Live Reviews
Mojo rising: Robby Krieger rocks Berklee
“So,” I asked, “how annoying was Jim?”
By: STEVEN LEE BEEBER
In characters: Tori Amos, Orpheum Theatre, October 19, 2007
On Friday, the second of a two-night stand at the Orpheum, Tori Amos showed up as “Clyde."
By: MATT ASHARE
Arts and craftsmen: Stars and New Buffalo, Berklee Performance Center, October 19, 2007
The stage at the Berklee Performance Center last Friday was strewn with Stars and bouquets of flowers.
By: ELLEE DEAN
Middle of the Road: Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers, Paradise Rock Club, October 18, 2007
Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers may be a serious band with a full-length debut out on Everfine that features Caitlin Cary, but they don’t take themselves too seriously.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Heavy metal overdrive: High on Fire, Middle East Downstairs, October 11, 2007
Metal can be one of pop’s funniest, loudest, most compelling genre exercises.
By: RICHARD BECK
Brighton beach party: Gogol Bordello, Roxy, October 11, 2007
If Gogol Bordello have the hottest show around right now, maybe it’s because, unlike a lot of everyday spazz and pap, they actually have something to say.
By: JON GARELICK
Classic chic: Regina Spektor, Orpheum Theatre, October 14, 2007
Regina Spektor was of nervous, twitchy mien when she arrived on stage at the Orpheum last Sunday, next to a piano and a disco ball on the floor.
By: ELLEE DEAN
Drag city: The return of Traniwreck, Milky Way, October 14, 2007
“We’re dealing with drag queens here.”
By: MEGAN BELL
Subversive chanteuse: Nellie McKay, Paradise Rock Club, October 2, 2007
McKay is an odd duck — a true musical eccentric.
By: MATT AHSARE
Straight Man Versus Jokerman: Elvis Costello and Bob Dylan, DCU Center, October 2, 2007
Those expecting a night of Sinatra-style duets when Bob Dylan and Elvis Costello shared the bill at the DCU in Worcester were sorely disappointed.
By: STEVEN LEE BEEBER
Postmodern blues: Office, Harpers Ferry, October 7, 2007
Whereas the music leans toward the hooky — propulsive and pumped-up — his lyrics twist and turn their way through lust and love.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Snakes and pilgrims: From venom to the Otherside Café
There’s something classic about a pretty blonde girl in a bikini with a boa constrictor wrapped around her neck.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
In the living room: Damon + Naomi's house party
Not that Damon & Naomi have ever been particularly loud.
By: MATT ASHARE
Farewell to Avalon: Dropkick Murphys, Avalon, September 30, 2007
“I saw the history of rock and roll unfold right here. I’ve snuck in; I’ve been thrown out; Lansdowne Street was a big fuckin’ dugout.”
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Underplaying to the Max: "A Celebration of Jazz & Joyce," Symphony Hall, September 28, 2007
All-star blowouts at Symphony Hall are fraught with risk.
By: JON GARELICK
Unfreaked Folk: Devendra Banhart, Roxy, September 25, 2007
Devendra Banhart may have found his true calling at the Roxy last Tuesday as a small-time professional entertainer.
By: RICHARD BECK
Rap Hashanah: An old school new year
The Boston Jewish Music Connection kicked off the Jewish New Year not with a kegger or kippers but with a freestyle showdown of Jewish rappers.
By: STEVEN LEE BEEBER
Man of the People: Stevie Wonder, Bank of America Pavilion, September 20, 2007
Given the scope of Stevie Wonder’s accomplishments in the ’60s and ’70s, you’d expect him to be writing symphonies by now.
By: BRETT MILANO
Seven layers of heaven: John Coltrane Memorial Concert, Blackman Theatre, September 22, 2007
Working on the fly, the organizers created an odd layer cake.
By: JON GARELICK
In with the new: Mission of Burma, Institute of Contemporary Art, September 23, 2007
Mission of Burma left the building last Sunday without playing the “hits.”
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Rock-and-roll circus: Sxip Shirey's 'Hour of Charm'
“We’ll fuck up a lot, that’s just the way it is,” said the evening’s MC/entertainer, Sxip Shirey, adding that everyone in the crowd should “feel free to fart.”
