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.
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)
Future Pop Shop is an independent record label and online music shop based out of Hastings on Hudson, NY. They sell an excellent assortment of independant pop delights. Check out the MP3 page for a sampling of pop tunes. My top picks include:
Allen Clapp : Available Light : Whenever We're Together
Heavenly : Heavenly Vs. Satan : Shallow (a re-release!)
Club 8 : Spring Came, Rain Fell : Spring Came, Rain Fell
Don't miss the what's new page for reviews that are well written and fun to read.
Rose Polenzani has been nominated for "Best Singer-Songwriter" in the Best Music Poll (Boston) Awards. You don't need to actually live in Boston to vote. You know what you've got to do: go vote for Rose Polenzani!
Rose Polenzani : Rose Polenzani : Mary Lee