Mix Tape Memories

I’ve got to stop and thank my good friend Paul (again; I’m always thanking him) for this little inspiration today.   Paul would then go on to thank this lovely lady: http://twitter.com/WonderAli/status/5186555202 for putting this thought into our collective minds.

Paul and I, specifically, used to trade mix tapes on a regular basis throughout our high school days, having lived about 100 miles away from each other and said days being well before those of social networking.  I’d also, like many, create a mix here and there for particular males who happened to catch my fancy, hiding little subtle (and not-so-subtle) messages within the carefully selected songs.

So here, for you, on a bleak-looking Tuesday, I present to you my mid-afternoon mix tape track listing for today.  What’s yours?

1. Shimmer – Dear Leader
2. Amsterdam – Guster
3. Gepetto – Belly
4. Between the Moon and the Ocean -  Bon Savants
5. Make More Room for Us – Taxpayer
6. High Fidelity – Elvis Costello
7. Huddle Formation – the Go! Team
8. Show Me Mary – The Catherine Wheel
9. High – Feeder
10. Drug Girls – Velocity Girl

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Mix Tape Memories

Well…that sucked.

I can’t recall the last time a summer in Boston has been so utterly disappointing (speaking merely in terms of weather, of course). September is upon us, as is obscenely heavier workday traffic, colder temperatures and the stomach-turning notion that arriving very soon shall be the winter of our discontent.

But all hope is not lost, though the weather continues to betray us. The next two months provide wonderful opportunities to get involved in your community for some really tremendous and urgent causes.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

• One in every 330 Americans develops cancer before the age of twenty.
• On the average, 36 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer everyday in the United States.
• On the average, one in every four elementary schools has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are current or former cancer patients.
• Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children under the age of 15 in the United States.
• Childhood cancers affect more potential patient-years of life than any other cancer except breast and lung cancer.
• The causes of most childhood cancers are unknown. At present, childhood cancer cannot be prevented.
• Childhood cancer occurs regularly, randomly and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. In the United States, the incidence of cancer among adolescents and young adults is increasing at a greater rate than any other age group, except those over 65 years.
• Despite these facts, childhood cancer research is vastly and consistently underfunded.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

• An estimated 182,800 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2000.
• Approximately 42,200 deaths will occur in women from breast cancer in 2000.
• One in eight women or 12.6% of all women will get breast cancer in her lifetime.
• Breast cancer risk increases with age and every woman is at risk.
• Every 13 minutes a woman dies of breast cancer.
• Approximately 1400 cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in men in 2000 and 400 of those men will die.
• Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women between the ages of 15 and 54, and the second cause of cancer death in women 55 to 74.
• The first sign of breast cancer usually shows up on a woman’s mammogram before it can be felt or any other symptoms are present.
• Ninety-six percent of women who find and treat breast cancer early will be cancer-free after five years.
• For more information on Breast Cancer Awareness Month, visit http://www.nbcam.org/

 

Thanks to the help of a great many of you rockin’ superstars, we successfully pulled off June’s Comics Against Cancer Boston event which sold $2,500 worth of tickets, with proceeds going to the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life. It was certainly a night to remember for not only myself and the amazing people involved, but for the guests of the AstraZeneca Hope Lodge Center in Boston, who were not only our invited guests for the performance, but got to spend a wonderful and intimate evening with the comics themselves over dinner at the Hope Lodge.

So why stop now?

I’m itching to start the planning process for a fall event, I really am. Two main things I have in mind:

• Battle of the Bands – Battle for Boobs (music battle, obviously, to benefit breast cancer awareness)
• Boston Comedy Relay – a multi-venue night of live comedy in various locations around the greater Boston area to raise funds and awareness for cancer

But I can’t do it without you guys. I’m hoping to rally the troops (again) for these really great causes so that we can continue the momentum of CAC and show New England how we’re ready to fight back against cancer.

So I’m asking for your help. Any help. From day-of volunteers to major key players on planning committees, there’s sure to be a role that can fit your busy schedule and workload so that you can be a part of this exciting venture!!

Musicians, comics, writers, performers – I implore you. Come join in the fun and help make some madness and magic with me as we fight cancer the fun way!!!

If you’re interested in participating in any facet, please use the contact form on the main page and drop me an email!

Much love,
Angie 
XO

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Leave it to my dear friend Mr. Williams to come up with such a gem of a question for me on this dreary, soon-to-be-washed-out day before Friday.  Would I really expect anything less from the notoriously brilliant creator of some of the best musical mixes ever?

