The Lot Six (final show) / Officer May / Eyes Like Knives / Mittens / Headband / Age Rings

The Middle East Downstairs

Cambridge, MA

November 18, 2006

The first clue that this show would be a special one was the fact that Age Rings was the opener, and any show with Age Rings batting lead-off is bound to be a certified Event. Ted Billings led his ensemble onstage clad in stocking cap and a little more facial hair than he has appeared with lately, perhaps in tribute to Lot Six frontman Dave Vicini. The Age Rings sound hummed to life gradually, as a group with this many musicians can be expected to do. Billings led the group through several tracks from their debut disc Look...the Dusk is Growing with his signature vocals, ranging from a conspiratorial whisper to a gravelly howl. Each player in the ensemble appeared to be utterly engaged in every song. Guitarist Will Spitz was a particularly dynamic figure, rocking his low-slung guitar around like his life depended on it. The intense set displayed Billings and Company’s feel for delicate melody — a delicacy dispensed with all the subtlety of a Molotov cocktail that is always just about to explode.

Once the large Age Rings ensemble left the stage, second act Headband took the stage. Headband maintained much of the melodic sensibility of the first set, yet their melody was a little grimier. The group’s set had hooks — although heavy, they were strong hooks nonetheless. The group’s sludgy-yet-poppy sound stayed true throughout the set, with only one questionable song ending. Overall, Headband’s set of gritty anthems energized the crowd all the more.

The night’s complete setlist seemed to be ramping up nicely with the third act, Mittens, who took the melody and power of the earlier sets and added their own major-key jangle. The crowd thrummed along with the happy-toned guitar-driven sound, and Mittens seemed well at ease onstage. The excessively laid-back band even kept their cool after a false start-stop, but by this point the crowd was so charmed they barely seemed to notice. They even sang along a bit with the band’s wistful “I think it’s been too long since we got high.” In actuality, it didn’t seem like it had been too long for Mittens.

As Eyes Like Knives took the stage, the crowd seemed bigger and notably older, as a more mature element balanced out the age-range of the crowd. Their set rose out of the sound check, their stringy guitars eventually wandering to the same place. Eyes Like Knives introduced a new sound to the evening in the occasional vocals of Rebekka Takamizu, who traded off with Scott Toomey. Takamizu’s vocals provided a strong focus point for the rhythmic bass-filled attack of the band’s sound. Eyes Like Knives flexed their figurative muscles in this set, showing off with some mathy “rat-tat-tat” drum stops and lush arrangements. Their sound was a fast-moving subway car, full of momentum and nuance. Eyes Likes Knives pulled it off effortlessly.

They left the stage promising that a “surprise secret guest” was coming up next, but there was no mistaking the form of Lot Six vocalist Dave Vicini onstage — it’s hard to miss a seven-foot tall man with a big beard, loud flannel shirt, and louder vocal style. The crowd, at this point, had surged well past the capacity of nearby Cambridge Public Lot #6. The actual Lot Six wound into action and it was like some grand sonic payoff — every eye in the room was trained on the stage. Vicini pushed himself in particular, as was evidenced by his raspy speaking voice in between songs.

At one point the group relinquished the stage to who must have been the secret guest: a one-night reunited Officer May, who Vicini introduced as a favorite local band. They played a short, energetic set before the Lot Six retook the stage.

Vicini cradled the microphone for his final of final Lot Six sets, offering shrill Zach de la Rocha-style vocals, minus the political rage. Aaron Sinclair seemed about to pound through his drums, which wasn’t surprising because it looked like Will Kerr and Julian Casanetti were about to saw right through their guitars. The Lot Six left it all up onstage this evening, and for that, the capacity crowd was thankful.

-Review by C.D. Di Guardia; photo by Marianne Bolduc

Tiger Saw

The Blue Mermaid

Portsmouth, NH

November 25, 2006

Judging from the size of the venue, Portsmouth’s The Blue Mermaid was most likely one of the more intimate stops on Tiger Saw’s Northeast tour with Sweden’s Cake on Cake. In fact, with only eight tables in a space roughly 30 by 60 feet, the bar area seemed almost criminally small to house the Newburyport collective known to swell to as many as a dozen members for some performances. Fortunately, for this show — their second following an afternoon set at the Middle East — the band was pared down only to collective mastermind Dylan Metrano and Michigan singer/songwriter Annie Palmer, which meant the venue was a little more fitting after all.

