Well, this week brings a recording that has sat unedited and unshared for far too long, but with the recent announcement of a bunch of new U.S. summer headlining dates for Bloc Party, I figured now was as good a time as any to post this live set from last year here in Boston.

There are a couple reasons the urge to share this up evaded me for so very long: 1) The sound mix at the Orpheum during their set varied wildly, so my audience recording suffers for it, and 2) After initially finding things to like about Bloc Party's "A Weekend In The City" (their sophomore follow-up to the absolutely ace debut of "Silent Alarm"), it simply did not settle in very well at all. I can't remember the last time I listened to it (I still always go to "Silent Alarm" for a BP fix), and hearing them play those brilliant 2005 songs alongside the 2007 tracks really brought the missteps home for me (a caveat: "I Still Remember" still gets me).

But I'm ready and willing for their next album to win me back, so let's hope some new songs get unveiled on those few summer dates, which are listed below.

Here's their Orpheum set in its entirety...


Some Bloc Party links...

The band's official site, MySpace page, Wikipedia entry, and Vice Records page.

Additional Audio: The band stopped by Boston's First Act Guitar Studio last year and performed a short acoustic set, and you can download three of those songs (scroll to the bottom). And here's a little extra something for you from late night teevee...

Mp3: Bloc Party - "I Still Remember"
(live on Last Call, Friday, April 6th, 2007)

Video: Lots to be seen on their own video page, Bloc Party TV, and there's always a Bloc Party YouTube search.

Photos: My Flickr-hosted shots are all within this post, but you can check out a full Bloc Party Flickr tag search, or photos from that First Act acoustic session here.

Sleeping Policeman was at the Orpheum show as well, and shared some thoughts.

Upcoming tourdates:

Aug. 1st - Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza

Aug. 5th - Philadelphia, PA @ the Fillmore at the TLA

Aug. 6th & 7th - New York, NY @ Webster Hall

Aug. 9th - Baltimore, MD @ the V Festival

Listen to any and all 'Nac-hosted Mp3s at the Hype Machine.

the fine print... If anyone has an issue with these Mp3s being made available, just let me know (my contact info in the 'nac faq). Live sets recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 192kbps Mp3s. Files are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed.

Labels: livemp3s

posted by brad at 1:22 PM | direct link | rss (1:2) | |

While Shearwater doesn't release "Rook" (their Matador-released follow-up to 2006's brilliant "Palo Santo") until June 3rd, they'll undoubtedly be playing songs from it at the Paradise in Boston this Friday night, May the 9th. The band (who are fronted by the golden-throated Jonathan Meiberg, himself on leave from keyboard duties in Okkervil River) is opening for Liverpool's Clinic, who themselves are out promoting their latest disc "Do It!".

I'm fortunate to have a pair of guest list spots to dole out to an Almanac reader, so if you'd like them, simply email your full name and the town you live in to giveaways [at] bradleysalmanac [dot] com, and put Shearwater in the subject line. Make sure you do so before Thursday morning at 9AM, and as usual, I'll then pick a random name out of my virtual hat. And on Thursday afternoon you'll find out via email if you'll on the guest list with a +1 at the Paradise on Friday.

posted by brad at 1:50 PM | direct link | rss (1:2) | |

Happy Free Comic Book Day, everyone. Even if you're not a regular patron of fine graphical storytelling (well, especially if you're not), try to take some time out today and swing by your local comic shop for a stack of freebies. For Bostonians, I recommend stopping into New England Comics on Harvard Ave if you're in Allston, Comicopia in Kenmore if you're going to see the Sox game, or check out the new kid on the block, Hub Comics, in Somerville's Union Square.


Ok, so April was an action-packed blur. In my near-decade of living here in Boston, I honestly don't believe I've had a month so completely crammed with things to do and places to be. Obviously that's the opposite of a complaint, but I really need a 3-day nap. Maybe sometime before May is over...


