My music

I got a jibe about listening to Hard-Fi at last.fm and have also been given a hard time about listening to some bands. If the music makes me move, smile or even cry I love it. I don't really care if you like what I like, my gut tells me how to respond and I will listen to that rather than any so-called trend-setters. Do the same, do you really care about what NME or Pitchfork thinks? Do you smile when you listen- if so be proud and be a loud and proud supporter, I may not approve but music should not be dictated by the head but by the gut, by the libido and so many other non-tangible points.

the cinematics tt the bears Sept 5th

We took a friend to this who has been sidelined with a 2 year old sprog and hasnt been to a gig at TT's for over 10 years. So nice to walk in and have Scott call us over for a chat. This is a genuine band who slog their guts out touring. The gig was fun and we even got a new track. We have been listening to them playing a strange Education for nearly two years now and so feel an empathy for the guys who are getting a little OD'ed on playing the songs live. They still kick butt (and would get scalped if they underperformed in Scotland and specifically in Glasgow).
Scott manages to effortlessly hit notes most vocalists wouldn't even try live. I have such a soft spot for this band and will see them each time they come and play. So sweet getting a hug and a hi after the gig. If you haven't bought their CD or seen them live then why not? Do it tomorrow.........

Cribs, Cribs, Cribs, Cribs

So we start a road trip tonight to see The Cribs in NY, Philadelphia, Washington DC and Brooklyn.
Yes they are that good to be worth doing this for. Photos and quickie reviews soon.

SXSW 2008

YEAH, its that time of year. Fill out the forms, book the hotel, ask for vacation time and start to look at flight prices.
SXSW is now accepting reservations. As pubic phobic as ever but who cares they still accept our money even if we don't officially work for the music biz.
It now becomes the game of wondering who will be there. There is no easier way to see so many smaller UK bands at one time so the countdown has started.

The Automatic Great Scott Boston

A 'Buzz' band in the UK which sometimes has a reputation of being pretentious, The Automatic showed none of that when they came to Boston.
The band stood around openly and chatted to all before soundchecking where they were totally unfazed with us listening and taking pictures.
The sterns were dire, we had seen them before and I had forgotten just how much I find the vocalists totally lacking.
So for about a crowd of 30, The Automatic came on, did a set of about 11 tracks and played their asses off. Apart from the drummer everyone came down into the audience whipping up audience participation and enthusiasm.
More real than you might expect from the album, (why does every producer want to take the kick of live playing out of albums?) this band showed they still knew how to play and get a small crowd going.
Why the larger boring American acts get audiences whilst these bands don't I am unsure but your loss my gain.

Gig Calendar format

So I am messing with the format of the sidebar - if anyone looks here feel free to tell me what they think - I will probably ignore them!
as you can tell I am a Last.fm junkie - totally hooked.

Switches at the Paradise Lounge

So we get a hot British Indie band and they end up playing to a handful of folks.
It seemed like everyone and their brother was actually at the White Stripes gig at the nearby Agganis Arena filling up the local bars and monopolizing all the parking spaces. But those of us who know better were happy to See Switches, four young guys, originally based in Guildford now in London play a great little set. The album comes across as a bit contrived an even a little fey. But seeing these guys live they kick it and provide a major guitar, bas and drum background which definitely gives more grit.
They played, Drama, Queen, Message From Yuz, Lay Down The Law, Coming Down, Lovin It amongst others. after 30 minutes they left the stage and as they did I shouted out -'What no Killer Karma' - they looked at me went ' OK then lets play killer Karma' asked me my name and dedicated the song to me, then played another track 30 days or something(???).
Oli the guitarist was supremely friendly taking lots of time to chat both before and after playing telling us how well the tour supporting the Fratellis was doing.
Seeing bands like this bothering to come to Boston is what it is all about.
A really really nice night.