One need not be familiar with the Harry Potter series to feel the magic that is Harry and the Potters. Joe and Paul DeGeorge are skilled musicians and comedians whose concept band is not simply the sum of its parts; in fact their live show is enjoyable to 16-year-olds (who make up the majority of the audience) AND their parents (who hang back at the rear of the venue getting a kick out of the whole spectacle). On a Saturday afternoon at the Brattle Theatre, Harry and the Potters ended their summer U.S. tour with a homecoming performance that brought down the house.

First up were Woonsocket, RI’s Draco and the Malfoys, a sort of spin-off of HatP who accompanied the Potters on the road over the summer. Brothers Brian and Bradley personified Harry Potter’s arch nemesis Draco Malfoy and took comedic stabs at the young wizard in both song and banter. With a laptop providing the backing instruments, the duo played dueling guitars and shared a single mic at center stage on songs like “I’ve Got Power” and “My Dad is Rich (and Your Dad is Dead).” They remained in character while discussing evil and reflecting on the tour: “New England is not very evil. They made up for it in Las Vegas,” said Brian. Retorted Bradley, “Provo Utah was decidedly un-evil though.” Perhaps the jokes were over the heads of some of the audience members — the median height was probably only 5 feet, after all — but the crowd ate up every minute of it anyway, just as they did a cover of Nena’s “99 Luftballoons” in which the words were changed and the chorus rang “99 Death Eaters Go By.” Most of the crowd was born long after the German one-hit-wonder made the original song famous but they knew every word to the Malfoys’ version.

After a brief set change, Jason Anderson and the Best took the stage. The largest and eldest band of the afternoon did not have any Harry Potter associations, other than Joe DeGeorge on saxophone for portions of the set, but still managed to overjoy the teenaged audience. The always-dynamic Anderson’s energetic call-and-response style (Anderson: “Say yeah!” Audience: “YEAAAAH!”) is well-suited to a young crowd; but unlike the other bands on the bill, he’s not strictly a novelty act targeted at a young audience. Anderson is signed to Seattle’s K Records and has toured with the likes of Tilly and the Wall and Calvin Johnson. He could (and should) just as easily be playing to much larger audiences — there’s no question that he’s a gifted entertainer. His songs are stories of his travels and his loves, and his genuine niceness and joie de vivre radiates through the giant grin that never leaves his face. He makes eye contact with each and every audience member within his sight while strumming away at his guitar at the edge of the stage. With beautiful harmony vocals provided by Juliet Nelson, he performed high-energy up-tempo sing-alongs (“Tonight,” “The Hopeful”) and solemn ballads (“For Kyle,” “So Long”).

When Norwood natives Harry and the Potters took the stage, squeals of delight resonated through the theatre. Girls yelled “I love you [Paul/Joe]” while the pair launched into the anthemic “Voldemort Can’t Stop the Rock,” during which they both jumped off the stage and traversed the aisles. They then returned to the stage and took place at their instruments — Joe on keyboards and Paul on guitar — and invited Draco and the Malfoys’ Bradley to play drums. HatP’s set is regularly backed up by recorded drum tracks but the addition of a live drummer nicely fleshed out the sound. Most of the audience sang along to every song, whether asked to or not, demonstrating the kind of reach the band has achieved. The duo’s comedic wit is remarkable, with both members periodically launching into stories (in character as the boy wizard) about wizardry, muggles, Hogwarts, evil and so forth. The music itself ranges from keyboard-driven pop-rock to thrashing punk, and many songs are under a minute in length, with titles like “Save Ginny Weasley” and “The Human Hosepipe.” Elder brother Paul (‘Harry Potter year seven’) played so hard he broke three guitar strings (“We can’t use magic to fix our instruments,” sighed his brother). Joe (‘Harry Potter year four’) could barely keep his feet on the ground, jumping and kicking while his fingers beat the keys of his keyboard. For one song Joe brought back his sax and cavorted around the theatre while playing it, even going upstairs to the balcony where the non-squealing crowd members had gathered.

