Boston: Shows [Week of 07.31.06]

This past weekend brought two of my favorite British bands to town, Editors and Bloc Party, both of whom have been through town at smaller venues over the past year or two. This time around brought two reenergized units, the former with new found energy and the latter with new songs that may be their best yet.

This weekend brings more great shows -- Silversun Pickups, a solo Ted Leo gig and The Lashes, in case you missed one of their 73 shows when they were here last month. None of these bands disappoint, and it will be a great way to send off the summer.

08.01: Devics/Black Heart Procession/The Castanets @ Middle East

08.05: The Lashes/The Living End @ Axis


08.05: Silversun Pickups/Page France/Age Rings @ Great Scott
I'm not 100% sure on this one yet, but I am pretty sure that Carnavas is going to end up being my album of the year. I have not been able to put down this disc, and their set at SXSW has left me craving for more. There has been an odd backlash of sorts around this band as of late [I'll touch on this later this week] which is pretty much unfounded. I guess some people hate hype, and honestly, I totally understand, but this is a band that cuts through it with pure goods.
Audio: "Well Thought Out Twinkles"


08.06: Ted Leo [solo show 2 pm] @ Middle East Up
The end of the year should see a new album from Ted Leo, but for now there a few demos floating around, plus he is doing a short goodwill solo tour which comes to town Sunday afternoon.
Audio: "Army Bound"

08.06: Gary Numan/Protokoll @ The Paradise

The Archie Bronson Outfit

Each band has their own unique rock n' roll vision, yet few of them have the skill or panache to successfully communicate that to listeners. The Archie Bronson Outfit are unique in the fact that with all of their mad scientist like genre-splicing, that were able to create such an engaging album in Derdang Derdang, out this fall in the US on Domino. This is what the new Primal Scream album would have sounded like if they were still playing pubs.

MySpace: The Archie Bronson Outfit
Audio: "Date For My Sweetheart"
Video: Archie Bronson TV advert [This ran in the UK]

Teddybears

Canada isn't the only country full of collectives. Swedish dance/big beat/totally whatever collective Teddybears will bring their chaos to our shores on September 12th with the release of Soft Machine. The list of guest vocalists is pretty fucking insane, bringing together the likes of Iggy Pop. Neneh Cherry, Elephant Man, Annie, Ebbot Lundberg of Soundtrack of Our Lives and Mad Cobra.

The band has been knocking about Scandinavia since the late '90s, starting out as a hardcore group, with a diverse list of influences like NWA and Bad Brains. Says bassist Jocke, "After a while our drummer left the band to pursue a career as a sculptor, and so we learned that cheap drum machines, electric guitars and vocoders could be a deadly combination."

MySpace: Teddybears
Audio: "Cobrastyle" [f/Mad Cobra]
Audio: "Punkrocker" [f/ Iggy Pop]

Klaxons

Klaxons treat the '80s as a lifestyle and their music as the only way to go. They're pro-rave and they give two thumbs up on the white jeans, and for them, it's perfectly ok. They have a single out on Merok Records, but it looks like shit's sold out. If you go by the band's MySpace page, you can snag four tracks, plus I have their latest single below. Look for them in NYC this September!

Sep 19 2006: CLUB MIDWAY NEW YORK, NY
Sep 21 2006: STUDIO B W/SOULWAX NEW YORK , NY

MySpace: Klaxons
Audio: "Atlantis To Interzone"
Video: "Atlantis To Interzone"

Apartment

[Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand]

After flying for about 18 hours, I arrived in Bangkok, Thailand, late last night for vacation. The city is spread out much like L.A., but unlike cities in the United States there are beautiful flowers on the streets, noisy sidewalk markets, and ornate Buddhist temples everywhere. I'm still terribly jetlagged and quite a bit cranky, so I'll try to keep this entry short.