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Smooth moves: Underworld and John Digweed, Bank of America Pavilion, September 15, 2007
The music of Underworld is almost supremely funkless.
By: MICHAEL FREEDBERG
Walk this way: Aerosmith, Tweeter Center, September 14, 2007
The fans — even the post-ironic ones — found it hard to walk away.
By: STEVEN BEEBER
From prog to pop: Genesis, TD Banknorth Garden, September 11, 2007
Much of the set came from the post-Gabriel, pre-Touch era, when Genesis mastered their orchestral soundscapes.
By: BRETT MILANO
Disorientation 2007: Guster, Bleu, and Hooray for Earth, Bank of America Pavilion, September 8, 2007
With unsimple, shiny-synth songs like “Simple Plan,” Hooray for Earth are behemothic.
By: ELLEE DEAN
One nation under a groove: George Clinton, Roxy, September 6
A Clinton show is a happy genre collision, where the fantasy of one nation under a groove becomes reality for a night.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Three out of four ain't good: Animal Collective, Avalon, September 5, 2007
But that wasn’t enough to offset the incessant, atonal rave-like loops that just kept coming in wave after abrasive wave.
By: MATT ASHARE
The big show: Exploring the larger side of Burlesque at the Millky Way, September 5, 2007
There was plenty of flesh, exposed and otherwise, jiggling — most notably, four fat-bottomed girls who sang and danced in front of Gunpowder Gelatine.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Let's just call it emo: Scary Kids Scaring Kids + Dear Hunter, Axis, August 30, 2007
The scariest thing about Scary Kids Scaring Kids is keyboardist Pouyan Afkary.
By: MATT ASHARE
Down down and away: Spectrum, Middle East Upstairs, August 28, 2007
Perhaps androids dream of more than just electric sheep.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Finding dignity: Hilary Duff, Bank of America Pavilion, August 30, 2007
Of her fans — bespectacled little girls with glow sticks at Bank of America Pavilion — Duff exclaims, “It’s very, like, empowering!”
By: ELLEE DEAN
A pair of Kings: The Ultimate Elvis Tribute Show
Elvis loved Elvis tribute acts.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
A disco ball: Rocking the McGrath Underpass
Eventually, a man moved in from the periphery, the music slowed, and the reluctant crowd prepared to return to more conventional locales.
By: CAITIN E. CURRAN
Past, present, and future tenses: Soulico + Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars, Paradise Rock Club, August 24, 2007
If Soulico took diversity into the 21st century, SLRAS planted themselves in traditional world-music terrain.
By: STEVEN BEEBER
Off camera, on stage: Minnie Driver, Paradise Lounge, August 23, 2007
“Brian, dump that bitch!” sang Minnie Driver.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
The Legends of Summer: Hot Stove, Cool Music, Fenway Park, August 24, 2007
Never mind that no one in Legend’s band wore a Sox cap and that Legend himself may, gasp, be a Yankee fan for all anyone knows.
By: MATT ASHARE
‘Bring us your worst . . . ’: The ‘Anti-Slam’ poets wax erotic
Mike brought his creation to a climax with high-pitched keening — part orgasm, part death knell — before swooning onto the stage.
By: JACQUELINE HOUTON
Modest Mouse, buzzing bees: The Download Festival, Tweeter Center, August 18, 2007
“I think this festival is sponsored by large, stinging insects . . . made by Volkswagen,” quipped Band of Horses frontman Ben Bridwell.
By: MIKE MILIARD
Foolproof punk: The Bouncing Souls, Lifetime, The Ergs!, Roxy, August 16, 2007
Let us take a moment to appreciate New Jersey. Pure sweaty Americana: diners, freeways, and the Boss.
By: JON MEYER
Okay. Period.: Portugal. The Man, Middle East upstairs, August 12, 2007
Portugal. The Man. As if this Alaska-via-Oregon band’s moniker weren’t confusing enough.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Black lights: Cold War Kids + Muse, Agganis Arena, August 11, 2007
Grids pulsed behind them on three screens, and Matthew Bellamy keened softly, “You will burn in Hell.”
By: ELLEE DEAN
The band's the thing: Jenny Scheinman, Regattabar, August 6, 2007
Jenny Scheinman has become the go-to gal for mixed-genre violin.
