Author: johnny

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Big Head Big Ears @ The Middle East Downstairs 9.8.2012

I’m just a cat!
I’m just a cat!
I’m just a cat and I like it like that!

Remember those lyrics. The crowd at The Middle East Downstairs for the 2012 edition of One Night Band certainly will. Big Head Big Ears* (Aaron Silverstein, Candace Clement, Nicholas Ward, Peter Moore and Rice Edmonston) put together a mini rock opera with an unexpected twist that made for one of my favorite moments of the night.

* Like SNUGGLZ, Big Head Big Ears named themselves after the kitty pic they used to find their band mates earlier in the day.

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SNUGGLZ @ The Middle East Downstairs 9.8.2012

They may look adorable, but SNUGGLZ* (Alison Murray, Bob Maloney, Crystal “Smokie” Rose, Keith Pierce and Kristina Johnson Parish) packed a punch. The first One Night Band of 2012 had a name inspired by the image they used to find their creative partners for the day. No cuddle music from this cast of characters, though. SNUGGLZ was ready to rock.

* All caps with a Z, please.

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Being for the Benefit of Barbara Walsh!

This is tough to write…

I’m going to get right to it. On July 3rd, our dear friend Barbara “Babs” Walsh suffered an AVM/stroke. She went into a coma. The news was brutal. Babs is one of my favorite people in the entire world. Anyone who knows Barbara understands what a big supporter she is of the Boston music scene. Any band that has endured her brutal honesty is better for it.* Even moving to L.A. several months ago didn’t slow her down. She had already been back this way a couple of times, attending shows and catching up with all of us who miss her. Suddenly, she was fighting for her life. Devastating.

This is easy to write…

You know what? Babs is a tough cookie. Her recovery, thus far, has been tremendous. Now we’re putting on a show with a bunch of her friends to help with the financial side of things. What kind of show? How about a two night blowout at Radio! Bands For Babs! Upstairs! Downstairs! Rock! Punk! Metal! Reunions! We’ve got it all in store for you. The show details and Facebook events are listed below. We hope you can make it out to our good ol’ fashioned rock ‘n’ roll extravaganza and help get Babs get back on her feet.

There’s also a website for donations: Funds For Babs

Both shows are at Radio.
Early shows! 8pm start time!
Presented by Boston Band Crush and Daykamp Music.
Poster by Daykamp Creative.

Night #1
Facebook event

Upstairs:
12a Rule
11p Jenny Dee & The Deelinquents
10p The Decals
9p AM Stereo
8p The Modifiers

Downstairs:
11:30p The Charms
10:30p Dave Mirabella
9:30p Eric Salt & The Electric City

Night #2
Facebook event

Upstairs:
12a The Dents
11p Devil On Horseback
10p Watts
9p Gymnasium
8p Spin-Off!

Downstairs:
11:30p The Dirty Truckers
10:30p Reverse
9:30p Dirt Mall

* Barbara has been particulary vocal about her distaste for the Dirt Mall song “The Demons & The Damned.” It’s already a long song, but I’m thinking we may bust out an extended version for this occasion. Just for you, Babs!

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Emily Peal And The Band Of Skinny Men @ The Middle East Upstairs 9.6.2012

Do you know what I like about Emily Peal And The Band Of Skinny Men? I like when the song starts out quiet. Maybe there’s a piano or some finger-picked guitar. Then things get a little tense. You wonder where this is going. All of a sudden there’s a brrrruuuuuuum-brrrruuuuuuum-brrrruuuuuuum-boom-thwack-boom-thwack-brrrruuuuuuum-brrrruuuuuuum-brrrruuuuuuum and you’re kind of knocked back a little from the oh-my-goodness-how-did-they-get-that-heavy wall of sound coming from the stage. It’s a neat feeling, like being 6 years old and spinning around and around until you collapse in a heap. Then you get up and do it all over again.