My manic month was capped off by the Film School/Douglas Fir/Broken River Prophet show at TTs last Monday, and it was an all-out success. Sure, the crowd could have been bigger (and would have been had it not rained cats and/or dogs), but the bands were psyched, they all played really well, and from what I could tell the crowd was very into it. Got a lot of nice (and unexpected) feedback on the songs I had spun between sets, and gave away a whole bunch o' merch. Many thanks to the bands for playing (and for those, uh, bonus drink tickets), and to TTs of course. Good times.


I recorded all three sets with each band's permission, and will be sharing 'em up at some point if they like 'em enough. For now, have a look at Film School's brand new video for "Compare".


Congrats to reader Mark in Cambridge, whose name I picked for the two guest list spots for tomorrow night's Wye Oak show at Great Scott. A show well worth checking out, and arrive early for the openers, who include Drew O'Doherty and Hands & Knees.


How odd is it that in 2008 I can write this?: I've got my My Bloody Valentine tickets. Yeah, I snagged a couple passes to the September Catskills, NY installment of All Tomorrow's Parties, with MBV curating one incredible lineup. Aside from the headliners, the stuff I'm most psyched for are Built to Spill performing the entirety of "Perfect From Now On" ("There's Nothing Wrong With Love" would've made me marginally happier, but I'm still excited), Mogwai, Low, Polvo, Shellac, Tortoise playing their best album, and Autolux. Just a four-hour drive from Boston, and I've already put in for the time off. Joyous.


Speaking of Autolux, their long-awaited next release is on the horizon, and the first single is now up on their MySpace page, both for streaming and for purchase (it'll be on iTunes soon). "Audience No. 2" is our first taste of the full-length "Transit Transit", which will be out sometime later this year.


In advance of their upcoming album, "El Rey", The Wedding Present has shared a couple new songs on their MySpace page: Lead off track "Santa Ana Winds" and an alternate mix of first single "The Thing I Like Best About Him Is His Girlfriend". "El Rey" is out on Manifesto in North America on May 20th.


Hey, Bostoners: How about some free live music to go with your free comics this (postponed until next) weekend? The 25th annual MayFair festival is tomorrow, Sunday, May 4th next weekend, Sunday, May 11th in Harvard Square (barring any manhole fires), and along with all the food and merch vendors we'll be treated to a bunch of varied performances, including sets from Hallelujah the Hills (@ 4pm) and Girls, Guns, & Glory (@ 3pm). Full schedule here.


The lineup for the 2008 edition of the Boston-(well, technically Arlington)-based Brainwaves Festival has been announced, and it's a doozy. Brainwashed proprietor Jon Whitney has pulled together a slew of notable artists for the late-November fest, including Meat Beat Manifesto, Matmos, Stars of the Lid, A Place to Bury Strangers, Marissa Nadler, His Name Is Alive, and many, many more. Weekend passes are available now right here.


I've got a massive list of links and info to share, as usual, but I'll fire this one off in the interest of timeliness. So, remember, your weekend todo list: Get some free comics, buy your Brainwaves passes, go see HtH outside tomorrow (postponed until next) Sunday afternoon, then head to Great Scott for the Wye Oak show to finish it off. Got it? Good.

posted by brad at 7:58 AM | direct link | rss (1:2) | |

The televisual version of seminal NPR radio show This American Life returns this Sunday, May 4th, for a second season on Showtime. Live audiences got a taste of how the first season would translate when Ira Glass and his TAL crew took the show on the road for a tour entitled "What I Learned from Television". Regular contributors Sarah Vowell, David Rakoff, and Dan Savage told stories, and attendees (including our crowd at the Opera House in Boston) were shown part of a season one episode.

A highlight of this touring TAL ensemble was the presence of Connecticut-based duo Mates of State, who release their fifth album, "Re-arrange Us", on May 20th through Barsuk. On tour, the band provided musical interludes between spoken word performances, were interviewed by Glass, and closed the show with a thematically appropriate cover of OC theme song "California".

