The Head And The Heart - Live at the Paradise Boston 4.20.11

The Head And The Heart's fantastic self-titled debut record landed at #14 on my favorite albums of 2010 list.  The truth is, with a few more months to marinate, it's now probably somewhere in the top 10.  Songs of weariness, of love and of home, delivered with honesty, confidence and a bouncy folk-pop jangle.  With a rough-edged charm, sugary-sweet melodies, male-female vocals and earnest stories of distance, there's a lot to love about this band.

As memorable as the songs themselves are, I'll never forget the journey they took into my collection.  Waking up in Seattle, hungover, with fading, hours-old memories of hearing about this great band that had just signed to Sub Pop records, I opened the band's myspace page and let the music revive me.  It wasn't long before I was in a coffeeshop expousing the merits of the band from my little soapbox here.  Hours later I was on a mission to get the album; a digital download just wouldn't do, I needed the physical artifact.  You see, there was no telling if I would have another chance to get the pre-Sub Pop self-released version back home in Boston - and for someone like me, that just wouldn't do.  So we walked.  First a pleasant stroll to Sonic Boom Lower Queen Anne.  "Sold out".  Then, coffee in-hand, a longer jaunt in a steady drizzle to Silver Platters.  "Nope, but Sonic Boom Capitol Hill might have some copies".  The cold drizzle now a heavy downpour, we kept walking - there was one last chance.  Through puddles and mud and tire spray, up Capitol Hill (the long, long way) and finally success.  I've never worked so hard to get my hands on an album.  Admittedly, it was a little insane - but well-worth all the effort.

So, you can understand my excitement this past weekend to see the band live for the first time.  As good as the songs are on record, believe me when I say that this is a band that you have to see live.  Playing their first-ever shows in Boston in support of Dr. Dog, they exuded the stage presence of a band far more seasoned.  It was one of the most impressive opening sets I've seen in a long time.  They held the focus of a rowdy crowd, performing a set that was energetic, engaging and hopefully a precursor to many headlining shows to come.

Check out a full recording of the show below - taped from the front row of the balcony, the sound is excellent.  Please support the band by picking up their album here.

The Head And The Heart
Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA
February 20, 2011

Cats And Dogs
Ghosts
Honey Come Home
Heaven Go Easy On Me
Lost In My Mind
Winter Song
Sounds Like Hallelujah
Down In The Valley
Rivers And Roads

Full set download: mp3 zip

More photos

The Low Anthem - Smart Flesh review, Live in Boston 4.20.10

My most anticipated album of early 2011, The Low Anthem's Smart Flesh, is out today.  It's been more than a year since I first heard live versions of many of these songs - but in the intervening months the band holed themselves up in a freezing, abandoned pasta sauce factory and put the songs to wax.  The result is as beautiful and memorable an album as I expect to hear this year.

Smart Flesh showcases the band's continued growth - mixing delicate, whisper-soft hymns ("Ghost Woman Blues", "I'll Take Out Your Ashes", "Love And Altar") with electric guitar stomps that give the listener a chance to breathe ("Boeing 737", "Hey, All You Hippies!").  Haunting imagery, deft turns of phrase and starkly personal subjects - Ben Knox Miller's songwriting stands up as an example of songwriting at its best and most pure.

What lies within these grooves is a collection of songs that drip with soul but benefit from restraint.  Big ideas and intense emotion, stripped to the bone.  Devoid of pretense or anything superfluous, the songs have a lived-in patina and hand-worn luster - simply beautiful.

The Low Anthem will be at Old South Church in Boston on March 4 (tickets) and will be back in Boston on April 19 at the House of Blues, opening for Iron & Wine.  Two must-see shows.

Check out a remastered version of our excellent recording of the band at the Paradise last April 20 - the sound is improved over the last version, and is a pristine soundboard+room matrix.  Don't miss this!

The Low Anthem
Paradise Rock Club - Boston MA
April 20, 2010

Cage The Songbird
Ticket Taker
[thanks]
Sally Where'd You Get Your Liquor From *
To The Ghosts Who Write History Books
Apothecary Love
Ghost Woman Blues
Charlie Darwin
Home I'll Never Be **
Cigarettes, Whiskey & Wild, Wild Women ^
Maybe So
This God Damn House
Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around %
Ain't No More Cane %
Dreams Can't Chase You Down
Ohio
Love And Altar
I'll Take Out Your Ashes

* - Rev. Gary Davis
** - Jack Kerouac
^ - Jim Croce
% - Traditional

Full set download (mp3 zip)

Don't miss: Holy Ghost Tent Revival in Cambridge (Sat 2/19)

I've never seen Holy Ghost Tent Revival live, but I get the impression they're one of those bands that rolls into town, unloads their gear (most likely battered and duct taped) and proceeds to whip the crowd into a frenzy.  Then, they disappear as quickly as they came, leaving behind nothing but a trail of empty whiskey bottles, ringing ears and new fans.  Just a hunch.

