Marnie Stern Brings Joy to The Middle East

The queen of perplexing finger-tagging guitar magic, Marnie Stern, once again stopped by The Middle East Upstairs on September 30th to astonish an audience of adoring fans. This time around, she brought up-and-coming shoegazers No Joy along for the ride. This was an intriguing combination as No Joy would provide a steady entrancing groove in contrast Marnie Stern’s controlled chaos. For those unfamiliar, Stern is not only the premier female guitar virtuoso but she can also outplay anyone currently making their rounds through the music circuit.

Fucked Up Wavves of Sound at Royale

Fucked Up put on one of the more memorable performances when I caught them earlier this year. In fact, they are simply one of the best live acts currently touring. There was no way that I was going to miss them when they made their second stop through Royale this year on September 23rd. I was especially interested in the show because of opener Wavves featuring notorious stoner Nathan Williams. He and his band have gone from a musical entity that I absolutely despised to one whose praises I have been singing as of late. It’s rare that a band is able to turn me around so drastically and I wanted to see if I could be won over by their live show as well.

Nothing Gross about Yuck's Performance at TT's

Yuck’s self-titled debut was my favorite record at the halfway point of the year and has managed to maintain that position ever since. Anyone who has read this blog in the past knows my affinity for 90s alternative and no one captures the golden age of that sound like Yuck. Having seen an impressive set at SXSW earlier in the year, I was ready to see them in a more intimate setting at TT The Bear’s on September 22nd. The group just released the deluxe version of their debut which includes a disc containing six additional tracks. They played several of these at the show and left a permanent impression on everyone who was in attendance.

Hooray for Cymbals Eat Guitars at Brighton Music Hall

It had been over two years since I had seen Cymbals Eat Guitars. At the time, the band stood out as one of the groups that were carrying the torch for 90’s indie rock bands like Pavement and Built to Spill. The same is true today except with their latest release, Lenses Alien, they are able to take a few steps out of the shadow of those two bands. The record presents a more mature group of musicians who have honed their craft and formulated a voice of their own. It is one of the standout records of 2011. It is also the reason I was so excited about catching their show on September 20th at Brighton Music Hall.

Hallelujah the Hills Occupy Boston

Since last I checked in with Occupy Boston, the movement faced some serious trials and tribulations. I stopped by again on Saturday, October 15 and caught a moving performance from Hallelujah the Hills. The people at the occupation were as jubilant as ever and seemed to have only become stronger and more organized. What better way to keep spirits high than a riveting performance from one of Boston’s finest? Hallelujah the Hills were the perfect accompaniment to the breezy autumn night and the kindred spirits fighting tirelessly for a more equitable future. Music and important societal movements have always gone hand in hand and I couldn’t be more grateful that artists like Jeff Mangum, Amanda Palmer, and Hallelujah the Hills have performed in solidarity with the Occupy protesters. It is shaping up to be one of the most important movements of my lifetime with a chance to establish real progressive change.

New Track Rundown

It seems like every year Los Campesinos! release an album that goes largely unnoticed. They have been one of the most consistent bands and have maintained their creativity across all albums. “By Your Hand” was released last month as the first taste from their latest effort, Hello Sadness, to be released on November 15. The catchy little number is laced with their signature dry wit and is the perfect lead-off track for this week’s new track rundown. It is followed by one of the year’s best singles in “Dawned on Me.” Wilco’s newest album, The Whole Love, was a stunning surprise when it was released. It strikes the perfect balance between accessible songs like the aforementioned track and the big, bold Americana sound that we have come to love from the group. It lives up to the hype of being their best effort since Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Speaking of a big and bold sound, one of my favorite new bands, Dreamers of the Ghetto, have quite the anthem in “Tether.” Let me say that if you long for epic folk rock anthems of Bruce Springsteen, you may have found your new favorite band. These guys may be taking cues from The Boss but they aren’t slaves to one particular sound. With “Tether,” they are able to display strong songwriting skills while morphing their noticeable influences into a unique voice of their own. All this and more can be heard in the playlist below.

Amanda Palmer Occupies Dewey Square in Boston

Many people have been asking where the music has been for the Occupy protests. As you can see from my previous post, Jeff Mangum took everyone by surprise when he performed at Occupy Wall Street on Tuesday night. Today, Occupy Boston had their own special guest in the form of Amanda Fucking Palmer. She performed several songs with her trusty ukulele and it was quite a special moment. Her wit and charisma shined as she ran through songs with her shadow cast below signs that read “Have fun” and “We are the 99%.” In honor of Jeff Mangum’s performance, she began with a cover of Neutral Milk Hotel’s “Two-Headed Boy.” The set also included a “reimagining” of Rebecca Black’s “Friday,” the clever innuendo-laden “Map of Tasmania,” a unique take on “Free Bird,” and a rendition of Billy Bragg’s “The World Turned Upside Down.” The highlight of the set, though, was a new song tentatively titled either “The Ukulele Anthem” or “Play Your Ukulele”. It suggested that many of the world’s problems could be solved by picking up the ukulele and learning a few songs. Let the ukulele revolution begin!

Jeff Mangum Occupies Wall Street

The other day when discussing the Occupy Wall Street movement, I was saying that some musicians need to get onboard and start performing in the crowd. As anyone who knows how to use the internet is now aware, our national media outlets have failed us and have been ignoring what may be one of the most important protests of our time (at the very least, it is certainly a newsworthy event). Shortly after stating that musicians may give the movement the attention that it needs, the internet was abound with rumors that Radiohead would be performing. Those rumors, of course, prove to be false. But on Oct 4th (Day 18 of the occupation), in one of the more surprising stories, Neutral Milk Hotel’s Jeff Mangum performed a set for the activists. The notoriously reclusive musician put on a rare performance of favorites while surrounded by adoring fans who were singing along. Although not the best quality, the video below is still a power watch and an absolutely beautiful moment.

On the Rise: Conveyor Unveil Two New Tracks

Conveyor became one of my favorite new bands with their debut release, Sun Ray, which topped all EPs I heard so far in 2011 in my Mid-Year Report. Their live show further impressed me and established the band as one to watch. The performance matched the energy of the songs on the Sun Ray EP but also left me craving new material. I got my wish as Conveyor recently released two new songs, “Ellery (Carol No. 4)” and “Rosacea (Carol No. 2)”. The tracks find them further exploring folk influences and are draped in gentle acoustic guitars and dreamy harmonies. You can stream them below and also purchase a limited edition handmade cassette package with the aforementioned songs and the exclusive track “Snow Bank (Carol No. 6)”at their bandcamp.

Get to Know Alabama Shakes

I already named Alabama Shakes a must hear and things seem to be moving quickly for the young group. I can’t think of a band that deserves it more. Their revival of old school blues and soul is simply unmatched by their peers. Every song sounds like the kind of heart-wrenching confessional that a band would save until the very end of a set. I’m not sure there is anyone else currently making music that projects such unbridled emotion as Brittany Howard does in “You Ain’t Alone”. The group has posted their first official release on bandcamp and it is well, well… WELL worth your $4. C’mon, that’s the price of a beer, people. Check out some live performances as well as an interview and introduction to the band after the jump. Press play and get ready for the chills take over your body.