Cool off this weekend by jumping aboard a Rock and Blues Concert Cruise in Boston. Enjoying a cold beverage on a boat with friends, gazing at the city off in the distance is something special…add in some incredible live music, and you’ve got a perfect way to kick off the summer!
FRIDAY June 22nd
Carbon Leaf
Jason Spooner Trio
SATURDAY June 23rd
Ryan Montbleau Band
Sarah Borges
Primate Fiasco
These cruises board at 7pm, depart at 8pm and return at 11pm.
GRAB TICKETS before they’re gone!
Filed under Check it out, LIVE music, LOCAL music
The Wang Center in Boston is such a beautiful building. To sit and see a show in that room is pretty much a guaranteed good time. Heading there with my family last week to finally see The Shins live, I knew I was in for a treat.
James Mercer has such a special voice and an incredibly unique approach to songwriting, and I’ve been a fan for a very long time. For me, hearing a tune from The Shins always brings up vivid memories and emotions. Whether it be a summer on the Cape with the Chutes Too Narrow vinyl spinning at all hours of the night or standing at a certain T stop in Boston waiting for the train with Wincing The Night Away on repeat in my earbuds…the music is very special to me.
I was delighted to hear a bunch of “older” material – “Kissing the Lipless”, “So Says I”, “Young Pilgrims”, “Saint Simon”, and the biggest crowd pleasers – “Caring Is Creepy” and “New Slang”. I expected to hear a lot from Wincing The Night Away, and they did play “Pam Berry” > “Phantom Limb” and “Australia” among others. In my opinion, that album’s opener “Sleeping Lessons” as the set closer was one of the highlights of the show.
I will say the encore was a little underwhelming. I did really enjoy a beautiful solo acoustic rendition of the new tune “September”, which started it off…but the rest of the tunes weren’t very memorable. I do applaud the idea that encores seem to be back in the hands of the band lately. As an audience member, I like the idea of not knowing when (or IF) the band will come back on and what they’ll play. So more power to James Mercer and his band for jamming out to end a lovely evening in Boston.
Filed under LIVE music
I saw this New Jersey-bred band open up for The Shins on Friday night at the Citi Performing Arts (Wang) Center in Boston and I was delighted by their sound. If you are (or were) a fan of Minus the Bear or Modest Mouse, you may dig Real Estate.
It’s easy to identify their pleasant ambient pop sound in the tracks below, but what these guys bring to a live show is hard to describe. There’s a cohesiveness there that I think may simply come from a few people getting together with a shared vision and passion for a certain sound. At the show, I felt like I was wandering into their basement as they jammed. There’s a real genuine, easy feel to the music…it’s not forced and it’s by no means aggressive. Definitely a good opener for The Shins.
Filed under LIVE music
“How Come You Never Go There” [LIVE]
Tonight. Tonight I see Feist live for the first time and I can barely contain my excitement! Her latest album, Metals, has been a large part of my musical world since it came out and I cannot wait to see how she performs these new tunes in a live setting. There are so many layers, intricate sounds, and delicate moments of silence in many of the tracks…and when I watch live videos like the one below, I have a feeling Feist has made it a priority to really nail the live arrangements. I’ll let you know how it is, and also fill you in on Timber Timbre, her opener. Posts about my experience seeing The Shins and Real Estate coming soon too!
Filed under LIVE music, Song Of The Day
The Brew – “When Darkness Comes”
I cannot get enough of this tune. The Brew are a jam band (of sorts) from the Boston area and they’ve been out there working hard for years. I’ve seen them live a few times and have always been impressed, but I didn’t envision that their music would become “mainstream”. Then a few months ago I heard “When Darkness Comes”. It’s by no means pop, but it’s got everything a radio single should have. It sounds so damn good on mvy. Turns out these guys just put out THREE albums…if the single is any indication of their other new material, The Brew are definitely on the brink of getting a bigger and broader audience. A tune like this cannot be ignored.
Filed under Song Of The Day
Assembly Of Dust feat. Richie Havens – “All That I Am Now”
Tonight I’ll be seeing AOD live at the Paradise…I’ve only seen them once before and it was 4 years ago, so I’m excited to experience them again, and in a more intimate setting. I am not familiar with too much of their music, but I do love this tune from the album Some Assembly Required.