By: JON GARELICK
Living large: Boston’s Hard Rock expands its reach
The Hard Rock was donating all bar proceeds to the Boston anti-violence charity Peace Games.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Hardcore high jinks: Beastie Boys, Opera House, August 5, 2007
The instrumentals offered pleasant-enough grooves, dirty fuzz bass from Yauch, and wah-wah guitar from Horovitz.
By: JON GARELICK
Back to the future: Chuck Love, Rise Club, August 3, 2007
Love’s dancers looked just as discofied as his music sounded.
By: MICHAEL FREEDBERG
Head trip: Negativland, Middle East Downstairs, August 1, 2007
Negativland preach “headism” and want to put a “righteous emphasis on common sense.”
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Acting up: KT Tunstall at First Act
The slight, dark-haired 32-year-old took the stage smiling and went right into the big hit.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Reaching climax: Daft Punk, WaMu Theater, Seattle, WA, July 29, 2007
Ten years after the release of their classic debut, Homework, Daft Punk embark on a long-awaited tour across America with only seven dates on its roster.
By: VICKI SIOLOS
Son of a Sting: Fiction Plane, Paradise, July 27, 2007
Fiction Plane had worked through angst and anger, alluded to the Police, and darted away.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Maxed-out minimalists: The White Stripes, Agganis Arena, July 23, 2007
One busty female drummer, one spitfire guitarist, and a deep fondness for raw Motor City rawk reduced to its grittiest garage-punk essence.
By: MATT ASHARE
Square dancing: From ArtBeast to Hogwarts Square
Somerville’s annual ArtBeat festival operates under the idealistic philosophy that kids and adults can have fun together.
By: IAN SANDS
Recapturing the magic: The Police, Fenway Park, July 28, 2007
Watch a slideshow of the Police at Fenway Park.
By: BRETT MILANO
Church of the riff: Pelican, Clouds, and Priestbird, Middle East Downstairs, July 23, 2007
Monday night at the Middle East Downstairs, and a crowd of about 200 gathered for worship.
By: BEN RICHARDSON
Country hero: Marty Stuart, Johnny D's, July 18, 2007
Stuart is the non-showbiz face of country music.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Road warrior: Erik Friedlander, Lily Pad, July 18, 2007
Plucked cello and the open road may suggest overly earnest guitar folk, but Friedlander’s music is as tough-minded and original as it is elegiac.
By: JON GARELICK
Techno purity: Central Square leaves techno to the purists
“I have to run to Dunkin’ Donuts,” says Eric McLaughlin (a/k/a DJ Eric Grey) late on a Wednesday night.
By: DAVID DAY
Gear heads: Battles, Paradise, July 18, 2007
In May 2005 I went to the Paradise to see Prefuse 73.
By: WILL SPITZ
Loud, proud: Superpower, Milo's Syndicate, Middle East Upstairs, July 16, 2007
You’ve gotta hand it to the Middle East Upstairs for understanding a little thing called volume.
By: JON MEYER
Post-punk redux: Maximo Park, Paradise Rock Club, July 11, 2007
Hyperactive. That’s the best way to describe Maximo Park singer Paul Smith.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Back to the '80s: Psychedelic Furs, the Fixx, and the Alarm, Avalon, July 10, 2007
If one thing’s changed about the Psychedelic Furs since their heyday in the ’80s, it’s frontman Richard Butler’s stage presence.
By: BRETT MILANO
Amerindie Echoes: Deerhunter, Institute of Contemporary Art, July 12, 2007
There were no frocks or fits of self-abuse on stage.
By: MATT ASHARE
Live Earth 2007: Slideshow: backstage at Live Earth New York
By: CARINA MASTROCOLA
Modern enchantress: Last Town Chorus, Lizard Lounge, July 11, 2007
It’s no wonder producers picked Hickey’s version of “Modern Love” as a soundtrack to aneurysms, scrabble, and heart attacks.
By: ELLEE DEAN
Smoke on the water: Forest Hills' Lantern Festival
People of all stripes spent $10 on a lantern that they then inscribed to their departed loved ones and placed upon the lake.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Rockin' neurotic: Cat Power, Avalon, July 8, 2007
Nervously pacing the stage in a baggy T-shirt and jeans, Cat Power’s Chan Marshall is about the last performer you’d ever mistake for Tina Turner.