Here are the songs that Mates of State performed at the Boston show, including that Phantom Planet cover, and the song "Now", which will appear on "Re-arrange Us"...


Also this weekend, This American Life will broadcast the radio version of that very same tour, but you can already stream the entirety of the show on their website, or download it via itunes for a well-spent 95 cents. Included are the spoken word performances of those mentioned above, along with edited (but sonically-improved) recordings of those Mates of States songs.

For a full list of airdates for the second TV season of This American Life on Showtime, go here. To pre-order Mates of States' "Re-arrange Us" from Barsuk, keep an eye on this page. And for a complete list of Mates of States tourdates, visit here.

As ever, stream any and all 'Nac-hosted Mp3s at the Hype Machine.


the fine print... If anyone has an issue with these Mp3s being made available, just let me know (my contact info in the 'nac faq). Live sets recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 192kbps Mp3s. Files are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed.

Labels: livemp3s

posted by brad at 7:27 AM | direct link | rss (1:2) | |

This coming Sunday night, on the 4th of May, Baltimore duo Wye Oak returns to Boston for their second show here this year, but this time they'll have copies of their debut disc in hand, the wonderful "If Children", recently (re)released on Merge. The four-band Great Scott bill includes personal fave Drew O'Doherty along with locals Hands and Knees and Providence's Barn Burning.

I've got a couple of guest list spots courtesy Great Scott, so send along an email to me at giveaways -at- bradleysalmanac -dot- com, with "Wye Me!" in the subject line. Just include your full name and the town you live in, and send it before before noon on Friday, May 2nd. I'll pick a random name that afternoon, let you know if you won, and you'll be on the guest list (with a +1) for the Sunday show. If you're not feeling very lucky, grab advance tickets right here.

So email away, and get yourself in the mood by grabbing some freely available Mp3s over at the Wye Oak website.

posted by brad at 10:18 AM | direct link | rss (1:2) | |

Just a quick reminder to brave the late-April showers tonight and head down to TT the Bears in Central Square, Cambridge, where I'm happy to present a three-band bill headlined by San Francisco quintet Film School. Up first is personal faves The Broken River Prophet followed by a long-awaited return to the stage of The Douglas Fir. I've made some special mix discs to play between bands, and I'll also be hanging out a table handing out a bunch of free musical merch.

Congrats to Almanac readers Christo B. and Doug O., who both won a couple tickets to the show and a copy of Film School's "Hideout" disc. Tonight's rock action starts promptly at 9 o'clock, but I'll be there a little early to start forking over the complimentary goods. If you make it out, introduce yourself, or at least acknowledge me with a devil horn hand from afar. \m/

posted by brad at 4:34 PM | direct link | rss (1:2) | |

In just a few days, on Monday night, April 28th, I'm seriously proud to be part of the first-ever "Bradley's Almanac presents..." show at TT the Bears in Cambridge. The three-band bill is headlined by San Francisco quintet Film School, who released one of my favorite discs of last year in "Hideout". Joining them are a couple of my favorite Boston bands: my pals in The Broken River Prophet (whose soon-to-be-heard debut album is killer), along with quartet The Douglas Fir (who are hard at work on a follow-up to the excellent "When This Wears Off").


So what does "presenting" a show involve, exactly? Well, aside from being a fan of all three bands and highly recommending your attendance, as well as selecting all the between-set music you'll hear that night, I'll also be giving away a bunch of stuff: Two pairs of tickets to the show (see below) and some Film School merch, along with a couple hundred (yes, you read that right) compacts discs. Y'see, I'll be using this opportunity to do some spring cleaning, hanging at the merch table and handing out tons of promo items that I either don't have room for, don't dig (but you might), or have doubles of. There's some gold to be found in this huge pile next to my desk, so I figured it was high time to spread the wealth.


