cambridge, MA
9:30pm
Tickets: $7
Half-hour film
screening * Live Performance * Informal Q&AJOIN US!
Clift has fashioned an affecting look at three of Boston's most talented young artists -- singer/songwriter Jess Klein, dancer/choreographer Aparna Sindhoor, and mixed media artist/painter Chandra Dieppa Ortiz. The artists speak for themselves in this richly-textured portrait, while viewers watch traditional Indian
dance, jazz-based painting, and popular folk music develop from an idea to an art form. A colorful and ultimately moving film, Take It From Me explores the place where personal truth, politics, and the creative process meet."Take It From Me" has been an official selection at the Vermont Women's Film
Festival, the Rochester International Film Festival, the Lake Placid Film Forum, and the Newport International Film Festival. It will also screen at the 11th Annual Woods Hole Film Festival on Sunday, July 28th as a co-presentation with Women In Film New England! Questions? Or for More Information, write nefertitiproductions@yahoo.com or call 617.522.8043.
Listen Up! needs a logo. Want to help this volunteer-produced music website? We'll be adding a radio stream next month and we'd like to get a new logo in the works before then. If you're interested in helping out, send me an email: s at sooz.com.
Jason Loewenstein (Lou Barlow's longtime cohort in Sebadoh) just released a solo record on Sub Pop called "At Sixes and Sevens", and I picked it up a few days ago on a whim. When Sebadoh hit their stride (circa 'Bakesale' for me), his songs were the ones that stuck with me. 'Drama Mine', 'S. Soup', 'Careful'... catchy, hook-laden, slightly-skewed rock numbers all. I hadn't heard anything about this new disc, but I had 'Drama Mine' stuck in my head last week, so the timing was right. All I hoped for was a sliver of what he once contributed to the 'Doh...
And I'm just plain floored. This album grabbed me from the first few notes, and hasn't let go. Solid all the way through, hardly a throw-away song in the bunch. Sure, there's the jokey, messed-up Santana-ish number (titled, of course, 'Crazy Santana'), and a goofy but fun metal-ish track (called, uh, 'Metal'), but they don't take away from the rest one bit, which is just all-out rockin'. 'Funerals', 'Codes', and 'Upstate' are stand-outs, surpassing his best Sebadoh stuff, with excellent at-home production and ace lyrics ("I killed my suit. I burned my tie. I hope you stay alive, because I don't do funerals!"). This is a full band record made by one exceptionally-talented musician. Welcome to my top five of 2002, Mr. Loewenstein.
For an mp3 of 'Cassarole', the second track from the cd, click here.
Their Chinese-fire-drill instrumentation, sinewy vocals and seat-of-the-pants spontaneity leave fans groping for descriptions: "Abba meets Zappa", "They Might Be Giants meets Crazy Horse", "Fleetwood Mac meets The Pixies", "Sonic Youth meets the Beatles are but a few attempts to label what is truly the magic of...Maggi, Pierce and E.J.Chinese fire drill? They have a tendency to switch instruments frequently, and I don't mean have the guitar tech hand over the other Fender. On one song Maggi will be singing, and she's got this Shelleyan Orphan-esque voice, and you're thinking "oh, ok, they're a folk band" -- then she switches to drums and suddenly it's Moxy Früvous (sooz's comment), or she's rocking out on the bass and the guest tuba player is...
Huh? Did she just say guest tuba player?
Why, yes, I did. Glad you're paying attention. Or the bassist will drop everything, run to the side of the stage and grab his mandolin. Suffice it to say it keeps things interesting on stage.
They had a well-timed sense of fun, sort of like the Squirrel Nut Zippers or They Might Be Giants on stage, and they ran through so many song styles it was impossible to either be bored or to catch one's breath. Once or twice I thought I had gotten caught in a New Orleans jazz funeral procession, and then they stopped in a coffeehouse to have a Folksinger Moment...then back to rocking out. Whew. Exhilaratingly amusing.
MPEBand: MP3 page (2 songs each from their 4 CDs)
CDs for sale: here
photo credit: Lisa Mitchell (from MPEBand photo page)
Boston's Mistle Thrush released "Drunk With You" in February 2002 on Ecstatic Records. It was their first full length release since 1997's "Super Refraction." I've lost track of the number of Mistle Thrush CDs I've bought for friends since I was introduced to the band's music in 1994; but what I always prefer is to make the musical introduction at a live show. They don't have any tour dates right now but their label Ecstatic Records posted a few live MP3s that are worth checking out. One added bonus to the live songs is that Valerie's lyrics are much easier to understand than on the albums. "I Scare Myself" is a haunting cover of a Dan Hicks tune. Mistle Thrush's version of the song features a rather gratuitous guitar solo(s) and Valerie on the theremin her dad made. If you like what you hear you can purchase "Drunk With You" at Darla.com.
Live MP3s @ Ecstatic Records.com:
(These links take you directly to the MP3 file posted on Ecstatic Records' website. To download the file, right click the link and chose "save link as" or "save target as".)
Fireball (live)
I Scare Myself (live)
Small : From the album "Drunk With You"
Gems from the past:
(These are links to each song's page at Mistle Thrush's area at MP3.com with additional links to click on for the MP3 file.)
Six Hour Sunday : From Mistle Thrush's first EP "Agus Amarach" released in 1994 on Bedazzled Records.
