Boston Band Crush

Storytellers Crush: Brendan Boogie at the Rosebud tomorrow night (3/20)

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Rogers) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:00:00 PDT

Brendan Boogie has had a long and impactful musical career here in greater Boston. Since his earliest days in Scamper some six years ago through his current Best Intentions and Cover-Up glory, Brendan has been an unstoppable force, one part sha-la-la's, two parts dick jokes, and a dash of melancholy introspection.

To celebrate himself for no obvious reason, Brendan is playing the Rosebud tomorrow in Storytellers form: old songs, new songs, band members past and present, Q&As, inappropriate stories, and – I would imagine – dick jokes. Featuring Scamper- (and early Boogie Band) mates Nate and Mike (disclosure: one of those is me), David Mirabella (once of the Boogie Band, now of the Rationales), current songwriting partner Jillian Santella, Jason Dunn (Boogie album engineer, producer, guest musician, Luxury frontman, sometimes guest Best Intention), and Nate Leavitt (Blizzard of 78). Holy cats.

In his own words, you'll need to Purell your soul.

9:30pm / $5 / 21+

Show Crush: Dirty Truckers, Brownboot, Rationales at Precinct, Tonight (3/19)!

noreply@blogger.com (Nate Rogers) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:43:45 PDT

"If this was a popularity contest, even Lady Gaga would have a run for her money with tonights line up at Precinct." Kerri-Ann wrote that intro and then abandoned ship, but I think what she was trying to say is that tonight appears to be another Awesome Show Homedogg Throwdown™. If you missed my coinage of said term last week, it simply means that there's just far too many great shows to choose from tonight. But if you like your rock and roll like your whiskey (straight up) and your venue in the cozy confines of a former police headquarters in Somerville's Union Square, this one's for you. Featuring the Stones-y Mats-y in-your-facey rock of the Dirty Truckers, Boston's newest super stupor group BrownBoot, and the rootsy rock of The Rationales, this lineup will not disappoint. Cha!

C.D. On Songs: Hey Now Morris Fader - "Down In Front"

noreply@blogger.com (C.D. Di Guardia) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:07:00 PDT

We're having a bit of a punctuation crisis with this band. Are they rebuffing someone named Morris Fader ("Hey Now, Morris Fader")? Are they addressing him after forgetting his name ("Hey Now... Morris Fader")? Or are they bringing him/it out onto the stage ("Hey Now Morris Fader")? Or is it all of the above? Maybe you can ask them for me tonight at Church, where they're playing with your friends and mine This Blue Heaven. Keyboards, keyboards, keyboards!

Hey Now Morris Fader - "Down In Front"

[download it!]

There is no messing around with this song: there's a quick little slide up the neck of the bass and whammo, we're launched into this solid, solid tune. My spider senses tell me that this song was written on keyboard, with the rising chord progression being my first witness. The combination of chord inversions over non-tonic bass notes show an Elton Johnian style of playing that is highly pleasing to the ear, even if you don't immediately recognize their structure. Also, it's in C#.

As we said, this song takes right off. Its preferred destination is obviously the chorus — it almost sounds like we're rushing towards it at every point in the song. The first verse has an almost perfunctory feel to it, as in "OK, we need to do this before we hit the chorus so let's just do this." While a strong chorus is the heart of a good song, it's almost disorienting to hear the progression in the intro and then hear it so soon again.

Is this a huge problem? Absolutely not, because this chorus clearly rocks. The tone is a rebuff to the attention whores of the world; the kind who immediately offers to take their top off once they find the focus has been directed elsewhere. You know one, admit it. HNMF calls this terrible person out in cool style, telling her to take her MF'ing seat because "No one cares about you now." It's a gentle, rhythmic, major-key call-out, and we're glad they did it.

Want to submit your band's song to C.D. On Songs?
To be reviewed in a C.D. On Songs column:

*Be a Boston-based band/artist.

*Email a single mp3/m4a/etc. (or a download link to one) to cdonsongs (at) gmail (dot) com, with the subject line "C.D. on Songs" (DO NOT send us a bunch of songs and make us pick, we will ignore you). We require a file – not a streaming link.

*Include album cover art if you have any. If you don't, a band photo or logo is acceptable.

*Tell us when you want to see it! Give us the date of your show and we'll make sure it runs as close as possible to that day. No kidding.

We will assume that we have your permission to make the song downloadable on Boston Band Crush (readers will want to hear it, after all). If that's not ok with you, say so and provide us with a link to the song on an embeddable player like ReverbNation – something we can include in the post (and not just link to).

Photo Crush: Preacher Roe at PA's // photo by Nicole Tammaro

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Willard) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:19:51 PDT

See more of Nicole's photos here

Festival Crush: Blastfest 3 with Manners / The Needy Visions / Ambitious Tugboat / Tulsa / Apollo Sunshine / many more! Tomorrow @ YMCA in Central Square

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Willard) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:26:24 PDT

Ooh this looks so fun! JP-based artist collective The Whitehaus presents the third Blastfest, a one-day festival featuring tons of awesome bands, this Saturday at the Central Square YMCA. The best part: it's a bargain! Music starts at 11am and admission starts at $10; as the day wears on (winding up at 11pm) the admission charge winds down to $5, so if you go later in the day you pay less. And they'll have two stages so that the music is ongoing without breaks between acts. Plus free PB&Js all day long!

Performers include: Avi Jacob / Gregory J. Mullen / Manners with The Woolves / Shai Erlichman / Casey Rocheteau / The Needy Visions / Ambitious Tugboat / Duck That / The Woodrow Wilsons / Debbie and the Bullets / The Great Valley / Boy Without God / Kit Wallach / Tulsa / Apollo Sunshine / James Lyndsay / Rene / French Cops / Girlfriends / Turtle Ambulance / B Law

You can check out media from a bunch of these artists here.

Plus, the Papercut Zine Library will be curating tables from all over New England.

It's rare that we get all-day music festivals in these parts so go soak it up!