Filed under Check it out
*photo by Jess Phaneuf
A few nights ago, I saw The Weepies live in Boston, at the Wilbur Theatre. I’ve been a big fan of this husband/wife duo for a while now, but had never seen either Deb Talan or Steve Tannen live ever before. It was billed as an “acoustic evening” and the two were joined by Johnny Flower on bass. The trio delighted us with stripped down arrangements of songs from all four of The Weepies’ studio albums, plus a song or two from both Talan and Tannen’s solo releases.
I had a feeling I’d be moved throughout the evening…and I was right. In fact, I was moved to tears twice by the lyrics and harmonies. The Weepies have some of the most beautiful and heartfelt words in their songs – words that everyone can really connect with and relate to. Hearing some of their songs in a really small theater, with just three instruments and two voices really made them even more effective. I felt pulled in from start to finish, and I’m still thinking about that night and some of those lyrics that really struck a chord with me…I’ll be sharing some of them on here within the next few days.
Filed under LIVE music
*this is art from one of the t-shirts sold at the merch table, designed by the artist Raghava
I was beyond excited to see such a legendary performer live in concert and I was not disappointed one bit. Paul Simon took the stage last night at the GORGEOUS Wang Theatre along with 8 other ridiculously talented musicians** and the show was everything I could’ve hoped for. He performed his new material and mixed in MANY of his classic tunes all with an energy that went up and down and back again. I laughed, I cried, and I won’t soon forget it.
I was delighted to hear tracks from So Beautiful Or So What, and even more thrilled that they really shined in that live setting. Early in the show was my favorite – the romantic and percussive “Dazzling Blue”. He also played “The Afterlife”, the title track, “So Beautiful Or So What”, “Questions For the Angels”, and probably the most well received – “Rewrite”.
Now, as I mention just the other songs I remember, you’ll likely get a feeling for how FUN this show was! We were treated to “That Was Your Mother”, “Hearts and Bones”, “Diamonds On the Soles Of Her Shoes”, “Slip Slidin’ Away”, “Late In the Evening”, “Still Crazy After All These Years”, “Kodachrome”, “The Boy In The Bubble”, “Only Living Boy In New York”, “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover”, and a cover of “Here Comes the Sun” (among others!). The song that brought tears to my eyes was his solo acoustic rendition of “The Sound Of Silence”.
Get the idea???
I guess it’s not hard for a musician with a catalogue like Simon’s to put on an enjoyable show…but it was more than the songs. The band was extremely tight, with almost every member contributing parts on several different instruments depending on the song. The lights and backdrops were just enough; not distracting – making it feel like a concert but not some wild show. And Paul Simon himself was simply a DELIGHT to watch. His stage presence, his mannerisms, his guitar work, and above all his VOICE impressed me so much. I knew it would be a good show, but I was really amazed at the caliber of performance from this nearly 70-year-old artist.
**THE BAND: Cameroonian guitarist Vincent Nguini, drummer Jim Oblon, pianist Mick Rossi, saxophonist/keyboardist Andrew Snitzer, bassist Bakithi Kumalo, guitarist Mark Stewart, master percussionist Jamey Haddad and multi-instrumentalist Tony Cedras
Filed under LIVE music
Tuesday night, I found myself at the Orpheum in Boston with my father by my side. The two of us were shaking our heads and staring at the stage in disbelief…not of what we were seeing, but of what we were hearing. I’ve been listening to Helplessness Blues, the new album from Seattle’s Fleet Foxes, nonstop these days. I’ve talked to many who find it to contain some of the most beautiful music they’ve heard in years, but also to others who feel that the recording’s vocal effects leave them unimpressed. For those who aren’t quite sold on the sound of this band’s recorded material, I think seeing them perform live just once would make them a believer.
The vocal harmonies and lush instrumentation coming from the stage that night were mind-blowing. And I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. The crowd went CRAZY between each and every song. Lead singer Robin Pecknold would humbly mumble, “Wow you guys, thank you…thank you so much” to quiet us down.
It was really a miracle I made it to the show, after my flight into Boston was delayed for three hours! Despite arriving late, I got the chance to hear some of my favorite tracks off the new record – “Lorelai”, “Montezuma”, “The Shrine/An Argument” and of course, title track “Helplessness Blues”. One of the highlights of the show for me was Pecknold’s soaring vocals on “Oliver James”. Sadly I’ve gathered that I missed “White Winter Hymnal”, “Mykonos”, “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” and my favorite tune from Helplessness Blues – “Bedouin Dress”. But I was just thrilled to have experienced the beauty of this music at such a small venue…I have a sneaking suspicion that Fleet Foxes will be playing much bigger rooms very soon…
Filed under LIVE music
