January 24th O’Brien’s Pub w/ Pile, Bunny’s A Swine and MiniBoone
February 1st @ Distant Castle in Worcester w/ The Fagettes and Secret Lover
February 9th @ Death By Audio in Brooklyn, NY w/ SLUTEVER
and MANNEQUIN PUSSY
February 16th @ Cambridge Elks Lodge w/ Space Bums, Fedavees and The BFs
February 28th @ Salem cinema w/ The BFs
March 8th @ Firehouse 13 in Providence, RI for a BURGER RECORDS Showcase w/ Atlantic Thrills
Yo, check out this video from one of Boston’s best bands, Bent Shapes. Directed by Avi Paul Weinstein, known around this site for his work with Fat Creeps and The Electric Street Queens.
ALSO, go see them this Saturday, January 12, at the Great Scott w/ fellow rock ‘n’ rollers, The Fagettes, earthquake party!, and Beware the Dangers of a Ghost Scorpion!
Bands: Yankee Power, Space Bums, Moontowers, Your 33 Black Angels
Date: Saturday, December 29, 2012
Venue: Middle East Upstairs (Cambridge, MA)
Act I: Yankee Power– Ahh, let’s take a look back at December 29, 2012. As I recall, a “major” snowstorm hit town and everyone was freaking out over the snow. Well, we braved the weather and entered the Middle East Upstairs, in intense anticipation for local favorites, Yankee Power. The Yanks, I think that’s going to be my new nickname for them, are Jeff Gallagher on vocals/guitar, Tom Calvert on vocals/guitar, Mark Fallon on bass/vocals and CJ Kanouff on drums, and tonight they are joined by one of my best friends, the one and only, Ben “BBT” Tan on keyboards. These five upstanding gents look like ancient Greek warriors up on stage, but instead of spears they defeat their enemies with killer guitars, thunderous drums, and the frenetic keyboard stylings of Ben Tan. The idea is big. There’s a big quality to Yankee Power’s music underneath their humble, every day man exterior. The Yanks open with “Swing,” a flipping catchy tune from their magnum opus, Zoo Traffic, an LP that I devoured like a big chocolate cake, you know the kind that your grandmother brings out for dessert? yeah, that delicious. Listen to this bad boy right now: http://theyankeepower.bandcamp.com/ So yeah, “Swing,” one of my favorites from ZT is the first song of the evening and it’s a great rockabilly, country tune, an Elvis man’s kind of song. They then pick up the pace with “Adopted Love Doll,” another stand out from the aforementioned album, there’s also a slick music video to accompany it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uorPdif39qs With ‘Adopted’ the band rocks out even harder; it’s a heavier jam with howling lead vocals from Jeff and excellent backing vocals from Tom and Mark. Not to mention CJ’s powerhouse drums. This song and all the songs actually, translate very well in a live setting. ZT has a nice, clean production style, and often when that is the case with bands, their songs don’t have the same impact when performed live, but with these dudes that is hardly the case. The Yanks don’t simply mimic their studio work, but they produce a live set that is equally stunning. I honestly can’t think of anyone around that I can compare to these dudes. My only comparisons are the best of the best in the canon of rock and roll, many of which the band clearly derives their sound from. Two of which they cover; Neil Young’s “Cinnamon Girl,” which is outstanding and lives up to the original and The Beatles (or “The Be Atles”) “Hey Bulldog,” my favorite Beatles song and a fitting one (being on the Yellow Submarine soundtrack) considering the band also plays a select batch of “children songs,” including a tune that places the listener under water. Use your imagination! Other memorable moments (for me) include Jeff’s humorous, robotic-like dancing (Glen compares this to that of The Lovely Feathers) and Tom’s classic, shouted line “they’re insincere in all the answers they give” in the track “Real Folk.” Moral of the story, go see Yankee Power, listen to their music, and please give your mom a kiss goodnight, and an extra one for me.
