Musical peoples from New England and beyond.

A few weeks are left before the end of 2009, and the time has come for our end of year musical "summary". Yes, you got that right: The Deli’s "Best of (emerging) New England 2009 Poll" is upon us!

This year we’ll have an overall chart including the votes from Jury, Writers and Readers, and a Readers’ charts including only the readers’ votes. There will be prizes in vouchers, software and studio time for all the top artists in both charts.

We have a lot to tell you about this, but as this poll couldn’t happen without sponsors, we’ll start by listing them all, and by thanking them for being part of this.

Instructions about the poll coming soon!

PREMIUM SPONSORS

OTHER SPONSORS

providing a total of 18 audio plug in for the pool of prizes(9 iZotope, 9 IK Multimedia)

On Saturday night, the [dog] and [pony] DVD Release Party was held at SPACE Gallery. [dog] and [pony] is a local filmmaker team that documents performances of local Portland bands and musicians and edits footage of them to capture the essence of their performances. [dog] and [pony] started in March of this year with an intimate performance by Dead End Armory, followed by one of Highway Jackson. If you know both of those bands, you’ll understand that [dog] and [pony] is aiming to find the great diversity of Portland music, with Dead End Armory’s alt-country/rock and Highway Jackson’s southern rock style.

This release party celebrated [dog] and [pony]’s first DVD volume of 15 videos. Of the musicians and bands on the DVD, nine of them were there to perform—The Lobolly Boy, Samuel James, Dana Gross, Wes Hartley (of Dead End Armory), Chriss Sutherland, Jesse Pilgrim, Kris Rodgers (of Highway Jackson) and Jacob Augustine—along with Portland’s hottest new rock band, Marie Stella.

One of the better moments of the show was when Samuel James performed his re-imagined Blues version of Michael Jackson’s “Billy Jean.” As soon as people realized what song he was performing, a collective grin stretched across the audience. I find it alarming that there can be such a talented artist who still has to hold a regular job at Videoport to make a living. This is true for many of the musicians who performed tonight, but hopefully [dog] and [pony]’s exposure will help them reach the stardom and praise that they deserve.

Another exciting moment was Jesse Pilgrim’s entire set. I had heard his voice had the likeness of Johnny Cash’s smoky bass, but I didn’t realize that he mixed his old country voice with punk-rock instrumentation. Jesse Pilgrim may have been the most exciting new voice I’ve heard in recent times.

Jacob Augustine was undoubtedly the crowd favorite of the night. His music was folk-based, infused with the incredible soul of his voice, all with a great backup band of piano, guitar, horns, and violin. Augustine was later joined by Aly Spaltro of Lady Lamb the Beekeeper for the final few songs of his set. Though the juxtaposition of the two figures was outlandish, the intensity and soulfulness of their voices were evenly matched. As a past enthusiast of Lady Lamb shows, it was exciting to see her perform with a full band behind her (she usually plays solo); I can only imagine how great her songs would sound with more instrumentation. You can pick up a copy of the [dog] and [pony] at all Bull Moose stores. A live CD recorded from the show will be released within the month. Follow the links below for video clips of [dog] and [pony]’s work:

Dead End Armory: http://vimeo.com/3553250

Samuel James/Chriss Sutherland: http://vimeo.com/4967713

Jacob Augustine video http://vimeo.com/5998694

–Dylan Martin

I caught my first punk show of the winter season this Saturday at the Middle East upstairs at one in the afternoon. Who knew you could do that? I couldn’t remember a show I’d ever been to that had started before 7 PM. Except for the time I saw Raffi, live (incidentally, one of the better performances I’ve ever seen. Even if it was only because I was a four-year-old with a funnel cake watching a Unibomber-lookalike play three chords).

The first act of the night was a Boston five-person folk-punk outfit The Swaggerin’ Growlers. The SGs came out with some real elephant-crushing energy that hardly relented during the course of their set and it wasn’t just one member of the group holding it all up. Whether it was lead vocalist Johnny Swagger contorting his body into some mean Hendrix-style lean-backs (which I’ve never, ever seen someone do at a punk show) or Fiddler/Tin Whistler/Accordionist Annie Growler getting mean on her tin whistle or even just the between-song banter, you could definitely tell that the SGs were there to have some goddamn fun up on that stage. Their fast folk-punk tunes in 4/4 time (with the exception of a 3/4 musical break where the lead singer shouted “WALTZ TIME!!!”), kept the crowd swinging and moshing through most of their set.

