SHOW OF THE MONTH

Planetoid
Great Scott

Allston, Ma

February 7, 2008

“Greetings, Earthlings. Prepare to meet your doom,” says Planetoid singer/bassist “Locrius.” Dressed in white suits painted green faces, near-glowing eyes, and horns upon their heads, it’s clear Planetoid is definitely one of a kind. A combination of fat riffs (ala Queens of The Stone Age,) Dinosaur Jr, and even some bluesy White Stripes swagger, guitarist “General Taleiah” and drummer, fittingly named “Admiral Time,” (looking like Cylon from Battlestar Galactica with a white lab coat and machine-like mask,) overtook the sold-out crowd near the beginning of their set with a strong presence.

By the sixth song, “Russian Space Solution,” head-banging minions had taken over the crowd. Throughout the show, Locrius, and General Taleiah spent most of the show stomping around in circles, taking breaks only to bend over backwards to the point where his head was nearing two inches from the floor. In between songs, he’d step up to the mic with a spooky 1000-yard stare into the audience.

For three dudes dressed as aliens in white suits, Planetoid are amazingly tight musicians with interesting riffs and catchy grunge-metal, completely with sludgy distortion and Big-Muff’d bass. Taleiah choked his guitar with an uncompromisingly gross octave distortion, but everything remained articulate and complex.
Surprisingly, the alien gimmickry paid off. Staying in character and calling the audience “scum” while passionately playing up to their aforementioned identities, Planetoid is a must-see band. Catch em’ before their return to whatever stoner-rock planet they came from.

Review by Josh Thompson;
Photos by Rusty Daniels

Ryan Montbleau/Sam KiningerBand/Peter Prince
and the Johnny Trama Unit

Paradise Rock Club

Boston, MA

February 5, 2008

A typical Fat Tuesday in New Orleans includes parades, floats, beads, booze, and debauchery. Live, local music along with some of the finest blues and jazz across the nation, drives Mardi Gras attendees into the wee hours of the morning.

It is easy to assume that a Boston Mardi Gras celebration is a somewhat different experience — unless you were lucky enough to catch the Fat Tuesday Benefit Show at The Paradise. The bill featured an all-star arrangement of musicians, including Ryan Montbleau, the Sam Kininger Band, Peter Prince and the Johnny Trama Unit, all who combined their unique, funky sounds to raise money for the New Orleans based non-profit group, Common Ground Relief.

The invigorating funk-soul artist Peter Prince kicked off the night, instantly warming up the wintery crowd. Prince, also the front man of Moon Boot, appeared in his signature navy jumpsuit and gold beanie. Joining in the fun was guitarist Johnny Trama (John Brown’s Body, Entrain). The crowd remained in tune with the band and excitedly grooved along with the extended solos each artist effortlessly worked through. An obvious highlight was the track “Friends,” which his most loyal fans sang along loudly and fearlessly.

The Sam Kininger Band then took the stage next with immediate power and passion. It was clear that he could easily transform an audience into a Mardi Gras spirit. The full band crowded the stage with keyboards, drums, guitars, and saxophone, making sure that no two feet were left standing still. Kininger, a “funk genius” and Berklee alum, has established a fan base that both respects him as an artist and worships him as a saxophone pioneer.

Ryan Montbleu took that stage, bringing a welcoming level of intimacy to the night with his soulful acoustic rock. His affectingly honest lyrics and powerful vocals captured the crowd, while the nervous-tapping of his foot made him even more endearing. Although originally booked as a solo performance, Montbleau eventually brought out his band to liven the crowd one final time with songs like “75 and Sunny” and “Eggs.” Diving into their signature sound of folk, soul, ragtime, and even R&B, the band’s cohesion and personality was enough to prove that, together, they were worthy of closing a show featuring such top-notch artists.

-Review and photo by Jillian Horn

Chris Mills/Steve Smith (Dirty Vegas)/Chris Colbourn (Buffalo Tom)/Therese Bellino (Lazy Susan) with David Fredette

Middle East Upstairs

Cambridge, MA

February 20, 2008

Formerly of Lazy Susan, Therese Bellino started the evening with her intimate folk songs, bolstered by a three-guitar ensemble. Bellino led the group, while a bit shaky at first, she grew more confident as the performance continued and her voice, though not a technical marvel, was powerful in the context of her songs. Her music is the upbeat, angsty-but-not-wallowing side of folk rock — a pop alternative to the genre’s gloomy and self-absorbed excesses.

Somerville alternative rocker Chris Colbourn of Buffalo Tom claimed the stage in a rare solo performance, just the man, his guitar, and a borrowed amplifier. Colbourn’s set was a mere five songs, consisting of four Buffalo Tom songs and one unknown ballad that dwarfed the other tunes in its detailed lyricism and intense delivery. His voice still sounds the same as it did in the early days of the group, light and boyish, strange to see coming out of a man currently in his 40s, but it still remains sonically distinct even after a decade of prominence for emo singers with similar vocal characteristics. Loud audience conversations sullied Colbourn’s set, but the singer made it through without perturbence.