Set List:
“Swing”
“Devo” (“Adopted Love Doll”)
“Real Folk”
“Wilco”
“Nautical”
“Bounty”
“Gepetto”
“Shiver” (“Shiver Of Sharks”)
“Oscapello”
“Neil Young” (“Cinnamon Girl” by Neil Young)
“Hey Bulldog” (The Beatles)
“HHJ” (“Hot Honey Jazz”)
Act II: The Space Bums– Space Bums are quite different from Yankee Power. While Yankee Power play more straight forward pop/50s-60s rock and roll odes, Space Bums seem to be more fixated on the technical side of music. I mean actually I don’t know, I really don’t know what the fuck I’m talking about, I’m just jerking off with my words. I’d say this band would appeal to people that like jam bands or The Grateful Dead. I like some of the Dead, but I’m not a Dead Head, that’s just too much for me. Moontower Tim Cushing, one of the many Wakefieldians performing tonight, switches back and forth between drums and guitar. Until now, I didn’t realize he was in The Space Bums, so it’s nice to see him up on stage again. I’m having trouble remembering specifics from their set, but this is the only time I’ve seen them. “Acid Girl” is a pretty catchy tune. Check it out and all the rest here: http://thespacebums.bandcamp.com/
Set List:
“Veins”
“Wuss”
“Shake”
“Junebugs”
“Acid” (“Acid Girl”)
“Blonde Wig”
“Bangers”
“Gotta See Her”
“Horseman”
“Crumbs”
Act III: Moontowers– Here’s a band I’ve been meaning to see for almost a year now. BBT and Tim Cushing are back again on the keyboards and guitar/vocals, respectively. They are joined by several other kids from my hometown of Wakefield. Some of which I have seen perform many times over the years, but not in this band. There is also a mysterious girl on sitar laying down in the middle of the stage. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sitar in person, it’s about time. With Moontowers, it’s a big affair. There are so many bodies on stage, it’s hard to keep up, I lost count. But, they all jam together like one big family. They also have that psych/jam thing going, and I guess the most obvious comparison that could be made is to The Velvet Underground. Moontowers are like apple pie, just when you think you’ve eaten, it’s eaten you. http://moontowers.bandcamp.com/
Act IV: Your 33 Black Angels– Your 33 Black Angels come all the way from New York for this show, so they really have to brave New England weather to get here. These fellas fit very well with the other bands on the bill and have a similar sound. They seem to have more energy than anyone else and people appear to be more into them than the other bands. The set goes on longer than I would have liked, but I guess they make it worth their trip. It’s not exactly my deal, but I can admire them for their musicianship. I also dig the Fat Creeps shirt on one of the members, that a boy! http://y33ba.bandcamp.com/
Pick up the January 2013 edition of the Boston Counter Cultural Compass to learn about all the latest and greatest of local happenings
http://www.bostoncccompass.com/http://images.bostoncccompass.com/2012/12/BCCC36_FRONT2.jpg
http://www.bostoncccompass.com/http://images.bostoncccompass.com/2012/12/BCCC36_MIDDLE2.jpg
Photo from Boston Globe
1/7- Bath Haus – New Brunswick, NJ w/ Slow Animal, Honeydrum, and Treatment
1/8- The Meat Locker- Montclar, NJ
1/11- Bauhaus Haus- Richmond, VA w/ Celebrity Jeopardy, Dupond Dupont, and Districts
1/12- Al’s Sidecar – Lexington, KY
1/13- TBA
1/14- The New Dodge Lounge – Hamtramck, MI w/ The Jet Rodriguez and Hawk and Son
1/16 – Kung Fu Necktie- Philidephia, PA w/ Bunk, and Beyonder
1/17 – Left Field- NY, NY w/ Jesse from HRVRD/The Bear Romantic, Dos Ossos and Flooding Hotlines –
1/18- Great Scott- Allston, MA
If you live any of these cities, catch one of Boston’s best bands, The New Highway Hymnal, on tour starting today!
Damn, I’ve been waiting for this for almost two years! Can’t wait to see Peach Kelli Pop again. Check the dates below to see if they are hitting up your city. We’ll add venues and such when they are announced.
03/7 Sacramento CA @ Press Club w/ Fine Steps, Croissants
03/8 Bakersfield, CA @ Sandrinis- dj beat surrender party!