In a painfully short half-hour set, Metrano and Palmer breezed through three new Tiger Saw songs, five older ones, and a cover of “OK” by Portsmouth’s brilliant The Hotel Alexis. In the tight space and soft lights, Metrano’s glittery Les Paul looked a little out of place, but the chords it emitted were soft and ethereal — perfectly complimenting the duo’s vocal harmonies of love and loss. In addition to vocals, Palmer contributed light percussion (shaker, tambourine) and some vintage sounds courtesy of her electric chord organ.

Amid the expected minimalism and hushed vocals were flashes of fragile beauty: the guitar opening of “The Sun,” the repeated harmonic “OKs” closing out the song of the same name, the brief but haunting 60-second new song “To Drown Tonight.” Things were shaken up a bit when Metrano gave up his guitar to Palmer for her solo rendition of “Singing With Ghosts,” which appeared on last year’s critically lauded (and rightly so) Sing! With lines like “To fall in love with me is asking to be lonely,” new songs “Distance” and “Commerce in the Night” offered sentiments consistent with Tiger Saw’s back catalog.

As a true testament to Metrano’s powerful songwriting, the emotion of his songs, even when stripped down to nothing more than guitar and voice, hung in the air like a vapor.

When the short set ended, the intimate crowd remained quiet, clearly moved by what they had just witnessed.

-Review and photo by Brett Cromwell

Bleu / The Everyday Visuals / The Animators / The SnowLeopards

T.T. the Bear’s

Cambridge, MA

November 11, 2006

It’s only natural for a local musician to have a large following in his hometown, but William James McAuley III’s (aka Bleu) Boston fan base seems to be the design of some cult personality. Perhaps it was the throng of his devotees that arrived at TT the Bear’s adorning matching “Bleu’s Choir” t-shirts, but within that festive atmosphere one could not help feeling as if he or she were intruding on a religious affair instead of attending the CD release party of McAuley side-project L.E.O.‘s album Alpacas Orgling.

But before he took the stage, McAuley’s handpicked trio of openers, all with musical aesthetics as eclectic as his, had to perform.

The first act was The SnowLeopards, flaunting their aggressive brand of rock. The local quartet ran through nine of their hard rock tunes. Songs of note included forthcoming single “Hipmatize Me” and Boston Music Award-winning “Stuck in the Middle.” Despite The SnowLeopards’ musical aptitude, their live performance lacked charisma. Frontwoman Heidi Lee was confident enough to don a revealing bikini top and open jacket ensemble, but had to be coerced into speaking to the crowd by bassist Jimmy Jax. Although musically cohesive, The SnowLeopards appeared to have little chemistry onstage, failing to engage the audience.

Brooklyn-based The Animators were next. Maybe their infectious choruses, catchy hooks and all-around melodious pop were more audience-inclusive than the aggressiveness of The SnowLeopards, but The Animators truly entertained. The band members’ faces were what most conveyed their enjoyment in performing. As if drummer Kevin Rice’s euphoric grin didn’t communicate how happy the band seemed to be with each other, the way that lead vocalists Alex Wong and Devon Copely’s faces matched perfectly as they harmonized only assured the band’s solidarity. Incorporating accordion and glockenspiel towards the latter half of their set, and inviting female audience members on stage for two separate songs connoted the band’s longing for the audience’s attention. Not surprisingly, they got it.

Local quintet The Everyday Visuals were the last to perform before the main act and proceeded to afford the Cambridge audience with their elaborate and layered breed of indie-rock. The harmonies of their penultimate song, a cover of The Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows” elicited a positive audience response. Although such music may have been audibly pleasing, it was the uncurbed energy of their performance that was most noteworthy. Ranging from banging his seat against a Fender Rhodes to his pleading with the audience for shots of Jager (and he eventually received two), frontman Christopher Pappas’ antics dominated TEV’s set.

Crowd members may have timidly inched closer in anticipation of TEV’s performance, but when McAuley took the stage the audience shoved towards the front, revealing the extent of his local celebrity.

