Nina
EMMA
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: akron/family, baths, brighton music hall, february shows in boston, gang of four, joe fletcher and the wrong reasons, Kitchen Sessions, laura stevenson and the cans, manners, neko case, streight angular, triumphant return, wavves
Never ending snow in Allston
Dear fine ladies and gentlemen who may occasionally have stumbled upon this blog and noticed the lack of action in the past, well… 2 months (and some weeks),
We now return to our regularly scheduled programming. I will not make excuses for slacking off, but instead just dive back into things and ring in this snowy, slushy, freezing month we call February. It takes some “umpf” to power through Boston’s frozen and wet tundra, and below we will at least try to motivate you off your cozy couch and out into the world. Yes, things still happen during the snowpocalypse. There’s even a stellar new venue in Allston, Brighton Music Hall, which is bringing in some of the most exciting concerts in Boston during the following months. Suck it up, buy some waterproof boots and get out there.
2/3 Neko Case @ the Wilbur Theater
At this point, the good seats at the Wilbur Theater will no doubt be sold out. But Neko Case’s powerhouse of a voice should rattle your bones no matter where you’re sitting. Middle Cyclone was pretty good, but nothing competes with her 2006 album Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. And, if you’re a New Pornographer’s fan but haven’t seen Neko bring it live (because she tends to, ahem, skip out on some concerts these days), you really, really should.
2/4 Wavves @ the Paradise
I am intentionally not listing Best Coast here, though she will be playing with her boooooyfriend. Regardless of their super obnoxious California stoner couple-dome, Wavves’ new album King of the Beach is ridiculously catchy and fun. In these cold-ass times, sitting back, closing your eyes and imagining getting high on a California beach before running into some breaking waves while listening to this album is almost mandatory. Also, know what warms you up in the Boston winter time? Skinny hipster mosh-pits! THAT’S WHAT.
2/5 Joe Fletcher and the Wrong Reasons @ Plough and Stars
Joe Fletcher’s first full length album White Lighter is some damn good Americana folk. He is a spirited dude, and Plough and Stars is just intimate enough for his spirit to become contagious. Below is a video from our friends over at Kitchen Sessions back in October.
2/7 Gang of Four @ the Paradise
THROOOWBACK! I’ve always wanted to see Gang of Four live, despite this being about thirty years too late. Anyway, 1977′s Entertainment! introduced me to post-punk, which is actually pretty abidingly chronological of me. Hearing “Anthrax,” “Natural’s Not in It” or “Damaged Goods” live would be pretty damn sweet.
2/9 Laura Stevenson and the Cans @ Great Scott
Read this excellent and in-depth article about Laura Stevenson from the Phoenix.
2/10 Deerhoof @ The Middle East Downstairs
2/11 The Hood Internet @ Brighton Music Hall
2/14 You Can Be a Wesley, Viva Viva and Drug Rug @ The Middle East Upstairs
2/17 Baths @ Brighton Music Hall
After years of remaining largely obtuse about electronic music, I’ve finally started to understand it’s appeal. Baths is masterminded by 21-year-old Will Weisenfeld, and his LP Cerulean proves that ambient beats can pack a serious punch. Two months of doing the most minimalist kind of dance – dancing-while-sitting-at-a-desk, that is – later, I am pretty psyched for this show.
2/17 Streight Angular @ Church
To be honest, though I’d seen Streight Angular’s name about a thousand times, I never actually listened to them until their recent single “Everyone is Syncopated” showed up on their Bandcamp. This track is pretty great in an impending mosh pit sort of way, and it is officially a mosh pit I’d like to be a part of.
2/18 Akron/Family @ Brighton Music Hall
2/18 MANNERS , Anna Fox and Chris North (of the Points North) @ Gay Gardens
If you haven’t gotten your hands on the Boston Countercultural Compass showlist (available in almost every bike shop, coffee shop, or independently owned anything throughout Jamaica Plain and Allston each month since about this time last year), you’ve probably missed out on some of Boston’s most wonderful offerings: DIY house shows. They come in all shapes and size, from fuzzy, experimental noise in an unfinished basement to cozy, New England living room shows with violins, flutes and drums. This show will likely be more the later, so bring your own beer, sit back Indian style and relax. And find a BCCC flyer, go their website, the Facebook group, or follow them on Twitter. It pays off.
2/19 + 20 Dr. Dog @ the Paradise
2/22 Mighty Tiny and Ketman @ Great Scott
2/24 White Rabbits and Magic Magic @ the Paradise
2/24 The Craters and the Points North @ TT the Bear’s
2/25 Asobi Seksu @ Brighton Music Hall
2/25 Galactic @ the Paradise
Filed under: Nina | Tags: beantown jazz festival, boston, broken social scene, concerts, cups, japanther, kath bloom, manners, mighty tiny, phantogram, points north, prince rama, sleigh bells, wavves
image credit: D.L. Polonsky
Hey there, Boston! I’d like to apologize for the delay in posts – late-August American adventures, moving back to Boston, accumulating and moving furniture, choosing and re-choosing classes, and generally getting things together has made the past couple of weeks more than a bit frantic. But rest assured, the Restless Legs are alive and kicking, getting down in Allston-town and ready for more musical goodness.