03/9 Los Angeles, CA @ TBA
03/10 San Pedro, CA @ Harold’s w/ Dirt Dress, Can of Beans, Benn & the Jet Rodriguez
03/11 Phoenix, AZ @ Trunkspace w/ LENZ + more
03/12 Tucson, AZ @ Tucson Live Music Space w/ Resonars, Maston, and more
03/14-17 SXSW
03/18 New Orleans, LA @ Saturn Bar w/ Warm Soda
03/19 St. Augustine FL @ Nobby’s w/ Wet Nurse, Queen Beef, Mental Boy
03/20 Orlando, FL @ Peacock Room w/ Golden Pelicans and Pillowfight
03/22 Atlanta, GA @ 97 Estoria w/ GHB +more
03/23 Montevallo, AL @ Eclipse w/ Dommel Mosel
03/24 Nashville, TN @ TBA
03/25 Richmond, VA Strange Matter w/ Warm Soda, Wolf//Goat, Arkaic
03/26 NYC, NY @ DBA w/ White Mystery & more tba
03/27 Boston, MA Freak Flag Presents @ Radio Up w/ The Fagettes, Scamps, and Great Valley
03/28 Montreal, QC @ L’esco w/ Dagger Eyes and Vomit Squad
03/29 Ottawa, ON @ House Show
03/30 Toronto, ON @ Magpies
03/31 Detroit , MI @ Lager House
04/1 Chicago, IL @ Burlington w/ Summer Girlfriends
04/2 Milwaukee, WI @ Quarters w/ the Delphines
04/3 St. Louis, MO @ House Show w/ Bruiser Queen, Holy Doldrums, Sleepy & the Bedtimes
04/4 Lawrence, KS @ Replay
04/5 Denver, CO Rocky Mountain Sound Garden w/ w/ Real Diamonds, Chase Diamond, Wvlf Blvd
04/6 Salt Lake City, UT @ Salt Haus
http://peachkelli.blogspot.com/2013/01/spring-tour-will-u-b-there.html
In a few hours it will be 2013, but before I enter the new year I have to look back at my favorite releases in 2012. The following are my top ten:
1) The Barbaras- The Barbaras: 2006-2008 (Goner)
2) Fat Creeps- Fat Creeps EP (Self-Released)
3) Black Lips- Black Lips Live @ Third Man Records (Third Man)
4) Cumstain- White People Problems (Burger)- Okay, not officially released, but still, a favorite of mine.
5) Yankee Power- Zoo Traffic (Self-Released)
6) Hunx- Hairdresser Blues (Hardly Art)
7) Ty Segall- Twins (Drag City)
8) Gravys Drop- For the Love of Gravy (Burger)
9) Maine Coons- Maine Coons 7″ (Stencil Trash)
10) Fat History Month- Live at the Bruce Manor (http://fathistorymonth.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-bruce-manor-super-xxx-ebition)
2013 shall be a year of great releases I predict.
I saw more shows this year than any other (47 total) and all of them were FUN . The following is a list of my top ten (most fun) shows all year:
10) The New Highway Hymnal, Creaturos, Leamers, The Migs, Nice Guys @ Big Stink (10/6/12)
Damn, this was a solid night. I mean with the bands on this bill, how could it not be? Going in to this show I only knew NHH and The Migs, but I came out a fan of local stalwurts, Creaturos and Nice Guys, and our neighbors to the North, Montréal’s Leamers. Kids bashing and bopping around like they ought to. I’ll link you up to the KLYAM review: https://klyam.com/2012/10/09/concert-review-nice-guys-the-migs-leamers-creaturos-new-highway-hymnal-big-stink-10612/
9) The Migs, Nice Guys, Cult Fluorescent, Slimers, Chillcity Icon @ Wilder Zangcraft (11/24/12)
Best Migs show I’ve seen! Nice Guys played a sick set of Coachwhips covers and it was great to see the experimental one mon band Cult Fluorescent again. This show was also my introduction to the mighty Migsian two piece, Slimers and the twisted no wave/noise duo, Chillcity Icon. https://klyam.com/2012/12/06/concert-review-the-migs-nice-guys-cult-fluorescent-slimers-chillcity-icon-wilder-zangcraft-112412/
8) Hunx and His Punx, Heavy Cream, Radio Control @ Great Scott (4/2/12)
I’m a Hunx freak, so words can’t describe my excitement for this show. Having missed the past two Hunx Boston gigs :( I’ve waited for two and a half years to see the band live again. The first time back in October ’09 was opening for Jay Reatard and this served as my intro to Hunx. This time around was even better because I actually knew and loved all of the songs. Throw in Infinity Cat noise makers, Heavy Cream and Somerville rockers, Radio Control and you have one of the finest shows all year. https://klyam.com/2012/04/04/concert-review-hunx-and-his-punx-great-scott-4212/
7) Fat Creeps, Earthquake Party, Fedavees, Fagettes Halloween Show @ Rosebud (10/13/12)
2012 very well could be called the year of the Fat Creeps, especially on this site. We’ve seen a dozen Creeps shows this year, more than any other artist. In fact, I think I’ve seen them more than any other band I’ve seen. Every show has had its own special quality, but for Halloween they played a set of Ramones covers and the crowd ate it up. It was the marriage of two of my favorite bands, and on top of that there were stellar sets from Earthquake Party! (Nirvana), Fedavees (The Wipers), and The Fagettes (Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood).
