Discover Top Posts Tagged with #50in5

36 of 50: Old Abram Brown

If you visit this band's Facebook page and click on the "About" section, the only real information you get is the following:

Artists We Also Like

Sigur Ros, Dirty Projectors, Arcade Fire, Creed

There is evidence of the above artists in all the music I have heard by Old Abram Brown. (And while nothing of their's sounds like Creed, I can only guess their inclusion is meant jokingly, which speaks to the group's personalities as people.) I'm a bit precautions about writing specifics on their sound like I do for other artists. The drummer, Erik Lund, is a coworker of mine and in the event I'm 100% wrong and he reads it, the embarrassment will sting. But if I had to put words to it, it's the kind of indie rock that acts as the background music to a smokey room full of antiques and candlelight, a dinner of hipster culture and wine, it's a summer drive through a flat countryside after a rainstorm, rays of light particularly tinged orange, top down, overgrown oaks springing from the ground every mile or two. Perhaps a cigarette on a bench in a small town occupied by pastel-colored apartments, a blue, Mediterranean sky existing above your capped head. Or maybe it's just a basement with Christmas lights as illumination and cheap beer from a keg and noise that wraps you like a blanket. It's not music that I particularly love listening to on a daily basis, but it gives you a sense of place, an environment and a world to exist in for three or five minutes at a time. Pleasant, familiar, but daring just enough to challenge your expectations.

Okay. Hopefully if he ever reads that, my words will be adequate. Their show was at TT the Bear's. I'd seen them twice before but this was the first time at that venue. The room was decently full of people for a Tuesday night. There were four bands playing that night, but due to getting there too late to see the first two and lacking interest in the fourth, we Old Abram Brown was the only one we witnessed. The band is a four piece: drums, piano, guitar and bass. The music seemed a bit heavier than I remember from past shows. A few tracks stuck out ("Tides", "I'm Not Happy") and the new ones sounded good, full of new sounds and seemed to adopt an alternative format from other songs. Less stream-lined may be the best way to put it. While the music was wonderful to listen to, there were some mistakes that stuck out. I can't pinpoint them, but I remember thinking their opening song wasn't air tight. This feeling dissipated as the set marched forward. I can't say the mixing at TT's did them justice; the lead vocals were constantly in a weird flux with pops and peaks and general noise. That said, the lead singer's voice is very mature and has the power to belt anthems in venues of five times the capacity of TT's. The guitar playing was a mix of straight and through pedals, as is the custom for most indie rock I hear. The guitar and the piano were locked in a constant ballet of sound, compliments and contrasts, in harmony but at times, in conflict. It's sweet and gentle, yet restless. There were no effects that stood out as being brand new to my ears but each was tastefully incorporated, adding depth and color when used as opposed to just a cool sound.

Every time I go to their shows, I pay closer attention to the drums, one because my friend is playing, two because they are really inventive. There is lots of rim play, interesting fills, other percussion instruments like bells and a shaker that's specific name isn't coming to me and a drum machine that I don't remember from previous shows. It's inventive without being overwhelming or too...Pert-like. If I heard some of these songs in high school or even if I heard similar percussion in a different track altogether, I'd probably scour the Internet for tabs or just figure them out myself so I could learn to play it on my drum kit. Granted, I may still do that.

If you would like to check out their music you can listen or purchase their album Restless Ghosts on their bandcamp page: http://oldabrambrown.bandcamp.com/album/restless-ghosts. They have a tour at the end of February so if they make a stop near you, check them out.

Next Up: Hell if I know...

#Old Abram Brown #TT the Bears #Boston #Cambridge #50in5

35 of 50: ARCHER LIVE

Archer Live. I've been mentioning it on my Facebook,Twitter and in conversation since the moment I secured the tickets. Having the chance to see people like H. Jon Benjamin and Jessica Walters speak lines from an animated show you adore should never be passed up by anyone with a sense of taste or humor. Archer, an animated show on FX about a secret agent named Sterling Archer, is one of the smartest comedies I've ever seen. It has impeccable comedic timing, a brilliant pace, the characters strike the balance between stereotypes and unique wrought with quirks and mannerisms and the artwork is beautifully saturated with color and thick lines. Most of all though, it's fucking hilarious. I'd go so far as to say it's up there on the level of Arrested Development and may be one of the best comedies on television right now. If you're not watching it you're an idiot and don't deserve to laugh at anything until you see an episode.

The show was scheduled for only four dates, one of which was at Irving Plaza in New York City, walking distance from the hub that is Union Square. We walked in just as the lights dimmed and quickly found the perfect spot on the balcony where we could see everything and not be crowded. Lucky Yates, the voice of Doctor Krieger came out on stage and began hyping up the crowd with trivia, a costume contest and a constant flow of Archer-labeled souvenir pens. He even got the audience to chant "We love Krieger!", claiming he was going to send it to the Executive Producer so they would put his name in the opening credits. After about ten or 15 minutes of that, the time had come to finally see the main cast, face-to-face, in the flesh, alive and in color, etc.

Amber Nash, Chris Parnell, Jessica Walter, Aisha Tyler and H. Jon Benjamin were welcomed on stage by cheers and clapping, each one getting a larger and larger reception. When they introduced H. Jon Benjamin, a tall, built, dark-haired man sporting the quintessential Tactilneck came on stage. H. Jon Benjamin's voice boomed over the loud speaker as the actor for hire tried to lip synth and gesture based on whatever Benjamin was saying. It was a funny gag but then crossed the line into amazing when Benjamin commanded that one of the girls in the audience should kiss him. The Sterling Archer lookalike went into the crowd and picked out the girl that Benjamin picked out. She came on stage, laughing uncontrollably. Before the lookalike had a chance, the real H. Jon Benjamin came on stage. Short, bald, doughy. The complete opposite of his character, more akin to Coach McGuirk. He stood on an egg crate and ripped on this girl who could not stop hysterically laughing. "Have you ever kissed anyone? Ever? I don't want you to laugh on my mouth." Finally she worked up the nerve to kiss him and thus was the first ten minutes of Archer Live.

The cast sat in Director's Chairs with a projection above them showing stills from the show. Aisha Tyler, the voice of Lana Kane, explained why they wanted to create an Archer Live show, to interact with fans, to interact with each other, etc. As she spoke, Benjamin and the rest of the cast kept interjecting with comments, jokes, sarcasm, all of them bouncing off each other almost as effortlessly as they do on the show. The reins were clearly off and each was free to say whatever they wanted.

Matt Thompson, one of the Executive Producers, arrived on stage a little late and acted as one of the primary conductors. My friend pointed out that he seemed a little uptight throughout the whole show, which I can believe considering Adam Reed wasn't there because he was writing the last episode. They started the show with a live reading from part one of the two part season premiere of Season 4. For legal reasons, I won't go into the details but God damn was it incredible! Seeing Jessica Walter read the lines of her snarky, selfish, egotistical character Malory Archer was incredible. She messed up a line and immediately broke character and became apologetic, hastily asking if she could try again. I could see the scene playing in my head, the facial expressions of the characters mimicked on the faces of the actual voice actors. God damn I can't explain how awesome it was to see them do that!

At the end, everyone needed to lean in (closer...closer...closer) when suddenly "Danger Zone" from Top Gun began blasting through the speakers! Lucky grabbed a T-shirt cannon and began shooting shirts into the crowd. They did this after every mini "act" of the show. Hilariously, the shirts were only plain white Hanes shirts because someone accidentally mailed the real ones to Irving, Kansas or Ohio or an equally WRONG state. Or so Matt claims... H. Jon Benjamin, in disbelief, asked, "Wait, really?!" and then giggled on stage for a solid minute. "Free trips to Irving for everybody!" They lied about the free trips, but they did promise a meet and greet and signing as an apology for everyone who caught a shirt.

