tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30751122009-07-09T13:37:45.152-04:00A Bostonian shares the music he loves, plus various pop culture writings on comics, movies, and more. Downloadable mp3s from random indie bands, photos from shows by bands you know and ones you should, and lots and lots of links.Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comBlogger969125This is an XML content feed. It is intended to be viewed in a newsreader or syndicated to another site.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-38588053996574196002009-06-26T19:02:00.015-04:002009-06-29T10:46:56.754-04:00

If you're anywhere near Boston, and you've been following me on Twitter, you've probably been pleased with my recent flood of fairly exciting Boston-area rock show announcements. If you're elsewhere, well then, I'm assuming you're a bit jealous. Rather than relegate all that good info to 140-char info-blasts, I figured it was time to neatly pull it all together so you can get your tickets and

Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/06/boston-so-many-good-shows-ahead-part-1.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-69834053320038481792009-06-23T11:31:00.002-04:002009-06-24T08:49:50.338-04:00

Tonight Andrew Kenny returns to town with his Austin-based combo The Wooden Birds for their second area show at TT the Bear's in just three months. The TT's stage is a very familiar one to Kenny, who played there many times with his former band, American Analog Set, and more recently as a touring member of Broken Social Scene. Had AmAnSet continued beyond the 2005 release of their last album,

Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/06/show-preview-with-live-mp3s-wooden.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-50205439546654170812009-06-15T13:08:00.003-04:002009-06-15T14:49:41.568-04:00

In four short days, a genuinely special double-bill will make its way to Boston when Andrew Bird and Calexico set up at the BoA Pavilion on our waterfront's Fish Pier. As a fan of both, having seen each in far different settings and far away from Boston (Bird in a bar, under a tent, and in an old Vermont meeting house in '03, Calexico in '06 at the Touch & Go 25th Anniversary shindig in Chicago)

Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/06/ticket-giveaway-andrew-bird-calexico-in.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-47159015109441863372009-06-05T19:04:00.005-04:002009-06-06T10:13:34.991-04:00

I was gearing up to write this intro for my recording of The Radio Dept. live at the NYC Popfest last month, then I re-read Chromewaves' recap of the night and realized I (and you) would be much better served by sticking with his summary. So go read that and come back. Ok. Done? Alright then.Like Frank, I traveled to Brooklyn specifically for the Swedish trio, fulfilling a longtime wish to

Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/06/mp3s-radio-dept-at-nycpopfest.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-26397724410939867692009-05-28T22:28:00.004-04:002009-05-29T09:59:43.785-04:00

Below, a veritable wellspring of news, music, and performances from a bunch of great Boston area musicians. Subjects covered below includes The New Collisions (playing tomorrow), Greg Hawkes, Hallelujah the Hills, Wheat, Miranda Warning (playing tomorrow), Charlene, The Broken River Prophet, Heat From A DeadStar, Saturday's "SPLIT / SIGNAL" show in Somerville, Norway's I Was A King (also playing

Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/05/listen-up-boston-some-local-mp3s-shows.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-84250994853649835202009-05-25T08:32:00.002-04:002009-05-27T17:23:09.986-04:00

Taking a break from, well, taking a break, to finally offer up my recording of what ended up being Mogwai's last North American performance of 2008 (and just two days before the U.S. release of "The Hawk Is Howling"), up in the Catskills during the final night of the first New York edition of All Tomorrow's Parties. If you know Mogwai, you know it was equal parts gorgeous and ear-blistering...

Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/05/memorial-day-mp3s-mogwai-live-at-atp-ny.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-36683683823357573562009-05-19T13:39:00.000-04:002009-05-19T13:39:12.110-04:00

Regular 'Nac visitors know that I frequently wander off on non-musical tangents, talking comic books, movies, whatever. Well, here I go again, offering up a couple pairs of tickets to see comedian Christian Finnegan and friends at Allston's Great Scott this Friday, along with an autographed copy of his just-released stand-up CD "Au Contraire" (which also has a DVD edition).I've been a fan of

Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/05/ticket-giveaway-comedian-christian.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-85496508889949798302009-05-14T12:01:00.003-04:002009-05-15T14:28:35.917-04:00

This Tuesday, May 19th, St. Vincent (aka Ms. Annie Clark) will return to the Boston area to headline a night at the Somerville Theatre with openers Pattern Is Movement. It's the very first stop on a month-long, nationwide tour to spotlight last week's release of "Actor", her second solo album and first for legendary label 4AD.Thanks to the kind crew at World Music/CRASHarts, I've got a pair of

Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/05/ticket-giveaway-st-vincent-in.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-70948328545119668992009-05-12T11:43:00.003-04:002009-05-12T12:07:23.746-04:00

One week from today, John Vanderslice officially releases his new full-length, "Romanian Names", through the Dead Oceans label, and will soon after head out on lengthy North American tour to support it. Even without this new album and upcoming live schedule, this spring has been a good time to be a JV fan - his recent "Gone Primitive" tour with the Mountain Goats' John Darnielle was truly

Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/05/live-mp3s-john-vanderslice-in.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-79903027006409497562009-05-06T15:48:00.003-04:002009-05-07T08:35:05.039-04:00

I live! Fully recovered and re-energized after last Friday's amazing pop/rock show at TTs, I return here to share a whole lotta songs. I'm prepping to post a nice John Vanderslice live show (to go along with that recent John Darnielle set), but before I get to that, I wanted to pass along a whole mess of guilt-free Mp3s, totally legal downloads from new and upcoming releases that have grabbed

Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/05/so-many-songs-for-sharing.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-20514581212709002752009-04-27T14:08:00.004-04:002009-04-27T14:23:30.876-04:00

As detailed earlier, I'm pretty well thrilled to play a part in bringing Minneapolis' Now, Now Every Children to town for the very first time this Friday, May 1st. After a couple of promising EPs, the duo (and touring trio) delivered a stunning debut album titled "Cars" in February, and I obsessed enough over it to make it my mission to see them play live. That'll happen in just a few days at

Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/04/exclusive-mp3-interview-with-now-now.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-63183617557801812732009-04-22T10:15:00.007-04:002009-05-02T07:40:09.623-04:00

This Friday night, the very first day of May, I'm genuinely proud to have pulled together a pretty amazing four-band lineup at TT the Bears in Cambridge, Mass. -- From Minneapolis, and making their Boston-area debut, the wonderful Now, Now Every Children. One of Boston's best new bands, The Hush Now. Truly great local quartet You Can Be A Wesley. And opening the evening, from the northern

Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/04/next-week-friday-night-nac-event-at-tts.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-84826394557695051232009-04-17T12:37:00.005-04:002009-04-17T15:08:04.906-04:00

Cinema-loving ladies and gents, the 2009 Independent Film Festival of Boston is upon us. Without fail, I start to get excited about this sucker from the moment the dates are announced, moreso as the full lineup is unveiled, and I don't lose that feeling until the final frames of the closing-night film. From this coming Wednesday evening, April 22nd, through Tuesday night the 28th, I'll forego

Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/04/here-it-comes-2009-independent-film.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-48689659516794429812009-04-08T23:37:00.004-04:002009-04-10T12:42:48.101-04:00

Yesterday was a big day for Bob Mould and the fans who follow him -- not only did it bring the release of his latest full-lengther, the exceptional "Life and Times", but last night saw him play a very special show down in Alexandria, Virginia. The former Husker Du & Sugar frontman was joined on stage by friends to commemorate the 20th anniversary his brilliant "Workbook" record, performing

Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/04/mp3s-bob-mould-some-live-life-and-times.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-71935720707577748532009-04-05T12:19:00.003-04:002009-04-05T13:37:07.516-04:00

One of the most rewarding results of recording the shows I go to is when I'm able to capture the exact moment when I completely fall for an artist. It happens rarely, since I'm most often well enough in love with a band before I see them on stage... but I felt it again two weeks back, just a few songs into John Darnielle's solo set at the Somerville Theatre. As a casual Mountain Goats follower

Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/04/live-mp3s-mountain-goats-john-darnielle.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-49212506365865051842009-03-31T09:42:00.002-04:002009-03-31T12:24:43.212-04:00

Yes, it may be an overly-obvious thematic choice, but in honor of the blessed end of a brutally long Boston winter, I've decided to share up a live recording of... The Long Winters. It's been exactly two years since John Roderick and his merry band visited our fair city, when they played to a packed house at Allston's Great Scott on a fantastic bill that included The Broken West (who

Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/03/mp3s-long-winters-live-in-allston-ma.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-25761056472227435762009-03-28T18:20:00.004-04:002009-03-29T10:38:37.989-04:00