Moth Like : From Mistle Thrush's 1997 album "Super Refraction" released on Egg Records.
Photo credit: Lindsey Walker
The current issue of Mother Jones magazine has a great article on the new "world music" influenced heavily by hip-hop, electronica, and turntablism. I did a little poking around and discovered the stringently political yet joyous Asian Dub Foundation, an English quintet whose music can best be described as traditional European and Asian folk music mixed up and laid down by Ice Cube. In addition to being great fun, the band has been a ceaseless advocate for several social causes including political prisioners and music education in schools.
Note to self: If you're driving longer than twenty minutes, bring more than one CD.Driving to Dallas was pretty uneventful, me in a tan Buick Roadmaster, with dual flags flying from the rear windows (it's my Mom's car - honest), rocking out.
Unfortunately, the only CD that I have is the Johnny Socko album, "Oh Boy, I Do Hope It's Roast Beef!" Fortunately, I love the album. In fact, after hearing it 6 times in a row, I still love the album.
"If I didn't have a goiter, I'd ask you out." I always thought it was about elephantitis, but I'm beginning to think that the goiter is a metaphor. If I listen six more times I may have it figured out...
I own their first three albums, but haven't seen them live. If you're in Cleveland or Indianapolis anytime in the next couple months, check them out and let me know how it is. Seriously.
DJ Shadow fans can check out his new disc, Private Press, at this listening party. You'll need to have the latest Quictime player installed to get in on this.
I was turned on to The The (and The Cure) by a paranoid schizophrenic. In the summer of 1984, I was working at the IBM manufacturing plant, kitting parts onto trays for the robots to assemble, and I worked for a few weeks with a guy whose musical tastes were completely new to me. He lent me a tape that had Soul Mining on one side, and The Cure's Japanese Whispers on the other side. A few weeks after we began working together, he started to complain that he was too good for the job he'd been given. He maintained that the company knew all about him and were purposely trying to stifle him. He accused me of being part of the plot to keep him down, and after a few more days of his ravings, he was gone. I hope he found a job worthy of him. His sanity was questionable, but there's no disputing his musical taste.
This just in from the Sheeba Records' (Jane Siberry) MUSELETTER:
On Wednesday July 10th Jane Siberry will be performing at the Virgin Megastore Union Square in New York City at 7pm. Jane will be meeting fans and signing copies of her anthology Love Is Everything: The Jane Siberry Anthology afterwards.
Directions to the Virgin Megastore
Jane will also be performing three shows in New York at the FEZ under Time Cafe on 12,13,14 of July. The shows are called "Workshopping In The Garden", Jane will be accompanied by a pianist and will be playing new songs and reading new works.
Tickets for these shows are $25 (212-533-2680 - 380 LaFayette Street). Doors open at 8pm.
I have this bad habit of saying "back in the day..." - so much so that sooz says I should have a BITD category on my blog/in my life. But...BACK IN THE DAY, my favorite album was My Bloody Valentine's Loveless. Recently, I threw it in the CD player and it refuses to come out.
Figuratively. Not literally.
Starting with the sonic wall-o-guitars that is "Only Shallow," a song so perfect in its execution you just don't care if Bilinda Butcher's vocals are intelligible. She's Liz Frasier-like in that regard. The soaring guitars and throbbing pedals make every song on this album a dissonant lullaby. I adore it, I do, I do!
After they nearly bankrupted their record company recording this album, MBV more or less disappeared. Kevin Shields has been keeping busy, but there's not much else to report. Rumor has it they recorded another album after Loveless which has never been released.
If you don't have it already, buy Loveless today. You won't regret it.
Friday, August 30th gives you a chance to succumb to the one-two punch of Mary Timony and Le Tigre at the Roxy in Boston.
Timony's latest album is "The Golden Dove", and there's not a skip-worthy track on it, to my ears. Halfway through the year and it sits squarely in my top 5 2002 discs. Her backing band is packed with multi-talented rock stars, and they wowed the crowd at 608 last month.
Le Tigre is one of those bands that I'm supposed to know, but don't yet. Their Boston shows have sold out quickly, and I've missed each one. It's time to change that. I was into Bikini Kill (Kathleen Hanna's seminal grrl-punk band) back in the day, so I'm psyched to see how her new stuff compares.
While I am loathe to pimp ticketmaster, I must, as it is the only way to get Roxy tix. They went on sale this past Saturday, and I'm sure they're well on their way to a sell-out. Get goin'.
Ticketmaster / Le Tigre / Mary Timony
Freezepop is a trio based in Boston that features synth pop sounds reminiscent of 80s video games.
They've got a fun website. Everything from a freezepop salad recipe, gear used by the band's synth maestro: The Duke, mp3 downloads and videos.
I confess that I can't listen to more than a couple songs at one sitting but the music is definately f-u-n.
Freezepop : Fashion Impression Function EP : Shark Attack
Sunfest, a yearly festival of music, dance, crafts and cuisine from around the world, is almost here - only four days to go!
For jan and myself, and many other denizens of the Forest City, Sunfest has become a much anticipated yearly ritual. On the first weekend of July, this free event brings the world to our little corner of soutwestern Ontario. This year's roster of artists includes a Cuban superstar, a folk diva from Mali and throat singers from Tuva among many others.
Here's a little taste of what's in store:
Alpha YaYa Diallo : The Journey : Masibodji