SHOW OF THE MONTH

The Highway / The Lights Out / Vanderpark
The Paradise Lounge
Boston, MA
January 17, 2008

It was a rough-and-tumble night at The Paradise's little brother front room, The Paradise Lounge. With mellow lighting, a casually-run show and shadowy recesses in the corners of the balcony lining the back of the club, the lounge makes for one of the more unique and intimate places to catch a live show in Boston.

The Highway was considerably the most forgettable act of the night (the highlight of their set consisted of banter about Facebook), though they engaged the audience with their melodic, folk rock energy that personified their individual passion for music. Alternating vocals between drummer Ted Mac Innes and guitarist David Kaye on songs like “Walking Through The Hallway,” the band captivated the audience through the brief set while warming them up for The Lights Out.

The Lights Out, Boston natives, opened with the whirlwind “Count Me Out.” It was a precursor to a much lighter mood that would remain throughout the night. With an abrasive, harder-edged sound, it was no wonder why all eyes were glued to the quartet as they shamelessly rocked out to tunes like “Make Me” and “Last Hurrah.” Lead singer Rishava Green gave the crowd a taste of what’s to come from the band’s upcoming album with “Volcano.” The song, like most of their others in the set, was addictive and had a tinge of great, early ‘90s rock. The Lights Out put on one hell of a show.

Closing the evening were Toronto’s Vanderpark. Though their all-black ensembles coupled with pastel-colored ties and palpable facial piercings would be implicative of a band with a predictable emo sound, onlookers were pleasantly surprised with the jam band atmosphere Vanderpark induced as they began their set. Although vocals tended to get whiny on songs like “Cherish Yesterday” and “Mountain,” the boys balanced this out with instrumentation that translated impeccably on stage. Lead singer Dave Stulberg’s stage presence, however, didn’t translate as well. At times it was endearing — a hard-working musician getting so caught up in the sound that he becomes unaware of everything around him. At other times, however, it became downright annoying, exemplified when Stulberg took it upon himself to dance on a speaker that clearly wasn’t designed to support excess weight of any kind. Toward the end of their set, concertgoers started to clear out, allowing room for more dedicated fans to make their way to the front to sing every word of every remaining song. Their devotion was not in vain — those who stuck around got to experience a band whose stage bravado overshadowed any initial qualms one might have had at the beginning of the night.

- Review by Candace McDuffie; photo by Tristan Beedon

Hats and Glasses/Prince Rama of Ayodhya/ Gondoliers
The Milky Way
Jamaica Plain, MA
January 13, 2008

Locals Hats and Glasses, Prince Rama of Ayodhya and Gondoliers recently performed as part of The Milky Way’s new series showcasing the best of local indie bands every other Sunday. For free! Despite the rather mixed bill, all of the performers delivered and retained the audience’s interest, sometimes in strange and unexpected ways.

Gondoliers, Jamaica Plain locals consisting only of a guitarist and drummer, could easily be classified as “art metal.” Equipped with costumes, a talking computer (in place of their own voices), electric halo props and a video projection — all just as much a part of the performance as the performers themselves. Every Gondoliers show is themed — this was one “campaign day,” which gave way to a political, sarcastic, purposely disengaging and therefore rather hilarious set. They delivered a tight and powerful performance in which the metal riffs and skilled drumming lent themselves to a larger vision.

Dramatically shifting from the flat-faced, dryly-humorous display of the previous band, Prince Rama of Ayodhya performed with open arms, welcoming their audience from beginning to end by inviting them not only to enjoy themselves and dance, but also to join them on stage and participate in playing, and there were plenty of instruments to go around. The folk duo Taraka Larson and Michael Collins both wear many hats, circling between vocals, synth, autoharp, acoustic guitar, and various percussive instruments. Their set achieved the seemingly impossible: getting a small Boston crowd to actually let go of their inhibitions and dance themselves dizzy.

Finally, Hats and Glasses took to the stage complete with new guitarist Colby Drasher, who brought a slightly new sound, an alteration from the jangly, straightforward rock ‘n’ roll featured on their EP. The guitar change rendered the band somewhat mathy, while retaining sturdy, underlying elements of their old sound (i.e. course and clear bass lines and vocals). Hats and Glasses showcased a handful of fresh songs and, while most of them were shining, there were moments that gave the impression of unsteadiness, suggesting they are still working out the kinks of their newfound sound. Unfortunately, their keyboard broke and, being a crucial component of their latest songs, forced the band to cut the set short. Nonetheless, instead of ending half-heartedly and leaving the crowd hanging, Hats and Glasses finished spontaneously with a satisfying Burzum cover — arguably the most compelling part of their set. The band’s black metal finale brought the show full circle, leaving the crowd fulfilled, albeit confused.

- Review by Taylor Bratches

Tiger Saw / Baba Yaga / The Battle of Land and Sea / Elizabeth Butters & David Goligorsky
PA’s Lounge
Somerville, MA
January 12, 2008

Apparently the Patriots don’t matter much to fans of unconventional folk music — a playoff game didn’t register the faintest blip on the radar in the packed performance space at PA’s Lounge in Somerville this night (though the TVs are always on across the hall in the bar room). Elizabeth Butters, dressed like the ghost of an early-century matron and accompanied by David Goligorsky on singing saw, started the evening with a set of mostly traditional murder ballads. The unusually hushed room provided a great showcase for Butters’ clear, sparrow-like voice combined with Goligorsky’s singing saw for haunting effect. The mood was contrasted, however, by the fun they were clearly having. Finishing the set was a rendition of Leadbelly’s “Goodnight Irene,” with the audience’s help solicited on the famous chorus.