We’re hoping to get some sort of nifty calendar up before long, but until then, here’s a good old-fashioned list of great shows in Boston that are on our radar for the rest of this month. (For all you newly settled college kids, get out your Crackberry/meticulously organized planner/enormous stack of Post-Its and take notes – these are worth scheduling your study circles and keg stands around.)
9/14 – Prince Rama opens for Deakin (of Animal Collective) @ Middle East Downstairs
Brooklyn/Boston- based deep psych tribal freakout trio Prince Rama puts on an awesome show that just might double as a religious experience. Heavy with chanting and the chimes, moshing and auditory hallucinations, this show promises to blow minds and speakers alike. (Plus, that one guy from Animal Collective, so that’s cool.)
9/15 – Manners, The Points North, The Cups @ Gay Gardens
So, you didn’t hear it from us, but Manners and the Points North just might be coming to a house show near you. Both are Massachusetts natives and both play lovely, heartfelt folk music. Come out to support local artists and enjoy an intimate show that’ll warm even the most frazzled souls. (Hyperactive fun by The Cups also included.)
9/17 – Broken Social Scene @ House of Blues
Bombastic Canadian powerhouse ensemble comes to Boston! Forgiveness Rock Record was awesome, and will be ten times more awesome live! This is pretty exciting!
9/18 & 9/19 – Sleigh Bells & Wavves at Brandeis University
Snaps to WBRS for booking two sweet shows back to back. Noise pop thrashfest Sleigh Bells are this year’s answer to the Crystal Castles and have caught the attention of heavyweights MIA and LCD Soundsystem alike. Self-proclaimed King of the Beach, Wavves is like a one-man fuzzy 2010 take on the easygoing pop-punk sound of the 90s and besides that one notorious Primavera Fest meltdown he’s been doing pretty well for himself. Unfortunately for the masses, Brandeis ID is required for entry, but for Deis kids and outsiders crafty enough to finagle their way in, this is going to be one hell of a weekend.
9/22 – Phantogram @ Paradise Rock Club
Haunting vocals swirl over synths and danceable beats to make beautiful, captivating, trippy pop that’s reminiscent of Portishead and School of Seven Bells. Their debut album, Eyelid Movies is aptly named, but if you’re willing to put those closed-eye visuals on hold for a night, these guys should be worth seeing.
9/23 – Mighty Tiny opens for Electric Six @ Middle East Downstairs
We caught Boston-based circus-rock ensemble Mighty Tiny at Great Scott this Thursday and their deft mixture of blues, punk, accordion, sweet Venetian masks, and enthusiastic cabaret-esque showmanship gets the full RLS endorsement. These guys are one of the more original bands to come out of Boston as of late and their live show is a party and a half not to be missed. (Electric Six are those guys that did “Danger! High Voltage!” and “Gay Bar” – both severely WTF-inducing, and hilarious.)
9/25 - Beantown Jazz Festival
Berklee’s annual jazz festival will be bringing impressive jazz heavyweights (such as Kurt Rosenwinkel, The Bad Plus, that lady who sang “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone” and the Dawson’s Creek theme song…) to Boston all week, but the jazz-illiterate and/or seriously broke among us should look to the 25th for a free all-day festival. If the weather’s cooperative, there are few better ways to spend a Saturday than by enjoying good music and quality people-watching while lounging around on grass and eating an unhealthy amount of fried festival food.
9/ 25 – Japanther @ The Temple
There’s also no better way to follow up a classy day of jazz than with a sweaty night dancing and throwing fists and beer cans at a punk rock show! (Note: RLS does not endorse violence but we do endorse dancing and mosh pits and sometimes things just happen.) Japanther are a Brooklyn-based punk-tastic funfest whose shows get the crowd bouncing off the wall with more hyperactive energy than your caffeine-addicted roommate mid-finals week after she just got a new prescription for Adderall. Seriously. Awesome.
9/26 – Kath Bloom @ Whitehaus
Remember this? Nuff said.
9/30 – Menomena & Suckers @ Royale
Menomena is the ultimate sleeper band. For all their dense structures and instrumental intricacies, their subtle songs rarely grab you on the first listen, but after a couple of spins their brilliance creeps up on you and is suddenly irresistible. Suckers, on the other hand, make incredibly catchy songs that get in your head and stay there for days and weeks and months. That dynamic plus the obvious talent and odd charisma of both bands make this a show not to be missed.
There you go, those are about all the extracurricular activities you need. Go play. We’ll see you there.