The non-Boston caveat is what makes this question so delicious.  I love my local bands, I do.  I am faithfully drawn to the seedy and the not-so seedy venues around town to catch some of Boston’s best talent and rising stars and cherished little secrets.  But, alas, there is musical life outside of this small geographic area of excellence we lovingly call Beantown.  And even I can’t help but look globally where great and unknown music is plentiful.

So for you, dear Paulie, I present my top five, desert-island, non-Boston musical favorites.  In no particular order.  Just five.

The Catherine Wheel

Hailing from Great Yarmouth, England, TCW formed in 1990 with front man Rob Dickinson, guitarist Brian Futter, bassist David Hawes, and drummer Neil Sims.   Finding US success with the release of “Black Metallic” from 1992’s Ferment, the band is credited with setting the stage for bands like Death Cab for Cutie and Interpol, who both have claimed that without the release of 1993’s Chrome, bands like theirs would not exist today.  The boys disbanded on a still-continuing hiatus in 2000 following the release of Wishville, though Rob Dickinson continues to perform and is working on his solo career.

Top five CW tracks:  “Show Me Mary”, Chrome; “Mad Dog”, Wishville; “Judy Staring at the Sun”, Happy Days; “Here Comes the Fat Controller”, Adam & Eve; “La La La La La”, Like Cats & Dogs.

Liz Phair

Who doesn’t love a ballsy, care-free, sex-loving blonde who can rock a guitar like it’s no one’s business?  Phair has been putting out the musical brilliance for over 15 years now, releasing her first solo album with 1993’s Exile In Guyville. Laden with sexually-charged lyrics and receiving massive amounts of critical acclaim, it still remains one of the music industry’s most loved recordings.  It was ranked 15 in Spin’s “100 Greatest Albums, 1985-2005″. VH1 named “Exile in Guyville” the 96th Greatest Album Of All-Time, and in 2003, the album was ranked number 328 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums.  Liz Phair continues to record today, having released her latest CD, Somebody’s Miracle, in 2005, and is rumored to have an album slated for release in 2009.

Top five Liz Phair tracks: “Polyester Bride”, Whitechiocolatespaceegg; “Never Said”, Exile in Guyville; “Mayqueen”, Whip-Smart; “Favorite”, Liz Phair; “Supernova”, Whip-Smart.

Guided By Voices

Hole-leigh crap, I can’t say enough good things about these guys that would be sufficient in conveying just how awesome they are.  GBV started out in the early 80’s as an indie bar band in Dayton, Ohio.  Robert Pollard just might be my new personal savior.  The band, over time, went through various personnel changes (which is to be expected when you rock out for over twenty years), but always maintained the principle songwriting of Pollard and his genius.  If you listen to nothing else this year, you must include the 1994 landmark indie album Bee Thousand and the Matador Records follow-up, Alien Lanes, released in 1995.  Be sure to check out the story behind Guided by Voices Day.

Top Five GBV Tracks: “I Am a Scientist”, Bee Thousand; “Motor Away”, Alien Lanes; “Burning Flag Birthday Suit”, Under the Bushes, Under the Stars; “Kicker of Elves”, Bee Thousand; “Game of Pricks”, Alien Lanes.

K’s Choice

This Belgian band has been in the top of my rotation since the early 90’s, when I first had the luxury of hearing “Not An Addict”, the band’s first US single.  The haunting, smokey vocals of Sarah Bettens, complimented by sibling Gert Bettens, provided an entirely new and fresh sound, and while I could go on and on about how awesome K’s Choice is, I still have one more band to list.  So, I direct you to the K’s Choice wiki for more information on just how much derriere one band can kick.  Oh, and they’re hard at work recording a much-anticipated 2009 release. Yay!

Top Five K’s Choice tracks: “Mr. Freeze”, Paradise in Me; “Try to Get Some Sleep”, Extra Cocoon; “Believe”, Cocoon Crash; “Busy”, Almost Happy; “Me Happy”, The Great Subconscious Club.

Band Of Horses

I honestly don’t think Sub Pop has ever steered me wrong, and Band of Horses is no exception.  Hailing from Seattle, BoH released their debut LP, Everything All the Time, in 2005 after receiving attention from Sub Pop after opening for Iron & Wine during Seattle area shows. Their southern rock tendencies and glimmering reverb often finds vocalist Ben Bridwell being compared to Neil Young or Wayne Coyne.