[Photo Credit: Carina Jirsch]

A few weeks ago, I wrote about The Far Cries and briefly mentioned their fellow label mates on Fleet Street Records, Apartment. I meant to profile Apartment the very next day as they are a fantastic band in their own right, but, in a fit of absence mindedness, I totally forgot. I seem to do that a lot.

Unlike many of their contemporaries in the post-punk, indie rock, and Brit pop scenes, Apartment is a band with a knack for playing around with their sound. Driven by a punchy riff and urgent yells, you might hear "Taxi" at an indie dance night. In contrast, "Metropolitan Tale" is a bit more understated with David Caggiari's throaty baritone portraying a mix of anger and sadness as he sings, "you promised me I'd be invincible, you promised me I'd be a star." Bridging the gap between these two songs is their new single, "My Brother Chris" (about Boy Kill Boy singer Chris Peck), which features lush instrumentation and a soaring chorus that just begs to be played incessantly on the radio.

Myspace: Apartment
Audio: "My Brother Chris"

Boston: Shows [Week of 07.24.06]

07.25: Jason Lytle [of Grandaddy] @ The Paradise

07.26: Silver Mt. Zion @ Middle East Down


[Midlake]
07.26: Sound Team/Cold War Kids/Midlake @ T.T. the Bears
This show should be a giant blogger love fest, but beyond that, it is showcasing three of the best albums of the year, albeit at the city's worst venue. I have profiled all of these bands numerous times, so I am not going to fill this space with hyperbole and my typical gushing. Just go to the show -- there won't be a better three band bill all year!
Audio: Midlake "Roscoe"
Audio: Cold War Kids "Hospital Beds"


07.28: Bloc Party/Mew/Secret Machines @ Bank of American Pavilion
Is it just me or is it impossible to get sick of "Banquet"? Here is a new song, recorded live at Coachella this year.
Audio: "Waiting For The 7.18"


07.30: Editors/Bon Savants @ The Paradise
A year later and I am still not sick of the Editors' debut. Their last show in Boston was great, although I was kinda tanked. They've been upgraded to a bigger venue, so let's hope they don't lose the immediacy.
Audio: "Dust In The Sunlight"

07.30: Nicolai Dunger @ T.T. the Bears

Midlake

Midlake is currently on tour with Exitfare favorites Sound Team and Cold War Kids, bringing their brand of North Texas-influenced Americana and folk to Boston next week. Their new album, The Trials of Van Occupanther, drops on Tuesday via Bella Union and reaches further into a bag that is filled with nods to '70s folk rock and Fleetwood Mac to avoid that evil hex called the sophomore slump. This record didn't hit me at first, but the more I listen to it, the more I can't put it down.

Buy: The Trials of Van Occupanther
MySpace: Midlake
Audio: "Roscoe"
Video: "Young Bride"

Lady Sovereign: New Song

I am insanely busy right now.

Lady Sovereign's debut album, Public Warning, finally hits stores on October 10th. Here's another song from it.

Buy: Vertically Challenged EP
MySpace: Lady Sovereign
Audio: "Love Me or Hate Me"

The Blizzard of 78

[Photo credit: Chris Kontoes]

Apparently, the blizzard of 1978 was a big deal for the Boston area. Over two days, hell was unfurled on the region with 27 inches of snow, crashing ocean tides, and large scale flooding. All in all, 99 people died and property damage reportedly cost billions of dollars. Personally, I had never heard of the storm before today. Growing up in Pennsylvania, the big blizzards that we talked about occurred in ’93 and ’96. So why am I writing about this random blizzard? Two reasons really: 1) It is really freaking hot outside today and 2) I thought I should provide the story behind the name of a really good band from Boston, The Blizzard of 78.