By: BRETT MILANO
Meatless magic: Morrissey returns, Bank of America Pavillion, July 7, 2007
“No Meat,” read the signs posted at the entrance of Bank of America Pavilion.
By: MATT ASHARE
Orchestral maneuvers: Paul Oakenfold and Hem with the Boston Pops
On stage, Paul had saluted scratching in early hip-hop culture by manipulating a 12-inch record briefly and then holding it up for the crowd to see.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Morrissey interrupts: Morrissey, Bank of America Pavilion, June 26, 2007
Morrissey was playing his first Boston show in three years, and erotic revelation was at hand.
By: JAMES PARKER
The essence of Rush: Rush, Tweeter Center, June 27, 2007
As Frank Zappa once said, you can’t do that on stage anymore.
By: BRETT MILANO
Long Journeyman: Willie Nile, Club Passim, June 22, 2007
Willie Nile may not be a household name, even among serious musos.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
More than just 'Abel': The National, Middle East Downstairs, June 21-22, 2007
Berninger, eyes still closed, let the music overtake him as he led the audience in frenzied shouts of “I won’t fuck us over."
By: CAITLIN E. CURRAN
Home sweet home: Rose Polenzani and Sharon Lewis, Loring-Greenough House, June 20, 2007
Front row means you can reach out and kick the performer without even standing.
By: MICAH C. BELLIEU
Auto didacts: Car Talk turns 20
Is Car Talk the most-listened-to program on National Public Radio?
By: JEFFREY GANTZ
An old poet: Willie Nelson, Meadowbrook US Cellular Pavilion, Gilford, NH, June 15, 2007
Sometime after the lights went out, Willie Nelson walked on stage.
By: ELLEE DEAN
Slouching toward irrelevance: Albert Hammond Jr., Paradise Rock Club, June 14, 2007
Albert Hammond Jr. may come from money, but he also comes from music.
By: MATT ASHARE
Panoramic pop: Cyndi Lauper and "True Colors," Bank of America Pavilion, June, 16, 2007
The Pavilion was P-town for a night.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Chaos, control: Melt-Banana, Neptune, and Doomriders, Middle East Downstairs, June 11, 2007
There’s really no point in reviewing a show like this.
By: JON MEYER
Packin' 'em in on Lansdowne Street: Best Music Poll Party, Lansdowne Street, June 6, 2007
Whoever told you that the post-punk revival is on the wane was wrong.
By: WILL SPITZ
Jandek’s lonesome howl: Jandek, Institute of Contemporary Art, June 8, 2007
Jandek sang in a descending baritone moan as the clattering of avant-noise fluttered around him.
By: DAVID DAY
Still waters: Great Lake Swimmers, Middle East Upstairs, June 5, 2007
On record, Toronto’s Great Lake Swimmers trot between the countrified rock of the Cowboy Junkies and the somber folk of latter-day Neil Young.
By: JON MEYER
I'm like a bore: Nelly Furtado, Agganis Arena, June 5, 2007
The Nelly Furtado concert was off to a fine, Lite-Brite sort of start.
By: ELLEE DEAN
McCartneymania: Celebrating Paul at the Hard Rock, May 31, 2007
Forget, for a moment, the ugliness concerning Heather Mills and her impending divorce from Paul McCartney.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
No sweat: Steely Dan, Bank of America Pavilion, May 29, 2007
Age seems to agree with Steely Dan, whose leaders are looking more like the kind of jazz musicians they used to idolize.
By: BRETT MILANO
Pretty and slow: Keren Ann, Somerville Theatre, June 2, 2007
It’s difficult to say what we gained by seeing Keren Ann live at the Somerville Theatre last Saturday night as opposed to listening to her on record.
By: JON GARELICK
Rock against rock: Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Middle East Downstairs, June 3, 2007
Once on stage, SGM launched into a much-ado-about-everything set — a collision of prog-rock, thrash metal, free jazz, punk, off-kilter funk, and more.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Dishing on a star: Perez Hilton and Lady Sov, Mansion, May 23, 2007
“There are so many hot chicks here in Boston, I wish I was straight!”
By: JIM SULLIVAN
I think I have the vapors: Dennis Brennan CD release bash, Lizard Lounge, May 19, 2007
Listen and learn, people.
