Tag: Rafi Sofer

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The Walls @ The Middle East Downstairs 9.8.2012

People were excited about The Walls for a lot of reasons. For me it was one: guitarmony.

You see, Thin Lizzy came on the radio during my morning car ride into Central Square (to shoot some of the One Night Band promo photos). With “Cowboy Song” stuck in my head, I struck up a conversation with Adam Andersen about my hope that one of the bands about to be formed would try to pull off harmonized guitar lines during One Night Band 4. Lucky me, The Walls did just that. Now, I’m not trying to take credit for this joyous turn of events,* but this was my favorite part of their stellar set. It was either that or Aaron Perrino and Mariam Saleh’s awesome vocals. Or maybe Kyle Rasmussen’s kinetic drumming. Or the way Aaron, Adam, Mariam and the ever-versatile Rafi Sofer wove their stringed instruments into a textured sonic fabric.

Hmmm. It was one of those things, anyway.

* I totally am.

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Eric Salt & The Electric City – The Hail Mary (2007)


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:

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The Invisible Rays @ The Rosebud Bar 7.27.2011

Counting, creativity, projections, synchronization, pop culture, musicality and a touch of humanity.

As it turns out, The Invisible Rays were actually visible. It was just really dark.

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John Powhida International Airport @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 4.22.2011

What does a Rumble winning set sound like in the year 2011?

Well, during John Powhida International Airport’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble Finals set someone from Boston Band Crush posted the following Facebook update:

“Does anyone else think John Powhida is from another planet?”

Now, most of my alien rock music experience comes from Gwar. Locally we’ve got Planetoid living among us. What about Mr. Powhida? Could J-Po be from another planet?

I think the BBC folks may be onto something. There’s just too much crazy goodness going on in a John Powhida International Airport set for it to be of human origin. J-Po’s previous outfit, The Rudds, was a pretty kick-ass rock band.  Here, the kick-assity remains, but it’s infused with synthesizers, danceable grooves and a healthy dose of insanity.  It sounds crazy.  It is crazy.  But it works. It works beautifully.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, you may be wondering what a Rumble winning set looks like in the year 2011. See below…



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John Powhida International Airport @ T.T. The Bear’s Place 4.5.2011

By now we all know that John Powhida International Airport took the tiara in the 2011 Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble.  Congratulations to J-Po and his flight crew on their well earned victory.

Here are some photos from the night that started it all for them.  The band rocked, rolled, shook and shimmied their way to a Preliminary Night #3 victory.  Good times.