I think after that they did a scene with someone they picked out of the audience. It was from the episode when they have to neutralize a bomb threat abroad the rigid air ship, the Excelsior or something equally ridiculous and ironic. (Lana: "What part of that aren't you understanding?" Sterling: "Obviously the core concept, Lana!") The scene occurs at the end of the episode when (SPOILER ALERT) Lana and Cyril have to push a bomb off the aircraft. As sad as I was to not see Parnell read and act out that scene (they brought onstage a cardboard box someone clearly picked up in an alley and wrote the word "BOMB" on it as a prop), how fucking cool must it have been to be some random guy dressed in a silk, pink robe, pretending to push a bomb off the stage with Aisha Tyler while H. Jon Benjamin hops around on one foot? "Hooray for metaphors!"

The third and final scene performed live was from the Archer Birthday episode in season three called, I believe, "Drift Problems". To summarize, Archer gets a car, it is "stolen" and he fights the Yakuza to get it back. In a crazy twist, Pam is actually a serious drag car racer. Anyway, this was the only scene Amber Nash was included in sadly, since Pam has so many incredible one-liners that would have been a joy to hear live. They brought out a bunch of props and Lucky did his best a.k.a. most racist impression of the Yakuza boss (originally voiced by Geroge Takai in the episode). You could tell some additional mixing was done to Amber's voice to better fit it into Pam's fat body but it was still a whole lot of fun to watch these voice actors do their best impression of a car chase on stage.

In an effort to not make this eight more pages, I'm bulleting the last bits.

They showed a couple bonus materials from the DVDs, the funniest being a scenario when Archer has reconstructive surgery that makes him look like H. Jon Benjamin.

"SHE IS A CLASSY LADY!", Lucky yelled after someone directed a masturbation joke towards Jessica Walter. What ensued was a solid five minutes of masturbation jokes. by the cast. "Jessica doesn't need to masturbate herself, she has someone do it for her." I think I cried from laughing so hard.

The Q&A involved a question that paid homage to Home Movies, if people ask them to say certain lines from certain shows, what it was like for Jessica to work with her husband on the fourth season. The best question had to be for Jessica, when she was asked whether people wanted to hear lines from Arrested Development or Archer more. Obviously, the former. She then spoke her favorite line from the whole show: "I want to cry so bad, but I don't think I can spare the moisture." Brilliant.

Aisha had a pretty funny story about how Anthony Bourdain ended up being a guest star on a season four episode of Archer. Sidenote: Aisha's history in the world of podcasting clearly showed throughout the whole night. She was very comfortable with the run and gun world of unscripted...I don't even know what you'd call it. Not quite talk show guest, not quite improv.

They showed us a trailer for Season 4. I don't think it had been aired yet. So I can't really talk about it.

As I mentioned before, there was a constant barrage of T-shirts being shot into the crowd by all the cast members. Even Jessica Walter got in on the action. Aisha was the last person to use it, declaring, "Who wants me to shoot them in the balls?" A kid came on stage who liked he was 16. "Say, 'Come at me, bro!'" Aisha told him. "Come at me...sis." said the kid awkwardly. "Do you even watch the show? How did you get in here?" was the joking response. He did indeed, get a t-shirt to the balls.

No one was shooting them up into our corner of the balcony until the very last one. It shot up over my head and into an empty corner. My friend Gregg and I both dived for it. He ended up the victor, but for some reason he let me have it. What a guy! Remember that part of the story when I said people with shirts got meet-and-greets? YuuuuUUUUUP! That included me now. After the deafening cheers, the painful clapping and the final bow, during which Matt had to literally drag H. Jon Benjamin to the front of the stage, people with shirts lined up on the side of the stage and waited for the cast to come back out to sign and take pictures. We went down the line in single file, getting little moments with everyone but Jessica Walter (who seemed to have left in a hurry). I was completely shell-shocked down the line until I got to Amber and Lucky. Both of them were really calm and relaxed and had less of an....aura as the others. That's not a bad thing, it just meant I felt less intimidated around them. They joked and make incredibly dirty jokes to nearly everyone who went up to them. Benjamin was really humble and reserved, the complete opposite from on stage. He would respond to admiration with a quiet "Thank you, that's really nice." Chris Parnell was also very quiet. I got my shirt signed, breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't belief that the last hour and twenty minutes had happened. That was truly a once in a lifetime experience.

