Boston Rock Photos And Stuff
Jenny Dee & The Deelinquents put on one heck of a show during the 2014 Boston Music Awards. No surprise there. What a band…
Jingle, jangle, jingle! Eric Salt & The Electric City kicked the Q Division/Concerted Efforts/Moontower Holiday Party into high gear with a boisterous set.
Jenny Dee & The Deelinquents celebrated the release of their crazy good new record with a crazy good release show at the Lizard Lounge. Has there ever been a band that so effortlessly blends girl group R&B, new wave and symphonic pop? Wowzers.
Eric Salt & The Electric City
Please Say Yes
2013
Eric Salt is one talented guy. 2007’s The Hail Mary hooked me with its depth and breadth of songwriting. His playing with Jenny Dee And The Deelinquents is always inspired. Plus, he can cover Springsteen like nobody’s business. He’s equally at home with his own material or someone else’s. Please Say Yes adds to this impressive body of work. Here we find Eric Salt & The Electric City getting back to their naturally varied ways. Their cover of Dylan’s “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You” is gorgeous. “Women I’ve Loved” is a toe-tapper. “Movie Screen” finds beauty in simplicity. Horns help shape “Last Man Standing” and “Cold Winds Blow.” The band’s cover of Billy Squier’s “Whadda You Want From Me” turns a rocker into a slow burn.* Saving one of the best for last, the record closes with the endearing title track. Play it again. Please Say Yes gets better with every listen.
Where to get it:
* Given the album title and artwork, you had to see that one coming.
Jenny Dee & The Deelinquents never fail to entertain. Their set at Brighton Music Hall for the Boston Does Boston benefit included holiday numbers, a Township cover* and a bunch of their ’60s-girl-group-meets-’70s-orchestral-pop originals. They’re one of the best live acts in town, nodoubtaboutit.
* Pick up the studio version of the Township cover on Boston Does Boston Vol. 1 & 2.
Watching Jenny Dee & The Deelinquents perform makes me happy. There’s a lot of joy in their music, be it the girl group R&B that launched the band or their more recent adventures in electro-symphonic pop. It all sounds right. It all sounds good. They closed out the Thursday night of TT’s 40th Anniversary week.
Jenny Dee & Several Men Of Mystery
Jenny Dee & Several Men Of Mystery
2013
Three country tunes from Jenny Dee and some of her very talented friends?* Yes, please. Opening track “You Had It All” is a duet with Roy Sludge. I’m pretty sure I knew this one was going to be great before I even heard it.** “Never” has suitably weary and worn backing vocals from Bill Janovitz and Chris Toppin. It’s always a treat when those two team up. Also, I’m a sucker for a weepy lapsteel. The EP closes with Jenny Dee & Several Men Of Mystery tearing it up on “Looking For Clues.” Jenny notes that this song is a reworked tune from her gig with The Downbeat Five. Given the song’s fiery nature, it’s certainly not hard to believe. The band really cuts loose here. Sometimes sad songs can make you happy.
Where to get it:
* Duke Levine, Bill Janovitz, Chris Toppin, Ed Valauskas, Tom Arey, Roy Sludge, Matt Pynn, and Ben Zecker? Good, Lord. Even Eric Salt gets in on the action, playing the tambourine on “Looking For Clues.”
** It is.
There was plenty of heart at Bands For Babs. The bands, raffle donors, the fine folks at Radio and everyone who came out to the shows made sure of that. On Thursday night, Jenny Dee & The Deelinquents brought the soul…
I was really anxious on October 11th, the first day of the Bands For Babs benefit. Having “Never Intended” by Eric Salt & The Electric City stuck in my head all day helped to calm me down. After being upstairs at Radio for The Modifiers and AM Stereo, I bopped down to Moe’s Lounge to catch as much of Eric Salt and his band as I could. Just as I walked into the wood-paneled sanctuary, The Electric City kicked into “Never Intended” and everything was right in the world.
Eric Salt & The Electric City
The Hail Mary
2007
Two minutes and forty seconds into “Open Doorway” from Eric Salt & The Electric City’s album, The Hail Mary, the listener is submerged in a sea of cascading vocal harmonies. It’s the culmination of a three song opening sequence that is thoroughly engaging. “Stand In The Light” kicks things off with its syncopated guitars and snarling vocals while “Pearls” oscillates between the vibrant and ominous. By the time of the final snare hit of “Open Doorway”, it’s hard to imagine any other way Eric and company could have unveiled The Hail Mary.
The record sheds some of its drama with the fourth track, “Never Intended”, complete with Billy Preston-esque electric piano flourishes and light-hearted backing vocals. “Beatle Chord” doesn’t hide its Abbey Road influence in title or style. Throughout the 12 song CD there are hints of Wilco, Elvis Costello, and the occasional guitar line or vocal melody that wouldn’t sound out of place in a Paul Westerberg penned tune. The earnestness of the record would be burdensome if it wasn’t so damn honest.
There’s a high level of musicianship on The Hail Mary. Eric and his crew know when to play fast and loose and when to show some restraint. Vocals go from breathy to biting without ever sounding forced. Denis Saulnier’s drums are clockwork steady yet never lack feel. Layers of guitars all seem to know their place. Nuanced mixes from Ed Valauskas and Rafi Sofer (and Eric himself on “Long Livin’ Life”) tie it all together. The Hail Mary has all of the expected polish and sheen of an album produced by Ed at Q Division.
Where to get it:
