Below is a link to the April 2012 edition of Boston Counter Cultural Compass, a local Boston Newsletter that will tell you where to find the greatest Boston happenings.
http://www.bostoncccompass.com
Category Archives: Art
Concert Review: Hunx and His Punx, Heavy Cream, Radio Control @ Great Scott! (4/2/12)
Artists: Hunx and His Punx, Heavy Cream, Radio Control
Date: Monday, April 2, 2012
Venue: Great Scott (Allston, MA)
Comments:
Act I: Radio Control– The show begins with Radio Control, a rock duo from Somerville consisting of Matt Studivan on vocals and guitar and Kristina Otero on vocals and drums. Radio Control are excited to play as are their supportive fans in the front row (just a couple folks, but nonetheless ultra supportive of their bros). As the set moves along more and more people show up, which is good because they deserve it. I have never heard of Radio Control before this evening, but now I wish I had at least checked out some of their music before entering the Great Scott. They rock pretty hard and the sound is solid. I admire their musicianship and in fact they are one of the tightest bands I have seen as of late. I do not know if it is just me, but I seem to have a thing for two pieces, maybe because I see them so often. Overall, I can hear a lot hooks in their songs and I am positive that if I knew their material beforehand, then I would be singing along to them. Here’s a link to their glorious band camp page: http://weareradiocontrol.com/
Act II: Heavy Cream– I have been hearing a lot of good things about this Nashville band recently, so when I saw that they were playing with Hunx and His Punx it gave me all the more reason to be hysterically pumped up for this show. Alas, I have only had a small taste of Heavy Cream, but based on what I have heard I know they will not disappoint me. And of course, they do not. Heavy Cream definitely has their shit together, both sonically and visually. Singer, Jessica MacFarland is wearing an eye catching leopard skinned outfit and it is hard not to keep your eyes off her especially with her seemingly endless charisma and occasional spitting to boot. I honestly only know one song from their repertoire and that is 2010’s classic “Watusi,” which is accompanied by one helluva music video. The song is quite catchy and sounds terrific live, making the kids move and shake a little. I also see a familar face in bassist Seth Sutton, whom I saw way back in October ’09 when he played side by side with the late, great Jay Reatard in the kickass, guitar driven powerhouse known as Useless Eaters. Mr. Sutton isn’t the only Seth I have not seen live since October ’09, but I will get that later, back to Heavy Cream. I do not want to pin the group down to one sound or style, but fans of bands such as fellow Nashville rockers, Those Darlins, Nobunny, Bleached, and Mika Miko will probably enjoy Heavy Cream. I also hear a lot Runaways/ Joan Jett in their music and performance as well. Just like Radio Control, they are pretty damn tight and in terms of overall attitude, I cannot think of too many better bands to play before Hunx; they share the same Rock and Roll aesthetic, that is thee best aesthetic.
Act III: Hunx and His Punx– HUNX AND HIS PUNX!!! HOLY SHIT!!! Yes, they truly deserve all of those exclamation points. I am a humongous fan of Hunx and His Punx, so this show means a lot to me. Unfortunately, I have not seen the band since the Boston Shattered Records Tour show at Harpers Ferry on October 2, 2009. Yes sir, Jay Reatard, Nobunny, Hunx and His Punx, Box Elders, and Useless Eaters. To this day the greatest bill I have ever witnessed. At the time, I did not know who or what Hunx and His Punx was, so it was an exciting and bizarre experience that will stick with me forever. Flash forward a few months and Hunx is on my iPod every single day, and that has continued for the past two years. Due to some poor scheduling, lack of money and transportation I have missed the past two Boston Hunx shows, but today is my day. The Great Scott has never seemed so wonderful, and I have seen my fair share of Great Scott shows: Wavves, Harlem, Handsome Furs, all great, but none of them compare to Hunx at this moment. When the band hits the stage, I am harder and higher than ever and I am about to explode (INSERT DRAMATIC EFFECT). Tonight the band opens with the recent Hunx solo effort, “Hairdresser Blues,” and not being a hairdresser myself, I cannot say I have actually experienced these blues, but Hunx sings with so much passion I can tell he has. Next up is “Private Room,” another hit from the new record, and definitely one of the catchiest. Too bad there does not appear to be any gay dudes in the audience for Hunx to share a private room with, and in general the crowd is a bit reserved. No need to worry though, the band brings their A game and they truly rock the place. I was discussing watching YouTube videos of live performances versus actually being present for the shows with a fine gentlemen earlier in the evening and we both agreed that sometimes it is just not the same if you were not there. Tonight is a great example of this. I have seen Hunx vids before, but honestly they do not do justice to the live act. The band is extremely tight and every song just fucking hits