By: JON GARELICK
Sound effects: Keiji Haino, MIT's List Visual Arts Center, through July 8, 2007
Indie-music fans in hoodies and beards were waiting to get into the subterranean theater.
By: GREG COOK
DJ Jazz: Mark Knight, Underbar, May 17, 2007
We’ve become accustomed to thinking of jazz as delicate sounds played by iconic wise men (and women) in museum-like settings.
By: MICHAEL FREEDBERG
A long goodbye: Pretty Girls Make Graves, Middle East Downstairs, May 17, 2007
Could Pretty Girls Make Graves be the first band ever to break up because the drummer is exiting?
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Chemical imbalance: Velvet Revolver, Avalon, May 16, 2007
“We’re Velvet Revolver . . . and we still play motherfucking rock ’n’ roll!”
By: JAMES PARKER
Hallelejuh!: Arcade Fire, Orpheum Theatre, May 10, 2007
One would be hard pressed to find a review of an Arcade Fire show that doesn’t include the word “big.”
By: WILL SPITZ
Putting the pop into the Pops: Boston Pops! Opening Night, Symphony Hall, May 9, 2007
The screams came from the second balcony at Symphony Hall on Wednesday.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Personality plus: Amy Winehouse, Avalon, May 7, 2007
Any number of soul divas could blow the doors off retro-soul upstart Amy Winehouse.
By: JON GARELICK
Porn again: Kim Airs returns for some ‘SmorgasPORN,’ Coolidge Corner Theatre, May 5, 2007
The sound of loud, breathy faux orgasms ricocheted upstairs at the Coolidge Corner Theatre.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Flowing forward: EL-P, Middle East Downstairs, May 1, 2007
There were just a few holdouts from the backpack era for last Tuesday's El-P’s Middle East show.
By: MATTHEW GASTEIER
X + 2 = fun: The Knitters, Paradise Rock Club, May 3, 2007
When Knitters guitarists John Doe and Dave Alvin took the Paradise stage a week ago Thursday, Doe promised the house an evening of sad, “miserable” songs.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Power-surge pop: Peter Bjorn and John, Paradise Rock Club, May 4, 2007
I was expecting a restrained, polite set from the super-hyped Swedish band Peter Bjorn and John.
By: WILL SPITZ
Trials and trails: Surviving Urban Dare, April 28, 2007
A swarm of people in powder-blue T-shirts have taken over Charlestown’s City Square Park, shouting out “S!” or “Z!” like alphabet assassins.
By: CAITLIN E. CURRAN
Big-theater blues: Modest Mouse, the Orpheum, April 27, 2007
It was an intense, chaotic moment, one that probably would’ve felt sublime at, say, the Middle East downstairs.
By: WILL SPITZ
Gender bent: The Cliks, T.T. the Bear's Place, April 26, 2007
Okay, so maybe I’m not totally clear on the differences among cross-dressing, transgendered, and, well, just plain old androgyny.
By: MATT ASHARE
Jamaica via Vermont: Casual Fiasco, Paradise, April 27, 2007
It's a strange state of affairs when white guys in guitar bands start purposely mispronouncing the words of their songs to sound Jamaican.
By: MELISSA POCEK
Celtic Everland: Loreena McKennit, Wang Theatre, April 21, 2007
“We missed you, baby!”
By: JEFFREY GANTZ
Buffy lust: Buffy the Vampire Sing-a-long, Coolidge Corner Theatre, April 14, 2007
What was I thinking, showing up to a Buffy the Vampire Slayer Sing-Along and Senior Prom in street clothes?
By: SHARON STEEL
It's Township: The Rumble, Harpers Ferry, April 20, 2007
Ah, the WBCN Rock ’n’ Roll Rumble, the battle of the bands that stokes the local music scene into a conflagration of puerile mudslinging, blind favoritism, and ill-informed conspiracy theory.
By: WILL SPITZ
The man and the band: Aqualung, Paradise Rock Club, April 17, 2007
Just as Bright Eyes is a vehicle for Conor Oberst, Aqualung is the name under which Matt Hales records.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Ode on melancholy: Calla, the Middle East, April 13, 2007
Friday the 13th was a fitting date for Calla to play at the Middle East.
