May 10th: A Concert Goer's Hell/Heaven

Tuesday, May 10th has been an ominous day looming on my calendar, full of difficult decisions. At this moment, I still don't know for certain which shows I'll pick, it's that arduous of a task. I've known for a few months about some big and exciting concerts that will be in town tomorrow and of course in the last few weeks some smaller and equally as exciting concerts have been added as well. The grand total of places I'd like to be all at once comes to six different concert venues. And just wait until you hear who all is in town. Also Chelsea Handler is in town, but I'd see music over her any day.





Paradise: Sleigh Bells with CSS
If you're in the mood to get your ears blasted to pieces, and feel music, especially bass, in every microscopic cell of your body, this is where you need to be. I'd see CSS just to hear "Music is my hot hot sex" any day.
Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill
CSS - Let's Make Love and Listen to Death from Above


Brighton Music Hall: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. with Princeton
It took me a while to get past their name but once I did I realized I'd been missing out big time. I'm seriously considering running back and forth between BMH and Great Scott to burn off the beers I'll be drinking and to maximize the greatness of May 10th.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - Morning Thought
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - Simple Girl

Cafe 939: Cass McCombs with Sleepy Very Sleepy
Cass McCombs. What more could I say? Unfortunately this is not conveniently close to any of the other venues.
Cass McCombs - County Line

Toad: Robert Sarazin Blake with Jefferson Hamer
Blake puts on one of the best concerts I've ever seen with adlibing poetry materializing in front of your eyes. Hamer is a killer guitarist who will play with and after Robert Blake. I saw them three weeks ago, and because this concert is super early I'll be seeing him again. Can. not. wait.
 We Can Roll Down Tonite/ Dublin To Belfast by Robert Sarazin Blake


Great Scott: Tornado Relief benefit with Old Jack, Larcenist, The Wandas
Three talented local bands plus money goes to a good cause plus my favorite Boston music scenesters will be there. What more could a girl want? Highly recommend this show to anyone/everyone.
Old Jack - Chorus Line
Larcenist - Leon


House of Blues: Manchester Orchestra with Cage the Elephant, O'Brother

It's been awhile since I thought about Manchester Orchestra but there was once a time that I listened to them every single day. I miss them. Plus Cage the Elephant is intriguing as well.

 Pensacola-Simple_Math by Manchester Orchestra 

Cage the Elephant - Shake Me Down

As long as the bus doesn't break down while traveling between venues, I think it will be a memorable tuesday evening. I couldn't be more excited. There are some tough decisions to make but it's hard to complain about always having such an overwhelmingly good music scene in Boston, like some old band once said, "It could be heaven or it could be hell". What shows would you choose?

The Acre, Kingsley Flood, Pearl & the Beard Concert

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Tonight in Cambridge at TT the Bear's Place at 8:00pm a concert I have been waiting for weeks to arrive will finally be upon us. A C.D. release party is the best kind of party, and a party it will be tonight. Anybody interested in hearing live music and enjoying themselves should come. If you don't live in the area I'm sorry but here is a little sampler of the bands that will be playing tonight. Facebook event page here. Buy tickets here.

The unofficial set times are as follows

8:20 Ugly Purple Sweater

9:00 Bandit Kings

9:45 Pearl and the Beard 

10:45 Kingsley Flood

11:45 The Acre

The Acre's album Cerca Trova is a gem from start to finish and you can finally purchase it tonight. Blending folk and rock, guitars and the piano, the music will surely grab the crowd's attention tonight. 

The Acre - Stereo

Pearl and the Beard are releasing their second album, Killing the Darlings, on May 10th. "Sweetness" is a track off of the album. Learn about the inspiration for the three person sweater in this video with Jocelyn from the band.

Pearl and the Beard - Sweetness

The Inebriations

Once upon a time in my early days of blogging, there was a music submission waiting with an enticing band name.  Unfortunately, what I heard was not something I would post, and I tried to give my best constructive feedback. Nearly a year later, I got another e-mail and because the band name is so memorable and likable I knew exactly who it was. I listened with trepidation and was so excited that I liked it (really liked it!) and with the direction that Dave took the music, that I nearly peed my pants. It's now amongst the favorite blogging stories.

The Inebriations - Next to You

The original music I heard was something along the lines of a bass/duo thing. This new demo is leaps and bounds, hell, a million miles away from that.  Dave came across an old bowlback mandolin and went for the Americana sound and he does it well. The band name even fits better now. Seeing The Inebriations, a one man band, transform from one sound to something different serves as a good reminder to never write off a band completely. I'm looking forward to seeing where Dave takes this in the future. The EP is available for free on bandcamp, go listen. You can like The Inebriations on facebook too.

The Acre - Cerca Trova

The Acre's album, Cerca Trova, is being officially released tomorrow and there is a release party/concert at T.T. the Bear's Place, which quite frankly shouldn't be missed. But more on that later.

The Acre - Guilty Soul

The Acre - Hemmingway

Cerca Trova has been playing intermittently over the past month as I've tried time and time again to pick out my favorites. Finally, I've decided that part of what makes this special is that it works so well as a full album. Starting with "Stereo", a song that uses the power of silence and simplicity allowing the voices of Nick Murphy and Courtney Cavanaugh hang in the air, leaving the listener wondering what's coming next. If you're a sucker for the male/female vocal thing, The Acre does it right.

Throughout the album, stories and themes evolve and grow upon one another as girls traipse through the songs either tired or wide eyed. The consistent voice throughout the album belongs to Nick Murphy as he sings about heavy hearts and a cluttered mind with occasional bouts of nostalgia. Whatever you interpret the stories to mean, it all comes across as painfully real. The love of music shows up often in the lyrics "there's something pulling/ at my heart strings and it's playing a tune" or "a case of nostalgia on the stereo" but is even more evident in the  work they put in on the musical arrangements which span many genres and pull from their love of bands like Wilco, Low, Bon Iver, and Built to Spill as well as traditional folk and Americana music. All of which make it a very difficult sound to describe, but I know I like it, and that's all that really matters. It's a wonderful and sometimes rare thing these days to find yourself listening as much to the music as to the lyrics. I'm glad The Acre can do both well enough that they deserve to have far more than a local audience and following. You can listen to more on bandcamp.

The C.D. release party tomorrow, April 29th, will really be as much a party as a concert. You can look forward to not only seeing The Acre, but other notable and exciting bands like Ugly Purple Sweater, Bandit Kings, Kingsley Flood, and New York's Pearl and the Beard. Get your tickets early, it's bound to sell out. Expect a post with music from all the bands tomorrow.

Cuffs - Albert Kroft (demo)

Cuffs have a little demo EP out on bandcamp and that's all I really know about them. Except for the little blurb on their bandcamp page: CUFFS is a group from Cambridge, MA comprised of 2/3 of the band Pants Yell, a member of Reports and the blonde kid from Big Troubles. 
They have three shows coming up. I guess I'll have to go to find out more. They do have a tumblr too.

Cuffs - Albert Kroft (demo)

Upcoming shows: 
May 3rd @ Paradise
May 19th @ NYC Popfest
May 21 @ Santos Party House (NY)
Jun 9th @ TT the Bears

Bandcamp

The Resurrectionists - Chainsaw Heart

The awesome guys that make up local stomping and hollering, whiskey soaked, americana band The Resurrectionists put out a new record, My Chainsaw Heart, in the beginning of March. Seeing them all amped up live is a very worthwhile experience and if you ever get the chance, go see them!  Luckily you can get a taste of their live performance in this video (after the jump) of their album opener "Apocalypse (Applause!)". This song, like many of their others causes an ants in my pants effect where I'm always itching to get up and clap and stomp along. You can stream/buy/free download their music on bandcamp.

The Resurrectionists - Cordelia

Upcoming Shows: 
April 30th, Tom Waits Tribute Show
May 7th, @ Midway Cafe

Sodafrog - Central Nonsense

Sodafrog was the first local act I came across when I moved back to Boston. The first song I ever heard was "Central Nonsense" and it holds a special place in my heart reserved especially for local folk acts. It's always a nice bonus when going to a concert and Sodafrog is opening. Find/stream/name your price for Sodafrog's music on bandcamp. Hang the Moon is a great album, as the description says, "welcomes you to those parts of New England that are hidden by tall trees, just beyond where the dirt roads end. " I couldn't agree more. I think it is an especially fitting album for spring. Go listen!

Download the Gram Parsons cover of "Brass Buttons" for free on bandcamp.
Upcoming Show: May 4th at Brighton Music Hall

Sodafrog - Central Nonsense

Spirit Kid - You Lit Up For Me

Spirit Kid made it to the finals of the Rock n' Roll Rumble on a wild card. The Rumble is a Boston event where local bands are slotted against each other each night and given a score by judges to determine the winner of each night. It made for an energetic month of concerts that kept me out way too late on weeknights. But it was worth it to see so much of the local talent at one event.

Spirit Kid - You Lit Up For Me

Spirit Kid is the moniker for Emeen Zarookian as he sang, wrote, and recorded the entire self-titled album himself.  The music is just happy enough pop music that can help you forget how stupid the world is today. After the first listen you'll realize that the music is a tip of the hat to pop stars of the past, call it retro-pop if you like. It's music to make you smile, listen, and dance along. Buy the album on Bandcamp and name your price for the EP which is embedded below.


Upcoming shows: 
May 1st at the May Fair in Harvard Square 3pm
May 5th at TT the Bear's Place

Flightless Buttress - The Idea of Pursuit

Out of the entire list of Boston bands that I will be posting about this week, I couldn't think of a better way to start Monday morning than with the instrumental-folk music from Flightless Buttress. Armed with only a guitar and a cello, the duo write songs that sound like an intricate conversation between the two instruments. If you're one of those people that can't listen to music with lyrics and focus at the same time, Flightless Buttress's music is a good choice. Even if you just need to get lost in something this music has a forward momentum and a story waiting to be told.

Flightless Buttress - The Idea of Pursuit

Website | Bandcamp
You can buy the album and stream it for $5 via their website or bandcamp.
Upcoming Show: May 4th 8:00pm at Bloc 11 in Union Square
You might also find them busking at the Porter Square T stop.