Wanna go? Buy advance tickets here, or if you're feeling particularly lucky, send an email to giveaways[at]bradleysalmanac[dot]com (subject: Free Film School!) before midnight this Friday, April 25th. I'll pick two random names, and not only will each of those winners get their name (and a friend's) on the guest list, but each will get a copy of Film School's "Hideout" disc and an autographed FS poster as well. The fortunate recipients will be notified on Saturday morning, and I should mention that all this good stuff is courtesy of the Beggars Group, who are also providing some of the giveaways I'll be passing out at the show.


Here's an Mp3 from each band, including the world (wide web) premiere of a song from The Broken River Prophet's upcoming debut release. The track is "She Gives Me Hope", and the disc is titled "With Infinite Arms To Cradle The Flames", due out within the next month or two. I've been spending a lot of time with my preview copy, and it's one of the best albums to come out of this town in a long while. This song spotlights the co-vocals of Deb and Adam, some great mandolin work from Eric, and the ace rhythm section of Marty and Ryan Rex, Adam's bandmates from Lockgroove. Also contributing some keyboard work is Michael Hutcherson from Tiny Amps. Enjoy...

Mp3: The Broken River Prophet - "She Gives Me Hope"

Mp3: The Douglas Fir - "Wherever You Go (Hugo)"

Mp3: Film School - "Lectric"

Film School has a new video out for the track "Dear Me", directed by James Sumner (who has also done work for Deerhunter and Dirty Projectors), and plans to share videos soon on their MySpace page. The band just played a bunch of dates with British Sea Power (free downloadable tour EP here), and following the TTs show they'll continue on their Spring headlining tour, which finishes up on May 12th in Los Angeles. After a quick break, they'll team up with Swervedriver to open up on a bunch of their West Coast reunion shows. Hell of a double bill. All of those Film School tourdate details can be found here.

So send off those giveaway entry emails, and be sure to introduce yourself if you make it out to the show. I'll be easy to spot: Grin on face, beer in hand, and a pile of free cds in front of me. Come and get 'em.

posted by brad at 5:23 PM | direct link | rss (1:2) | |

As regular attendees know, the Independent Film Festival of Boston has made no small effort to incorporate music-related aspects over the past few years, either with band-centric documentaries or films scored by excellent musicians. 2006 was a boon, as that year the fest gave us both the Pixies documentary "loudQUIETloud" and the Mission of Burma "Not A Photograph" doc, as well as "The Proposition", written and scored by Nick Cave. Last year served up two more strong documentaries in "Punk's Not Dead" and "Silver Jew". Worthwhile viewing all.

When the 2008 schedule was announced, I was very psyched to see that the IFFB has continued and expanded upon their inclusion of films for music-lovers. Here's a quick run down of what's in store for us this week...

Foremost on my mind is Grant Gee's Joy Division documentary, which screens at the Somerville Theatre on Thursday at 9:15 and midnight Friday at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. It should be the perfect companion piece to last year's "Control", the dramatization of the life and death of lead singer Ian Curtis. This was the only film I specifically wished would be showing at this year's IFFB, and my wishes were granted. Hit up the official UK site and view the trailer to prepare. Get your tickets here.

Another welcome artist documentary is Public Enemy: Welcome To The Terrordome, focusing on the only rap act that I've ever obsessed over. For me, P.E. was the be-all-end-all of politically-charged, socially-conscious hip-hop... no one did it better, and no one's done it better since. There's never been two frontmen who more perfectly complimented each other than Chuck D and Flavor Flav, and their wordplay, rhymes, and backing tracks were truly inventive. Featuring appearances by the Beastie Boys, Talib Kweli, Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello, Henry Rollins, and Korn's Jonathan Davis, the doc was directed by Roxbury's own Robert Patton-Spruill, and he'll be at the one and only screening: 11 o'clock on Saturday night, April 26th at the Somerville Theatre. Here's the official site, trailer, and ticket link.