Headliner Steve Smith, front man for the Grammy-winning Dirty Vegas, was accompanied by a guitarist who looked like John Lennon and a drum machine, Smith’s style of folk rock was by far the most bombastic of the acts on the bill, driven by fast strumming, emotive singing, and big choruses. His performance was part of a CD release party for his solo debut, This Town. The electric guitarist added a rock sound invoking the crunch and soulfulness of The Kinks.

Closing the evening was Chicago’s Chris Mills, a talented songwriter who’s been making waves in the alt-country scene for over a decade. Mills played an intense set with songs mixing imagery of apocalyptic B-movie pulp with unabashed romanticism. The songs were mostly simple open chord progressions, but their selling point was pure, earnest emotion and Mills’ unique lyrical wit. All in all, a display of what the singer-songwriter genre is truly capable of.

Review by Anthony Saggese

Tim Gearan

Lizard Lounge

Cambridge, MA

February 16th, 2008

Tim Gearan and his band played an incredible, one-of-a-kind-never-will-happen-again CD release party for Gearan’s No Remedy. The most defining quality of this show was the uniquely talented musicians accentuating Gearan’s soulful music.
Gearan’s perfectly scratchy voice sounded like it belonged on a front porch facing the Mississippi River instead of a basement venue in Cambridge. His horn section sounded like it belonged in the front line of a street-level jazz parade. The rhythm section created a sturdily exciting platform while Sean Staples (mandolin) and Steve Sadler (lap steel) rounded the band’s amazing energy.

The show sold out immediately and the room was full of Gearan’s incredibly lively and devoted fans. New York’s noteworthy couple of soul, Dwight and Nicole opened the show and energized the audience with their joyous blues and spirit-lifting voices.

Gearan’s first set started with an orchestral warm-up opening and fading into the heavy set, bass bounce of “City of Refuge.” The crowd was dancing and singing along with Gearan, a trend that would remain throughout the entire show.
Easing into “Turpentine”, a sweet, bluesy near-ballad with Staples’ mandolin mimicking the sound of river waves and the call of the horn section adding the element of heartfelt soul, a definite highlight.

Gearan played most of the songs off his new album featuring the Tom Waits-esque “This May Be the Last Time,” and the sunshiny “Sitting on Top of the World.”
“Fickle Betty,” full of rock and roll drum beats and Gearan’s namesake harmonies brought the house into musical elation with Saddler’s flawlessly tender lap steel and Staples’ superhuman mandolin solo, his fingers moving faster than hummingbird wings.

Gearan spoke to the crowd briefly during the show, mentioning how happy he was to play music. Spoken with absolute genuineness it was obvious this joyful attitude inspired the perfection of his sound causing the audience to simply dance and smile through the night.

-Review and photo by Meghan Chiampa

The Hollow Sound/Bad Flirt/The Mystery Tramps/The Appreciation Post/Math the Band

The Middle East Upstairs

Cambridge, MA

February 17, 2008

Since when does the Middle East have Sunday matinee shows?
Boston-based group The Hollow Sound started the afternoon off. With a sound that is a cross between Blake Babies and That Dog, the band played precise up-tempo songs getting the crowd dancing. Starting out strong, the group’s set blurred together halfway through the first few songs, reminding everyone that fast guitars and sultry vocals can only carry a band’s sound so far.

Indie pop rock band Bad Flirt were up next. The Montréal band said they haven’t been up this early in the afternoon in years. Which comes as a shock for a band with such sugary sweet melodies, they must have trouble getting to sleep in the first place. The 5-piece put on a strong live-show, which can probably account for their winning the Olsen Twins Battle of the Bands contest in 2007. “Have Mercy!”
The Mystery Tramps, of Lynnfield are a kids band. No, they aren’t singing The Wiggles theme, but none of them top 17 years of age. The group has a devoted fan base that consisting of other, younger kids and their parents. The Mystery Tramps are a real deal rock band despite being so young. The group’s fast guitar licks, ability to work a crowd and insightful lyrics set them apart. If there were any aspiring Brian Epstein’s in attendance, these boys will be on the cover of magazines faster than you can say “Zac Efron.”

Moog-heavy indie rockers The Appreciation Post highlighted the afternoon. Flexing their synthy powerpop muscle, the group showcased voracious songs that got the room moving. The group’s tight musical abilities were best represented during “Sparks,” a track in 6/8 time. It’s a shame the audience weren’t waltzing along.
Rounding the afternoon were Math the Band. Using a laptop, a MicroKorg and single snare drum, Math is party music for the math rock set. During the band’s performance, it was difficult to tell if the outlandish performance style and getting the audience to jumping jacks is for real, or if they are taking the piss out of every person who uses a Macbook to make IDM. As lead singer Kevin Steinhauser launched into a programmed beat and banged on his snare, the venue wasn’t concerned about what Math the Band stood for.