On their new album, Where All Life Hangs, the band shows a lot of versatility. At times, the album evokes a sleepy vibe that is almost reminiscent of Ryan Adams’ Heartbreaker era material, minus the alt-country (“Show Me,” “One Day”). But those warm moments are broken up by raw, rock out tracks like “Johnny Took A Knife To Jeanette” and “Stuck In The Present Tense.” My personal favorite is the second track, “Give,” which feels much like 90s rock/pop in the vein of Buffalo Tom and Matthew Sweet. All in all, The Blizzard of 78 bring together a variety of sounds and textures making it so that this record has something for everyone.

Buy: Where All Life Hangs
Myspace: The Blizzard of 78
Audio: "Ride"

Pretty Boys: Contest

Brooklyn group Pretty Boys have been ramping up for something big all this year. The right people on both sides of the pond are buzzing about them, they consistently play sold out shows and their songs are spreading like wildfire across the internet. They have so much going for them, yet they are without a label or a manager or lawyer, but things keep going right for them.

They were just selected out of a ton of female bands to participate in a contest through Glamour magazine. The winner will star in their own music video which will premiere on MTV in January 2007, and it will be for one of my favorite singles of the year -- "Hello Bonjour." Right now you're probably saying to yourself, "Wait, I didn't know that MTV actually played music videos?" They do, and I would love to see Pretty Boys in regular rotation. You can vote for them below. The contest closes on August 14th and the winner will be announced in the February issue.

Buy: Ghetto Rock [their debut album]
Contest: Vote for Pretty Boys here
MySpace: Pretty Boys
Audio: "Hello Bonjour"

Boston: Shows [Week of 07.17.06]

Siren Fest killed me this weekend -- I was there for a solid seven hours and I saw a lot of good bands, but I left with the feeling that this year's fest could have been better. It rained for a bit, there were less people there and only a few bands that I was excited about. Thew few bands I did catch were great, I got to ride the Cyclone and I got killed in a variety of arcade games. I'll have pictures up later this week.

Also, you might notice the severe lack of shows this week. If anyone can fill in the holes, let me know.

07.17: Diplo/Bondo do Role/Cansei de Ser Sexy @ Great Scott


07.18: Mellowdrone @ Great Scott
Mellowdrone's dark and moody brand of electronic pop may be a dated for some people, that doesn't mean that this LA group can't throw down some insanely catchy songs. During their last go around of the East, they missed Boston, but that only I means that I got that much more time to absorb their debut album.
Audio: "Oh My"

07.18: The Handsome Family/Curt Kirkwood [from the Meat Puppets] @ T.T. the Bears

07.19: Danielson @ Middle East Up

07.20: Willy Mason/Frank Smith @ Great Scott

Siren Fest 2k6: It's Tomorrow!

Another July, another Siren Fest, and this year should be a ton of fun, as usual. It's always amusing to see the indie rockers clash with the Coney Island regulars, plus what's more fun than a sun-filled day where you can drink a lot, ride a rollercoaster, hit the batting cages and see a ton of great bands? Nothing I say, nothing!

The Misshapes DJs will be rocking all day along with two stages of great bands.

Main Stage: Deadboy & the Elephantman [1 pm], The Rogers Sisters [2 pm], Celebration [3 pm], Tapes n' Tapes [4 pm], The Stills [5 pm], She Wants Revenge [6 pm], Scissor Sisters [7:30 pm]

Stillwell Stage: Priestess [1:30 pm], Man Man [2:30 pm], Dirty on Purpose [3:30 pm], Serena Maneesh [4:30 pm], The Cribs [5::30 pm], Art Brut [6:30 pm], Stars [8 pm]

Audio: The Stills "In The Beginning"
Audio: Man Man "Banana Ghost"
Audio: Art Brut "Really Bad Weekend"

Buy: Music from all of these bands at Insound

The Noisettes: New Song

In the first day of baseball after the All Star break, the Orioles are back to their non-winning ways by sending the incredibly erratic Daniel Cabrera to the mound. Get psyched for walks! In rather amusing news, the Yankees picked up Sidney Ponson today in what appears to be a move to hand the division to the Red Sox. I am loving the headline, too.

