Things have been looking up since last night. I managed to get my tire patched for the princely sum of $10, ate some delicious gnocchi from the North End, and headed out to see Calexico and Iron and Wine. There was a line 300-400 strong out the door just for ID checking, but I managed to get in a few minutes before Calexico went on-stage. They ( Read more... )

More catching up.

( Sufjan Stevens show )

1. Aimee Mann, free show, Thursday evening, Copley Square. After missing the previous week's Mike Doughty show due to some work fuckery, I was determined to catch this. There was probably 2500 or so people there; I'm sure it was the highlight of the WBOS summer series, since (a) it's hometown girl Mann and (b) it was 72 and sunny with no humidity ( Read more... )

It was a good weekend for music. Between Thursday night and Friday, Chris, Thom, and I mixed three more songs for the [bert] record -- meaning we basically have one song left to mix, and then this fucker is done. Two and a half years in the making, we've been working on this record longer than I've been dating Sarah. Friday night we drank beers ( Read more... )

Last night I drove out to Northampton after work to catch Iron & Wine with my girlfriend's sister Emma and her boyfriend Kevin. I parked in a nearby garage ($2 for five hours, thank you Not-Boston) and met E & K in front of Siam Square, a Thai restaurant with a menu miles long. While debating over a dozen equally tempting choices, we realized ( Read more... )

Does anyone else think it's silly that the Toronto Blue Jays are part of the American League?

Had a good day yesterday. Solid, productive workday, from which I ducked out a few minutes before five to head to Davis Square in Somerville for a 5:30 matinee of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (no small feat, given the labyrinthine circuits of metro ( Read more... )

I went out to the Enon/Thunderbirds are Now!/Crystal Understanding show at TT's. Crystal Understanding were, to be honest, pretty horrible; a guy and a girl, singing grating twee-pop, occasionally banging a tambourine or tapping a keyboard but mostly shuffling back and forth to programmed tracks. Thunderbirds were solid as ever, kinetic dancepunk ( Read more... )

Just got back from seeing Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks at the Paradise in Allston. It was a pretty solid and lengthy set -- they played nine songs off the new record (skipping only "Kindling" and, oddly, the single "Post-Paint Boy"), along with "Water and a Seat," "Oyster," and "Dark Wave" from the last record and "Jo Jo's Jacket" and "Jenny and ( Read more... )

I just went and saw Sam Prekop at the Middle East down, with my new hero Archer Prewitt on second guitar, Josh Abrams on bass, and Chad Taylor on drums. I always wonder, when I hear recorded music as lush and orchestra as the Thrill Jockey bands, what it's going to come off like live, and the foursome played very much like a jazz quartet, drawing ( Read more... )

And now, it's time for a dayan-style entry ( Read more... )