Information Crush: Amy's Shows List

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Prohaska) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:43:58 PDT

All I can say is I'm happy the sun came out and the rain has stopped (plus my basement is almost dry, yippee!). Thursday night has a couple of good options, Fulltime Dreamers, Jesus and the Argonauts and The Battleships Cometh are at Church while 28 degrees taurus are doing an acoustic country thing at the Plough and Stars. For Friday, I'm all about getting into my time machine and going to the Middle East Downstairs for the Feelies. As a bonus, Thunderpants Johnson's Hillbilly Orchestra is playing in the Corner of the Middle East so I think I get to see 2 very different bands in one night. If you don't feel like going to the Middle East there's good line-up at Precinct with Brownboot, Dirty Truckers and the Rationales and anthother good line-up at the Midway with Jay Allen and The Archcriminals, The Classic Ruins and the Young Tremors (I haven't made it yet to check out the Young Tremors on their 3rd night of their March residency at the Midway, maybe next week). Saturday has something for everyone with a rocking show at the Cantab with Triple Thick, The Konks and The Coffin Lids or Brendan Boogie at the Rosebud or the always entertaining Asa Brebner at the Plough. Wow, lots of good stuff. Sunday afternoon you have a chance to catch a matinee with Apollo Sunshine and Bell & the Bees at Gallery 263 in Cambridge. Sunday night has a great UK double bill with the Clientele and Field Music. On Monday you have a chance to sample music from the far east with Japan Night with Red Bacteria Vacuum, Omodaka and Jinny Oops! at TTs. Also on Monday there's some free music at ZuZu's with Manners and Nina Violet. Tuesday is Free Ice Cream Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's so make certain you get to one of their stores to get your cone, check their site cause not all of their locations participate, www.benjerry.com. On Wednesday Chandler Travis continues his March residency at the Midway.

Thursday, 3/18:
- Apollo Sunshine and Drug Rug at the Paradise
- Fulltime Dreamers, Jesus and the Argonauts and The Battleships Cometh at Church
- 28 degrees taurus (unplugged/country set) at the Plough
- The Ego and the Oracle at the Lizard
- Born of Fire with Rat Corpse and Rampant Decay at O'Briens
- Leon Rich and Sugar Snow at Bangkok Paradise, Salem

Friday, 3/19:
- The Feelies at the ME
- Thunderpants Johnson's Hillbilly Orchestra at the ME Bakery, Free!
- Brownboot, Dirty Truckers and the Rationales at Precinct
- I, Pistol, Mascara, Planetoid and Forgetful Jones at TTs
- Radio Control, Hangman's Alphabet, Sad Red, and Vent at Pa's Lounge
- Hey Now, Morris Fader, This Blue Heaven and Cola War Vets at Church
- Jay Allen and The Archcriminals, The Classic Ruins and the Young Tremors at the Midway
- Red Rose Soul Club at the Rosebud, Free!
- Bayou Boy, Joey Fingers, Preacher Jack, Geezer Deluxe, Meteor Might, Leon Rich Band and Bad Street at Granite Rail, Quincy

Saturday, 3/20:
- Brendan Boogie at the Rosebud
- Triple Thick, The Konks and The Coffin Lids at the Cantab
- Asa Brebner at the Plough
- Air at Berklee
- Booty Vortex at Johnny D's

Sunday, 3/21:
- Apollo Sunshine and Bell & the Bees at Gallery 263, Cambridge (2p acoustic matinee show)
- The Clientele and Field Music at Great Scotts

Monday, 3/22:
- Japan Night with Red Bacteria Vacuum, Omodaka and Jinny Oops! at TTs
- Manners and Nina Violet at ZuZu's, Free!

Tuesday, 3/23:
- Free Ice Cream Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's
- Full Body Anchor, Death and The Dance Machine at TT's

Wednesday, 3/24:
- Chandler Travis Orchestra at the Midway
- The Dormers at O'Briens

If you have any additions to the list, please send them to me at amy@bostonbandcrush.com before Wednesday to have them included in the weekend's posting.

