tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30751122009-11-20T11:53:20.975-05:00A 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.Bradnoreply@blogger.comBlogger990125This 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-59828672042911984822009-11-14T12:00:00.002-05:002009-11-14T19:28:55.072-05:00

It's been quite a while since I've pulled together one of those 'music miscellany' posts, in which I gather all the various music-related news and links that have struck a chord with me, and there's a pretty straightforward reason: The 'Nac Twitter account. It's been fulfilling my compulsion to share the cool, quick stuff, but it leaves the 'Nac slightly neglected, and leaves you surfers and

Bradnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/11/my-week-in-music-tweets-1.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-34866898478273920312009-11-10T08:30:00.004-05:002009-11-10T23:21:53.633-05:00

I've said it before, and I'll say it here again: If forced at gunpoint to pick my favorite live show of all time, odds are I'd yell out the three-headed beast that was The Jesus Lizard, Six Finger Satellite, and Arcwelder at Metronome in Burlington, Vermont in '93. To my ears, each band was pretty close to their peak, with JL still touring on the powerful "Liar", Arcwelder playing songs from

Bradnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/11/ticket-giveaway-jesus-lizard-at.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-76579062414021009592009-10-27T16:17:00.000-04:002009-10-27T16:17:26.812-04:00

Ladies and gentlemen, Pinback is, um, back. No, not yet with a new album (their latest remains 2007's "Autumn of the Seraphs"), but with a month-long tour that brings them to Boston's Paradise this Halloween night. Without a fresh record to spotlight, I'd assume a discography-spanning setlist (and so far, show reports say so), though those same reports also reveal a distinct lack of new songs.

Bradnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/10/ticket-giveaway-pinback-ho-ag-at.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-17604549204164297182009-10-22T11:37:00.002-04:002009-10-22T13:30:28.820-04:00

After a couple of area shows at Great Scott so far this year, Wheat hits the much-larger downstairs room of the Middle East this Saturday night. Given that both those shows were pretty well packed, the step-up in size is a very good thing, especially given the extra bodies that this weekend's supporting bands will bring: Out-of-towners Jukebox The Ghost along with locals the Motion Sick and the

Bradnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/10/ticket-giveaway-wheat-this-saturday.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-61292567071298701582009-10-16T12:01:00.002-04:002009-10-16T12:34:21.174-04:00

Well, this is a strange one to write. To say I'm a little close to the subject at hand would be a slight understatement. For friends and followers who already know that the 'Amie' in the title of this post is my wonderful wife of 8 years, for strangers who can sympathize, and for Boston-area readers and music fans looking for a special show tomorrow, this one's for you. Most of all, this post

Bradnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/10/tomorrow-at-noon-for-amie-breast-cancer.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-90045263377926117272009-10-14T00:50:00.004-04:002009-10-14T11:05:38.523-04:00

When I eventually sit down to figure out my favorite live shows of '09, there's one spot filled for sure: Loney Dear's springtime set at Allston's Great Scott. It wasn't my first time seeing Sweden's Emil Svanangen and his wonderful backing band, but it was easily the most intimate, and most moving, so far. There's something very special about Emil, a welcoming, warm demeanor that brings you

Bradnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/10/live-mp3s-loney-dear-in-allston-ma.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-35822851982440523472009-10-04T03:04:00.001-04:002009-10-04T19:58:33.016-04:00

Happy Mission of Burma Day, everyone! And I'm not just sayin' that - it's freakin' official. In case you hadn't heard, the Boston City Council (thanks to a resolution drafted by Councillor John Tobin, a man with apparent good taste) has declared today, being Sunday, October 4th, 2009, "Mission Of Burma Day". How about that? The text of the resolution:WHEREAS: The City of Boston is the

Bradnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/10/vinyl-giveaway-celebrate-mission-of.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-87993447344236849642009-10-02T07:45:00.003-04:002009-10-02T08:24:45.660-04:00

Even though Arms and Sleepers' gorgeously mesmerizing sophomore album, "Matador", won't officially be available until mid-November here in North America, anyone fortunate enough to catch them on a string of dates this month will be able to grab one straight from the source. The first opportunity to do so comes this Wednesday, when the duo (namely Boston's Max Lewis and Portland, ME's Mirza Ramic

Bradnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/10/ticket-giveaway-arms-and-sleepers-cd.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-16458344259712023722009-09-18T10:54:00.006-04:002009-09-19T08:03:22.090-04:00

Many of us are feeling (or, rather, listening to, or playing) the after-effects of the recently-ended 'Beatles Week', but for me it was immediately preceded by what was most definitely 'Bazan Week'. It started on Friday, August 28th in the afternoon when Seattle-based David Bazan arrived in Massachusetts and gifted his Twitter followers with an impromptu dry-run online-webcast (sadly, since

Bradnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/09/live-mp3s-david-bazan-house-show-in.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-82143365100156142642009-09-16T12:34:00.003-04:002009-09-16T12:42:45.990-04:00

The sum-total of knowledgeable Boston-based music writers increased by at least one earlier this year when Mr. Joe Fielder's new day job had him packing up his life in L.A. and relocating here to our little Hub. I'd had the music blog he wrote for, Radio Free Silver Lake, in my RSS reader long before he dropped me a note saying he was heading out this way, and having read many of his posts,

Bradnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/09/guest-post-west-coast-music-invasion.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-67253697305426422982009-09-11T15:26:00.000-04:002009-09-15T18:44:59.895-04:00

Imagine me saying this in my most sickeningly sincere voice possible: It has been a very, very long time since I've been as excited about Boston-made music (and specifically, discovering the new) as I have been over this past couple months. I've been listening to a whole lot of area bands lately, and I feel like I've barely even scratched the sonic surface. So I'm going to take a quick run down

Bradnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/09/bona-fide-boston-music-boom-part-1.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-30472092487275231482009-09-02T19:25:00.004-04:002009-09-06T00:52:55.884-04:00

While The Sea Navy is very much a Seattle band, I'll never be able to separate singer/guitarist Jay Cox from Boston in my brain. Though he moved away a number of years ago, I still expect to see him at the same shows I go to, just as I used to a decade ago when I first got here. He was that increasingly-familiar face in the crowd at all the good gigs, then suddenly one night he was up on stage

Bradnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/09/merch-giveaway-sea-navy-disc-tee-art.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-6551796350789439072009-08-24T17:11:00.003-04:002009-08-31T17:36:32.842-04:00

I regularly visit my home-state of Vermont to spend time with family and friends, but I require a damn good reason to make that drive in the dead of winter. It's cold and blustery enough here in Boston in mid-February that purposefully heading to an even colder clime has little-to-no-appeal. Sorry, parents and pals... you can wait a couple more months, right?But schedule a Pains of Being Pure

Bradnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/08/live-mp3s-pains-of-being-pure-at-heart.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-22487789444748806732009-08-21T10:17:00.001-04:002009-08-21T10:17:20.832-04:00

Short on sleep and short on time, but I wanted to share last night's playlist from my latest visit to the River Gods DJ booth for Tourfilter night. For those not in the know, there's one rule: I only play songs by bands that are coming to the Boston area in the next month or two. I'm especially proud of this one, as I think it contains the highest percentage of locally-made music I've played

Bradnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/08/last-nights-playlist-tourfilter-dj.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-40387716231416517662009-08-11T12:05:00.005-04:002009-08-11T13:37:16.670-04:00

I've had the good fortune of seeing Telekinesis play live a couple times in the six months since the release of their gloriously catchy self-titled debut disc - once here in Boston on the eve of the album's arrival back in late March, and again just two weeks ago down at XX Merge in North Carolina. While the album showcases the songs and multi-instrumental talents of Seattlite Michael Lerner,

Bradnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/08/live-mp3s-telekinesis-in-cambridge-ma.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-6593650812947498142009-08-02T09:56:00.002-04:002009-08-04T09:14:45.998-04:00

As promised a month ago, here's a continuation of the list of upcoming Boston-area shows that have me very, very psyched for the second half of summer. Wait, summer's almost half over? Well, rats.I'm thinking of making this run-down a monthly deal. But then again, I think about doing lots of things...If you went to Wheat's CD release show at Great Scott last night, I hope you saved some of your

Bradnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/08/boston-some-august-shows-of-note.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-69843481372700800062009-07-29T00:01:00.004-04:002009-07-30T09:28:23.354-04:00

This Saturday, August 1st, the pride of Taunton, Mass. celebrates the release of their brand new album with a show at Allston's Great Scott. Yes, Wheat has returned. Their "White Ink Black Ink" hit the streets last week thanks to The Rebel Group label, and they've invited locals Bon Savants and Brooklyn's The XYZ Affair to help mark the occasion with this weekend's Massconcerts-presented bash.A

Bradnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/07/ticket-cd-giveaway-wheat-great-scott-on.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-62564833661863958332009-07-25T11:32:00.006-04:002009-07-30T09:57:11.761-04:00

Greetings from below the Mason-Dixon line, y'all. In case you haven't been following me on Twitter, I'm down in the Chapel Hill, North Carolina area for XX Merge - the 5-day 20th anniversary blowout celebrating the magic made by Merge Records. They're one of my favorite labels, perhaps the fave, and when this thing was announced earlier this year I was compelled to make the journey down south

Bradnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/07/nac-at-xx-merge-gone-mergin.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-6003588215235658252009-07-18T18:23:00.005-04:002009-07-20T10:28:38.941-04:00

There's not a weak spot to be found in the three-headed lineup that will pack Cambridge's TT the Bears on Wednesday, July 29th: An ace local opener in Faces on Film, followed by the one-two punch of their tourmates from divergent yet nearly equidistant locales: LA's Foreign Born and London's The Veils.Any of these three bands would be worth shining a spotlight on, but it's UK quartet The Veils

Bradnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/07/ticket-vinyl-giveaway-veils-tts-on-729.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-62083482001103928652009-07-16T14:29:00.003-04:002009-07-16T15:59:24.710-04:00

If you need to put a smile on your face, or at least widen your already-existing one, there's no surefire way to do that than to see Tullycraft play live. There's an exuberance to their shows and songs, a sincerity of sweetness and light that could knock over even the most jaded hipster. So it was with no slight sadness that I read their MySpace update back in March that said the following..."

Bradnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/07/live-mp3s-tullycraft-in-somerville.htmtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3075112.post-52775773410802375462009-07-10T14:18:00.002-04:002009-07-10T17:20:41.263-04:00

A quick note about a couple shows happening over the weekend that deserve your attention and attendance, although it requires you to pick just one. Here's the info so you can choose wisely....Less than an hour drive northwest of Boston sits Lowell, MA, where Wilco will be playing tomorrow evening with openers Connor "Bright Eyes" Oberst and his Mystic Valley Band. The forecast looks fantastic,

Bradnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/07/boston-your-weekend-music-plans.htmtag: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

Bradnoreply@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,

Bradnoreply@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)

Bradnoreply@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

Bradnoreply@blogger.comhttp://www.bradleysalmanac.com/2009/06/mp3s-radio-dept-at-nycpopfest.htm