The Noisettes debut full-length isn't set for release until Sept. 26th, but I have this track to hold you over until then. It's a new UK single, so like feel special that you have it, ok?

I am going to go shoot some pool and drink my baseball sorrows away.

MySpace: The Noisettes
Audio: "Scratch Your Name"

Jamie T

For all of those kids that currently going crazy over Tom Vek, Lily Allen and Mystery Jets, London's Jamie T should hit the nail on the head for you, so to speak. He hails from the same scene as the Jets and Larrikin Love, and the way he puts his music together is rather unique -- it's obvious he is a part of the "whatever sounds good" mindset. "Sheila" is his second single and it was released two weeks ago in the UK. It's filled with songs of life on the road from a modern perspective.

Buy: "Sheila"
MySpace: Jamie T
Audio: "Sheila" [demo]
Video: "Sheila" [Windows Media] | [Real Player]

The Alones

In the last few years, there have been a crop of critically acclaimed two person bands. From the alternative/garage rock/blues band The White Stripes to the neo-blues band The Black Keys to the indie-pop band Mates of State… I’m sure you can name even more. Though I’m always weary about whether or not they can recreate their albums in a live setting, I’ve generally been more impressed than not. It totally boggles my mind that two people are able to create music that is complicated, lush, whatever, but that’s why they’re successful musicians and I’m not.

From Manchester, England, comes a new two person indie-rock band called The Alones. Their songs are upbeat and catchy, but a bit more big arena rock sounding than a lot of their contemporaries. In this regard, they sort of remind me of a dance punk group fronted by Liam Gallagher or Richard Ashcroft, as ludicrous as that sounds. But based on the strength of their EP, which is available for download on their Myspace page, I think that they have a lot of promise. If only I could take a trip to England to check them out live…

Myspace: The Alones
Audio: "Faded Heart"

Pictures from LA, The You + Kaki King

I was lazy when I got back from LA, so I am just getting pictures up now. I want to thank Beth for holding down the fort while I was gone -- I think everyone can agree that she did more than an admirable job. And look below the pictures, as I have some links to new music.


This was taken in the Santa Monica Mountains.


Along the Pacific Coast Highway.


I stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel. This is where RFK was assassinated, and apparently Axl Rose trashed his room here, too.


On my way down Chavez Ravine to Dodger Stadium.




The Dodgers played the Giants, and there was not one person that liked Barry Bonds. I don't blame them.


The Capitol Records building.


A Sound Team display outside Capitol.

**********************************************************************

This year's MLB All-Star Game is in Pittsburgh this year, and that is where The You hail from. The band's debut LP, For The Masses, was produced by Brian Deck [Iron & Wine, Modest Mouse].
MySpace: The You
Audio: "I'm Going To Kill Myself"

Kaki King's sophomore album, Until We Felt Red, drops on August 8th. This time around she adds vocals to create something that falls in the space between Jose Gonzalez and Broadcast.
MySpace: Kaki King
Audio: "Yellowcake"

Saturna

I just got back from The Silhouette, and for those non-Bostonians out there, this is one of the best bars in town. The beer is cheap, they have a pool table and I can always catch the baseball scores. My co-worker Greg turned 24 today, and after he went to see Lifetime, we all met up at Herrell's and then made our way to The Silhouette. The best part of the night could have been easily ripped out of a movie -- it was one of those surreal moments that I'll probably remember for the rest of my life. There was a guy playing harmonica in the bar, and Greg's roommate convinced him to sing happy birthday, and the guy did an upbeat R&B version of the song and everyone in the bar sang along. It was pretty great!



Portland group Saturna remembers why British music was so good 15 years ago. They haven't forgotten about the etheral vocals of the Cocteau Twins or the fuzzed out guitars of My Bloody Valentine. As much as I love dance punk and all of its offshoots, it's refreshing to hear a group that reminds me of some of the great stuff I'd hear on 120 Minutes during the '90s. The band's infectious debut EP is out now.