NEXT UP: OLD ABRAM BROWN @ TT The Bear's, 11/15

#Archer #FX #Irving Plaza #New York City #50in5

33 of 50: The Soft Moon, Majical Cloudz & RIBS

Things were kinda nuts for me the past couple days. This show was awesome and I WILL update this (and SVD) and the next two when I get a chance to not live crazy.

NEXT UP: INFECTED MUSHROOM @ House of Blues Boston, 1/11

#The Soft Moon #RIBS #50in5 #Majical Cloudz #TT the Bears #Boston #Cambridge

32 of 50: Audio Revival, Little War Twins, etc

This night did not go as planned. Long story short, I thought my friend's band, The Bridgebuilders, were playing a closing set at The Middle East downstairs. But as my friend, Gregg, handed over the cash for our tickets, I noticed the taped print out showcasing the set times, and The Bridgebuilders were no where to be found. I stood on the staircase down to the venue and frantically taped through the event on my phone's calendar. Sure enough, they had a show that night. In Brooklyn. Well, shit.

Rather than do the sensible thing and ask for our money back, Gregg and I went downstairs, ordered a couple PBRs and stuck it out for the long haul. The night was sponsored by UNregular Radio, which I can only assume is a local station that features local talent on the East Coast.

Rich People Food was already playing when we arrived. Gregg explained it best when he said, "I like The Strokes, too." That's exactly what their sound related to. Poppy, but a little indie, with a racially ambiguous girl on the keys and synths who's voice could barely be heard on the mix. The rest of the band was pretty typical for that style. They looked enthusiastic enough, the music walking that line of catchy underground and pop. I searched the Internet for some more information on the band and found that they were formed in 2011, are made up of a couple Berklee and UMB students, have influences that range from metal to Sinatra (though you'd never tell) and their website is atrocious. But it was catchy so that sin can be forgiven. Here's a link to an article written about them in case my small paragraph has you intrigued: http://www.umassmedia.com/art_lifestyle/music/article_9a541ce8-3ff3-11e1-ad71-001a4bcf6878.html

We skipped Last Of The Independents for a quick meal and some heavier beers. Little War Twins was on the stage and was the tightest of the three bands we saw downstairs that night. It was a bare bones setup of acoustic and electric guitar and drums. The lead singer was a short female with short blond hair. The guitarist was the complete opposite, tall with 60's locks. One song screamed punk while another had Godspeed! You Black Emperor vibes. It seemed this band could attempt every genre and pull it off with some success. Nothing was life-changing but it was done with style and the lead singer's voice was the consistent beacon leading through the various sounds and styles of music. I found a quote about them from Noise Magazine that really does their show justice:

Third on the bill are Little War Twins, who provide a nice change of pace, substituting thunderous volume with subtlety, positivity, and intricacy. Their manic pixie dream girl vocalist, in her summer-dress and pink bandana, strums gently on her acoustic guitar and sings flower-power songs with her smoky voice. To her right, a lead-guitarist lookin’ like Duane Allman reborn, finger-picks delicately at his Strat, emitting a mind-boggling array of tonal colors—from eerie UFO sounds to whammy-barred chimes to sparkling glissandi...The drummer’s less-is-more style and outside-the-box approach—using the stands themselves for percussion, scraping drumsticks across the cymbal-edges to make a theramin-like squeal, etc.—gives the lushly-layered songs just what they need.

The only weird part about their set was the group of followers who jumped on stage and threw confetti and party string at the crowd. In a different setting this may have been cool, but at The Middle East, with a crowd of about 25, it felt…well, pathetic is the only word that comes to find. But through the weary theatrics, there was heart and maybe that's all that matters for a band that seems to take pleasure in spreading love and good vibes among friends and strangers alike.

Next up, the guys on the top of the bill, Audio Revival. The guitarist wore scrubs from Mass General and bounced around the stage as he shredded through each riff. The rest of the band wasn't much to speak of. The band had a 90's revival sound lacking any modern charm or improvisation. There was no heart in it and everyone had this "being in a band is cool, man" air about them. We left when they busted out the 311 cover. There were only 15-20 people left in the audience.

Gregg and I emerged from downstairs to the sounds of funk, jazz and a little Latin. Tables had been cleared out of the way for the small group of dancers who occupied the main floor area. In the restaurants window was a five-piece (guitar, saxophone, piano/organ, percussion and drums). A small laminated sign was strung up on the window that read "PO BOYZ". These guys were the best thing we saw all night. Big energy, big grooves and fun to dance to. Each member of the band had their moment to showcase their talents, playing out mini solos between choruses. I'm at a loss for creative explanations tonight so check out this blurb from their website that better encapsulates their sound:

PO BOYZ are a soulful gumbo of sounds, fearless souls and spirits. They bring the sound of New Orleans to each and every show with their original down ‘n dirty blend of bayou funk/rock, with tinges of gospel, country and Latin influence. PO BOYZ newest release Country Funk (Positive Records, 2010) hit #4 on Jambands.Com radio charts in early 2011 earning several nods from critics and buzz among the jam and funk community. Their songs assert themselves with high energy and positive feeling that has become their signature vibe and sound - it has also gained them the attention of national promoters who have put them on the stage with many of the top associated acts. If the name doesn’t ring a bell it’s time to get up to speed, PO BOYZ is the best party in town and they’re coming to a venue near you.

Honestly couldn't say it better myself. I never listen to this kind of music but it brings me nothing but joy. Their only shows listed for the rest of the month are gigs at The Middle East Upstairs on Saturdays. Check them out if you have nothing to do in the later hours of the evening. You won't regret it. Get some Chicken Schwarma while your there. It's delicious!

NEXT UP: Whoever is at TT's tonight.

#The Middle East #Boston #50in5 #Po Boyz #Little War Twins #UNregular Radio #Audio Revival #Rich People Food

28 of 50: NERO

Been a while.

I first saw NERO in 2010. June 30th. Webster Hall. That was the first time I ever heard dubstep and my first exposure to real EDM. "Innocence" struck an unusual chord that was usually reserved for heavy industrial riffs and grinding synth structures. Since then dance music has been a staple in my life and NERO was the beginning.

Going to bullet this one because the whole night seemed a bit fragmented.

Royale was packed. A little more so than usual. Or maybe we just got there considerably late.

NERO is a duo, but I've only ever seen Joe Ray spin their DJ set. I wonder if they play the same thing?

Set wise, it was all over the place, in a great way. NERO tracks were in abundance, originals, remixes and acapellas. Trap and drum and bass made an extended appearance. Boys Noize popped up twice with "Rocky 2" and his collaboration with Skrillex, "Dog Blood". I tried to ID the set as much as I could and will post later when I have more time.

I got in a fight. A girl was pushing me forward, of course I had nowhere to go because, hello there's someone in front of me. So she kept pushing and then finally hurled me forward. Well, miss, you REALLY shouldn't have done that. I went after her, some say swinging, my brains says for the throat. It ended relatively fast but I had plenty of room the rest of the night. Take that as you will. It was an awful night to be fucking with me.

I finally met someone I've been talking to regularly via social media. Always great to put a face to a Facebook profile!

I should have more to say but I'm coming up blank. NERO, while I don't listen to them often, will always hold a special place in my heart. Without them, who knows where I'd be right now. I'd hazard to say I'd have a few more scars than I already do. As they opened their set with "Etude", I closed my eyes and saw years of pain, pleasure, bloody resolve, being alone and having someone to love. Music has a way of opening the past and pushing it in your face. Last night I chose to let it in.

NEXT UP: Tommy Trash @ Prime, 12/28

#NERO #Royale Boston #Boston #50in5 #dubstep

27 of 50: Funkagenda

The rest of this month will be tough, but I'm confidant I'll be able to squeeze in the rest of the shows. Somehow.