https://klyam.com/2012/10/16/concert-review-halloween-show-featuring-fat-creeps-earthquake-party-fedavees-fagettes-rosebud-101312/
6) On Broadway Fest 2008 @ Dirty Douglas/Ant Cellar (5/5/12)
I haven’t been to any music festivals, except this one, well and the first On Broadway Fest, but I arrived at night for that one. Therefore, this show was a unique experience. It was a blast seeing 15 or so bands all in one day, especially with memorable performaces from Fat History Month, Big Mess, The New Highway Hymnal (shit water yay!), and Guerilla Toss – I literally felt the Guerilla Toss, woooo. https://klyam.com/2012/06/08/concert-review-onbroadway-fest-2008-5512/
5) No Age, Make It Up @ Chum’s Coffeehouse (3/10/12)
KLYAM and No Age go way back, way back before there even was a KLYAM. The first show we saw at Middle East was No Age, and that took place in 2008. They were one of the first of our beloved, HONORARY KLYAMERS. As popular as No Age is, they still carve out their own DIY aesthetic and playing a little Coffeehouse in Waltham is a testament to that. Some of the best moshing/crowd surfing I’ve seen all year! https://klyam.com/2012/03/12/concert-review-no-age-chums-brandeis/
4) Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees, K-Holes @ The Well (9/22/12)
This is one of the few shows I have seen outdoors. I need to experience more of these! Outside on a rainy night in Brooklyn with a thousand or more bodies. I usually prefer smaller gigs, but Ty Segall’s music is so gigantic it feels right in this setting. Of course, this show is also special because this marks my first and only experience with Thee Oh Sees, one of America’s greatest live bands. Can’t wait for the next NYC trip and/or Ty/Oh Sees show. K-Holes, stay solid. https://klyam.com/2012/09/23/concert-review-ty-segall-thee-oh-sees-k-holes-the-well-92212/
3) Ty Segall, White Fence, Strange Boys @ Space Gallery (5/14/12)
Ty it is again! You just can’t stop this guy from popping up on our year end lists. Ahh, our first Ty Segall show ever! An event in heavy anticipation for nearly two years. The Space Gallery is one of the finer venues in the New England area that I have attended: larger capacity without that corporate rock feel, art gallery, steady rock ‘n’ roll, and two dollar PBRs! Yeah, so if the show above at the Well felt like a big time House of Blues event, then this Space Gallery show was more akin to a rowdy, packed Black Lips show at the Mid East Downstairs. And of course, Strange Boys were better than ever!
https://klyam.com/2012/05/15/concert-review-ty-segall-white-fence-strange-boys/
2) King Khan & The Shrines, Hector’s Pets @ Brighton Music Hall (7/23/12)
As far as showmen go, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone that competes with King Khan. We were blessed this year to catch Khan and all the classic Shrines at a sweaty, fun filled show this past July. It’s just one big party y’all. https://klyam.com/2012/07/25/concert-review-king-khan-the-shrines-brighton-music-hall/
Who will be number 1?…..
NO NO NO NO NO!!!
NOBUNNY!!!!
1) Nobunny, Bad Sports, Xray Eyeballs, Liquor Store @ Living Bread (9/21/12)
For the past three years, the almighty Black Lips have filled the number one slot in this category. Alas, we did not see them this year, they had bigger plans – touring the Middle East. Beautiful, those kids need em’ more. Fortunately, we witnessed somebunny else on stage, this bunny we’ve also consistently seen the past 3-4 years, and he’s never let us down. 5 Nobunny shows deep and this was the best. I felt like I was watching Darby Crash or Keith Morris, but singing bubblegum and garage. I love that feeling, when you look up at a bunnyman in his underwear and say to yourself “this is the only kind of rock ‘n’ roll that matters.” https://klyam.com/2012/09/24/concert-review-nobunny-bad-sports-xray-eyeballs-liquor-store-living-bread-92112/
Ahh what a year, 2012, the best I’d say. In this year I saw the following exceptional/favorite bands for the first time (some of which I noted above): SKIMASK, Bleached, Smith Westerns, Dirty Virgins, Fat Creeps, The Migs, Ty Segall, Beach Boys, Bent Shapes (as Bent Shapes), Colleen Green (two nights in a row!), Thee Oh Sees, Nice Guys, The Fagettes, The Electric Street Queens, Yankee Power.
And now I’m off to bring in 2013 with Fat Creeps, The New Highway Hymnal, Color Channel, and Yale, MA at Great Scott. Peace.
Hope y’all had a wonderful Christmas, I did. Wanna add to that wonderous quality? Listen to these two joints: http://cumstain.bandcamp.com/album/the-challenger-disaster-a-love-story
Kick off Christmas with No Age! Haha, this video shows us No Age in their early days with The Smell (legendary L.A. venue) just as their debut LP Weirdo Rippers is being released on Fat Cat.
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 