–Read the whole review by Dan Schneider HERE

The Jazz Guys are playing their final show this Friday at Muddy Waters on Main St, downtown Burlington. Part of the burgeoning indie rock scene, with a throwback style of with equal parts irony and smiles (a cover of Beyonce’s "Single Girls" was floating around the interwebs earlier this year). They will also be joined by Burlington acts Missy Bly, Swale, and Kochalka.

Muddy Waters
184 Main St.
Burlington, VT 05401

—The Deli Staff

Photo by Graham Marley

Chris North Alspach, Regina Peterson and Dylan Clark make up Boston’s The Points North. They just released� I Saw Across The Sound, which is self-described as "vocal harmonies, flute melodies, and bass drum thumps carry the listener through twelve New England ghost-country folk songs, and was released Oct 1st on vinyl, cassette and digital download from Grinding Tapes Recordings."

They have a few dates coming up. Jan 6th @ the Middle East Upstairs in Cambridge, MA, Jan 7th @ The Rabbit Hole in Fitchburg, MA and Jan 9th @ Mocha Maya’s in Shelburne Falls, MA .

This is an interview with Chris North Alspach.

The Deli: You all were raised in central MA, and the austerity and tonality of your music seems to draw on more intimate, close-to-the-earth musical traditions. At times, one feels transported into a farmhouse living room in the winter, with a warm fire accompanying the singalong. How has New England played a role in shaping the music you make?

Chris North Alspach: I appreciate the way you’ve interpreted our music and I’m glad tosay we’ve played a few shows in quiet farmhouses with warm firesand friends singing along. They’ve been very special times as wereally connect with the space. We all grew up in Central Mass. in post-agricultural communities and, after moving away, found that theaesthetic of that place really dominated our creative output. After ending a previous folk music project two years ago Regina and I worked hard learning the Irish flute and octave mandolin and solidifying ourvocal styles. It was all part of an effort to create the peaceful,cold and beautiful sounds that would convey the landscapes weexperienced as children, and the feelings they triggered. We typicallyplay rock venues whether it’s a basement or a bar, and part of whatmotivates us to write and perform this style is to be a bridge betweenlisteners in those environments and the world outside.

–Read the whole interview by Bill Braun HERE

Enjoy the sights of Boston from the eyes of The Hush Now as they offer you tidings of the season in this video featuring "Wishing you a Happy Christmas". You can download the song HERE for free.

— The Deli Staff

There are some really great shows going on this weekend.

WERS 88.9FM Presents Will Dailey’s Festival Holidad at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston MA tonight. Four bands will be celebrating the season with rock, pop and CD releases galore.

Here’s the line up:

BRENDAN BOOGIE & THE BEST INTENTIONS (releasing their brand new CD!)

VIOLET NINE

THE LUXURY (2009 Rumble Winners, Nominated for Best Rock Act in the 2009 BMA’s)

WILL DAILEY & THE RIVALS (Winner of Songwriter of the Year at the Boston Music Awards)

Also, Avi and Celia’s new project Hey Mama will be celebrating their Boston CD release at the Lizard Lounge tonight and tomorrow. Tonight they will have Qwill (I like them a lot.) supporting and tomorrow it’s Mia Dyson.

Session Americana‘s annual holiday extravaganza is at Club Passim with special guests (of course) Melissa Ferrick, Rose Polenzani, Sarah Borges, Merrie Amsterberg, and Peter Linton. Two shows for that 7 & 10.

As for Vermont tonight, country rockers Lowell Thompson and Crown Pilot at Red Square and The Day’s Weight (who kicked ass at the launch party) play Manhattan’s (man, I want some of that pizza and beer right now.)

So, you guys have no excuse not to do anything this weekend.

–The Deli Staff

Business for Pleasure released their new album White Collar Ryhmes at the Middle East Downstairs 12.3.