you like a hurricane. It brings me back to the old days of Jay Reatard, but with a smiley face. Hunx is one of the greatest performers I have seen. He simply has a contagious personality, a persona that rivals the likes of King Khan, Nobunny, and Bradford Cox, all of which I admire greatly. The whole group is fantastic: Shannon Shaw (also of the fabulous Shannon and the Clams) belts out incredible vocals on “If You’re Not Here” and “The Curse of Being Young” amongst others. Shaw is one of my favorite singers right now, truly only on par with some of today’s greatest such as Mark Sultan. Erin Emslie (also of The Foxx) is a sick drummer, her drumming is simple on the surface, but she has undeniable skill and finesse. She keeps the beat at a fast, steady pace the whole show and there is a lot of physicality and power to her performance. Then there is that creepy, mystery guitarist to the right of Hunx. The songs would not be the same without him though, but he surely is one creepy motherfucker. JK! Often you think of “garage” as sloppy, but as far as I am concerned Hunx and His Punx has their shit together, much like the first two bands tonight. Every song hits you hard and the set consists of so many classics from both records, Gay Singles and Too Young To Be In Love. My favorites are “Cruising” and “U Don’t Like Rock and Roll.” I am just in my own world when they play these songs. I love them to death so much, when I hear it live I am in near cardiac arrest! The show concludes with “Lovers Lane,” and the band departs the stage for the errr dresser room (or lack thereof), but not for too long. “Good Kisser” is unleashed and all is well. Heavy Cream join the band on stage for the final song, which is a cover of a Pleasure Seekers tune: “What A Way To Die”. All in all, a great time is had by all. Hunx and His Punx is real Rock and Roll and it is KLYAM’s mission to bring Rock and Roll into the high schools, middle schools, elementary schools, and if we have time, the pre schools of America! Instead of an Easter Bunny, kids can come and sit on Nobunny’s lap! I can see the lovely mall riots in my mind. God bless America! I am a patriot, I hide in trees.
Set List:
Hairdresser Blues (from Hairdresser Blues)
Private Room (HB)
Cruising (from Gay Singles)
Bad Boy (from Too Young to Be in Love)
Gimmie Gimmie Back Your Love (GS)
Too Young To Be In Love (TY)
Let Me In (HB)
The Curse of Being Young (TY)
U Don’t Like Rock ‘N’ Roll (GS)
If You’re Not Here (I Don’t Know) (TY)
Do the Make Up (GS)
Lovers Lane (TY)
*ENCORE*
Good Kisser (GS)
What A Way To Die (Pleasure Seekers Cover)
Concert Review: Fat History Month@ UML Fox Common (3/8/12)
Artists: Gypsy Blood, Onslo, Fat History Month, Settler
Date: Thursday, March 8, 2012
Venue: UMass Lowell Fox Common (Lowell,MA)
Comments: NOTE: This is not the full review! A more complete review from our pal Justin Cole will be up before you can say fuck your yankee blues jeans… okay maybe not that fast, but fast. Read it and then send us money, just kidding, but it would be a lot cooler if you did.
Act I: Settler– “Instrumental fun rock from Massachusetts.”- Settler Band Camp page. Check it out! http://settler.bandcamp.com/
Act II: Fat History Month– The one and only, Fat History Month, New England’s greatest band! For you newcomers, Fat History Month is a Boston based duo consisting of Sean on vocals and guitar and Mark on drums, and together they are two wild and crazy guys, and by wild and crazy I mean kind, courteous, upstanding gentlemen. FHM is easily one of the hardest working, DIY bands right now and for that I have a lot of respect. Though, there are a lot of bands out there that are dedicated to their craft, but few can mesmorize me the way these guys do. This is the fourth time I have seen the band and in my previous three experiences I saw them in basements, so the Fox Common is definitely a change of pace, but I like it. The two look great on a stage, albeit a very small stage. The Fox Common is clearly intended for full size bands, so seeing the duo together, almost cramped up in the corner of the stage is a perfect image. Well perhaps not the corner, but they are simply positioned in this classic Fat History set up and as always it is as striking as the music itself. Speaking of which, tonight the duo produce some of their greatest offerings from one of 2011’s finest LPs, Fucking Despair. One of my favorite moments is when they play “Nature,” and Sean roars, “Your balls are on display!” I love hearing the song on record, but when I hear that line live it just brings home what makes Fat History Month Fat History Month: that fantastic juxtaposition of goofball humor and serious, genuine, emotion. Earlier in the night, Sean himself stated that he “went to clown college,” haha! In fact, the sound check consisted of the words “COCKS! BIG ONES!” Unless, I am losing my mind and it is only me hearing this, which could be true, what with my wacky imagination and all. Two other excellent staples are “No Safe” and the title track itself “Fucking Despair.” If you have not seen Fat History Month yet, you are missing out. They play all the time, go to one (or many) of their shows or else….
http://fathistorymonth.bandcamp.com/
Act III: Onslo– LOUD, some loud motherfuckers right here.