Encompassing the musical stylings of the three opening acts, McAuley played songs spanning musical genres. He began his set with three heartfelt, pensive tracks accompanied only by TEV drummer Joseph Seiders. An attempt at an off-mic version of “Penguin Song” was McAuley’s transition from a slow-core, more experimental set to a pop-rock-oriented one. During this second leg, he invited the rest of TEV back on stage to serve as his back-up band for the rest of the show.

McAuley proceeded to play songs produced under his Bleu moniker and sprinkled in a few L.E.O. tracks as well. Although McAuley was able to electrify the audience easily with well-known Bleu songs, it was the L.E.O. songs that evoked the aesthetic of such ‘70s orchestral pop-rockers as Electric Light Orchestra (from whom L.E.O. draws its name) or the Traveling Wilburys that were truly impressive. Songs like “Goodbye Innocence” excited the crowd just as much as perennial favorites like “Get Up” or “Go,” only further demonstrating this artist’s ability to gracefully command the varied sounds from his eclectic repertoire.

-Review and photo by Martin Sattell

Those Who Wait / The Appreciation Post

Bulfinch Yacht Club

Boston, MA

November 10, 2006

The Bulfinch Yacht Club hosted Those Who Wait and The Appreciation Post on November 10. Originally, the lineup also included The Daily Pravda and Never Only Once; however, both bands cancelled their sets that evening.

First onstage was the slightly nervous Those Who Wait. Their trepidation was understandable, considering the venue’s unsympathetic atmosphere. The regular Allston/Cambridge group, these kids were not. The sparse but rowdy crowd had to wait a touch too long on account of Those Who Wait’s extended sound check. Eventually, the band played an upbeat set of late-nineties emo-esque music, reminiscent of bands including Something Corporate and Jimmy Eat World. Interestingly, the band cites The Arcade Fire and Neutral Milk Hotel as sources of inspiration. At times, the atmospheric guitar playing nodded to Arcade Fire’s music, but harsher, over-the-top power chords concealed other references. Perhaps Those Who Wait’s indie-leanings were buried too deeply beneath the superficial emo layers. In fact, the set’s heavier sound was relieved only by their new track “Villain Lightning” from the upcoming EP, Some Ghosts.

Lead vocalist Whit delivered the melodies clearly, yet his voice dripped with a peculiar teenage angst. Whit sounded the most natural on “Villain Lightning” and, overall, Those Who Wait’s performance was decent, if not awe-inspiring.

The Appreciation Post followed, complete with their famed Moog synthesizer. With five members, The Appreciation Post appeared squashed on the Bulfinch’s tiny stage. In short, they lacked room to really rock out, except for the Moog player, Roger Lussier, who managed to bounce around sufficiently enough for the entire band. The contrast between the leaping Lussier and his statuesque bandmates could only be described as amusing, if not slightly distracting.

This self-dubbed power pop indie group played a bit too cautiously (perhaps they feared falling off the stage). The Appreciation Post simply did not come across as a band that would like to take risks. Downplayed synthesizer sounds teased listeners and the vocals overpowered most of the guitar and bass in the mix. It was hard to hear each individual instrument and, consequently, the music felt a bit flat.

Furthermore, every song fell into a similar, uninspiring pattern: intriguing opening, guitar breakdown, loud vocals, drum solo, more crashing guitars, and finally bizarre instrumental craziness. The crowd, however, loved every minute of it.

Consequently, The Appreciation Post made a good effort to connect with their audience. A surprise cover of Billy Joel’s “Movin’ Out” was well received and, remarkably, came across as coy and humorous. It was difficult to tell what motivated their selection, for Billy Joel and indie-rock aren’t side-by-side on the typical hipster’s iPod playlist. However, The Appreciation Post finished their set on a high note, with energy and a great deal of audience whooping.

-Review and photo byMiriam Lamey

White Whale / Baker / Via Audio

T.T. The Bear’s

Cambridge, MA

November 2, 2006

The versatile quartet Via Audio was the first to go on, setting the mood for an exciting night at TT the Bear’s in Cambridge. Via Audio has been accurately compared to Rilo Kiley and Death Cab for Cutie, and their well-produced synth-based sound translated perfectly to the stage. The performance was strong with plenty of energy emanating from lead singer/accordion/keyboardist Jessica Martins. Her tiny stature was no hindrance to her presence on stage, as her mellifluous voice stood out comfortably in the mix. The whole band was very animated — each with his or her own style of dance during the performance, oddly reminiscent of a Peanuts holiday special. The lead guitarists sprinkled each song with tasteful solos that kept each song fresh and interesting. The conclusion of each tune signaled a cue for all the members to alternate instruments like a game of musical chairs. Thankfully, the talented members of Via Audio had no problem with this game, as each member seemed right at home behind every instrument. The band played some old songs like “Developing Active People,” as well as a good amount of new compositions off of their forthcoming record.