Their sound recalls fellow North Carolinians The Avett Brothers (stomping bluegrass-punk, tender ballads, banjo) and adds blaring New Orleans horns to the mix.  Do yourself a favor and check out the band's show at Atwood Tavern in Cambridge this Saturday 2/19, it's gonna be a party.

If you doubt my hyperbolic expectations about the band's live show, listen to this track off their recent live album (get the whole thing here) and tell me I'm wrong:

Holy Ghost Tent Revival - Walking Over My Grave

Dr. Dog + The Head And The Heart @ Paradise 2/19-20

 

This weekend sees two of the best indie-folk-rock bands out there playing not one but two shows at The Paradise in Boston.  You've got two chances, don't blow it and miss out on this.

If you need convincing, here are some tunes.  Seattle's The Head And The Heart recently signed to Sub Pop, and their fantastic debut album has just been released.  Preview "Down In The Valley", a gorgeous road song...

The Head And The Heart - Down In The Valley

We were in the house the last time Dr. Dog played the Paradise and got this fantastic live recording to prove it.  Enjoy!

Dr. Dog
Paradise Rock Club - Boston MA
May 12, 2010

Mirror Mirror
Hang On
The Old Days
Army Of Ancients
The Way The Lazy Do
Someday
Shadow People
The Ark
The World May Never Know
I Only Wear Blue
Later
Unbearable Why
The Beach
The Breeze
The Rabbit, The Bat and The Reindeer
Station
The Girl
Shame, Shame
Jackie Wants a Black Eye
Stranger
Die Die Die
Fat Dog
Easy Beat
Heart It Races (Architecture In Helsinki)
My Friend

Full set download:  mp3 zip

On Vacation... back next week

Here's a taste of what I'm probably listening to right now...

Desolation Wilderness - Venice Beach
Real Estate - Suburban Beverage
Beach Fossils - Calyer
Holiday Shores - Phones Don't Feud

...back next week!

New music: The Strokes - “Under The Cover of Darkness”

It's been almost five years since The Strokes have put out new music.  In that time each bandmember has focused on solo projects of varying merit, but now the band that helped start the "indie rock goes mainstream" movement early last decade (and, along with Wilco helped drag my personal focus away from classic rock) is back with new tunes.  "Under The Cover of Darkness" is the first single from the upcoming album Angles.  Listen here:

The Strokes - Under The Cover of Darkness

New music: Abigail Washburn - "Chains"

Abigail Washburn's recent release City of Refuge has taken me completely by surprise.  While the singer/songwriter/banjo virtuoso is not new on the scene, her music elluded me until now.  Her sweet, pure voice has a warmth as if carried by a summer breeze.  The songs that comprise City of Refuge mix traditional folk and string music with indie folk-pop.  The album features appearances from members of The Decemberists, Old Crow Medicine Show and My Morning Jacket.  I think you'll be hearing more from Abigail Washburn.  Check out "Chains" below...

Abigail Washburn - Chains

Get to know Rodeo Church + Jeremy Lee Given

Rodeo Church is a band you need to know.  The Boston-based four-piece released a killer EP in the waning days of 2010.  Now, just a few frozen weeks later, they're back with a killer new single "Promises", which one hopes is a sign of things to come from their debut LP.  Lo-fi art-pop done so well that it wraps you up like a warm blanket.  Listen to Promises below and head to the Rodeo Church bandcamp page to grab the full EP (pay what you want).

Rodeo Church - Promises

In addition to contributing keyboards/vocals as a member of Rodeo Church, Jeremy Lee Given is churning out some noteworthy music of his own.  Taking a slightly folkier and mellower approach, his debut album Old Flames features the same catchy, lo-fi, analog-pop charms as his other band.  Listen to "Lorraine", one of my favorite tracks from the album below, and grab the whole thing here (again, pay what you want).

Jeremy Lee Given - Lorraine

TICKET GIVEAWAY: Frontier Ruckus @ Cafe 939 Saturday 2/12

Frontier Ruckus' fantastic "Deadmalls & Nightfalls" was our #1 album of 2010.  Matthew Millia's simple songs of vivid nostalgia played out on frozen, crumbling suburban landscapes burrowed their way deep into my head and when it came time to pick a favorite album, there was really no other option.  Now the band returns to Boston for a show at Berklee's Cafe 939 this Saturday Feb 12.

We're giving away 2 tickets to the show.  All you have to do to enter is head to our Facebook page
and post on the wall saying you want the tickets.  I will pick the winner at random at 5pm Thursday and notify the lucky one via Facebook.

Win or lose, I encourage all of our Boston-area readers to go to this show.  Let's pack Cafe 939.  The few of us that saw the band play a brilliant set to a mostly-empty Harper's Ferry last fall (listen to the show here) know that these guys put on an amazing show.  Make the trek through the snow/slush and bring your friends -- don't miss a chance to see a band of this caliber in a venue this intimate.

Want a preview?  Check out this amazing video of Frontier Ruckus playing "Springterror" on the streets of Brixton: