![[Live MP3s] THE CHURCH in MA 2011 - Album Set Two (Priest=Aura)](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3624416_lg.jpg)
As promised a few weeks back , here's the second set of The Church 's "three albums live" show back in February in Foxboro, MA. After running through their most recent record, the Australian quartet took a break and came back out to treat us to 1992's excellent, and highly under-appreciated, "Priest=Aura" full-length. Released four years after their 1988 U.S. breakthrough "Starfish" (which comes in the third set, and I'll share up next), "P=A" didn't make anywhere near the commercial impact, but it's long been a fan favorite, and many consider it a career highpoint. [...]
![[Boston Ticket Giveaway] CENTRO-MATIC at Great Scott on Wednesday](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3624417_lg.jpg)
It's a relatively rare occasion that the gents from Centro-matic make their way from Denton, Texas up to Boston to treat us to a set of songs, but last week's release of "Candidate Waltz" has them on the road and in town for a show at Allston's Great Scott tomorrow night. Singer/guitarist/songwriter Will Johnson his band have put out one of the strongest records of their 16-year run, so I'm especially psyched to see them run through this new stuff. Not that I won't also be hoping for a heaping helping of [...]
![[Live MP3 Re-Up] UNDERTOW ORCHESTRA (Bazan, Chesnutt, Eitzel, Johnson) in Boston 2006](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3624418_lg.jpg)
With last month's release of David Bazan 's great new record, "Strange Negotiations", and last week's arrival of the latest Centro-matic full-length, "Candidate Waltz", I've been thinking about how lucky Boston was to get a visit during the one-and-only tour from The Undertow Orchestra . The five-piece was an understated supergroup, with Bazan & Centro-matic's Will Johnson joined by American Music Club 's Mark Eitzel , Centro-matic's Scott Danbom , and the tragically departed Vic Chesnutt . His absence on this plane makes this show even more special in retrospect - any [...]
![[Last Night's Playlist] New Music Night at River Gods](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3528229_lg.jpg)
Felt ridiculously good to get back up in the River Gods DJ booth last night, especially with Jay from Clicky Clicky as my co-pilot. Trading hour-long slots, we hosted what will hopefully be the first of many "New Music Nights" , playing nuthin' but recently-released (and some not-yet-released) songs from a mix of local and national bands. Best part about it (aside from forcing people to listen to my personal faves) was etting to sit at the bar and listen while Jay spun his ace selections. As much as we have in common, taste-wise, our [...]
![[Live MP3s] The Church in MA 2011 - Album Set One (Untitled #23)](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3513093_lg.jpg)
Long-lived Aussie quartet The Church has been running a bit of a victory lap over the past year - marking their 30th anniversary as a band with a 2010 acoustic retrospective tour (no reunion needed!), getting inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in November, and mounting another U.S. visit for their 3-albums-live "Future Past Perfect" tour. Boston is very fortunate to be a regular stop for the band, with the acoustic roadshow hitting the Somerville Armory last Spring and the FPP tour visiting Foxboro(ugh)'s Showcase Live this [...]
![[Beer] This Weekend: Boston's American Craft Beer Fest](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3489469_lg.jpg)
In honor of the now-in-progress Boston Beer Week , I'm letting the beer-geek in me take over for the music-geek that usually runs this place. I have few vices, but drinking quality beer is one of them - in fact, it's safe to say that many an Almanac post came to you courtesy of a preparatory pint. Boston Beer Week , which officially kicked off last Friday and finishes up this Sunday, is centered around this weekend's 2-day, 3-session American Craft Beer Fest , put together by BeerAdvocate.com 's Alström brothers. Tonight and [...]
![[Live MP3s] New Radiant Storm King (RIP) in Cambridge, MA](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3477750_lg.jpg)
I have a very warm place in my music-lovin' heart for Western Massachusetts rock combo New Radiant Storm King , so the news that they packed it in awhile back was sad news indeed. The generally under-appreciated band, which started at Amherst's Hampshire College back in 1990 and released some killer mid-90s material, had a remarkably creative resurgence in the 2000s, putting out the personal-year-end-faves-list-m aking albums "The Steady Hand" in 2006 and "Drinking in the Moonlight" three years ago. An email to core guitarists/co-singers Matt Hunter and Peyton Pinkerton last Fall, sent to check on [...]
![[Live MP3s] Pavement in Boston 2010](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3451521_lg.jpg)
I was able to catch Pavement a couple of times during last year's traveling nostalgia-fest, and they were wildly different experiences. The first, here in Boston at the cavernous Agganis Arena , was sonically weak but emotionally strong. The quintet was in great spirits - I could see every band members' grin from my fortunate spot in the front row - but the mix was muddy, bouncing off the walls of the college hockey arena like an errant puck. It's just a dreadful place for a rock show, especially a long-awaited reunion. I've seen three bands in [...]
Happy IFFBoston Kickoff Day, everyone. Yes, today marks the start of the 2011 Independent Film Festival Boston with an opening night screening of "Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey" at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square. Eight days and over 100 carefully-chosen films from now, this 9th edition of the fest will wrap up with a showing of "Conan O'Brien Can't Stop" in Coco's hometown of Brookline. The documentary, which chronicles his 2010 unemployment live tour, closes things out at the Coolidge Corner Theatre on May 4th. I get [...]
![[A Special Giveaway] KRISTIN HERSH books, music, + tee](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3390437_lg.jpg)
Here's a giveaway that's been very long in the posting... since Autumn, in fact, when Kristin Hersh 's debut novel, "Rat Girl" was published in the U.S. and I started putting together this little contest to mark the occasion. Life got in the way, Kristin kept planning more cool stuff I thought I'd wait for, and I kept saying "next week". Well, next week is now - time to get this very special package in the mail to one of you. Read on (and on) for details on what you could win and how to enter, as [...]