And Looking Forward...
3/25 The Black Lips and Box Elders at the ME
3/25 The Beatings at Great Scotts
3/25 The Donnas at the ME
3/25 Norah Jones at the Wang Center
3/26 Basia Bulat at TTs
3/26 Eldridge Rodriquez, Ryan Lee and Tom Billings at the ME
3/26 Provocateur CD release show at Great Scott
3/26 Red Rose Soul Club at the Rosebud, Free!
3/26 Orchestra Morpine and Treat Her Right at the ME
3/27 Freezepop at Cafe 939 (4p all ages matinee)
3/27 The Chevelles (bringing their 20th anniversary tour all the way from Australia) at Precinct
3/27 Rhett Miller at the Regattabar
3/27 The Ruby Suns and Toro Y Moi at the ME
3/27 Nancy Neon Night with The Varmints, Fox Pass, The Mesmerines and Thee Shakes at the Cantab
3/27 The One Smith, Naked on Roller Skates and Forest Fires at the Lizard
3/27 A Place to Bury Strangers and Big Pink at the Paradise
3/27 You Say Party We Say Die at TTs
3/27 Spoon and Deerhunter at the House of Blues
3/27 Andrea Gillis at the Plough
3/27 Miles Kurosky (ex Beulah) and Pancho-San at Great Scotts
3/27 Trucker Mouth, Old Jack and Blizzard of '78 at the Rosebud
3/27 Booty Vortex at Mal's Lounge, Haverhill
3/28 The Coachmen at the Rosebud
3/28 Beach House at the Paradise
3/28 Grant Hart (fr Husker Du) at the Armory
3/28 The Derailers at Johnny D's
3/28 Little Dragon at Great Scotts
3/29 Arms & Legs, Audry Ryan and Colleen Green at ZuZu's, Free!
3/29 The Soft Pack at Great Scotts
3/30 Shearwater and Wye Oak at TTs
3/30 Manchester Orchestra at the Paradise
3/31 Miike Snow at the Paradise SOLDOUT
3/31 A Sunny Day in Glasgow at Great Scotts
3/31 Japandroids and Love is All at the ME
3/31 Chandler Travis Orchestra at the Midway
4/1 Girls and Dum Dum Girls at the Paradise
4/1 Vampire Weekend at the Orpheum SOLDOUT
4/1 Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers at the Somerville Theatre
4/1 Fulltime Dreamers and Elvis Collins at the Cantab
4/1 Killola, Sick of Sarah, Jeddo Stars and the Vivs at TTs
4/1 Born of Fire with Sexcrement and Hivesmasher at O'Briens
4/2 The Figgs at the Rosebud
4/2 Lynette and Roy Bumpkins Reprise at TTs
4/2 The xx and JJ at the Paradise SOLDOUT
4/2 Drive By Truckers, Langhorn Slim and Lucero at the House of Blues
4/2 Kenne Highland Birthday Celebration at the Cantab
4/3 Rat Reunion Night with The Flashcubes, The Varmints, Fox Pass, The Classic Ruins, The Last Ones and more at the Cantab
4/3 Reverse, Dirt Mall (CD release show) and 66 Breakout at the Rosebud
4/3 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at the House of Blues
4/3 Cassavettes and Kingsley Flood (cd release party) at the ME
4/3 Nada Surf at the Paradise
4/3 Greg Hawks (the Cars) and Casey Desmond at the Sound Museum, Brighton
4/3 Matthew Goode at the ME
4/4 Serena Maneesh and the Depreciation Guild and TTs
4/4 Wilco at Lupo's SOLDOUT
4/4 Major Lazer and Rusko at the ME
4/6 Wilco at the Orpheum SOLDOUT
4/6 Acid Mother's Temple and 28 degrees taurus at the ME
4/6 The Smith Westerns at Great Scotts
4/6 Alejandro Escovedo at Somerville Theatre
4/6 Ben Folds and a Piano at the House of Blues
4/6 Miss Tess and the Bon Temp Parade at the Regattabar
4/7 Wilco at the Bushnell Center, Concord, NH
4/7 High on Fire at the ME
4/7 The Doctors Fox, The Shills and Left Hand Does at Precinct
4/7 Tim Barry, Larcenist and Red Clay River at the ME
4/7 Rocky Votolato at Great Scotts
4/7 Lupe Fiasco at the House of Blues
4/8 Thom Yorke at the Citi Wang Theatre
4/8 Cymbals Eat Guitars, Bear in Heaven and Freelance Whales at the ME
4/8 The Stools at The Beachcomber, Quincy
4/9 Midlake at the Paradise
4/9 The Beets at the Record Hospital Fest, Holden Chapel, Cambridge
4/10 Lars Vegas at the Alchemist, Free!
4/10 Bleu, Ad Frank & the Fast Easy Women and Francine at TTs
4/10 Johnny Cash Tribute Night at Pa's Lounge
4/10 Ted Leo and the Pharmacists at the Paradise
4/10 Xiu Xiu and Tuneyards at the ME
4/10 Gary Lucas (Captain Beefheart guitarist) at the Sound Museum, Brighton
4/11 Neon Nite Rockin' The Art w/James Straight And The Wide Stance, Asa Brebner & Friends, The Varmints and MOWE at Church
4/11 Fanfarlo at the Parardise
4/11 DadFight, The Radical Dads, ThunderFakers and 100 Monkeys at TTs
4/12 The Wedding Present at the ME
4/12 Titus Andronicus at Great Scotts
4/12 Evelyn Evelyn at ART
4/12 Caetano Veloso at the Orpheum
4/14 The Doctors Fox, Abbie Barrett and All of The Animals at Precinct
4/15 Jakob Dylan & Three Leggs with Neko Case and Kelly Hogan at the Wilbur
4/15 Born of Fire with Soul Remnants and Frozen at O'Briens
4/16 The Appleseed Cast at the ME
4/17 Record Store Day
4/17 The Morning Benders at TTs
4/17 Brett Milano Roast at the Sound Museum, Brighton
4/17 Sightings at Pa's Lounge
4/17 Liars at the Paradise
4/17 Tony Orlando at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium (oh, tie a yellow ribbon...)
4/18 Heavy Trash and The Konks at TTs
4/18 The Thermals at the ME
4/18 Aloha and the Pomegranates at the ME
4/18 The Cowboy Junkies at the Somerville Theatre
4/19 Miss Tess and the Bon Ton Parade at the Cantab
4/20 Elvis Costello & the Sugarcanes at the Orpheum
4/20 Quasi at the ME
4/20 Owen Pallet at the ICA
4/20 Adam Green at Great Scotts
4/20 Thirty Seconds to Mars at the House of Blues
4/21 The Church at the Armory
4/21 The Doctors Fox, School For Robots and Baby Made Rebel at Precinct
4/21 The Tallest Man on Earth at the ME
4/21 Dosh and White Hinterland at Great Scotts
4/22 Mary Onettes at Great Scotts
4/23 Apples in Stereo at the ME
4/23 Dear Leader at the Paradise
4/23 Mike Doughty at the Regattabar
4/24 Graham Parker and The Figgs at Johnny D's
4/24 This Blue Heaven and Superfrog at Tommy Doyle's
4/24 Los Campesinos! and Here We Go Magic at the Paradise
4/25 Harlem at Great Scotts
4/25 Gipsy Kings at the House of Blues
4/26 Echo & the Bunnymen at the Paradise
4/28 Gorgol Bordello and Devotchka at the House of Blues
4/28 Casiotone for the Painfully Alone at the ME
4/28 The Doctors Fox, Love in Stockholm and Melodeego at Precinct
4/28 Kate Nash and Supercute at Great Scotts SOLDOUT
4/28 Little Boots and Dragonette at the ME CANCELLED
4/29 Frightened Rabbit at the Paradise
4/29 Think About Life at TTs
4/30 Corinne Baily Rae at the House of Blues
4/30 Horse Feathers at Cafe 939
4/30 The Album Leaf and Sea Wolf at the Paradise
4/30 Betty LaVette at the Somerville Theatre
5/1 White Rabbits at the Paradise
5/1 The Other Girls and Gene Dante & the Future Starlets at TTs
5/1 The Turbines, Prime Movers, Classic Ruins and Moose & the Mudbugs at Church
5/1 Spit Reunion with Lizzie Borden & the Axes and Robin Lane & the Chartbusters at Bill's
5/1 Confederacy of Dumpsters at Lizard
5/1 Sia at the House of Blues
5/2 Johann Johannsson at the Brattle Theatre
5/3 Yeasayer at the Paradise
5/4 Mark Kopfler at the Orpheum
5/4 Sonia Kitchell at Cafe 939
5/4 PiL at the Royale (formerly known as the Roxy)
5/5 PiL at the Royale (formerly known as the Roxy)
5/5 Igor and Red Elvises at TTs
5/5 Minus the Bear at the Wilbur
5/5 Jonsi (from Sigur Ros) at the House of Blues
5/6 Jonsi (from Sigur Ros) at the House of Blues
5/6 Caribou at the ME
5/6 Gang Green at Church
5/6 Shout Out Louds at the Paradise
5/6 Born of Fire with To the Wolves and Razormaze at O'Briens
5/7 OK Go at the House of Blues
5/8 Shelby Lynne at Johnny D's
5/8 Local Natives at Great Scotts SOLDOUT
5/11 Everyone Was in the French Resistance...Now! at Great Scotts
5/11 Dr Dog and Deertick at the Paradise
5/12 Dr Dog and Deertick at the Paradise
5/12 Sage Francis at the ME
5/13 The Stools at The Beachcomber, Quincy
5/15 Fleetwood Mac Cover-Up with This Blue Heaven and St Helena at Lizard Lounge
5/15 Two Door Cinema Club at Great Scotts
5/15 The Saw Doctors at the House of Blues
5/15 Diana Ross at the Wang Center
5/16 Michelle Shocked at Johnny D's
5/17 Pearl Jam at the Garden
5/18 Spectrum (with members of Sonic Boom & Spaceman 3)and Broken River Prophet at the ME
5/20 Eluvium at Great Scotts
5/22 St Stanislaus Day Party at the Polish American Club on Cambridge St in East Cambridge (time to roll out the barrel...)
5/22 Killing Joke at the Paradise
5/22 Reverend Horton Heat and Cracker at the Wolf Den, Mohegan Sun, Free!
5/25 Smittens at Toad, Free!
5/26 Reverend Horton Heat and Cracker at the House of Blues
5/27 Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings at the House of Blues
5/28 Mono and The Twilight Sad at the ME
5/30 The Stools and The Fools at The C Note, Hull
6/1 Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses at TTs
6/2 Kings of Convenience and Franklin for Short at the Paradise
6/2 The National at the House of Blues
6/3 The National at the House of Blues
6/4 Brian Jonestown Massacre at the Paradise
6/4 Conan O'Brien at the Wang Center
6/5 Conan O'Brien at the Wang Center
6/10 The Malarians at the Sierra Grille, Northampton, MA (big reunion show, hoping for a Boston/Cambridge date)
6/10 The Stools at The Beachcomber, Quincy
6/11 The Malarians and the Lyres at Ralph's Diner, Worcester
6/11 Buffalo Tom at the Paradise
6/12 The Dead Milkmen at the ME (down)
6/12 Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs at the ME (up)
6/12 Plants and Animals at TTs
6/16 Quintron and Miss Pussycat and Jeff the Brotherhood at Great Scotts
6/17 Arlo Guthrie and Family at Symphony Hall
6/18 Arlo Guthrie and Family at Symphony Hall
6/19 Brendan Boogie and This Blue Heaven at the Lizard
6/19 James Taylor and Carole King at the Garden ($350 per ticket, yowza)
6/20 Born Ruffinas and Young Rival at Great Scotts
6/20 The Melvins at the Paradise
6/21 The Melvins at the Paradise
6/25-27 Ohana Luau at the Lake (Aloha!)
6/29 Ringo Starr and his All Star Band at the Pavillion
7/8 The Stools at The Beachcomber, Quincy
7/9 The Stools and Forgetful Jones at The C Note, Hull
7/13 The Warped Tour at the Comcast Center
7/17 John Cafferty at the Hatch Shell
7/17 Chris Isaak at the Pavillion
7/29 Sting at the Comcast Center
7/31 Hot Tuna and Steve Earle at the House of Blues
8/19 Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and My Morning Jacket at the Comcast Center
8/20 Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and My Morning Jacket at the Comcast Center
8/26 Stereo Total at the ME
8/29 Pat Benatar and Reo Speedwagon at the Pavillion
8/29 Loretta Lynn at Indian Ranch, Webster
9/7 Tortoise at the Paradise
9/18 Pavement at the Agganis Arena
11/14 Ani DiFranco at the Wilbur