The Potters’ set went on for over an hour, much to the delight of the tireless audience. At the end Paul sang through a bullhorn from atop the theatre seats as Joe ran around the room hugging the fans, one of whom uttered “I shall never wash this hand EVER!” as she exited. These two young men may not be able to ride the Harry Potter concept forever, but for now, with adoration of teenage girls the world over and regular gigs at libraries and rock clubs all across the U.S., they’ve got to be loving life, and it shows.

-Review and photo by Ashley Willard

Keys to the Streets of Fear /
Hands and Knees / Hallelujah the Hills
Charlie’s Kitchen
Cambridge, MA
Aug. 21, 2006

It was a night for rapturous, lush orchestration at Charlie’s Kitchen in Harvard Square as two local favorites and a promising new act unrolled sets that were at once delicate and bold.

The newly formed Hands and Knees, an act from Western Massachusetts, opened the show with the kind of loud, jangly pop music that forces a music lover to shut the bedroom door and dance foolishly, recklessly. A baker’s dozen of songs, a mixed batch of originals and covers, featured the charismatic Joe (lead guitar and vocals) and the charming Carina (bass) singing together loudly, sweetly and clearly. Joe crooned teasingly between bursts of broken throated yelps against bold, grooving basslines, and coasted to a plane of bittersweet pop longing on “Into the Cold Lake.” It remained clear that Hands and Knees were strongest standing on their own ground, as their rollicking, celebratory pop flavors shone brightest when they presented their own material. With a little polish, these kids will be planting their feet as one of the best pop bands around.

Keys to the Streets of Fear looked sharp as the Famiglia Timore laid down a thicket of sweaty, sultry garage noise. They started hot, exploding into a hard, fast cover of the Modern Lovers’ “Modern World,” then eased up a bit and swaggered through a few slower, more quietly menacing numbers full of distortion and deliberacy. The crowd got the message. A couple was seen grinding closely up against one another during the voluptuous machinations of a cover of the R&B standard “Save the Last Dance for Me.” A female audience member in the back of the room cried out “I love rock and roll,” and she may not have been kidding. Guitarist Elio pushed out into the crowd, playing as he nuzzled up against Hallelujah the Hills singer Ryan Walsh. The Keys tied matters up with a final number, “Nicolene.” Singer Pasqual pleaded languorously from the perspective of an aspirant suitor for the subject to engage in some extracurricular entanglement: “I saw your boyfriend go / Nobody has to know.”

Hallelujah the Hills played an exuberant set laced with delicate melodies inside sweeping, triumphant orchestration. The six-member-strong band plays songs that are as sprawling and grand as the band itself. Opening with “Slow Motion Records Broken at Breakneck Speeds,” multi-instrumentalist Matthew Brown fused a synth hook with a call from trumpeter Brian Rutledge, who danced raucously onstage whenever he wasn’t playing. Brown regularly employed a melodica, evoking a haunting, distant sound beneath the literary lyrical turns of singer and lead guitarist Ryan Walsh, formerly of the Stairs. Standouts include the oft-quoted “Wave Backward to Massachusetts” and the slow storyteller’s ramble of “The House Is All Lit Up.” Closing with the dearly catchy “The Trap,” Rutledge emerged again from behind the crowd, slicing through to rejoin the band up front, and leading them to an angular final breakdown and a happily exhausted exhale after a thrilling night of music.

-Lindsey Crudele

Thom Moran / Tyler Littwin / The Plain Janes / Mike Cummings / Jake Hall / Max Heinegg
TT the Bears
Cambridge, MA
Aug. 14, 2006

When rock megastars save the children or the farms or Africa, we’re usually put through sobby mid-set speeches about the problems of the world by some singer who thinks he’s Jesus. When indie kids put on a show for a cause, it’s more like “... and uh, give money to charity ... and stuff” mumbled into the mic before they unplug their guitars and slouch offstage. Such was the case for virtually every artist who performed at the Benefit for the Franciscan Childrens Hospital Medical Daycare held at T.T. the Bear’s Place on August 14.