By: MELISSA POCEK
No stuffed shirts, please: Haydn's Die Jahreszeiten, Symphony Hall, April 15, 2007
“Winter, winter, spring, and winter.”
By: JEFFREY GANTZ
Eye of the storm: The Slackers, Middle East, April 19, 2007
Ska shows are incongruous affairs.
By: I-HSIEN SHERWOOD
Batter up: Peter Gammons, Game On!, April 9, 2007
Peter Gammons has something of a perfect life.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
’S no joke: A Best Music Poll pre-party, Paradise, April 4, 2007
A roomful of local nominees and friends made it to the Paradise last Wednesday.
By: BRETT MILANO
An other Ramone: Uncle Monk, Club Passim, April 6, 2007
“It’s home-brewed stuff,” Ramone explained pre-set.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Marathon man: Sonny Rollins, Symphony Hall, April 6, 2007
Sonny Rollins has said that when he plays long solos, it isn’t necessarily because he’s inspired but because he’s looking for inspiration.
By: JON GARELICK
Fun house: The Stooges, Orpheum Theatre, April 7, 2007
A full house of cave dwellers and recidivists welcomed the Stooges to the Orpheum on Saturday.
By: JAMES PARKER
So much, so fast: Battles, Great Scott, April 5, 2007
Angular, mathy bands run the risk of boring their audience live.
By: JOE BERNARDI
Young guns: Battle of the High School Bands, Harpers Ferry, March 31, 2007
The windows at the front of Harpers Ferry are disorienting when a concert starts at 1 in the afternoon.
By: JEFF BREEZE
Symmetric unities: Toumani Diabaté, Somerville Theater, March 29, 2007
Toumani Diabaté is not just on tour, he’s on a mission.
By: DAMON KRUKOWSKI
Not quite phenomenal: Ruthie Foster, Johnny D's, March 28, 2007
Fans of deep-roots blues and soul are always looking for new heroes and heroines.
By: TED DROZDOWSKI
A bit of fun: Bloc Party, Orpheum Theatre, March 8, 2007
The Orpheum turned into a sweatbox a week ago Wednesday.
By: DAVID DAY
Party people: Toots and the Maytals, Avalon, March 28, 2007
Though the crowd skewed more preppie and hippie than rudie, they knew their shit, screaming the words to "Reggae Got Soul" and "Monkey Man."
By: I-HSIEN SHERWOOD
Dexterous feats: Menomena + Field Music + Land of Talk, Great Scott, March 27, 2007
Those of us too poor to make it down to Austin for last week’s SxSW festival were treated to a mini-showcase of some of indie rock’s strongest up-and-coming bands.
By: CHRISTOPHER GRAY
British inflation: Young Knives, Harpers Ferry, March 21, 2007
The buzzed-about British trio Young Knives took the stage to introduce themselves to Boston.
By: DAVID DAY
The Singing Statesman: Gilberto Gil, Zeiterion Theatre, March 21, 2007
It’s hard to imagine a better setting for a two-hour solo performance by one of Brazil’s greatest singer-songwriters.
By: DAMON KRUKOWSKI
Still going strong: Lucinda Williams, Orpheum Theatre, March 24, 2007
“It’s not that often that a 54-year-old woman achieves her greatest success,’’ said Lucinda Williams from the Orpheum stage last Saturday.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Porn in the USA: Boston Underground Film Festival, Brattle Theatre, March 22, 2007
What’s the last time you went to a theater to see a porn movie?
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Rowing across the River Styx: Explosions in the Sky + the Paper Chase + Eluvium, Middle East Downstairs, March 21, 2007
Explosions in the Sky write what they’ve referred to as “cathartic mini-symphonies,” epic, tribal, and enormous.
By: VICKI G. SIOLOS
After school special: Scary Monsters + Perennials, Great Scott, March 20, 2007
Scary Monsters looked like skinny monsters.
By: ELLEE DEAN
Star for a night: ‘Guitar Hero’ Wednesdays at Common Ground
Some self-described Guitar Hero phenoms seek e-recognition by posting videos of their video-guitar heroics on YouTube.
By: TIM JOHNSON
Soul metal: Jesu, Middle East Downstairs, March 17, 2007
“Some religious music,” wrote the late, great Whitney Balliett, jazz critic for the New Yorker, “shines with evil.”
