Depreciation Occurs at Great Scott

The Pill at Great Scott is consistently awarded Best Dance Night by the Boston Phoenix. I hadn’t checked it out but when I heard that The Depreciation Guild was stopping by to play a set on June 25, 2010, I figured it was as good a time as ever. Their latest release, Spirit Youth, has been in heavy rotation for me and features one of my favorite songs to come out this year, "My Chariot".  Its chiptunes-meets-shoegaze style is something very refreshing in 2010. However, a red flag should have come up when I found out a shoegaze band was playing a dance night.

For Your HEALTH

For the longest time, I kept saying that I would never join Twitter. Well here I am 500+ tweets later and I'm totally addicted. So what finally got me to crack and create an account? Free stuff of course! I noticed that my friends kept winning free food, tickets, etc. I decided that I need to get in on this racket and lo and behold, I immediately started reaping the benefits. I've received free cds and tickets but nothing as sweet as winning a chance to see HEALTH on June 19, 2010 at Great Scott. A big thanks goes out to the great people at CitySearch Boston where I won the tickets for answering the question, "Why do you dance?" My answer? "I dance because its an uncontrollable and compulsive cathartic release."

Frog Eyes See The Middle East

Frog Eyes are one of those bands I've always wanted to see live but I never got around to it. I've praised Carey Mercer's manic delivery endlessly and their guitar tones are among the best in indie rock today. Their latest release, Paul's Tomb, shows that they are only gaining strength with age. The record spins with a consistent intensity that begins with a 9-minute sonic wave of guitars and refreshingly dynamic songwriting. On June 18, 2010, I took my chance to see if this translated to the stage when I caught them with up-and-comers Beach Fossils at the Middle East.

Thirsty Thursday Mixtape

My mind has been mush lately. I've been busy with work as well as other things and I have fallen behind on show reviews for the last five concerts I attended. Worst of all, I have been struggling with what some describe as the 'writer's block'. What does that mean for you, the unfortunately web browser, who stumbled upon this posting? It means a mixtape!

This one starts off fast, gets crazy, and mellows out at the end. It's the perfect soundtrack to those Thursday nights that you wish you didn't have come Friday morning. Reoccurring artists from my other mixes such as Unkle, Broken Social Scene, Wolf Parade, Foals, and Retribution Gospel Choir are the albums you should be running out to get right now. Others include impressive tunes from bands that I have seen recently such as HEALTH and The Depreciation Guild. I should have reviews up for those sometime soon. After all, this blog is basically a concert journal. Grab a drink and listen below!

Review: MiniBoone - Big Changes

Below is my take on the debut EP Big Changes by MiniBoone from Decoy Music.  Also, check out the interviews with the band here and here. It gives good insight into the group and presents them as intelligent, stand-up guys; although, I do disagree with their statement about the importance of the album as an art form and it's impending death. Give the EP a listen while reading to gain full effect.

Songs for Saturday

I decided to create a nice soundtrack to my weekend and figured I’d share it with my reader(s). This one has a couple of rare/hard-to-find tracks mixed in with some of the same culprits from my last mixtape. The bands who are making their second appearance are from the must-have albums released this year (The Hold Steady, Future Islands, LCD Soundsystem, and The Black Keys). I’m one of those suckers who still purchase music and I can tell you that the four aforementioned records are superb from front to back.

This compilation serves a nice soundtrack to any Saturday activity so burn it to a CD and enjoy! Don’t forget to buy these albums if you like what you hear.

Local Bands Get Dirty at Harpers Ferry

I had seen The Dirty Dishes before at Church and also in a more intimate setting with an acoustic set at The Loft. This time around I got a chance to witness them headline a gig alongside of some great local music at Harper's Ferry on June 8, 2010. It was a Tuesday and a modest crowd of people were looking to indulge in some hometown noise. The Dirty Dishes along with The Self Assembly and Grass is Green made sure to award those who ignored their work duties for the next day and the Celtics game that was currently taking place to come out and rock.

Hymn to the Immortal Mono

It's not every day that you get to see a band from Scotland or one from Japan. I got to see both when I caught Scottish indie rock band The Twilight Sad with Japanese post-rockers Mono at the Middle East on May 28, 2010. These are two bands that I have wanted to see for quite some time. They both have original, distinctive sounds and have made the cut for many of the mixtapes I've made over the years.

Hearts Race with Dr. Dog at Paradise

I had previously seen Dr. Dog four times (Langerado, John Havard's, Paradise, Middle East) and that's why I knew not to miss their performance on May 11, 2010 at Paradise Rock Club. The band released their latest album Shame, Shame earlier this year and it is one of the true standouts in 2010. I couldn't wait to hear the new material alongside their already rock solid back catalog. The performance was the first in a two night residency at Paradise and what a way to kick it off! I was lucky enough to secure a spot right up front on the left side of the stage where I was far from the infamous view-obstructing pole. Fortunately, Paradise is finally switching things up and making the pole less of a nuisance over the summer by rearranging the venue layout.

To All My Friends... Memorial Mix

You can smell it in the air; it’s mixtape season. It’s about time I deliver a new mixtape to my friends/readers. I present my Memorial Mix featuring some of my favorite tracks released so far in 2010. I had been spinning it this past Memorial Day and these tunes make for a great little mix. Note to Google, Web Sheriif, etc.: Tell me if I need to take something down! Don’t just delete my blog as was done in the past with other blogs. As the great Henry Chinaski (author character of Charles Bukowski) said: “To all my friends…”



Listen below!