The lineup featured Tyler Littwin, The Plain Janes, Mike Cummings (of Furvis), Jake Hall of the Self Righteous Brothers, Max Heinegg, and Thom Moran (of the Bon Savants) — or Thom Savant, if you’re going with the real-first-name-followed-by-band-name formula. It was a steady rise in quality, with one plummet before the headline act.

The first two performances were ignorable — rather disappointing considering they had the option of covers, a prime opportunity for artists to choose the most flattering forum for their particular skill. Slowing down Dylan’s “I Want You” might be gripping if you have Jeff Buckley’s singing voice, but listening to Greg Britton of the Plain Janes do it was as comfortable as having to piss six bus stops away from home.
Mike Cummings may not be the most vocally blessed either, but his sloppiness is earnest and the source of his charm. His cover of Aimee Mann’s “Save Me” was unexpected and well-done.

Jake Hall added some color to the beige with his upbeat Beach Boy voice and lack of pretense. He kicked off his set solo with a cover of Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature,” and brought with him a rotating hoedown of friends on bongos, banjos, guitars and cowbells.

Max Heinegg played a nondescript acoustic set, capped by a song he wrote for his infant daughter that only reinforced the argument that good art is never the result of happy times.

Of all the performers that night, the only one blessed with real pipes was Thom Savant, who started off on guitar with a few originals and a killer cover of “Never Tear Us Apart” by INXS. There were some smirks when he picked up a ukulele mid-set, but they were quickly transformed into mesmerized gazes as his cool baritone coursed over the delicate twinkling of its tiny strings on Echo and the Bunnymen’s “Killing Moon”, followed by a rendition of “Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Joy Division that, stripped of the bright synthesizers of the original, made the words seem that much sadder. He switched back to guitar for the end, and flipped the mood with a sassy cover of Pulp’s “Babies.”It was never a remotely full house, no doubt because it was a Monday, but the bands did succeed in raising $800 for the kiddos.

-Review and photo by Jennifer Stuck

Faces on Film / Eureka Gold (CD release) / Hats and Glasses / Pinocchio Syndrome
O’Brien’s Pub
Allston, MA
Aug. 17, 2006

O’Brien’s is a darkly-lit little place with a mediocre sound system, but it has its charm. One of the last places in Boston where a music fan can go listen to music unnoticed, O’Brien’s is a welcome change from the usual Boston establishments.

The first band on this bill, Pinocchio Syndrome, is fronted by quite a strong singer. While the music isn’t for everybody, the clearly-sung lyrics seemed to be dripping with a certain off-putting melodrama. Pinnochio Syndrome should play up its strengths a bit — if such clearly able musicians can whip out jazz and rock influences so easily, a kinder marriage of music and lyricism may very well be in order.

The second band, Hats and Glasses, apparently boasts a predilection to building bonfires in the park and inviting the local choirgirls. This band was catchy, with a few endearing guitar parts and sweet guy/girl vocals. Though a few songs fell incredibly flat (mostly due to too-simple lyrics and droning vocals), it will be interesting to see what this band has in store for the future.

Eureka Gold, celebrating its CD-release, was incredibly catchy. The band is preparing to relocate from Boston to Nashville, and given their sound, it’s understandable. They enchanted the crowd with their twangy, slightly alt-country and slightly synth-pop version of modern indie rock. If one can imagine a proper marriage of The Cars, The Talking Heads and the soundtrack to The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, one might get a good idea of what this band has created.

The final band, Boston locals Faces on Film, immediately called Modest Mouse to mind. Though the band is clearly made up of talented musicians, there is not much energy here. Lending the band a little more of its own identity is the singer’s voice, which is higher and more post-punk than west-coast indie-rock. As one song began to break down, the singer started yelling, and the band capped it off by ending with jangly, twinkling guitars. Not poorly done (or boring, even) but definitely unoriginal. The rest of their set was similar, with its ups and downs, but all similarly influenced.