Well, here it is at last, a brand new look for the Almanac. Nine years since I started this place and about three years since I got sick of the old design - solid proof of some serious procrastination. Since I'm but a novice web designer, and even less of an artist, I owe this fit of html-motivation to the new logo you see up above. It comes courtesy of my super-talented friend (and Smittens

Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/03/meet-new-nac.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-4467469818534503532009-03-25T06:07:00.010-04:002009-03-28T17:07:06.960-04:00

A few bits of film, music, and tv-related goodness to mark the mid-week...The 7th annual Independent Film Festival of Boston has just shared its initial list of films (narrative, documentary, and shorts), and unsurprisingly, it's packed with gems. Take a gander, put in for vacation days with your boss (April 22nd-28th), and come back here in a couple days when I hope to have a full list with

Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/03/wednesday-fiver.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-6407331869764508442009-03-20T08:59:00.004-04:002009-03-28T17:11:08.546-04:00

Chalk up another great Tourfilter night at River Gods, where I played a couple hours of songs by bands that are coming to town in the next month or two. I felt like I scrambled to pull this playlist together, didn't have as much time to work on sequencing as I'd hoped, but it ended up feeling just right. Lots of people asking "What band was that?" (or texting - you can request artist/song/show

Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/03/last-nights-playlist-tourfilter-dj.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-1546465137819213252009-03-18T09:03:00.001-04:002009-03-18T09:03:58.949-04:00

News of the Swirlies' reemergence from a lengthy hibernation for three strictly East Coast (sneaky flute) shows a few weeks back was a more than welcome surprise, and was instantly one of my most anticipated musical happenings of the new year. I'd seen the Boston-based band many times back in the day ("the day" being the early-90s), but somehow not once after the release of what would become my

Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/03/review-swirlies-live-in-cambridge-ma.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-92034069059187829402009-03-13T15:46:00.003-04:002009-03-17T23:06:02.090-04:00

It's been all contests and little actual content here on the 'Nac lately, and for that I do apologize (well, I'm not sorry for giving away free stuff, but still). Hoping to fix that imbalance over the weekend, but the prospect of warm weather may dash those hopes. We shall see. Here's a quick few info fixes before I'm off...Firstly, congrats to Almanac reader Penny from Cambridge, who will

Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/03/friday-fiver.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-88723346077501879612009-03-09T08:43:00.002-04:002009-03-10T08:46:28.296-04:00

This Saturday night, March the 14th, A.C. Newman (aka Allan Carl Newman, aka Carl Newman, aka frontman of the New Pornographers and long-ago for the underappreciated Zumpano) will bring his particular brand of melodic guitar pop to the Paradise, with the help of a full band (one that includes Superchunk drummer Jon Wurster), and with opening assistance from Mr. Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele.

Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/03/ticket-giveaway-ac-newman-paradise.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-56573977046237169472009-03-04T09:09:00.005-05:002009-03-04T10:08:51.613-05:00

It's been five long years since Tindersticks have graced U.S. stages, and the intervening time brought the first-major shakeup to the Nottingham-based band's lineup since their formation in 1991. In 2006, a few years after the release of their sixth album ("Waiting For The Moon"), multi-instrumentalist and founding member Dickon Hinchliffe departed the sextet along with the rhythm section of Al

Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/03/ticket-giveaway-tindersticks-in.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-45301230285016188162009-02-24T08:50:00.001-05:002009-02-24T09:09:08.736-05:00

Hey hey, another day, another ticket giveaway. I'm actually going to be doing two today -- the one below and a last-minute chance to win 2 tix to see Tapes 'n Tapes, Wild Light, and the Subjects at the Paradise tonight. But to mix things up, I'll be doing that particular contest on the Almanac Twitter account, so follow me over there and keep an eye out for my first-ever free-ticket-tweet. And

Bradhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02283582877245490028noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/02/ticket-giveaway-drug-rug-viva-viva.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-88822584264059507262009-02-23T09:31:00.003-05:002009-02-23T13:22:34.413-05:00

It dawned on me a few days back that the Almanac passed its 9th anniversary on Sunday, February 15th. Or at least that was the date, in the year 2000 (cheers, Conan), that I registered this here domain name. While it would be a couple years before the place morphed from a personal site into a bonafide blog, I started shouting my musical obsessions into this series of tubes from the get-go.To

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