By: JAMES PARKER
Keepin' it real: The Roots, Avalon, March 13, 2007
As I was walking up to Avalon a week ago Tuesday to see the Roots, a group of college kids crossed the street in front of me sporting backwards hats and puffy vests.
By: MATTHEW GASTEIER
Ratatattle tale: Ratatat, Paradise, March 15, 2007
Indie kids aren’t known for their dance moves.
By: JULIA KAGANSKIY
Future past: Ute Lemper, Berklee Performance Center, March 10, 2007
Why not sing the past as if it were the future and not the past?
By: MICHAEL FREEDBERG
A call to arms: Anti-Flag, Roxy, March 10, 2007
Anti-Flag may look like fiery anarchists — but really they’re big softies.
By: I-HSIEN SHERWOOD
Ladies' night: 'Pure,' downstairs at the Roxy, March 9, 2007
I tiptoe down Warrenton Street to number 75, the back-alley entrance to the monstrosity housed underneath the Roxy, formerly Matrix, now home to “Pure” Friday nights.
By: MICAH BELLIEU
In the moment: The Pogues, Avalon, March 8, 2007
The Pogues live in the moment, and last Thursday that moment lasted two hours at Avalon.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Do you remember alt-rock radio?: Gomez, Avalon, March 6, 2007
For the first half-hour of their set last night at Avalon, Gomez failed to bring a song in under the five-minute mark. Which wasn’t such a bad thing.
By: ANDREW FIRESTONE
Pajama party: Tommy Lee, Gypsy Bar, March 1, 2007
Tommy Lee may be one of rock’s best-known drummers, but drumming isn’t really what he’s known best for. No, Tommy Lee’s best known for being Tommy Lee.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Rock grrls rule: Barnicle and the Ettes, Middle East Upstairs, March 4, 2007
Karen Barnicle stood, Gibson Explorer in hand, and addressed the audience with full feline tenacity last Sunday upstairs at the Middle East.
By: DAVID DAY
Slingin' it: Clipse, The Middle East, February 26, 2007
They at once cemented their status as hip-hop rhyme pushers.
By: MATTHEW GASTEIER
Four chords and frustration: The Thermals, T.T. the Bear's, March 3, 2007
Testament to how commanding the Thermals are live is how they managed to get a crowd at T.T. the Bear’s moving to the point of stage dives.
By: JOE BERNARDI
Rockin' out!: Bright Eyes, Somerville Theatre, February 28, 2007
Conor Oberst's come a long way from being an introverted solitary performer with an acoustic guitar.
By: MELISSA POCEK
That kind of pretty: Elvis Perkins, Great Scott, February 27, 2007
I hop a curb, and — in the middle of Comm Ave — introduce myself to Elvis Perkins before his show.
By: ELLEE DEAN
False endings: Frank Smith, Great Scott, February 24, 2007
It was an evening of false endings at Great Scott.
By: CAITLIN E. CURRAN
From Bono to Blake: Patti Smith, Institute of Contemporary Art, February 21, 2007
At 60, Patti Smith remains something of an elder punk stateswoman.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
To jam or not to jam: The Slip, the Paradise, February 23, 2007
Ah, the power of Guitar Hero.
By: CAITLIN E. CURRAN
Hometown throw up: Darkbuster, Abbey Lounge, February 21, 2007
For years, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones celebrated the holiday season and their Boston roots with a week of club gigs they dubbed the “Hometown Throwdown.”
By: JEFF BREEZE
Skulls and heartthrobs: My Chemical Romance, Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, NH, February 22, 2007
Gerard Way rose from beneath a white sheet on a prop hospital bed. “I want your body! I want your heart!” a teen screamed.
By: ELLEE DEAN
Marx in Somerville: Marx in Soho, Jimmy Tingle's Off Broadway, February 15, 2007
Howard Zinn meets Jimmy Tingle Who would brave Arctic weather to watch Karl Marx pontificate?
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Do the math: The Vandermark 5, Johnny D's, February 13, 2007
There is plenty of free blowing in this band.
By: JON GARELICK
Caught in a jam: Akron/Family, Middle East Upstairs, February 13, 2007
I have an odd soft spot for bands that have occasional fun at the audience’s expense.
By: JOE BERNARDI
School assembly: Heavy Rotation Record's Annual Epic Event, Berklee Performance Center, February 7, 2007
Beatboxing is overrated.