There are a couple different documentaries about relatively new genres of music, and one of them is "Nerdcore Rising". For those of you who like a dash of nerdery in your hip-hop, this film introduces you (or more familiarizes you with) MC Frontalot, aka Damian Hess, the so-called Godfather of a genre that the documentary even debates the existence of. Fans and bystanders offer up their input, including hip-hop artist/producer Prince Paul, Jello Biafra, comedian Brian Posehn, J. Live, Tycho & Gabe of Penny Arcade, and Weird Al. The film screens twice: A midnight showing on Friday, April 25th at the Somerville (tix), and again at 5pm on Sunday at the Brattle (tix). Here's the official site and trailer. Added bonus: MC Frontalot, in addition to appearing at the screening with director Negin Farsad, will be performing at Sunday night's IFFB Awards party along with Price Paul.

And what could be called Nerdcore's bookish brother, the even more specialized music genre of "Wizard Rock" gets the documentary treatment in We Are Wizards. Local duo Harry & the Potters features prominently in this exploration of JK Rowling-inspired bands, and they'll be performing twice this week: One is an acoustic set after the Coolidge "We Are Wizards" screening on Thursday the 24th at 7:30 (tix), and another is a full-on party joining three of the other bands from the film (Draco and the Malfoys, the Whomping Willows, and the Hungarian Horntails) on Saturday night (party tix). While the party does follow a Saturday afternoon screening and Q&A (with director Josh Koury, Harry & The Potters, and Brad Neely), you'll need to buy separate tickets if you want to see that screening. Here's the film's official site, MySpace page, and trailer.

Another documentary in which music obviously plays a huge role is "Life. Support. Music.", which tells the inspiring story of NYC (and now Cambridge-based) guitarist Jason Crigler, who suffered an on-stage brain hemorrhage in 2004. Norah Jones and Marshall Crenshaw play a part in his recovery, and director Eric Daniel Metzgar will be on hand at the screenings: Sunday, Apr 27th at 4:45 PM at the Coolidge (tix) and on Monday night at 5pm at the Somerville (tix). Have a look at the official site and the trailer.

Another tale of recovery is told through the tragic love story of "Song Sung Blue", a documentary about Milwaukee-based tribute band "Lightning & Thunder", a husband and wife team who sing the songs of Neil Diamond and Patsy Cline. The film won both the Slamdance 2008 Film Festival's Audience Award and Grand Jury Award, and somehow weaves in an appearance by Eddie Vedder. Have a look at the trailer and official site, and grab tickets to either the Saturday 9:45 PM screening here, or the Sunday 7:15pm screening here. Both take place at the Somerville Theatre.

Moving on to films that aren't necessarily about music, but instead feature the sounds of some damn good musicians: Harmony Korine's latest directorial effort is "Mister Lonely", and the film's soundtrack (released this week on Drag City Records) is composed by none other than Jason Pierce, aka J. Spaceman of Spiritualized and Spacemen 3, alongside instrumentals from Sun City Girls. The fictional film itself is about a misfit troop of celebrity impersonators (including Diego Luna as Michael Jackson and the wonderful Samantha Morton as Marilyn Monroe), and director Korine (who wrote "Kids", and helmed "Gummo") will be present for the Thursday night, April 24th screening at the Somerville Theatre (tix).

Here's a taste of what S.C.G. contributed...

Mp3: Sun City Girls - "Mr. Lonely Viola"

The Tracey Fragments is the latest film from Juno star Ellen Page (although it was filmed first), and was soundtracked by her fellow Canadians Broken Social Scene. Five of the collective's songs turn up on the soundtrack, which comes out next week, including a cover of Patti Smith's "Horses", which you can preview on this MySpace page. Another personal fave makes an aural appearance in the film: Rose Melberg (Softies/Tiger Trap) doing her solo song "Each New Day". Have a look at the film's official site, trailer, and for more details on the soundtrack, hit up The Playlist.

Finally, the film My Effortless Brilliance serves up a star turn (and a co-writing credit) for Harvey Danger frontman Sean Nelson. Gaze upon the film's official site, MySpace page, and trailer, and grab tickets to either of the two Somerville Theatre screenings: Thursday, April 24th at 7:45 PM (tix) or Saturday, April 26th at 2:45pm (tix).