This fine DJ's stop in Boston coincided with an emerging appreciation that I have for him. As the name implies, Adam Walder has an agenda for sounds that naturally get the body moving. It could be tech house, progressive house, electro or dubstep, he can and will drop just about anything and makes it seem effortless.

Funkagenda was his typical eclectic self at Bijou Boston last Friday. I don't have too much to write maybe because there wasn't a lot that was surprising. That's not saying the set was lackluster. He took huge chunks from his Global Gathering set and a recent one at the Ministry of Sound, plus a few wild ones. His skills were predictably expert and his taste in music continues to impress me. You can see the full set of what he played here: http://www.1001tracklists.com/tracklist/21295_funkagenda-at-bijou-boston-united-states-2012-12-14.html

The crowd wasn't too large and not too obnoxious. While it was a typical, oblivious Friday night crowd there was still a semblance of respect among the patrons and there was a surprising amount of room on the dance floor after the initial surge from the beginning of a set. This was the first dance-related show I went to alone in a long time but I'm not griping about it. Everything worked out and it was great to finally see Funkagenda spin live after listening to so many sets and admiring from afar. Hopefully when the festival season ramps up again, I'll get a chance to see him again.

NEXT UP: not sure...

#Funkagenda #Bijou Boston #EDM #50in5

25 of 50: DJ Shadow

A college friend of mine, Gregg, has been speaking Shadow's praises for a few years. A real DJ, a master on turntables, not a big time name but a massive talent. I was hoping to catch him at ID in 2011, but personal reasons caused me to miss Identity Festival entirely. He's been really good to Boston the last year and last Saturday, I finally managed to catch him at Royale, despite it being nearly a last minute decision. Happy to say Gregg was by my side.

DJ Shadow was welcomes on stage by the cheers of a somewhat sizable crowd for a Sunday night. Royale was far from packed, but the room was occupied with real fans of the music rather than the typical hodgepodge of socialites who swarm to any show touting a famous "DJ". But, as I said, Shadow is far from that segment of dance music. It's somewhat of an understatement calling him a DJ at all given the connotations of today. His decks were CDJs, NOT vinyls to some people's disappointment. Red lights backlit him. A microphone was placed near the decks and he picked it up and proceeded to give us a guided tour through the set he was going to play for us. He said it would be what he was into at that time, plus a few of his tracks. "The stuff I want to play isn't even out yet, so this is the only way I can play it" he said, gesturing to the Pioneers. Usually when a DJ picks up a microphone, it's like breaking the fourth wall in television or film. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. In his case, it was just shy of perfect. You could tell this was more than just a set of tracks. He's thought about, he's considered the journey, even if for a moment. Whether we follow the map or not isn't an issue. I'd like to think if a crowd was giving a different vibe, he'd adjust. I'm sure the set wasn't completely laid out, but as he spoke to us, there was clearly a purpose to the music, a willingness to expose us to music we'd never heard before, to challenge our tastes.

Listening to him spin was a bit like a dream. The music put you in a trance without needing uplifting synths and patterns, no mountainous build ups before a final plunge into euphoric harmonics and melodies. It was so much more than that. I don't know the names of any of the songs, Hell I barely remember how any of it went save the few drum and bass tracks at the end. But what I do know is that I danced. And I danced without thinking about it, without worrying who was around me, fuck I even forgot that I spilt half of my beer in the process (because it comes out of those plastic cups so easily!). You trust he'll take you somewhere and that's all you really need to give him. Trust. It was quite the experience and I'd see him again in a heartbeat. There was nothing gimmicky about him and he commanded those turntables as if they were analog, adjusting the track and spinning some knobs, nailing down the EQ and the pitch and the bpm from one song to the next. It looked so effortless and I don't think he ever once took his eyes off his work. He picked up the microphone a few more times for quick quips of thanks but other than that, he seemed as entrapped by the musical journey as we were.

Seriously an amazing show. Thank you, Shadow.

NEXT UP: not sure...

#DJ Shadow #Royale #Boston #50in5