The members of Boston’s Business For Pleasure don’t feel obliged to hide their influences – in fact, a quick sleeve-check showed, during a live set at the Middle East Downstairs last Friday, a range of 90s rap inspirations from Snoop & Dre to A Tribe Called Quest to the Notorious BIG to the Beastie Boys. Though I’m not typically one to judge a music group by the sources that they cite (left that shit back in high school), I do feel inclined to point out how Business for Pleasure’s only real flaw is that they seem to be stuck in a time that can not be recovered. Unfortunately, for these fine music makers there’s no way to sample the nineties.

Short of that, BFP kept it pretty damn real. What appeared at first to be a funk/rock/rap outfit warranting a comparison to a certain band who wrote a song about a Yoruba religion (hint: it’s not Lucumi) became a fairly danceable piece of musicianship in front of my very eyes. Every member of the group was involved in the performance and appeared to be loving it – from MC Jed Lewis letting out his particular brand of complex lyricism to keyboardist Tim Tsang singing a beautiful falsetto harmony over a song about halfway through the set (I couldn’t catch the name…forgive me). Throughout the whole set guitarist Cory Kwan’s catchy hooks and riffs reverberated throughout the basement of the Cambridge venue. It made me wonder: might this kind of musician-centric hip-hop still have a place in the music world beyond the kids bumpin’ The Roots on their headphones?

In all likelihood, no. But a part of me, for the sake of a group as nice-soundin’ as Business For Pleasure, really hopes that I’m wrong.

—Daniel Schneider 

Mark Kaye is the founder of Hear Now Live, a Boston based company that provides additional revenue sources for local bands. Hear Now Live promotes shows at several local Boston area clubs. According to their website, "[Hear Now Live is] a one stop shop for a local band or an up and coming national band. On top of offering Bands the opportunity to play a HNL concert that will be promoted correctly and be band friendly, our shows attract true music fans, and the vibe created by HNL is unmatched."

The Deli: Tell me about Hear Now Live. How long has it been going on?

Mark Kaye: I have been in and out of the music industry for 20 years but I started HNL 3 years ago. It started as a way to get local music out to people faster by recording the shows and burning them on the spot. It turned into a full service Promotions and booking agency shortly after that. We try to create a community of music fans and have them always want to come back for more. We ask the musicians to believe in the each show and to help us create a positive environment so that there friends and fans will be happy and want to see them again or come to another Hear Now Live event.

Read more…

Tony Lovell Photo by : David Owczarek

One could make a strong case that the Cambridge and Boston area is filled with a diversity of talented musicians and songwriters…and that there are too few venues in which that talent can find a home. Tony Lovell, a talented singer/songwriter himself, is waging active war against that notion. He has been organizing acoustic showcases featuring some of that talent in rooms that don’t usually see such fare. At first, the dance club Middlesex became a forum for Cambridge singer/songwriters to strut their stuff. Now, he has brought that vibe and vision to The Enormous Room in Central Square. This Sunday evening, beginning at 6PM, a group of local songwriters will perform free of charge in a space that is usually reserved for DJs and electronic music.

Sunday’s lineup will feature a diversity of acts such as the ever-hilarious Joe Kowan, the heartfelt duo of Jeremy Ross and Cilla Bonnie, and yours truly. David Owczarek and Tony Lovell himself will round out the bill. Come join us for an evening of original songs in an original space.

Sunday, December 6, 2009, 6-9PM| 569 Massachusetts Ave.| Central Square, Cambridge, MA

— James Houlahan
 

It’s always sad to realize that a venue cares more about making loot than the music it is featuring. Such is the case of Pearl Street Nightclub in Northampton, MA. Sadly, Pearl Street is one of the largest venues in Western Massachusetts. It is part of the Iron Horse Entertainment Group which is a conglomeration of the Calivin Theater, Iron Horse, and Mountain Park all owned by Eric Suher who has already seen a fair share of legal trouble in his short 40 years.

I went to see Jesse Dee and Ryan Montbleau. Both are acts I have seen before. I’ve seen Jesse close to a billion times and Ryan once in Vermont. Both phenomenal acts and they put on a great show Friday night. Too bad it had to be at the Pearl Street Nightclub.