This was the release show for Emily’s new EP, Fine Fur Coat.

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The Field Effect @ The Middle East Upstairs 9.6.2012

Holy smokes! The Field Effect were at the tippy-top of my bands-to-check-out list. This was mostly due to the persistent reminders of how great they are by Beardie McFunsponge. Boy howdy, was he right.* The Field Effect are an amazing live band.

* He usually is. Don’t tell him this, though. I don’t want his head to get too big for his hat.

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Here’s a sneak peek at this year’s One Night Band!

One Night Band 4 is tonight! That means we’ve got 8 brand new bands scattered around the city writing songs and learning covers for the big show. Once again I was lucky enough to get to shoot the official photos for a few of the acts.* This year we got some classic brick wall action going. Here’s a sneak peek at some of what you’ll see tonight at the Middle East Downstairs!

Big Head Big Ears
Candace Clement, Rice Edmonston, Nicholas Ward, Peter Moore, Aaron Silverstein

Grandfather Time Bomb
Walter Sickert, Jared Egan, Caroline Toth, Evelyn Pope, Annie Hoffman

Lesbian Frankenstein
Molly Zenobia, Steven Lord, Dave Stoops, Bryan Hinkley

* Mary Flatley took the rest. I’m sure they’ll pop up soon. Keep an eye out.

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Emily Peal – Fine Fur Coat (2012)


Emily Peal
Fine Fur Coat
2012

I first became aware of Emily Peal when she opened the release party for Static Of The Gods’ final EP, The Midnight Fires. Emily and Mike Agentis stripped their songs to the core, letting a sense of quirk and craft shine through. I was particularly infatuated with the cunningly coy “Wise To You.” Even in full studio regalia, the song has a decidedly pop bent. That’s what I thought I was getting into.

Lately I’ve been reminded that first impressions can be deceiving. I’m still enthralled with Emily Peal’s music, but for more varied reasons. The depth of her recent releases have left a mark. Tunneling drove home Emily’s flair for the theatrical and unique arrangements. Her cover of “Bang Bang” was a vehicle driven by tension and power. Now Emily and her Band Of Skinny Men unleash Fine Fur Coat. All of these elements are pulled together. Here are three stories set to music that rattles and pounds until the fate of the protagonist is felt as much as it is told. This is cinema. The title track is an ever evolving affair, with stellar drum work getting more and more frantic as Emily’s vocals desperately search for some truth in a guarded relationship. “February” bears witness to fierce, fuzzed out bass overtaking a finger-picked guitar introduction. Neither instrument is a match for the haunting chat that closes out the song. The EP closes with “Mountain,” a sprawling epic built around piano arpeggios and blasts of sonic fury. The dissonant walls of distortion that accent the song carry me further from the Emily Peal I first saw at TT’s. I’m enjoying the journey.

Where to get it:

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One Night Band 4: A New Hope

Tomorrow night is One Night Band 4 at the Middle East Downstairs. You should go. Why? Because it’s going to be one of the most fun shows of the year!* In the morning, 40 musicians from bands around town will be thrown into the Cuisinart of Rock.** In the evening, they’ll come come out puréed and garnished with 3 original tunes and a cover for your listening enjoyment. Sometimes it’s amazing. Sometimes it’s a disaster. Sometimes it starts off amazing and ends with a disaster. Any way these fresh baked bands serve it up, it’s always entertaining.

Need some more incentive? Like past years, the money raised from this event goes to some great causes. This year it’s Zumix and Girls Rock Campaign Boston on the receiving end, helping to prepare the next generation of One Night Band participants.

I’ll leave you with a few shots from last year’s event. Try to make it down. It’s a good time.

* OK, there’s no way I can know this for sure. Based on past years, I believe this statement to be true. I regretfully missed the inaugural event, but One Night Band 2 and One Night Band 3 were a blast.

** Patent Pending

Poster design by the lovely and talented Nicole Anguish of Daykamp Creative.