I’ve never seen Mean Creek. Seems like a glaring omission on my part. Thanks to a last minute show put together by Richard Bouchard and Michael Marotta I was finally able to do that. Did I mention that this little quickie show raised $7,740 for the Mass General Hospital EMS Department in the wake of Monday’s tragedy? In a mere few hours, the For Boston benefit show was put together with a great bill and a sprawling raffle. People stuffed the pay-what-you-can donation box and raffle baggies. The bartenders donated their tips. Bands donated merch sales. TT’s owner Bonney Bouley made a personal contribution, as did Rumble sponsor Defunt Tees. You can read all about how all the money was raised over here. You done good, everybody. Thanks.
The Field Effect lift spirits every time they play, which made them an obvious and welcome addition to the For Boston benefit at TT’s. I’m glad they’re around.
Anthony Conley took the stage for Endation’s set at the For Boston benefit with “Martin” scrawled across the front of his t-shirt in memory of 8 year-old Martin Richard. Then he and Matt Graber played their hearts out for the little guy.
I don’t know Cameron Keiber, but I know I was happy to see him last night. His music felt right at the For Boston benefit. Especially the snarky number.
Sometimes you do things for yourself. Sometimes you do things for your friends. Sometimes you do things for your city. Last night was one of those rare moments when you could do all three at the same time. There’s no one I’d rather see kick off a night like that than Brendan Boogie. It pains me to say it, but he’s a good dude. Mr. Boogie brought some of his band, The Broken Gates, down to TT’s to open the For Boston benefit.
Anngelle will get us rumbling again.
OK. It’s time. Let’s talk about the Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble. The 2013 prelims are in the books. The semifinal round will be held at TT’s on Thursday (Glenn Yoder and the Western States (wildcard) / White Dynomite / The Daily Pravda / Lifestyle) and Friday (Twin Berlin (wildcard) / The New Highway Hymnal / Camden / Eddie Japan). For now, here are a few quick thoughts on the second half of the prelims.
Old Favorites The Field Effect. Love these guys. The Field Effect and White Dynomite squared off in a Battle Royale on Friday night. These were two of my favorite performances of the whole shebang. White Dynomite prevailed. Another favorite was The Daily Pravda’s winning set. Ruby Rose Fox put on one heck of a show that same night. Lifestyle took their night with after providing “the grossest Rumble moment” ever.*
New Faces Parks are good. Real good.
I had never seen Parks before, but I felt like I knew them so well. I love their first two singles. I’ve seen each of them play in other bands. No surprise that I walked away eager to see them again. Whitcomb and Jack Burton vs. David Lo Pan were the two heaviest bands in this year’s Rumble. They both captured the spirit of the event and had me pulling for them. Coyote Kolb and The Suicide Dolls contributed to a stellar Friday night lineup. Mount Peru made some beautiful music. Twin Berlin rocked their own pants off and earned a wildcard spot.
Chicken or Egg or Feather? White Dynomite fired up the late-night crowd.
Earlier in the week, it seemed like the crowd may have been experiencing some fatigue as each night wore on. Not so in the second half. The late-night crowds became much more animated as the weekend approached. In fact, all of the bands that played last on their respective nights advanced (White Dynomite and The Daily Pravda with wins, Twin Berlin with the wildcard). Night #4 winner, Lifestyle, came from the number 3 slot. Did the bands drive the crowd or did the crowd drive the bands? Who cares? It was a blast.
Fun With Numbers Mount Peru were one one the magnificent seven.
Seven and Seven: There were two acts with 7 members on stage during the second half of the week.**
Fours and Fives: There were 4 quartets and 5 quintents. That worked out nicely.
I Can’t Count That High: Feathers.
Play Me Out
Let’s go anywhere but home normally sounds like fun. Right now, home seems good, though. I think The Field Effect would agree. Here are a few of the songs rocking my brain after the second half of the Rumble Prelims. See you at the Semis.
* Those were Sean T. Drinkwater’s own words regarding his onstage demulletization. I tend to agree with him.
Boston. I love the music scene we have here in our city. It brings me tremendous joy to be a part of it. We may not be perfect, but our hearts are in the right place. We celebrate our successes. We celebrate our not-quite-a-success-but-hey-it-was-worth-a-shots. We honor our traditions. We can get behind a worthy cause. We have a lot of fun. We take care of our friends. We remember those we’ve lost. We throw parties when things begin. We do the same when they end. When all is said and done, we get it right more often than we get it wrong. We always try to do better.
I know these traits are not exclusive to the Boston music scene. I’m sure there are runners, burlesque dancers, poets, sports fans and craft brewers all around the city that feel the same way about their interactions. People create special bonds around shared interests in every city in the world. So, what makes Boston so special? I don’t know. Maybe nothing. Does it matter? This is where I am. This is what I know. These are the people I’m lucky enough to spend time with. I want my kids to know this sense of community some day. Why not music? Why not Boston? I want them to be happy in whatever they do. I want them to be safe wherever they go. I want them to see the good in the world on the days when it seems hardest to find.