Any other suggestions? Let me know. Also please excuse any typos, I try to keep them to a minimum but I'm only human.

C.D. On Songs: The Points North - "Recycling Song"

noreply@blogger.com (C.D. Di Guardia) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:07:00 PDT

The good news is that The Points North are playing tonight. The bad news, for most of us, is that they're playing in Austin, TX. I guess there's some sort of big to-do going on down there, something about the sexy Southwest? I'll stay up here, where it's nice and cool and we have fewer rattlesnakes.

Remember, we're going daily here, so send us in your songs - especially if you have a show coming up. Directions below.

The Points North - "Recycling Song"

[download it!]

This song starts off slow, casting off its lines and working its way gradually away from the dock. "Recycling Song" is the perfect sea-shanty for the trip, gently bumping and lolling over the soft swells of the harbor. The rhythm creaks like old, strong wood while the instruments conduct the pleasant drone of "Recycling Song."

The feel of "Recycling Song" permeates its entire being, almost hypnotizing the listener with its slow, steady movement. When the vocals come in, one can either choose to work with them or stay with the motion of the ocean. While it does feel, at first, like The Points North are definitely going to tell us some grand story, we must really concentrate to catch it all in the face of the overarching spirit of the track.

This is definitely one of your classic multi-dimensional, "listen-to-it-seven-times-to-hear-it-all" songs in a deceptive way - you don't expect it to provide this much grist for the mill, yet it somehow does.

Want to submit your band's song to C.D. On Songs?
To be reviewed in a C.D. On Songs column:

*Be a Boston-based band/artist.

*Email a single mp3/m4a/etc. (or a download link to one) to cdonsongs (at) gmail (dot) com, with the subject line "C.D. on Songs" (DO NOT send us a bunch of songs and make us pick, we will ignore you). We require a file – not a streaming link.

*Include album cover art if you have any. If you don't, a band photo or logo is acceptable.

*Tell us when you want to see it! Give us the date of your show and we'll make sure it runs as close as possible to that day. No kidding.

We will assume that we have your permission to make the song downloadable on Boston Band Crush (readers will want to hear it, after all). If that's not ok with you, say so and provide us with a link to the song on an embeddable player like ReverbNation – something we can include in the post (and not just link to).