Buy: ...All Night
MySpace: Saturna
Audio: "Blanket of Stars"

Boston: Shows [Week of 07.10.06]

This past week was an exciting one, capped off by a thrilling World Cup final today where Italy defeated France and ignited a small riot in the pool hall where I was spending my afternoon. Not too happy with this year's cup, as it was rife with awful officiating and poor play from a number of the Premier League players I follow.

I am back in Boston and still kind of tired from a full day of travel yesterday. My three days in LA were great, but busy. I caught the Dodgers, The Rentals, took a drive on the Pacific Coast Highway, rocked a quiz night in Santa Barbara, played the tourist and enjoyed the weather. Best of all, I got to see friends and drive around a city that actually makes sense to get around. Look out for some pictures from my trip tomorrow.

7.11: The Impossible Shapes/The Late B.P. Helium @ Great Scott

07.12: Pete Yorn @ The Paradise

07.12: Silent Service @ Great Scott

07.13: Mission of Burma @ The Paradise

07.14: Don Caballero @ Middle East Down

07.14: The Weakerthans @ The Paradise

07.15: The Mendoza Line/Dressy Bessy @ Great Scott


07.16: The Cribs/Unbusted @ Great Scott
I had known about The Cribs for awhile, but I only started looking into them last year when I picked up the "Hey Scenesters" single on a whim, but the following week I was doing everything I could to track down their just released in the UK sophomore album. I loved the lyrics [they are snarky] and I loved the music [it's catchy and sort of dancey]. Last time the band was in town, they were opening for Franz Ferdinand and I didn't want to deal with that craziness, but this time around, they are playing a short walk from my house, giving me a rare reason to not watch baseball on a Sunday night!
Audio: "Mirror Kissers"

Havana Guns

I was planning on posting some hip hop today, but when Havana Guns started playing on my computer my Mommy walked into the room to say how much she liked the track. I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to meet my Mom, but she’s got freakishly good taste in indie rock... so I figured I would listen to her for once.

Havana Guns is a band from London that formed in late 2004 and recorded a lone 7” at home with a drum machine in 2005. Released on Good Taste Records, the single quickly sold out of its first pressing necessitating another batch less than two months later. According to their website, the group is readying their debut album to be released hopefully by the end of the year, though news is few and far between.

“N.Y.C.S.” presumably comes from these recording sessions. It's a smoking song with a great backbeat and I can't get enough of it. Havana Guns describe their sound as “motorcycle pop,” but I think they sound more like a new-wave band re-imagined in 2006 with a heart-breaking chanteuse on the microphone. If I were DJing an indie-rock dance night in New York City this summer, then this would be the first song I would play.

Buy: "She Always Goes Down" 7"
Myspace: Havana Guns
Audio: “N.Y.C.S.”

Georgie James

Georgie James takes the male-female double lead singer dynamic in a completely different direction than my post yesterday. On their Demos At Dance Place, John Davis (Q and Not U) and Laura Burhenn combine the best elements of pop and indie rock to craft memorable songs with bright melodies and compelling lyrics. Whether featuring disco-infused drum beats (“Need Your Needs”) or almost no drums at all (“Aftermath”), their songs will get stuck in your head and not leave for a long, long time.

Back when I lived in Washington, DC, I saw Georgie James play their second show ever and let me tell you, it was incredible. Take my word for it, you should definitely think about going out to see them play when they roll into your town. And while you’re there pick up their E.P., which is only available for purchase at their shows.