The second band, Baker, was an odd shift after Via Audio. The songs were derivative and repetitive. The usual Bostonian feet shufflers seemed detached from the performance aside from the occasional “Woohoo-er.” The six-member crew contained a disproportionately large amount of guitarists. Unfortunately, the number of instruments onstage didn’t equate to a better sound. Much of the material ended up sounding like disjointed rehashes of the same monotonous riffs. The only memorable quality of the band was the bubbly keyboardist donning colorful kickerboots and doing the dance to match.

White Whale (with former members of The Get Up Kids) was unique. By the time they actually went on, the band members outnumbered the people in the audience, which was unfortunate because their sound was distinctly original — think of a faster paced Godspeed You! Black Emperor with vocals, but less direction. It was also unfortunate that the two lead singers seemed to have recently discovered the wonderment of delay. The two would often alternate belting short bursts of noise into the mic as though they were visiting the Grand Canyon for the first time. Their songs often lasted upwards of eight to ten minutes, each blending into the next. It seemed highly experimental, although not without its moments of success. White Whale was definitely committed to their craft regardless of its reception. The sometimes-sloppy psychedelic dream music was completely intentional, however deceiving. It was a nice performance overall, not to be overshadowed by bright up-and-comers Via Audio.

-Steve Fancler

Roh Delikat (CD Release) / Helms / Polaris Mine / Thunderhole

Great Scott

Allston, MA

November 18, 2006

The holidays are a good time for catching up with family and old friends. This was the prevailing sentiment on the Thursday before Turkey Day at Great Scott in Allston. Roh Delikat (literally “Raw Delicate” in German) released their latest CD, Sunny, and celebrated it with 50 of their closest friends, as well as local acts Helms, Polaris Mine, and Thunderhole. Not surprisingly, Roh Delikat is well connected in the area, as bandmates Kristina Johnson, Scott Craggs, and Sam Gutterman are all Boston natives and have honed their skills as members of The Ivory Coast, Certainly, Sir, and Slowfore, to name a few.

Guitarist and lead singer Johnson began the night by playing her electric guitar with a violin bow, which, coupled with tons of reverb, created an eerie, otherworldly sound. The band seemed at home on stage and was well supported by their friends and fans in the audience. Their stage demeanor was rather detached, matching their style of music, and they didn’t feel the need to jump around artificially or make awkward stage banter. They let their music speak for itself, and speak it did. Melodic guitar riffs, which, in their liveliest moments echoed Television and even Spoon, mingled with Johnson’s delicate voice. Keeping with their quirky-family-and-friends theme, Roh Delikat invited Tyler Derryberry from Ho-Ag to play Johnson’s mother’s accordion, which would have been a good idea, had the accordion worked. This appearance was followed by a guest guitar spot by Derryberry’s bandmate, Matt Parish.

The set’s sound was relatively consistent: largely ethereal, experimental songs with a healthy dose of less-than-intelligible lyrics. There were some echoes of their first album, Deaf + Dear, but the music was by-and-large new. “The Penultimate Song” displayed their breadth: a catchy, rock-‘n’-roll-style tune that livened the crowd before sending them on their way with the finale, again featuring Johnson’s unique guitar-bow-reverb creation.

Ironically, “Words are meaningless,” the sole lyric in this final song, was one of the few decipherable lyrics of the set. Throughout the night, however, this sentiment rang true for Roh Delikat. Coupled with the dynamic instrumentation, Johnson’s expressive voice held its own. Thus, understanding the words was not essential to understanding what Roh Delikat wished to convey.

Ultimately, the night was a privileged affair, kind of like sitting in on a group of old friends telling their favorite inside jokes. You’re not quite sure if you get everything, and a lot of stuff goes over your head, but you like it, and you laugh, if for no other reason than because you want to feel like you belong to this close-knit crowd.

-Review and photo by Christian Eager & Kate Cole