Show Crush: Cola War Vets / This Blue Heaven / Hey Now Morris Fader / Sunchunck / People With Instruments at Church tomorrow night

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Willard) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:06:39 PDT

Hey Now Morris Fader have been rocking the hell out of Worcester but haven't been coming around our way much, so tomorrow night's show at Church is a must-see. Not to mention they share the bill with the supermegaultralovely This Blue Heaven, and starting the night at 8 (yes 8 – get there early kids!) are Cola War Vets, featuring BBC hero Hugh Wyman (he did the live audio recording at last year's One Night Band). Then it all wraps up with Sunchunck and People With Instruments. Ten bucks will get you in, and it's 18+. Doors are at 7. See you there!

Update!! Show Crush: Apollo Sunshine / Drug Rug / Edan at the Paradise tomorrow night, plus Apollo Sunshine acoustic this Sunday with Bell and the Bees, and more!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Willard) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:21:31 PDT

Oh, Apollo Sunshine. You were one of the first bands I remember covering when I first started working in the Boston music media five years ago, and my love affair with you has only grown yet somehow our paths seldom cross. How lucky am I then that you've got ~~TWO~~ FOUR!!! shows in Boston this week...

~~Tomorrow night~~ TONIGHT catch Apollo Sunshine, Drug Rug (mmmm) & Edan at the Paradise. 9pm / 18+ / $13 tickets

-----------------------------------------

SATURDAY! They play the Central Square YMCA at 3:30.

-----------------------------------------

Then on Sunday you can catch them in a special acoustic show at Gallery 263 (263 Pearl St., Cambridge), alongside Bell & the Bees, who'll be giving away a free two-song sampler at the show. Showtime is 2:30pm (doors open at 2) and the cover is only five bucks. Sunshine in the afternoon!

-----------------------------------------

And Monday night they'll be at the Middlesex!

And now let us swoon again/still:

Just Crush: Just Bill presents I, Pistol / Mascara / Planetoid / Forgetful Jones this Friday at TT's

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Willard) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:25:16 PDT

Just Bill — lovable photographer to the stars, thrower of legendary all-nighters, and saver of the proverbial day — is hosting a big show at TT's on Friday night with an all-star lineup:

9pm Mascara
10pm Planetoid
11pm I, Pistol
12am Forgetful Jones
TT's / $8 / 21+

C.D. on Songs : The Battleships Cometh - "Kata of the Man Bear"

noreply@blogger.com (C.D. Di Guardia) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 09:17:55 PDT

Your favorite one-song review column is going DAILY. That's right. One song a day. No song left behind. We'll of course feature timely songs - for instance did you know that The Battleships Cometh will be, uh, comething to Church tomorrow night? Are you wondering what to expect? Then check it here.< Please continue to send in your submissions, including, if possible, the date you want us to run your review. Submission guidelines at the bottom!

The Battleships Cometh - "Kata of the Man Bear"

[download it!]

Where have all the wah-wah's gone? Guided by the opening strains of "Kata of the Man Bear," we can account for at least one of them - it's alive and well in this track. And boy does it have a lot to say.

Right up until the vocal starts, you may find yourself wondering if this is simply a Rage Against the Machine song that you somehow never heard. So right about the time you are expecting to hear Zach de la Rocha come on the mic and tell you exactly How It Is, you find something completely different.

The vocal belongs to not an angry young man, but a fairly excitable sounding young lady named simply "Leilani K." The vocals do add a new dimension to the song in that they command the attention. To its credit, the guitar defers the focus to Miss K., and she powers through "Kata of the Man Bear" like she's a new alternate energy source. This track is full of musical zing that will either make you happy or crazy. And wonder what the heck a Man Bear is.

Want to submit your band's song to C.D. On Songs?
To be reviewed in a C.D. On Songs column:

*Be a Boston-based band/artist.

*Email a single mp3/m4a/etc. (or a download link to one) to cdonsongs (at) gmail (dot) com, with the subject line "C.D. on Songs" (DO NOT send us a bunch of songs and make us pick, we will ignore you). We require a file – not a streaming link.

*Include album cover art if you have any. If you don't, a band photo or logo is acceptable.

*Tell us when you want to see it! Give us the date of your show and we'll make sure it runs as close as possible to that day. No kidding.

We will assume that we have your permission to make the song downloadable on Boston Band Crush (readers will want to hear it, after all). If that's not ok with you, say so and provide us with a link to the song on an embeddable player like ReverbNation – something we can include in the post (and not just link to).

Show Crush: The Battleships Cometh / Jesus and the Argonauts / The Full-Time Dreamers @ Church tomorrow

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Willard) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:27:00 PDT

Beware the dangers on the sea tomorrow night, when The Battleships Cometh to rock you along with Jesus and the Argonauts and The Full-Time Dreamers at Church. Listen below to The Battleships Cometh (formerly just The Battleships) and The Full-Time Dreamers, and visit Jesus & the Argonauts' website to download some of their tracks.

8pm / 21+

Advice Crush: Dear Boogie

noreply@blogger.com (Brendan) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 06:28:11 PDT

Before I get to this week's letter, I would like to (ever-so-uncharacteristically) take a moment to indulge in a little shameless self-promotion. This Saturday night March 20, come on by The Rosebud in Davis Square for Brendan Boogie's Storytellers. Blatantly ripping off the concept from VH1, I will be playing my songs, telling the stories behind the songs, talking about songwriting, answering questions, playing with guests, and most of all enjoying the boozy hospitality of Somerville's hottest new venue. Come for the music, stay for the slurring. On to the mail...

Dear Boogie,

I have a band member who is a total douche and has horrible suggestions and even worse playing but I can't really fire them because it took forever to find them in the first place. What do I do besides berating them every practice and going through the motions of realizing that I might have an insanely jealous/bitter (or mentally handicapped) person in our group? To put the band in perspective, I'm a John Lennon in a band of Ringos.

Sincerely,
Ronald James Dio

Dear RJD,

"I'm a John Lennon in a band of Ringos." Wow - that's one of the douchier self-descriptions I've gotten in a while. So kudos for that. And believe me - I know douchey. I've made two records with Jason Dunn. (I kid, I kid.)

So I must admit I'm a little confused about your premise, RJD. Since you're reading this on Boston Band Crush, I'm assuming you live and play music in the greater Boston area, no? And you're having trouble finding musicians for your band? Just call the waiter over. There's a 90% chance he's a Berklee grad. This town is positively lousy with musicians of all sorts. Just this morning, I tripped over a Sousaphone player snoring with an oompah rhythm outside of Starbucks. It's ugly around here.