Next was Portland, Ore.’s Battle of Land and Sea, a gauzy duo drenched to the bone in reverb. Sarah O’Shura’s beautiful and melancholic sea songs were accented by Jacob Golden’s spooky slide guitar. During this set intermittent cheers also began emanating from the Pats-loving bar attendees one room over. Clearly the audience members weren’t the only ones having a good night.

Baba Yaga, a duo very much in the vein of another local, Marissa Nadler, played third. With singers Carla and Amanda’s eerily fragile melodies and nothing more than two quiet guitars and an occasional autoharp, the two muses traded off on vocals, creating nearly transcendental tunes with a Grateful Dead cover thrown in for good measure.

Finally, like a pleasant nightcap, was Dylan Metrano’s Tiger Saw. Shows at PA’s always tend to be a little somnambulant owing to the mellow lighting and red walls. Tiger Saw provided the perfect lullabies. A literal choir of seven women joined core member Metrano, who eschewed microphones and opted instead to sing from the floor in front of the stage. The intimacy and warmth this provided was further enhanced by the choir’s sweet accompaniment on Tiger Saw favorite “O Dylan.”

In all, it was a winning combination of bands, and a winning night on both sides of the Lounge.

- Review by Nadav Carmel

The Toothaches / Magic Magic / Spoilsport
Great Scott
Allston, MA
January 15, 2008

Despite claiming a proud spot in the twee lineage, Boston remains a tough conquest for indie pop. Though Boston is, after all, where the Magnetic Fields formed (their first show was at TT the Bear’s) and the legendary Harriet Records spent its life, but most contemporary Boston pop bands have fled elsewhere.

Still, Great Scott was pleasantly crowded for this cold Tuesday night. Scene veterans Spoilsport blasted off first, setting the tone and pace of the night. Spoilsport play pop-punk, but in the same way that Bikini Kill and Cub play pop-punk. A standard quartet with a rotating second guitarist, the wildcard role on this night was filled by Jef Czekaj of Big Digits, Anchormen and Plunge Into Death fame. Even after only three rehearsals with Czekaj, the band was as tight as ever. Most of the songs came from the band’s (sadly) only album, They All Want Cake, only faster and with more dynamics.

Magic Magic played next. A relatively new quintet, the band hasn’t played out much recently because they’ve been recording an album, and though bandleader John Murphy claimed they also hadn’t practiced much, it wasn’t apparent. Magic Magic’s sound could easily have been mistaken for a rougher, brighter, and certainly more fun Arcade Fire. Every song was a multi-part, miniature pop odyssey, grounded by the band’s two(!) drummers, but handily avoiding the prog-rock pretensions other bands often fall prey to.

Though they also haven’t played out much (some of the them aren’t yet old enough to drink), Jamaica Plain quintet the Toothaches deservedly headlined the show. As the name would imply, the band is sweet enough to give you cavities, but without the artificial ingredients. One of the most fun and charming bands in the area right now, the band careened through songs from their self-released A Month of Sundays CD-R. While the songs on the album are catchy yet subdued, the songs on stage are an order of magnitude more energetic and strong. They hit all the twee pleasure centers — boy-girl vocals, keyboards, glockenspiel, board game references, ukulele and even Toothaches underwear at the merch table.
The night was over far too quickly, but it was a telltale sign of the start of a new Boston pop Renaissance.

- Review by Nadav Carmel

The Peasantry / Aderbat / 28 Degrees Taurus / Bon Savants
Great Scott
Allston, MA
January 19, 2008

Opening the show was Boston newcomers, The Peasantry, whose atmospheric power-pop was fantastic on the up-tempo material. Thing began to lag a bit halfway through the set, though. Through the band’s contrasting of catchy tunes against seemingly endless outros and oft-meandering passages, it’s obvious where their strength lies. Singer/pianist Elliot Michaud’s vocals carry an impressive sing/shout dynamic, giving the band an edgier sound on the more poppy tunes. Their tight arrangements and conservative technique shined even through the less captivating tunes. The Peasantry is a band with great potential, though their less frantic songs need some tweaking.

After Pennsylvania combo Aderbat’s mildly pleasant acoustic jazz vibe and sleepy sounds chilled the room out, Boston’s 28 Degrees Taurus climbed onstage to put on what turned out to be a disappointing set. With fuzzed-out guitars and what felt like hours of a single song, the band was simply not playing to their strengths, which don’t include vocalist/bassist Karina Dacosta’s consistently flat vocals and long, wandering songs. The guitarist’s playing was awash in reverb and other spooky effects. Sounding a little like Sigur Ros (without the creepy moaning), 28 Degrees Taurus exhibited an odd texture in comparison to the more straightforward bands on the bill. Like The Peasantry, 28 Degrees Taurus should focus less on spacey atmospherics and more on tighter songs to keep a crowd interested. 28 Degrees’ arrangements, however, are thoughtfully layered and work well within the songs’ epic contexts.

Closing the show were Boston stalwarts The Bon Savants. Technically as tight as ever, The Bon Savants were looking a little bored but still showing off their crowd-pleasing skills with dramatic guitar moves, courtesy of guitarist Kevin Haley (who, oddly enough, looked like Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson). Singer Thom Moran, looking like he just stepped off of a yacht with his khakis and a green pastel button-down, seemed to enjoy summoning his inner-Bono with alt-rock anthems straight out of 1998 (which isn’t a bad thing, if you’re keeping score). Sound-wise, the keyboards were barely audible, which would have brought more life to the dynamic songs and less focus on Moran and Haley’s guitar assault.

- Review by Brian E. King; photo by Jordan Weaver