Ruby Rose Fox with Glenn di Benedetto and Nate Leavitt – “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” (2012)


Ruby Rose Fox with Glenn di Benedetto and Nate Leavitt
“What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?”
2012

This is why I love this city. Ruby Rose Fox and Parlour Bells shared a bill at the debut of Lounge Act. The next thing you know they’re collaborating on an old holiday standard. Ruby Rose Fox, Glenn di Benedetto and Nate Leavitt’s rendition of “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” drives home some of the reasons I find them so enchanting. Ruby Rose Fox has one of those timeless voices that would sound good singing the instructions to program your VCR. It should come as no surprise that it sounds even better here. She and Glenn play well off each other while Nate provides the perfect guitar accompaniment. The ease with which the Parlour Bells gentlemen pull this off proves that their remarkable cover of “Get Thee Behind Me Satan” was no fluke. These guys have standards in their souls.

There’s even a nicely done video here.

Where to get it:

OldJack @ The Sinclair 12.15.2012

OldJack was a fine-tuned rock ‘n’ soul machine at The Sinclair. Saint Nicklin & Co. deftly rolled one song into the next, culminating with the pair of holiday numbers they recently made available. Let’s hope the Holiday Homage becomes an annual tradition.

Parlour Bells @ The Sinclair 12.15.2012

Parlour Bells had a big year in 2012. Their Rumble set was one of the highlights at this year’s event. They opened the first ever show presented by Daykamp Music.* The most dapper band in Boston did the same for the last show presented by WFNX while they were still on terrestrial radio. When fall rolled around, they showed off their versatility with a show-stopping performance at the debut of Lounge Act. Well, add one more biggie to the list. With their opening set at OldJack’s Holiday Homage, Parlour Bells became the first Boston act to grace the stage of the newly-opened Sinclair.

I can’t wait to see what they have in store for 2013.

* I’m sure they will consider this a watershed moment in their rock n’ roll careers.

Brendan Boogie & The Broken Gates @ Radio 12.6.2012

Brendan Boogie has an ongoing residency at Radio the first Thursday of every month with his latest band, Brendan Boogie & The Broken Gates. It’s a rocking outfit who play well off each other. Most of the material is new, but fear not. Mr Boogie still knows how to write a memorable tune. You’ll have one or two new favorites by the end of the set.

The Phil Aiken Army @ Radio 12.6.2012

Phil Aiken has assembled a most impressive troupe to help him deliver a fantastic set. The Phil Aiken Army effectively lodged the future-classic tune “Holiday Overload” into my brain before launching a blistering cover of “Gimme Shelter” into Somerville night.

Goddamn Glenn & The Parlour Bells Players @ Radio 11.27.2012

Parlour Bells are a natural fit for a lounge themed show. They’ve always had a swanky vibe. Reborn as Goddamn Glenn & The Parlour Bells Players, the band passionately embraced Anngelle Wood’s Lounge Act show at Radio. They stripped back the songs and rebuilt them with a red velvet touch. Magen Tracy and Nate Leavitt stepped out and nailed the noir-tinged sound while Brendan Boogie and Paul Myers kept things buttoned down behind them. Frequent Parlour Bells collaborator Joel Edinberg added some drama on the sax. The mood was set for Goddamn Glenn to do his thing. This may have been the finest performance of Glenn DiBenedetto’s career. He crooned. He swooned. He sat down with the ladies. It was a great reminder that even high expectations can be exceeded when you take the time to mix a mid-song martini.

The Globe Bar is open.

Video from this show:

OldJack @ Radio 10.13.2012

If you’re looking for the tipping point of the One Year Of Radio show where the event went from dignified celebration to rock ‘n’ roll debauchery, look no further than OldJack’s set. There would be plenty of time for things to get really out of hand, but this band of merrymakers certainly played a role in the decline of local civilization. They brought the songs. They brought the show. OldJack helped us find our way to the place we knew we had to go.

Parlour Bells @ Radio 10.13.2012

If I was throwing some kind of anniversary party I’d want to have a classy band in the mix. It’s nice to feel like you’re at some kind of dignified event before the Boucharding begins. Parlour Bells filled that role at Radio’s first anniversary show with a set of their engaging noir-pop.