No, I think this isn't about your bandmate. This is about you, Ronald. You're too much of a wuss to fire someone.

Hey, I'm not judging. I come from a long, proud line of wussies. The Boogie family crest is a passive aggressive post-it note on a refrigerator. Avoiding is one of my favorite pasttimes. I still haven't told my junior year prom date that I couldn't make the dance because of my sex change operation. Poor Ramon. When the moon is right, you can still find him standing outside the Weymouth VFW Hall in a ruffled tuxedo with withered corsage and look of defeat on his face. Occasionally, I'll drive by and toss him a dry chicken dinner while Boyz II Men blasts on my car stereo. It IS so hard to say goodbye to yesterday, Ramon...

ANYwho, on to your problem. You need to fire a bandmate but you lack, as the French say, el cojones. What to do? Well, there are a few strategies you can employ to get rid of your problem without resorting to murder or (shudder) acting like a grownup. Some suggestions:

- Sabotage his equipment. Before he gets to rehearsal, get all MacGuyver on his amps, keys, or drums. If he's your singer, make his mic do one of those funny "high pitched helium" things. It'll be discouraging AND hilarious.

- Book fake shows really far away and tell him you'll meet him there. I recommend having him drive to Rochester. He'll definitely get a speeding ticket because the cops on the New York pike are giant assholes. Also, he'll be in Rochester. Double whammy.

- Pray during rehearsal. A lot. And loudly. Nobody likes a pray-ey pants.

- Tell him you're switching the format to a John Mayer tribute band. If he has any taste, he'll quit on the spot. If he doesn't, you're legally allowed in fourteen states to karate chop him in the throat. The law is not kind to John Mayer fans.

- Hire Jim Zavadoski as your new bassist. I'll give the other guy a week before he quits.

Soundtrack to your misery: "Feel Good Ending" by The Beatings

Have any good or even mediocre questions? Drop your pal Brendo a line at dearboogie@bostonbandcrush.com. Or stop by the Rosebud on Saturday and ask in person.

Kiss Me I'm Crushish: St. Paddy's Day at Great Scott with The Luxury, Organ Beats, Midatlantic, Mellow Bravo, Creepy Jones!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Willard) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:36:32 PDT

Holy shamrocks, this is a hell of a lineup for a Wednesday night! We're told all the bands will be playing at least one Irish song. We don't know if that means a flurry of U2 (barf) (yeah, that's right, I said that), or more like some drunken jigs (AND THE LOVELIEST OF ALL WAS THE UNICORN, bitches!). We're hoping for the latter.

Creepy Jones 9:00-9:30
The Luxury 9:40 - 10:10
Midatlantic 10:20- 10:50
Organ Beats 11:00-11:30
Mellow Bravo 11:40- 12:10
w/ DJ Belfrank in between sets and closing the show

Show Crush: Bacchus King / Croquet / Cathy Cathodic / The Ugly Fucklings @ MidEast up TONIGHT!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Willard) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:00:02 PDT

Tonight at the Middle East upstairs, check out Chaetan Newell (of St. Helena) in his other project, Croquet, in which all three members rotate instruments to create ethereal lo-fi pop (listen to "A Streetcar Named Dee Snider" below). They're joined by Bacchus King, multimedia hip-hop artist Cathy Cathodic (watch her recent CCTV appearance here), and The Ugly Fucklings.

Bacchus King
Croquet
Cathy Cathodic
The Ugly Fucklings
Tuesday, March 16 / 9pm / $9 / The Middle East Upstairs

TV Crush: Quiet Desperation 19

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Willard) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:29:17 PDT

Once again, we bring you a new episode of Quiet Desperation (Allston's reality sitcom):

Birthday Crush (Again!): Happy birthday to our own Amy

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Willard) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:04:20 PDT

A very happy birthday to our gal Amy, who has been kindly syndicating her weekly show listings email here on our blog for over a year now! How time flies. We love you Amy!

Music TV Crush: RGTV with John Straub at River Gods, Tomorrow (3/16)!

kerriannrichard@gmail.com (Kerri-Ann) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:53:44 PDT

It all started sometime back in 2006. A local music nerd/DJ approached the guy who booked the music happenings at the primitively oranmented feasting establishment, River Gods, about going the route of the Music Video. John Straub began his DJing career back in the 80s when he attended Boston College. There he hosted the show Kraft-o-Matic Bed o' Nails (KoMBon) on WZBC 90.3FM from 84-91. He returned to the station in 2005 under the same moniker, and got the bright idea to branch out into the visual world of music television. MTV was no longer valid, and YouTube was all the rage, so why not bring it into the bar and entertain the masses. Hence, RGTV (River Gods Television) was born.

"It began as a 0ne-off in 2006," explains Straub, "...I recorded a couple hours of YouTube videos onto VHS tape that I played at the bar." It was apparently a hit with the locals, because they wanted him to come back and do it again. Only the next time John realized he needed a different approach (though personally, his analog approach is quite endearing). If he was going to do this with any sort of frequency and ease, he needed to go digital and bring in his computer.

Since November 2007, John has been hosting a monthly RGTV session at River Gods. This usually happens the second or third Tuesday of the month, and Straub has recruited various DJs, musicians, friends, delinquents to assist in the VJing festivities. Tomorrow night, local musician Dave Blakney from the garage rock trio Black Clouds will be joining John to spread the visual tunage.

Requests will be served...as will dinner until 10PM. Videos continue until 1AM!

River Gods
125 River Street
Cambridge, MA
21+, Free

Black Clouds

DLR

Opportunity Crush: CDIA accepting submissions for the Studio D project – free recording time for selected bands!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Willard) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:00:55 PDT

The Studio D Project at the Center for Digital Imaging Arts in Waltham has reached out to us again to help find some bands for their Spring '10 recording sessions. Some bands that have participated previously include The Fatal Flaw, Naked On Rollerskates, The Daily Pravda, Faces on Film and Axemunkee.

The skinny from the Studio D website:

Here's how the Studio D Project works:
Every year, CDIA’s Audio Production team partners with a variety of local bands and musicians. Each band picks a cause or charity to support, and records an original song in Studio D.
All songs are released online, where listeners can download the music track by track. All proceeds are donated to each band's charity.