By: CAITLIN E. CURRAN
Frighteningly good: The Walsh Bros., Jimmy Tingle's Off Broadway, February 9, 2007
Charlestown comedy team the Walsh Bros. are ready for prime time.
By: TED DROZDOWSKI
Let the bad times roll: Dave Alvin and James McMurtry, Paradise Rock Club, January 25, 2007
It was a night of workingman’s blues at the Paradise last Thursday.
By: JIM SULLIVAN
Afterglow: Justin Timberlake, TD BankNorth Garden, February 6, 2007
When Justin Timberlake says he’s in love with you, what is there to do but believe him?
Slideshow: Justin Timberlake with special guest Pink at TD BankNorth Garden, February 6, 2007
By: SHARON STEEL
Ennio Morricone: Ennio Morricone, Radio City Music Hall, February 3, 2007
Some years ago in these pages Mark Moses wrote that he couldn’t imagine there was ever a time when “My Girl” didn’t exist — even though he was born before the song was recorded.
By: CHARLES TAYLOR
Whiskey and song: Camera Obscura, the Paradise, January 27, 2007
Lovelorn songs with sorrowful lyrics are key ingredients for any respectable emo band.
By: MELISSA POCEK
Covering all the bases: Anais Mitchell and Mike Merenda, Club Passim, January 5, 2007
Anais Mitchell took the Club Passim stage with hair freshly cut at Cambridge’s Judy Jetson salon and polled the crowd as to whether it was okay to switch hairdressers within the same establishment.
By: JEFF BREEZE
Gum for everyone: BJ Snowden, the Middle East Corner, January 23, 2007
BJ Snowden’s mom pelted me with sticks of chewing gum last Tuesday inside the Middle East corner.
By: IAN SANDS
The boys won't leave the girls alone: Varttina, Somerville Theatre, January 19, 2007
From Finland with love, not to mention attitude.
By: JEFFREY GANTZ
Rock school: Fall Out Boy, Avalon, January 13, 2007
Pete Wentz wanted the kids to curse along with the chorus.
By: CAMILLE DODERO
Yummy!: Earl Greyhound, the Middle East Downstairs, January 16, 2007
The last time we saw our heroes they were playing in the blazing October sun on an outdoor stage facing the Harvard Coop.
By: JON GARELICK
Everybody dance now: Girl Talk, the Middle East Downstairs, January 20, 2007
Girl Talk is a party architect.
Slideshow: Girl Talk at the Middle East Downstairs, January 21, 2007
By: MAC CARROLL
Roll with it: The Figgs, T.T. The Bear’s Place, December 1-2, 2006
Mike Gent may be best known around these parts as the singer/songwriter/guitarist in the Gentlemen, a band who’ve been headlining clubs for the better part of a decade now.
By: TOM KIELTY
Long live rock: The Who, TD Banknorth Garden, December 2, 2006
Pete Townshend — slightly hunched and dripping sweat, the words “teenage wasteland” projected on a screen behind him — hit the last guitar chord of the Who’s anthem of unrepentant youthful rebellion and pride, “Baba O’Riley,” and stepped to the microphone.
Slideshow: The Who at TD Banknorth Garden, December 2, 2006
By: TED DROZDOWSKI
Psych wards: Dead Meadow, Middle East Upstairs, November 20, 2006
No band, as far as I can tell, more perfectly marries the mediævalist echoes of the neo-folkies to the low-end wallop of bong metal, the ballad to the blood mountain.
By: JAMES PARKER
A house divided: Peter Rauhofer, Rise, November 17, 2006
As he began his opening set at Rise two Fridays back, Craig Mitchell said to me, “This is gonna be a great night!”
By: MICHAEL FREEDBERG
Rock and role: The Twilight Singers, Paradise Rock Club, November 14, 2006
Greg Dulli may wear his tender heart on his suave, stylish sleeve, but it’s just bait — a lure for unwitting romantics who enjoy having their hearts broken.
Slideshow: Twilight Singers at Avalon, November 14, 2006
By: MATT ASHARE
Smoove operator: John Legend, Avalon, November 4, 2006
A capacity crowd was to be expected for John Legend at Avalon last Saturday night.
By: MATTHEW GASTEIER
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