Jul 7 2006 – New York, NY (Bowery Ballroom)
Jul 8 2006 – Philadelphia, PA (North Star)
Jul 9 2006 - Washington, DC (Black Cat)
Jul 11 2006 – Carrboro, NC (Cat's Cradle)
Jul 12 2006 - Atlanta, GA (The Earl)
Jul 13 2006 - Memphis, TN (Hi Tone Café)
Jul 14 2006 - Dallas, TX (Gypsy Tea Room)
Jul 15 2006 - Austin, TX (Emo's)
Jul 17 2006 - Tucson, AZ (Plush)
Jul 18 2006 - San Diego, CA (Casbah)
Jul 19 2006 - Los Angeles, CA (Troubadour)
Jul 20 2006 - San Francisco, CA (Great American Music Hall)
Jul 22 2006 - Portland, OR (Doug Fir Lounge)
Jul 23 2006 - Seattle, WA (Neumo's)
Jul 26 2006 - Fargo, ND. (The Aquarium) *
Jul 27 2006 - Minneapolis, MN (Varsity Theater)
Jul 28 2006 - Chicago, IL (Logan Square Auditorium)
Jul 29 2006 - Cleveland, OH (Grog Shop)
Jul 30 2006 - Newport, KY (Southgate House)

All shows with Camera Obscura, except (*) with other bands TBA.

Myspace: Georgie James
Audio: "Need Your Needs" [YSI link]

The Far Cries

Though some of my friends have remarkably good taste in music (cough, Exitfare, cough), I’ve found out about most of my all-time favorite bands from a weird six degrees of separation type chain. My newest obsession, The Far Cries, falls into this same pattern. It started sometime last week when I was surfing Myspace—naturally, instead of doing important work like sending out resumes to potential employers. On an epic cyberspace journey, I went from The Voom Blooms to Apartment to Fleet Street Records and then finally to The Far Cries.

Hailing from merry London town, I initially scoffed at the band for two reasons: 1) their promo picture shows two unbelievably pretty individuals (pretty people don’t feel enough pain in their lives to write good music) and 2) their page listed a cover of “Eleanor Rigby” (no one ever comes close to the originals laid down forty years ago by The Beatles). But, once the music started playing, I heard something that’s really hard to explain—electricity.

The songs just have this intangible electricity pulsing through them, whether it is of the up tempo, frenzied dance floor variety (“Stepping,” “When Your Heart Spills”) or the down tempo, emotional variety (“Everyone Says I’m Paranoid”). Although the songs fit right in next to other post-punk, Brit pop type bands, what sets The Far Cries apart is the dynamic pairing of Martin Bjorck and Liz Holdforth both on the mic. Together, the two make the songs even catchier and, at times, even more haunting than they would be alone.

I cannot say enough about this band, though the true testament to my obsession is the fact that I can’t stop listening to their music. They’ve already been crowned my band of the summer and their song, “Stepping,” even recently supplanted Nelly Furtado’s “Promiscuous” as my anthem of the summer. That says it all, because we all know that Nelly’s song is hotter than the oppressive heat going down in Boston right now.

Myspace: The Far Cries
Audio: "Stepping" [YSI Link]

Going to LA + other fun

I am taking off for the West Coast very early tomorrow morning, but instead of sleeping, I thought I'd rock a post first. There's a ton going on out there that I am excited about -- Silversun Pickups Thursday night, checking out a Dodgers game and The Rentals on my last night there, among many other things. I should be pretty busy, and with any luck, pretty drunk. While I am away Beth will be putting up a post or two and if I get some time, I'll put up some news from the road.

Audio: Led Zeppelin "Going to California" [YSI link]



Speaking of things LA, there has been a ton of great music bursting out of Southern Cali this year -- I've counted at least ten bands that will land somewhere on my year end list, and that number will no doubt grow. One of my faves this year is The Gray Kid's ...5, 6, 7, 8, a hip hop but not quite/a dance but not quite/an indie but not quite modern marvel of an album that is all things urban and style.