![[This Saturday!] IDA at Cambridge's Brattle Theatre on 4/16](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3361905_lg.jpg)
Despite the fact that my posting frequency here on the 'Nac has taken a relative nosedive over the past couple years, I've still been doing a fair share of show-organizing on the side. Nothing crazy, no huge shindigs that might label me a 'promoter' or whatever, but more the kinds of random music-related events that pop up and need a host or a helping hand. There was that Pains of Being Pure At Heart album release party a couple weeks ago, David Bazan playing in my living room last weekend, my imminent return to the [...]
Officially released today, the 12th of April, 2011 on Sub Pop is Low 's gorgeous new full-length, "C'mon" . Here's what it looks like... So, uh, yeah, I took that photo. The Minnesota trio has been one of my favorite bands since I fell for their second album, 1995's "Long Division" , and each of their LP covers has become utterly iconic to me. The fact that a picture I took, and with my low-budget point-and-shoot camera, now graces the front of one [...]
![[Live MP3s] DAVID BAZAN Livingroom Show - Allston, MA (+ new album art)](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3354684_lg.jpg)
There are precious few no-bullshit performers out there, but David Bazan is one of 'em - in his lyrics, interviews, and between-song Q&A sessions you'll get nothing but the unvarnished truth from the guy, truths I just happen to mostly agree with. Reviewers who have been following him since his Pedro The Lion days like to focus on his longtime struggle with (and eventual shunning of) a religious upbringing, but his songs deal with so much more - personal and romantic relationships, fatherhood, the music industry, and more recently the (sorry) cultural and political state this [...]
Next week, on Tuesday the 12th, Baltimore's Wye Oak returns to town for a headline show at the Middle East in support of their stunning new album, "Civilian" . The duo was last in Boston in late-January for a two-night stand opening up for the Decemberists , where they no doubt cultivated a new crop of fans at the sold-out House of Blues . I caught one of those sets, the second time I've seen Jenn & Andy in a venue that large, and was again left wondering how the hell two people [...]
![[MP3 Premiere] The Ladybug Transistor - "Clutching Stems" (new album out 6/7 on Merge!)](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3311494_lg.jpg)
It is with no small amount of pleasure that I'm able to share some truly wonderful news: After a 4-year wait, we'll soon see and hear a new full-length from The Ladybug Transistor . The Brooklyn combo has readied their seventh collection, the 10-track "Clutching Stems", for release on Merge Records on June 7th, and it marks the band's first recordings since the immensely sad and sudden passing of drummer San Fadyl in 2007. Frontman Gary Olsen, bassist Julia Rhydholm, and keyboardist Kyle Forester have carried on, adding new recruits Mark Dzula, Eric Farber, and Michael O'Neill [...]
![[Somerville This Saturday] Pains of Being Pure At Heart "Belong" album release party](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3304058_lg.jpg)
This Saturday, March 26th, I'm very happy to be co-hosting the Boston-area release party for The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart 's new album, "Belong" , which popped up today on iTunes and officially hits record stores next Tuesday. Starting at 10pm at The Independent in Somerville's Union Square, I'll be spinning the record along with a slew of other fine Slumberland Records -released songs. And thanks to that ridiculously-great label, we've got some cool merch to give out during the party, including Pains posters, limited-edition white vinyl copies of "Belong", and [...]
![[Live in Boston] Covers from Superchunk, Rival Schools, + Wild Flag](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3279778_lg.jpg)
Sharing a few live cover songs, all recently performed here in the Boston, on this gray Sunday afternoon... First, a song from late in Superchunk 's set at the Royale back in September. This one was both a gift for aging fans of early Boston hardcore in the crowd and maybe a quick, minute-long lesson for some who weren't even born when SS Decontrol was putting out records almost 30 (!) years ago. Featuring rare lead shouting [...]
![[Listen Local] Endless Wave album release @ Great Scott tonight](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3257652_lg.jpg)
If you're in Boston and reading this on Saturday evening, March 5th, then you're in luck - you can still make it over to Great Scott to catch Endless Wave at their album release show (and if I was a better blogger, I'd have given you more notice). They're batting clean-up in a line-up that includes The December Sound , J/Q , and Eksi Ekso (who are also releasing their brand new record this evening). Even if you don't make it over, grab the song below to hear [...]
Now that we're living in world where everyone writes something about everything instantly, it shouldn't be surprising that relatively new quartet Wild Flag has been the subject of more pre-release digital scribbling than any band without studio recordings. I'd never call it undeserved hype, though - you can put solid money down that all the words will be worth it, given both the pedigree and the label behind them. That pedigree? Mary Timony (solo artist/ex- Helium ) on vocals & guitar, Rebecca Cole (ex- The Minders ) on bass, and 2/3rds of Sleater-Kinney in [...]
A little late, yes, but better than not at all - my annual list of scheduled (and rumored) 2011 albums and such that I'm looking forward to - or, in the case of the just-ended January, albums I'm possibly already enjoying. I've included official promo MP3s if they're out there, pointers to streams if they're not, and links to labels for pre-ordering when possible. I've also zipped up all the shared tracks at the bottom to save you some clicking. Notice something missing? Scroll on down and leave a comment... Already out... [...]
Bradley's Almanac
Bison - Quill
Neutral Milk Hotel- Aeroplane Over the Sea
Shinichi Osawa – Big Beach Mix 2012
Mr Fogg - Eleven