As soon as I walked into the venue I was greeted by many warnings. If I used a camera the venue had a right to confiscate my equipment. When you read further, I can understand why they wouldn’t want people using cameras. The place was riddled with fire code no-nos. I don’t think I’ve ever planned my escape route during a show before. If I bought drinks for a minor I would be hog-tied and executed. Understandable.

The venue was dark, cold and loud. The first band, who’s name I couldn’t find anywhere, sounded like they could have been a good band, although the audio was so fucked up all you could hear was the drums. There were NO lights on except for five crappy stage lights. I am not exaggerating. THERE WERE NO LIGHTS ON (are you reading this Northampton fire department?) You couldn’t see the floor let alone your hand in front of your face. I decided to get a beer and was surprised to find out a bottle of Harpoon is over 6 dollars. I can understand high prices in a higher class venue but this place didn’t even have locks in the girl’s bathroom. When we bought a beer we had to ask the bartender for our change back for two beers (we gave him a 20, do the math). He laughed in our faces and said he thought it was “gratuity”. The fucked up thing is that he was serious. In all my many, many years of going to bars around the world NEVER, EVER have I witnessed such rudeness from venue staff. He wouldn’t sell us three beers at a time. Even though my friend was treating me and another friend who were all present in front of this man. His name was Jack according to the other bartender. Ugh. The bartenders were wearing sport jackets, you know like the Starter kind, because I don’t think the heat was on. The only security I saw was a teenager sitting on the risers texting on his phone all night.

Let’s talk about the music. Jesse Dee is one of my favorite acts in New England. He starts off his shows with a Sam Cooke-esque musical announcement of what is going to happen and the crowd always nestles near and starts to dance immediately. His music is classic soul. I love it. If you haven’t seen him yet, and I don’t know why you wouldn’t, please do. He tours all over the place.

Ryan Montbleau is a larger act and has quite a national following. He sits down like Tim Gearan and has a different guitar for every song it seems. I like that Montbleau has such a variety of content in his shows. His songs vary from folk-rock, to blues, to jam band style, uh, jams. The crowd loves this kid. He’s a cutie patootie and is always smiling. I noticed that both bands seemed disconnected from the audience. It’s my guess that they couldn’t see them in the soul-engulfing darkness of the club.

I left half-way through Montbleau’s set, honestly because I couldn’t take how disgusting Pearl Street was anymore. A small bottle of water is 3.50 by the way. Does this place think its Woodstock 99 or something? (I went to the hell on Earth that was Woodstock 99 and it was a far better experience compared to this dump.) I asked for a glass of tap and he gave me a plastic cup and told me to fill it up in the bathroom. I asked him if he had a sink behind the bar and the bartender said it was full of water. I probably need a tetanus shot.

I went next door to Bishop’s Lounge which is probably my favorite venue in the area, and was pleasantly surprised to see that Avi and Celia’s new project, Hey Mama, was playing. Sweet. They were amazing. I was not disappointed, and didn’t think I was going to be. Bluesy rock at its best. They actually kind of reminded me of Led Zeppelin for some reason, which is a blessed and enlightening feeling I’ve never experienced before. Bishop’s is a cozy venue with a great porch for smoking and hanging out. And you can hear the music on the porch. They have a dancing area and the staff is nice. It was a great relief to experience Hey Mama at Bishop’s after getting my wallet raped at Pearl Street.

Don’t get me wrong. Jesse Dee and Ryan Montbleau are some of the greatest musicians out of the area right now. I just felt like I was watching them on TV. Let this be a warning to you touring musicians and fans. Stay far, far away from Pearl Street Nightclub. In all my years in music and journalism I can say honestly, it is the WORST venue I have ever been to in my life. I don’t care if God resurrects Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin and Kurt Cobain for some “Club 27 Revival Tour” and the only show they play is the Pearl Street Nightclub. I wouldn’t go back. Now excuse me, I have to take a shower and then get tested for Chlamydia.

On a lighter note, Hey Mama is playing Nectar’s in Burlington tonight. Now that’s an awesome venue. Get a Ridge Runner on tap for me.

— Meghan Chiampa