Like many great artists, TGK is all over the map with each project materializing under a different name. He is taking up residency at The Key Club's VIP Room in LA this August, displaying a different side of his personality each night. Here's what will be on his plate:

08/10: The Gray Kid 101 [selections from TGK, Sticky and Bigshot Bones]

08/17: Heartbreak is Better Than This… [all singing, including debut ACOUSTIC sets]

08/24: Rub Ya Titties (If You Love Hip-Hop) [all rapping, including GK Bsides + The Work]

The Key Club is located at 9039 Sunset Blvd. Doors open at 9 p.m. and the show is 8$. If LA's not your thing, he'll be back East later this year. Plus you can catch in the latest issue of URB.

Buy: ...5, 6, 7, 8
MySpace: The Gray Kid
Audio: "Lonely Love"

Mew

I don't want a day to go by without throwing some new music in your direction, as I've been pretty lazy today. Denmark's Mew bring the rock in epic proportions, but they are keen enough to add a bit of style and nuance for a blend that isn't far off from The Mars Volta, Muse or My Bloody Valentine. Look for their first Stateside release, And The Glass Handed Kites, on July 25th through Columbia which features J. Mascis singing on "Why Are You Looking So Grave?"

07/28 Boston, MA Bank of America Pavilion [with Bloc Party & Secret Machines]
07/29 Brooklyn, NY McCarran Pool [with Bloc Party & Secret Machines]
08/01 Anaheim, CA The Grove [with Bloc Party]
08/03 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theater [with Bloc Party & Broken Social Scene]
08/04 Berkeley, CA Greek Theater [with Bloc Party & Broken Social Scene]

MySpace: Mew
Audio: "The Zookeeper's Boy"

Sea Wolf

[Photo Credit: Susie Huftless]

According to their MySpace page, LA's Sea Wolf want to be JUST LIKE Wolf Eyes, Wolf Parade, We Are Wolves, AIDS Wolf, Wolfie, Wolf Colonel, Patrick Wolf, WolfMother, Guitar Wolf...But seriously, are you kidding me? If there are any more that we haven't mentioned here, let us know! Ok, here are some more that you folks added! Steppenwolf, Hugo Wolf, Kate Wolf, Laurent Wolf, Wolf City, Duran Duran (though they don't really count. they were just 'hungry like a wolf'), Howlin' Wolf, Superwolf, White Wolf, Seasons of the Wolf, Wolf & Cub, Peanut Butter Wolf, Peter Wolf, Peter and the Wolf, Los Lobos..."

Oddly enough, they are completely right and wrong. The songs I've heard from them are pretty killer, and before you say "Oh, we don't need another 'wolf' band," listen to the songs below. Trust me, they are that good.

MySpace: Sea Wolf
Audio: "Black Dirt"
Audio: "You're A Wolf"

Boston: Shows [Week of 07.03.06]

Things around Boston are relatively quiet this week as most people and places will be in holiday mode. Later this week will bring in some great shows, as The Rakes will be in town with Every Move A Picture and then one of my favorite new bands, Pela, comes to Great Scott on Saturday. I am going to be lying pretty low until I head out to LA on Wednesday until the end of the week. Anyone who wants to hang out, let me know. The only things written in stone are the Dodgers/Diamondbacks game on Thursday night and The Rentals at the Henry Fonda Theater on Friday.

07.03: The Teeth @ Middle East Up

07.05: Seu Jorge @ MFA

07.05: The Court & Spark/Shearwater @ T.T. The Bears


07.06: The Rakes/Every Move A Picture @ The Paradise
The Rakes need no introduction, but SF's Every Move A Picture just do not get the love that they deserve. With a sound that recalls all of the best moments of dance punk, their debut Heart = Weapn has been getting rave reviews in the UK and they are ready to bring the action to their home turf.
Audio: "Outlaw"

07.06: Camera Obscura/Georgie James @ Great Scott

07.07: Six Organs of Admittance @ Middle East Up

07.08: Dirty on Purpose/Pela @ Great Scott

07.08: Victory at Sea @ T.T. The Bears