-Kimberly Abruzzo

Providence Roller Derby presents
“Battle of the Bands” featuring:

For What It’s Worth / The Goners /
Six Star General / Route .44 / Eva Braun / Crash Midnight / The Chainletter / Acerose
Hosted by Miss Astrid, with DJ Morgan Louis
The Living Room
Providence, RI
Aug. 5, 2006

The most noticeable feature of The Living Room was the massive fireplace, which made the stage look like a mammoth hearth. The turnout was relatively low, judging by the ample space between the little clusters of friends of friends, and the sound system, while comprehensive, appeared to be designed for volume, not necessarily clarity. This gave the whole night a muffled, distant feeling, which complimented the aggressive aimlessness of most of the bands. They all played well and were obviously experienced, but there was just something generally uncompelling about most of the respective stage shows. True mediocrity finally bared its dull teeth when Crash Midnight took the stage, their lead singer swaggering onstage like a cheaper Bon Jovi: aviator shades, pristine “vintage” t-shirt, and more belts than any one person should ever need. They finished their play list and slinked offstage amid stuttering applause to hawk their swag, like each song they’d just played was nothing more than a prop in a clueless and amplified demand for attention.

By the time the runner-up band, Eva Braun, broke a sweat, black t-shirts and metal were colliding around the front of the stage; most of the crowd was drunk and weary, but still dedicated to the fray. The kick was a jet engine on its last legs and the guitarist had his axe lashed to his torso as if it was the only thing he could be bothered to control. Some had no idea who this band was, but could tell that others did, and that was enough to keep most on their toes.

In the second-to-last slot, The Chainletter’s eagerness to engage the crowd was palpable — they seemed to get off on the challenge of winning over an indifferent audience. The set began with a churning and precise dirge, which was decidedly different than the straight-for-the-throat approach taken by most of the other bands. The kids right in front were a little shook when the guitarist screamed some indecipherable nonsense in their faces, but he smiled wildly when they spit showers of beer back in his face; everyone getting exactly what they came for. The roughly manicured and frantic menace of their performance set them apart from the other bands and secured them the win.

-Erich Hagan; photo by Daniel Greening

José Ayerve / Caleb Wetmore / Mike Flood
Bishop’s Lounge
Northampton, MA
Aug. 8, 2006

At this casual gathering of local songwriters who’d come together for the Tuesday night series at Bishop’s Lounge, Mike Flood played first. He was comfortable in front of the audience and didn’t let a little rust stop him from showing everyone a good time. He kept launching into an improvised war chant to take on Connecticut. Not the river, the whole damn state. “We could float down on burning barges,” he sang. “They’ve got a lot of gas there, I see them drive up here all the time.” He had an ease about him, which carried everyone along on a hardy trail filled with music and fun. He was there to entertain, and entertain he did.

When Caleb Wetmore brought out his Fender Mustang and a small tangle of pedals, it looked like things might get crazy. His band, The Mitchells, can really crank up the volume, but he touched his songs with a soft hand that gave them new light. Hearing them in such a stripped down way gave them a layer that was easy to miss with a full band. The vocals stood out and the stories told themselves, sad and beautiful.
The icing on top of the night’s cake was José Ayerve. He brought both a bass and a guitar with which to serenade the audience. It takes a lot of skill to stand in front of a room full of people with just a bass and a smile but Ayerve is the man who can pull it off. He knows his way around a microphone, and around a crowd. With a mix of songs in English and Spanish, he drew the overwhelming passions of love and loss into a haze that captured the hearts of everyone there. It stopped being a summer night, and there was a sense of timeless romance, like living in the scene of a movie. Ayerve is a skilled performer whose dynamics are amazing. His songs always sound great with his bands Spouse and The Nuclear Waste Management Club, but when he was playing them solo they took on a life all their own. It was a treat and a pleasure for those lucky enough to hear.

- Christopher Wilkey