About Studio D:
Studio D is a state of the art modern recording studio, complete with Pro Tools HD, an analog Audient console, a well-stocked mic cabinet, a plethora of outboard equipment (including gear manufactured by Millenia, Summit Audio, and Tubetech), a large live room, three isolation rooms, and a baby grand piano.
Studio D is also a teaching studio for CDIABU students, staffed by professional audio engineers. Through CDIA’s Practicum program, Audio Production staff and students make this dynamic collaboration a success.

This season's available dates are: Tuesday, April 13 - Monday, April 19. If you're interested, please email us (with the subject "Studio D") and send us links to your website/MySpace/etc. The Studio D staff will then review all applicants and select 4-5 bands to participate. Selected bands will be notified by March 26.

Podcast Crush: Bridges and Squares

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Willard) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:29:00 PDT

The self-proclaimed music nerds behind local video podcast series Bridges & Squares visit a band in their rehearsal space and record them doing their thing, then maybe ask some questions, shoot the breeze, whatevs. They're just getting off the ground but we love the idea and will be keeping an eye on their future podcasts. Here's their most recent episode, featuring Abram Taber:

The Bridges & Squares team is looking for bands to include in upcoming podcasts, so if you're interested, get in touch!

CD Release Crush: You, Lion (CD Release), PILES, Nassy and Henry Gale at O'Briens, Tonight (3/13)!

kerriannrichard@gmail.com (Kerri-Ann) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:35:21 PDT

Deep in the heart of Allston Rock City, O'Briens reaches its hipscene quota tonight! There is so much indie-metal-rock going on at this show, us folks at BBC can barely keep up with the timing changes.

The boys of PILES will be reuniting to headline the evening, and have recruited bassist Dana Fowler (Kite Factory/HELP! button/maleBLOOD/I Am Never Going To Die). Check out BBC's review of their song Submariner in our column CD on Songs.

You, Lion will be releasing their debut CD "End it on the Bridge," of which two songs are currently available for free download on their website. The CD was recorded at Barefoot Studio by Paul Vaitkus (whom also recorded PILES/Nassy/motorcar/Archelon).

Nassy will play as the original duo (just Jeff and Jordan) since their illustrious bassist is off on tour working as a soundman.

Henry Gale opens the night, and will have their new EP "Earthbound" for sale.

Get there early and bring your plugs, horns, and flannel!

O'Briens Pub
3 Harvard Avenue
Allston, MA
$9, 21+, 9PM

Music & Film Show Crush: Velvet Underground at the Armory, Tonight (1/12)!

kerriannrichard@gmail.com (Kerri-Ann) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:00:02 PST

Join an all-star cast of characters tonight in Somerville when Arts at the Armor y hosts Room with the VU: An Evening of Velvet Underground Music and Film. Bands will be performing at least one VU song along with a set of their own music.

Scheduled to appear:
The Natalie Flanagan Band performing Oh Sweet Nothing
Kenne Highland & The Brooklyns set to perform the entire White Light/White Heat
Thom Valicenti/Mount Peru perform Satellite of Love

With additional performances by: Asa Brebner, Charlie Ledger, Robzilla and Count Dude & His High Horse!!!

Lights and film provided by local illumination Guru, Todd Sargent. Todd has been involved with the Somerville Arts Council for years, and has been the go-to-guy at the Armory since its beginnings.

This is slated to be a one time event, so fans of the VU won't want to miss the show!

Beer and wine will be available at this show - proper ID required for purchase.

Doors 7:00 pm
Show 7:30 pm - 10:30 pm

Tickets $8 at the door

Feature Crush: C.D. on Songs, 03/12/10

noreply@blogger.com (C.D. Di Guardia) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:03:00 PST

OldJack - "Shine"

This song enters the stage with a steady and deliberate pacing. The arrangement indicates a solid one-two combination of chords and root notes that, like basic black, goes with almost everything one could think up.

The tempo stays at a comfortable and solid head-nodding pace as the song builds to the chorus, which calls on another tried-and-true musical modicum, the I - V - VI minor chord progression that is almost guaranteed to hit home on any organism with ears.

"Shine" has a strong musical basis, but comes through with some pretty sweet extras. For instance, they have no keyboard player listed, but whoever is on the organ clearly knows their way around the controls, affecting some nice speed changes through the drawn out chords, flipping the switch every time you want to hear it flipped.

The background vocals also have much more inherent quality than the usual "let-someone's-sister/girlfriend-throw-in-some-vocals-to-appease-a-band-member" tomfoolery that usually results in off key, off-temp backing vocals. No sir, these background vocals are top-notch, grade-A matched female vocals a la "Gimme Shelter." They are known as, of course, "The Jackettes." See what they did there?

Between the anthemic quality of the chorus, the pace of the song and the inclusion of the perfection that is The Jackettes, NewJack absolutely hits it with "Shine." They hit it so perfectly we're going to dispense with the pithy puns and simply say that this song has so much going for it that it has no chance but to shine. Damn it.

Ships In the Dark - "Landslide"

Everyone loves fireworks, they stand around in big crowds and stare up at the sky and ooh and ahh over each incandescent explosion. Ships in the Dark's "Landslide" serves as a sonic fireworks show, with colorful explosions of sound coming together in the little heard symphonic-rock sound that comes along every once in a while.

Ships in the Dark's symphony is not bittersweet; it is actually rather bombastic. The bombast comes from an explosive drum part and string lines that alternately sizzle and soar over themselves in arcing ribbons like those twisty fireworks. The Roman Candle-style strings launch from and land back within a groundwork of sturdy electric guitar and the aforementioned drum part that keeps the energy pumping all the way through.

While the smoke and fire of the rhythm section sizzles and churns, it is the string-taculous explosions that cause the audience to crane their necks and take notice, taking command over all, even the vocal refrain. The vocals are above adequate and the guitars strong, but the star remains the bows sawing through through the string overhead.

The One Smith - "Just Because"

Some songs struggle to find themselves due to some fault of arrangement or composition or performance. This is not such a song. This song has character - it has already found itself and is capable of expressing its own position in the world. That said, it's hard to tell if Eric Schmider is resigned to some particular fate or resisting it, but the real answer may be that this song sits in the heat of that particular conflict.