The whole 2008 Independent Film Festival of Boston she-bang kicks off tomorrow night with a screening of Brad Anderson's "Transsiberrian", and along with the finely-named directory, Sir Ben Kingsley will be, as they say, in the house. Tickets will be gone by showtime, so head here to grab one of your own. And keep an eye on the IFFB 2008 Blog for updated info and film spotlights as tomorrow gets closer and the week rolls on.

posted by brad at 5:36 PM | direct link | rss (1:2) | |

Minneapolis quartet Tapes 'n Tapes returns to Boston tomorrow night (4/17) for a show at the Paradise with support from Austin tourmates White Denim. I've got a couple guest list spots to offer up courtesy of Beggars Banquet for one fortunate 'Nac reader and a friend. I'll keep it simple: Drop an email to giveaways (at) bradleysalmanac (dot) com titled "Tapes!", letting me know your full name and the town you live in. Send it in before 9am tomorrow and I'll let you know if you've won by Noon. Hopefully that's enough notice to free up your Thursday night for a little rock.

TnT will be showing off songs from their just-released sophomore disc "Walk It Off", while White Denim has just released an online-only (and absolutely free) EP through the digital RCRD LBL imprint. Head here for those White Denim songs, and have a Tapes n' Tapes track from the new album while you're at it...

Mp3: Tapes 'n Tapes - "Hang Them All"

Alright, start typing. My inbox awaits you.

Labels: giveaways

posted by brad at 10:50 AM | direct link | rss (1:2) | |

A few weeks back, the on stage debut of Stratford Projects happened at Somerville's Abbey Lounge, and if I was in the audience instead of behind the drum kit, I'd have doubled the crowd. Ok, so that's a slight exaggeration... but that's what we get for a first-ever show near midnight on a Tuesday. It really wasn't about who was there (or, rather, who wasn't) to see us, though, but more about getting our feet wet as an under-rehearsed five-piece. Despite the count-on-one-hand crowd, a good time was had, and we pulled it off. Enough to maybe schedule a second show, despite our collectively busy personal lives.

I wasn't going to share my recording of this one, but a request-via-comment and a couple emails were enough to overcome the aversion of self-indulgence, or at least the potential fear of embarrassment (like I said, first show ever). So here it is: The songs of Michael Barrett (and a couple covers) as performed by Mike on guitar/vocals, Anna Jaysane-Darr on keys, Neil Cleary on guitar/backing vocals, Adam Boc on bass/backing vocals, and yours truly on drums.

The setlist includes songs pulled from Mike's Planting Seeds solo album, "Couches and Carpet" ("Beach Song", "Chill Out"), a couple from his first band Guppyboy ("New Orleans", "Overflow"), ones he wrote with his Essex Green pals in The Sixth Great Lake ("Everything Is White", "27 Forever", "Cannon Beach"), and a song from Essex Green guitarist Jeff Baron's never-released solo record ("The Ravenswood").


Some Stratford Projects-related links...

The Stratford Projects site, home of all things Mike Barrett, the "Couches and Carpet" album info page, the Sixth Great Lake site, an archive of Guppyboy, the Eef site (the band Mike and I used to play in together), Neil Cleary's site, and the home of Jumprope, Adam Boc's old band (which was also on the Planting Seeds label).

Additional Audio: Download some unreleased Michael Barrett solo Mp3s, a whole bunch of Sixth Great Lake songs, a few Essex Green Mp3s, and some vintage live Essex Green (on WFMU in 2000) as well.

Photos: My few Flickr-hosted shots from the show (with an assist from a friend of Mike's who took a couple) are here.

As always, stream any and all 'Nac-hosted Mp3s at the Hype Machine.

the fine print... If anyone has an issue with these Mp3s being made available, just let me know (my contact info in the 'nac faq). Live sets recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 192kbps Mp3s. Files are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed.

Labels: livemp3s

posted by brad at 2:26 PM | direct link | rss (1:2) | |