Sean Tillman's résumé includes a stint fronting the swashbuckling
post-punk outfit Calvin Krime, who put out a couple of underrated discs for
Amphetamine Reptile, and a stint as a sensitive-boy-with-guitar under the name
Sean Na Na. But he's reinvented himself yet again as Har Mar Superstar,
a big-pimpin' soul brother stripped to his skivvies and crooning R. Kelly-grade
porn-star R&B. Bearing an uncomfortable physical resemblance to Ron Jeremy,
he made one fairly amusing album for Kill Rock Stars before signing to Warner
Bros. (which issued his You Can Feel Me on a new imprint called the
Record Company), capturing the eye of Princess of Darkness Kelly Osbourne (he
co-wrote several songs for her debut album), and, if the rumor is to be
believed, penning a song for the new J. Lo disc. (If anyone's got it, can you
call us and tell us whether it's on there?) We're quite sure you've never seen
anything like him, but we're also sure that you should: on tour with ace
garage-soul sisters the Gossip, he's at the Middle East (617-864-EAST) in
Cambridge on Monday and at Flywheel (413-527-9800) in Easthampton on Tuesday.
If Tillman's Web site dispatches are to be believed, Har Mar's been living it
up in Hollywood and making out with models -- in short, he's living out the
dream that Ivy League wank MC Paul Barman fantasizes about on his new
single "Cock Mobster," a laundry list of the many famous ladies with whom he'd
like to snuggle. ("I wanna fire blanks in Tyra Banks . . . I'm
immersed in Kirstie Alley's thirsty valley.") If you're still thinking of going
to see Barman at the Middle East on Sunday, or at the Met Café
(401-861-2142) in Providence on Wednesday, show up early and catch Whirlwind
Heat, a Moog-led trio who recently became the first signing to White
Stripes leader Jack White's new V2-distributed vanity imprint.
Are radio-station-sponsored Christmas shows a form of legalized payola? Does
anyone care when it means you can see Australian soap star turned dance-floor
sexpot Kylie Minogue and the "reunited" Destiny's Child (heck,
Beyoncé's solo album hasn't even come out yet) on one stage? Kylie and
DC3 are joined by Making the Band boys O-Town, platinum-plated
country grammarian Nelly, and UK garage pinup Craig David for the
Kiss Jingle Ball at the Tsongas Arena (978-848-6900) in Lowell on Wednesday.
Re-formed (as in, no longer practicing) rap-rockers Papa Roach -- who
snuck a Pixies song onto their recent Lovehatetragedy (DreamWorks) --
headline WAAF's holiday shindig at the Palace (781-233-7400) in Saugus on
Saturday, with local metal dudes Dogfight opening. The Blink-182 side
project Boxcar Racer show up at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel (401-272-5876)
in Providence on Tuesday for the WBRU Birthday Bash. Hartford's Radio 104 has
the At the Drive-In spinoff Sparta along with Creed-ish modern-rock
newcomers Ra at the Webster Theatre (860-422-0000) on Saturday. And
Portland's WCYY has Audiovent at the State Theatre (207-780-8265) next
Thursday, December 12, but not before the band open for WFNX's gala at Avalon
(617-423-NEXT) in Boston on Tuesday with Everclear.
Issue Date: December 6 - 12, 2002
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