Act IV: Gypsyblood– If you like Jesus and Mary Chain, then you will probably love these guys. http://gypsyblood.bandcamp.com/
New Natural Child Track: “Faces of Death”
New track “Faces Death” can be heard here at Get Bent:
http://getbent.fm/post/20079342988/track-natural-child-faces-of-death
The new track can be found on their upcoming LP For the Love of the Game out on Burger Records on April 20.
Upcoming SKIMASK Shows!
Photo from http://skimaskmusic.blogspot.com/ Check it out! Here are some awesome, upcoming SKIMASK shows:
Wednesday, April 4 @ Middlesex Lounge Central Square Cambridge w/ Bugs and Rats
Thursday, April 12 @ Butcher Shoppe (Allston) w/ Mounds, Black Pus (Lightning Bolt), Buck Gooter
Tuesday, April 17 @ ….. somewhere in Brooklyn, NY w/ Arvid Noe
Friday, April 20 @ Twin Towers (Allston) w/ New Highway Hymnal, The Terribles, and Rotten Apples
Saturday, April 28 @ Paradise w/ Future Islands, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat
Wednesday, May 2 @ O’Brien’s Pub w/ Fat History Month, Pile, Ugh God
Awesome Boston Globe Article on Boston Hassle (12/9/11)
Sam Potrkus (left) and Dan Shea (right)- Photo taken by Boston Globe
Yeah, I know I’m about four months late on this, but I just came across it tonight and felt it was important enough to share with everyone. This article by Matt Parish does a good job of explaining what Boston Hassle is all about and the background behind its dedicated creators.
NEW MUSIC VIDEO: GRAVYS DROP- “RUNAWAY”
RUNAWAY – GRAVYS DROP (Official Music Video) from Billy Grave on Vimeo.
GRAVYS DROP- “RUNAWAY” first single from the new album For the Love of Gravy out on Burger Records! Way to go Billy! SHATTERED RECORDS TOUR 2009 FOR LIFE!
http://gravysdrop.bandcamp.com/
Album Review: Atlas The Atom Smasher’s “The Snowmiser Suite”
Artist: Atlas the Atom Smasher
Full Title: The Snowmiser Suite
Release Date: January 1, 2012
Label: Self-Released
Comments: It’s 2012, the apocalypse is almost upon us and the end of the world is nigh. Alright, no, I personally don’t buy into anything relating to the mayan calendar or December 21st of this year. However, if you were to ask Atlas The Atom Smasher, it can be the perfect subject matter to base an album around. “The Snowmiser Suite”, the Punk trio’s newest release, is exactly that: one 12 minute, three part punk rock odyssey about finding oneself and making sense of the world’s problems right in the midst of, you guessed it, the apocalypse. The song’s three movements each call to mind different emotions that might come out of a situation such as this. At some points the lyrics reflect hope for mankind’s future, while in other places there is a sense of anger about the factors that might have led to the world’s destruction. Finally, the boys in Atlas seem to reach a point of understanding and even acceptance with the chaos they’ve depicted here.
The EP begins with ominous guitar chords that build right into the first movement “Snowmiser”; here frontman Aaron Hibbert sings with a kind of pained optimism. The state of the world he depicts is anything but pleasant, but he holds on to a small sense of hope as he proclaims “we’ll be okay someday”, a line that goes on to be a recurring idea later in the song.
The second movement, “Heatmiser”, abruptly transitions from hopeful anthem into furious hardcore driven by the relentless rhythm section of bassist Josh Wilson and Drummer Tyler Bisson. Whatever hope might have existed in the first movement vanishes here; Hibbert and Bisson trade off angry vocals, each railing against humanities’ choices and actions (Killing the mother for fuel to survive/ as if killing each other could keep us alive). To close out the second section, the band features some fine guest appearances, the first by vocalist Chelsea Maida, who brings back the idea that “we’ll be okay”. Guitarist Nicholas Wiedeman (Big Mess) provides a heavily distorted guitar solo over a slow, heavy, blues interlude that marks the end of movement two.
From here, the band progresses into movement three, a quick paced, straightforward punk rock romp that brings back that lighthearted optimism shown at the beginning of the record. Judging from the lyrics, Hibbert appears to have reached a point of peace and acceptance as he sings “I hope that I finally get to see the apocalypse”, as if he knows whats coming, yet has no problem with it. There are even clever jabs at subjects like religion: “raise up your arms as if praising the sun could save us from anything and all that we’ve done to ourselves”. This memorable EP comes to a close with Hibbert and company proudly exclaiming “we’ll be okay”. The difference this time is that they seem confident, as if over the last 12 minutes they were able to reach an understanding of the world’s problems that led to this horrible situation.