Top Five (well, top couple) Band of Horses tracks: “The Funeral” and “I Go To the Barn Because I Like The”, both off of Everything All the Time.

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Last night, Boston’s own Taxpayer celebrated the CD release party of their new album, “Don’t Steal My Night Vision”, at the Paradise Rock Club.

Together with the Bon Savants and Age Rings, they rocked the Paradise with a fantastic collection of new tracks and old favorites to celebrate the March 10, 2009 release of the new CD.  If you haven’t yet picked it up, you really ought to.  I’ll wait.

……..ok, got it? Excellent.

The new album brings a whole lot of the fast-paced, highly charged rock sound that fans have grown to love in tracks like Gifts With Stings Attached and When They Were Young, and includes the incredibly addictive tracks Marionette and Settle Down Ghost, which were featured on their 2007 split EP with Dear Leader.  And I, for one, can never get enough of Jared Marsh’s melodic and haunting vocals.

The Boston boys brought down the house as they rocked tirelessly into the evening, even welcoming a surprise guest bearing gifts of the traditional bagpipe which left the crowd wondering just how unorchestrated the encounter truly was.  Wrapping up with the crowd favorite Gifts with Strings Attached that blended almost seamlessly into a rousing rendition of The Who’s Teenage Wasteland, the band left their fans begging for the encore.

The Bon Savants took the prize for the most underestimated band on my iTunes collection. Thom Moran is mesmerizing to watch, and I’m now on a mission to consume as much of these guys as possible.  I was tremendously impressed with Age Rings, who set the mood for the evening by rocking the Paradise straight out of the gate.  Be sure to keep your eye out for an IMH feature on this up and coming band!

http://www.taxpayermusic.com

http://www.bonsavants.com/

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Last week I encouraged you to brave the cold and head to The Paradise in Boston for rockin’ good time with Dear Leader.

If you took my advice, I don’t need to go on further, since you already know just how ridiculously awesome the evening was.

But in case you missed it, let me give you a quick run-down.

New stuff. The boys unleashed a small handful of new tracks that they’ve been recording recently. I was particularly mesmerized by ‘Heart Hangs Low’ – Infectious, melodic….what fans have become used to from DL, just a bit more invigorating. I, for one, am already having trouble keeping myself adequately occupied until I can get another fix.

I was a bit sad that there was no random medley during ‘Raging Red’, but to be quite honest, I soon was over my disappointment as the band marched on in a new direction (I suppose all good things must come to an end, though I will miss Perrino’s renditions of Snoop Dogg). The gents did close the pre-encore set with ‘Wrestler’, a tried and true crowd (and personal) favorite.

The night was not complete, however, until Perrino treated the crowd to a rousing demonstration of his iPhone’s iToot – blasting little iPhone generated sounds of flatulence to a packed crowd.

If you missed the show, never fear. The band’s drummer (and Lunch Records owner) Paul Buckley assures me that 2009 “is all about Dear Leader and Lunch Records”.

And thank heavens for that.

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On Friday, January 16, Dear Leader will descend upon the Paradise Rock Club in Boston, bearing post-holiday gifts of rock excellence for the masses, along with Hallelujah The Hills and Faces on Film. This is certainly an event not to be missed by anyone who has ever enjoyed live rock music. It just may even be an event not to be missed by anyone with a functioning sense of hearing.

In honor of the upcoming show, I recently had the opportunity to pull up a virtual seat with one of Boston’s most talented drummers, Dear Leader’s own Paul Buckley.

You just might have heard of this guy before. It turns out, he’s everywhere.

Buckley’s resume is extensive, which is not surprising, since he proudly boasts he’s a workaholic. Now a staple in the Boston indie music scene, he began releasing records in the early 90’s on his indie label, Lunch Records, having had little luck getting his first band signed in the vast, overpopulated wasteland of Boston indie bands.

I asked Buckley about the origins of the label, particularly its original name, Breakfast Records. The name change seemed to imply to me an evolution – perhaps a maturing of the label over time.

“When I released Orbit’s first 7″ single ‘Motorama’ [in 1994], we got a glowing review in Magnet Magazine, which triggered a nasty letter to the editor from another Breakfast Records.” Buckley explained. “This was also around the time that 6 major labels wanted to sign Orbit, so to avoid any legal problems I changed the name to the next possible name, Lunch Records…while traveling back from a show in New York.”