The song constantly resolves to a minor chord, with the vocal constantly resolving on the tonic of that minor chord. This lends the track an air of despondence; it's hard to tell if we should try to help or simply let it be. Support in this track comes in the form of a small brass section and shimmering keyboards. The brass part is somewhat grim - it's unsure whether it's playing a march or a funeral. The keyboard's vibrato makes it sound like an atmospheric effect, and not just in the way that douchey guitarists are always asking for "atmospheric" keyboards that won't take any attention away from their sick guitar parts.

The quiet conflict of this song is its largest selling point. Schmider's vocal, the austere musical arrangement all come together to form the musical tautology of "Just Because," and we should be fine to simply sit here and let him work his way through the range of this song.

Young Tremors - "Pebble In My Sea"

While its commercial waxes and wanes in popular culture, the garage band knows that it always has a place on the cement floor, dodging greasespots on the floor or at least not standing in them while touching the microphone with the lips, because that's not pleasant at all. But the garage is always there, it's always a little dirty and there's always space to set up the amplifiers amidst the old bikes and lawnmowers.

Young Tremors, however, are not standing in their garage in their sweatpants and dirty t-shirts. These guys have style, after all. "Pebble In My Sea" is evidence enough. The guitar and bass strut confidently through the mix, adding an extra swagger here and there for good measure. The band hits each stop like an old jalopy doing road-jumps over hilly streets, soaring through the air for a four-count before ka-slam!-ing back onto the street in full gear.

The chord structure of "Pebble In My Sea" shows garage-rock's advances over the more simple chord compositions of punk. Whereas your garden-variety punk is simply three chords and the truth, Young Tremors come through with somewhere around five chords and not just the truth but a melodic story. You can wave your fist around to this, but you can also listen. And dig.

Kingsley Flood - "Cul de Sac"

Now Kinglsey Flood has a fairly quaint name and genre association. Usually new England bands billed as "Americana" or "Folk" can be expected to sound like a hayride through some bygone dusty road. One does not usually expect the rock to come or even make much of an appearance. That is, to say, until one meets Kingsley Flood and gets an earful of "Cul de Sac," a solidly energizing number that rollicks through itself like an out-of-control wagon.

"Cul de Sac" makes you want to listen along and not miss a detail of either the music or the lyric. While this denotes an obvious musical depth, the song remains accessible to the listener whatever level of attention you care to pay. Whether you listen closely or lend the song half an ear, you will find the experience to be an enjoyable one.

There's a duality going on in here. You can still hear the sounds of countless small-stringed instruments being plucked and strummed, but the decidedly modern melodic posturing of "Cul de Sac" shows a case of content over genre. The hallmarks of this song - catchy, rewarding chorus coupled with an actual interesting story - are not peculiar to the Americana genre, rather they are simply a mark of good writing, arrangement and performance. And this is just their first record.

Piles - "Submariner"

Now just because this is "C.D. on Songs," it don't mean that we won't happily accept, listen to and write up instrumentals. And that's a good thing, because that little technicality would have cost us the chance to hear the superb "Submariner" from local veterans Piles. And with a name like "Piles," you know it has to be good. Or at least, it had better.

Submariner stealthily sneaks into the sonic spectrum like Solid Snake breaking into an armed fortress. Their main instrument of infiltration is a five-note bass line that leads the rest of the band through the zone, covered from enemy fire by an M1 tank's worth of drums all ticky-tacking and locking and loading and all that fun stuff that tanks do.

This song does have a spy feel to it, but it's more like the spy that, having snuck undetected into an area full of bad guys, jumps out into a clearing with a submachine gun in one hand and, oh, like, twelve hand grenades in the other, ready for some hardcore destruction. The action in this track is what we'll call the refrain - due to lack of a chorus outside of the alternating Oooh! Aaah! vocal parts in this section which serve more an instrumental purpose than a descriptive one. "Submariner" really does its damage in this section, coming out from under cover with a raucous attack of jangly guitar and distorted bass.

The rhythmic weaponry of this song comes together in what turns out to be an exquisite arsenal of explosive composition. The stutter-beats and half-tone lead-ins keep both the song and the listener on their respective toes, ready for enemy soldiers, laser-trip wires and distorted vocals.

I WANT TO GO TO THERE (AND DOWNLOAD THESE TRACKS)

***********

Want to submit your band's song to C.D. On Songs?
To be reviewed in a C.D. On Songs column:

Be a Boston-based band/artist.
Email a single mp3/m4a/etc. (or a download link to one) to cdonsongs (at) gmail (dot) com, with the subject line "C.D. on Songs" (DO NOT send us a bunch of songs and make us pick, we will ignore you). We require a file – not a streaming link.
Do tell us who is in your band and what they do.
Include album cover art if you have any. If you don't, a band photo or logo is acceptable.
We will assume that we have your permission to make the song downloadable on Boston Band Crush (readers will want to hear it, after all).
If that's not ok with you, say so and provide us with a link to the song on an embeddable player like ReverbNation – something we can include in the post (and not just link to).

Double Feature Crush: Rosebud Saturday with Yoni Gordon + karaoke (early show) / The Invisible Rays & Eddie Japan (late show)

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Willard) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:32:07 PST

Tomorrow night, The Rosebud lights up with two for the price of, well, two. These shows are separate entities, but both are recommended!

It starts with an early show with Yoni Gordon & the Goods, who'll start up at 8 and play a mix of originals and live karaoke (they've taken requests in advance and learned a bunch of songs, and will draw names to determine who gets to partake). This is the first date of a 5-show tour for them, with all including live karaoke (they musta learned a lot of songs!):

3/12@Ralph's WORCESTER, MA
3/13@Rosebud Diner SOMERVILLE, MA
3/14@Larry's DANBURY, CT
3/15@Cake Shop NEW YORK, NY
3/16@The Fire PHILADELPHIA, PA

Click here to watch Yoni & co. in a recent CCTV appearance.

---------------------------------

Then for the late show, The Invisible Rays and Eddie Japan will rock you with some music AND movies. We're not sure what kind of movies but the iRays' poster for the show (bottom) suggests maybe blood and gore, perhaps marine exploration – you'll just have to come find out. Movies begin at 9:30, The Invisible Rays are on at 10 and Eddie Japan hit the stage at 11.

Birthday Crush: It's Ryan's Smashing Birthday!

noreply@blogger.com (Ashley Willard) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:21:29 PST

A very happy birthday to our good friend Ryan, of Ryan's Smashing Life, who turns 26 or something today! Buy that man a beer.