Overall, “The Snowmiser Suite” is a very impressive release that approaches the subject of doomsday from many different angles. Hibbert’s lyrics move back and forth between optimism and pessimism, hope and despair, and sometimes pure, unabashed anger. In the process, he brings up subtle political, religious, and even environmental ideas as they could relate to the end of the world. Underneath the vocals, his band moves flawlessly through tempo and meter shifts while effectively interpreting the different moods the lyrics evoke. Each movement captures a different element of modern punk rock. Sometimes it is melodic, other times aggressive, but above all it is quick paced and full of energy while still bringing a complexity not typically seen in punk today.
NEW BEST COAST SINGLE: “The Only Place”
This is the first single from the upcoming Best Coast LP of the same name, The Only place out on Mexican Summer on May 15!
Concert Review: Atlas the Atom Smasher (CD Release)@ UML Fox Common
Artists: Atlas the Atom Smasher, Big Mess, Bella Birds, In the Direction of the Sun, and Crashing Cars
Date: Friday, March 2, 2012
Venue: UMass Lowell Fox Common (Lowell, MA)
Comments:
Act I: Crashing Cars– Nice alliteration in the title! Crashing Cars is seriously a great way to describe this band, there’s a lot of aggression to their performance and they play driving, loud, fast rock music. I definitely get a lot of early to mid 90s grunge vibes and there is a lot of emotion in each of their songs. and the performance itself. It’s not exactly my cup of tea, but they are undeniably talented musicians and I can imagine there is a decent amount of appeal for their angsty approach to this style of music. Check out their band camp page here: http://crashingcars.bandcamp.com/
Act II: In the Direction of the Sun– Unfortunately, much of the audience that witnessed Crashing Cars vanish in the time between Act I and II. Which is a damn shame because these guys really rock hard and give it their A game … for just the four or five of us that are left standing there. It is a set full of tesosterone fueled, angry, death metal/hardcore blast after blast. Once again, this isn’t my kind of music, but I commend them for a charismatic and passionate performance, especially considering the sudden decrease in attendance. At times, I feel like it is the death metal version of Atlantic Thrills, which of course is a great “I don’t give a fuck, let’s just have fun and go wild!” attitude. The best attitude to have. If you’re big into heavier, more diabolical stuff check these guys out here: http://inthedirectionofthesunma.bandcamp.com/
Act III: Bella Birds– Next up is Bella Birds, a charming folk duo with strong hooks and strong harmonies. A bit more people show up and it is cool to see yet another transition in genre/style/approach, which is a characteristic I always note about thse Fox Common shows. Their performance is engaging and they interact well with the audience, often with light humor and positivity. Here’s the link to their site: http://www.thebellabirds.com/
Act IV: Big Mess– Ahh yes, the mighty Big Mess. Generally speaking, I’m not the biggest fan of instrumental music, but Big Mess is a massive exception. This trio rocks and kills it at each and every show. The bands plays slow, haunting quasi metal/hardcore with an equal proportion of sludge and pop sensibility. The songs aren’t poppy, but all of them have incredible hooks that get stuck in my head on a daily basis. When I wear my badass, redneck esque snowboots “The Hook” instantly pops in my head, for example. If I worked out I’m sure Big Mess would appear on my playlist. During this performance I hear a lot of My War/Slip It In era Black Flag in their music. The Big Mess on this evening is no different than the Big Mess on any other evening, but I walk away with those early hardcore/crossover metal, mid 80s-SST vibes. I see a lot of similarities in the two bands, though Big Mess is more in control in their musicianship, it’s less chaotic, but just as cathartic. I’ve seen them several times now and the sets are always familiar, but it never gets old, the songs are strong enough that it’s always refreshing. http://bigmessma.bandcamp.com/album/big-mess
Act V: Atlas the Atom Smasher– Atlas the Atom Smasher is one of the hardest working local bands in Boston and tonight’s show is a celebration for the release of their latest CD, The Snowmiser Suite, a 12 minute punk epic about the impending apocalypse. Despite the dour subject matter behind the muisc, Atlas is infinitely positive and enthusiastic, especially drummer Tyler Bisson, and this is reflected in their music. They play loud, fast punk driven songs, but with a bit more variation and experimentaion than most bands that fall under that category. The sound is incredibly loud and much of that can be attributed to the Fox Common’s permanent ear damaging PA, but it certainly fit really well with the music. Their performance overall is impressive as is The Snowmiser Suite itself. Give it some much earned ear time: http://atlastheatomsmasher.bandcamp.com/album/the-snowmiser-suite
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 