-Review and Photo by Nick Stefanovich

Mamadou

Middle East
Cambridge, MA
February 8, 2008

When Mamadou Diop took the stage, it was clear he was totally ready to rock. Decked out in a full camouflage-safari outfit, complete with a safari vest, and pith helmet, Diop was more than prepared to lead his audience on a journey through a musical jungle of Afro-Caribbean grooves backed up by traditional West African drums. And that's just what he did, rocking the Middle East with fast drumbeats and joyful guitar chords. Diop kept the evening upbeat but not sappy, advising audience members to "Stay your own self," and backing up his positive attitude with vibrant sounds.

A native of Senegal, Diop now lives in the Boston area but tours the world sharing Mamadou's wide-ranging but technically focused musical stylings. At the Middle East, the band revealed Caribbean, Spanish, and even Asian influences while maintaining a steady African beat. Band members played offset rhythms on a variety of drums, creating a richly textured mixture of rhythmic tones. Guitars and keyboard bass rounded out the band's infectiously nuanced sound. Diop and his band sang in Wolof (an African language prevalent in Senegal), English, French, and Spanish, making for a performance that was globally focused in lyrics as well as sounds.

In addition to a standard drum kit, capably manned by Mitch Cohen, Mamadou played a number of traditional African drums. Diouck handled the tama, or talking drum, a small drum that's held under the arm and made to "talk" or play various pitches by squeezing the strings of the drum. While he elicited frantic "talk" from the tama, Diouck also manned the sabar drum, a djembe-like drum native to Senegal. Mamadou also featured Michelle Cherie on djembes, Adam Zampino on keyboard bass, Pavel Jirka on lead guitar, and of course Mamadou Diop himself on electric guitar and various drums. Two guest drummers also played.

The band's enthusiasm was impressive. Diop's dance rhythms were so intense that his hat flew off his head a few times Surprisingly, this couldn't quite get the crowd going. In fact, the crowd was perhaps the least pleasant aspect of this performance.
Mamadou is a remarkably energetic band that makes unique music with driving beats; it's too bad the Middle East crowd wasn't up to the challenge of moving with those rhythms.

-Review by Kerry Skemp photo courtesy of Mamadou

Griffon/Debris/Full Tilt/Cherry S/T

The Middle East Upstairs
Cambridge, MA
February 21, 2008

The lights dimmed, the alcohol flowed, and it seemed everyone was ready to party like it was 1999, or to be more accurate, 1998, the "golden" era of nu-metal. Rapid-fire vocals that transition into more melodic whines of yearning and bassists with epileptic head movements included. Griffon opened the evening with their war-beat like drums. Lead singer Brian Dolloway, seemed to shy away from really belting, choosing instead to sing just below the bass.

Debris were next with aggressive chanting and siren-like guitars fit to make Limp Bizkit jealous. Oh and they could dance! Well, white boy metal dance-twirl with steady and repetitive drumming.

Full Tilt were clearly the stars of the evening as they launched into an obviously well rehearsed, tight set. Molaison's velvet jacket and baby Mohawk clashed with the genre of the evening but his energy woke up a slowly slipping audience. Assailing the audience with his high, yet controlled voice, he encouraged everyone to forget they had work the next day. Combining an almost funk-like vocal style with machine-gun guitars and snare-happy drums, Full Tilt are late 90's rock incarnate. As they went into "Push" with its soaring vocals that morph into harsh yells of the title and understated two-chord guitars, they took the audience back to 8th grade, several were in fact wearing JNCO pants and chain wallets. Their style was pretty much set as each song had a similar pattern of building up to a plateau accompanied by a melodic guitar tone and then building up once more to the chorus. They did vary it up with a cover of the Foo Fighters' "The Pretender," where we finally got to see some range from each member as they machine-gunned the song out with enthusiasm mock-anger. Thanking everyone humbly for showing up, they left the stage for the final act of the night.

Last on the bill were Cherry S/T, winners of the most combined genres; electro-goth-pop-rock. They opened with a spacy, almost anime-movie synth leading into breathy vocals, singing about nightmares and psychotic girls (they go hand in hand) but in an original twist they didn't wallow in their emo misery but let go with an angry, fist-pumping chorus. No whining in sight! Though they hid underneath their hoodies for most of the set, the lilting keyboards and chorused 80's guitar riffs made for an original interpretation of an over-wrought genre, and a bizarrely fitting end to the night.

-Review by Leyla Hamedi