Orbit came to be in the early 90’s after Buckley was approached (while broadcasting live on Mass Ave for WFNX) by Jeff Robbins. After a few jam sessions and a free ad in the Boston Phoenix, Wally Gagel joined the cause, offering to record for the newly-forming band. With the addition of Mark Brookner on bass, Orbit recorded their first EP, “La Mano”. Gagel would eventually reconsider his early pass on playing bass for the band, and joins them on their 1997 A&M release, “Libido Speedway”.

Eventually, Buckley’s path would cross that of Aaron Perrino, when Perrino’s former band The Sheila Divine opened for Orbit at a 1998 gig in Burlington, Vermont. Impressed, Buckley offered to manage the band and even filled in on drums for some live shows while TSD looked for a replacement for Shawn Sears (which they would ultimately find in Ryan Dolan). After the split of The Sheila Divine in April 2003, Buckley encouraged Perrino to make a solo record, which Buckley offered to release on Lunch.

Perrino quickly went to work recording six tracks which featured Buckley on the drums, later to be released as the 2003 EP ‘War Chords’ (recorded by Darren Ottaviani with additional production and mixing by John Dragonetti).

“Aaron chose friends Jon Sulkow (of the band Tugboat Annie) and Will Claflin (of the band Cheerleadr) and asked me to fill in on drums as they audition new drummers,” Buckley explained. “He didn’t want to bother me as I just became a dad of twin daughters 18 months prior. After three shows together, I was really feeling the chemistry, and then Aaron asked that I join on.”

Since then, Dear Leader has released three full-length records and a split EP with fellow Lunch-mates Taxpayer, which was released in the summer of 2007. The gents are currently hard at work in the studio working on their fourth full-length release, to be released later this year on Lunch.

It would seem to be any music fan’s dream to walk a mile in Buckley’s shoes – aside from being a part of one of the freshest and hottest indie bands to come out of Boston since 1993, there are some perks to running your own label.

“All the artists on Lunch have been hand picked by myself and they’ve all been committed to their art,” said Buckley, when asked about his own musical influences. “I’ve tried to do my best throughout the years to deal with the commerce side, so they can just create.”

And his best is truly paying off. In February, Lunch artist Taxpayer is slated to release their second full-length, ‘Don’t Steal My Night Vision’, produced by Paul Kolderie. Kolderie has also produced the Dear Leader albums ‘All I Ever Wanted Was Tonight’ and ‘The Alarmist.’

“I think people are really going to be shocked at the song writing and playing growth on this record,” Buckley reflected. “It’s sort of a classic record, in a Queen sort of way, lots of emotion. You’re gonna love it!”

Truly a success story in the realm of self-starters and entrepreneurs, Buckley’s talent and expertise has given Boston’s indie scene the Midas touch. With Lunch artists like The Shods, Helicopter Helicopter and Rockets to Mars, it certainly seems that whatever Buckley touches turns into a brilliant slice of fried gold. I asked Buckley what advice he’d offer to bands that may be just starting out and feeling lost in the shuffle.

“Make art and put it out there for people to hear, see, and feel it, and make sure you’re enjoying the process. If you’re not, it’s probably not going to work.”

So if you haven’t done so already, be sure to grab your tickets for Friday’s Dear Leader show at the Paradise before they’re all gone (which I am sure they will be soon), as it promises, as usual, to be a night to remember. And be sure to keep an eye out for the upcoming Taxpayer release next month, which is shaping up to kick copious amounts of behind, all the while taking names.

http://www.dear-leader.com

http://www.lunchrecords.com

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Tony Frissore takes funk grooves and adds them to house beats to make a truly unique international sound. Drawing from a vast array of sounds from various locales – Boston, New Orleans, and Frankfurt to name a few – Frissore blends a myriad of styles to create a fresh, fun, and funky house sound. Having spent over seven years in Europe, Tony built working relationships with top DJs and club owners in Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, Amsterdam, Budapest, Prague, and Bratislava. He brings that hip Euro feel to American listeners as well as those who frequent the hot-spots of the old world. The result is a fusion of sounds that’s sure to get you moving. The Übermix, Frissore’s first full-length house mix, is a fast-paced, groove-laden house mix reminiscent of the “Supperclub” series, perfect for setting the pre-party mood or for the after club wind-down.  It’s intoxicating….addictive….and it moves you…..

http://cdbaby.com/cd/tfrissore 

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