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LIVE REVIEWS MARCH 2010

THE JOE PERRY PROJECT
Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
2/4/10
Ten minutes prior to the Joe Perry Project's emergence on stage, the 19,000-seat arena is three-quarters full. Impressive for an opening act although unsurprisingly so, as this is the closest we will come to seeing anything worthy from the Aerosmith camp for quite some time. As curtain approaches and the lights go dim, we are treated to the theme from the 1950’s television show Paladin (have guns will travel) as the band takes to the stage. The quintet explodes right into "Let The Music Do The Talkin'" from both Aerosmith's Done With Mirrors and the Joe Perry Project's debut album. Keeping with the classics, they launch into "Toys in the Attic." From here on in Joe Perry, who is on tour in support of Motley Crue's Dead of Winter Canadian tour, introduces each song with a back-story. Perry, who is not known for his on stage banter, makes great effort to enhance each song with historical data but this in my opinion brings the vibe to a screeching halt. Many tracks off of the band's latest album, Have Guitar Will Travel, are performed, including "We've Got a Long Way to Go, “Slingshot” and “Scare the Cat." The band as a collective receives high praise for their jam session during "Heaven and Hell," which includes an infectious bass solo by Boston native David Hull. Their new album indulgence is wrapped up with a blistering rendition of Fleetwood Mac's "Somebody's Gonna Get (Their Head Kicked in Tonight.)” Not surprisingly, the set is finished up with Aerosmith's most recognizable favorite, "Walk This Way," in which German-born vocalist Hagen Grohe sounds oh-so-close to Steven Tyler. Perry may never be the perfect front man, and his days of delivering instant classics may very well be behind him. One thing is for sure, he has always stayed true to his roots and he delivers his music in an unapologetic fashion. If only Aerosmith could say the same thing. (Rob Watts)

THE DIRTY TRUCKERS, MUCK & THE MIRES, WATTS, MALIBU LOU & THE ITALIANS
Church, Boston MA 2/6/10
Lots of out of town well-wishers (plus all the usual suspects) here tonight for Malibu Lou’s 40^th birthday bonanza. An extensive smoking break census reveals the non-New Englanders to be a highly cultured crowd—unanimously voting Lyres and the Real Kids as favorite area bands. Early prediction is they’ll all fall victims to the magic of Muck!
The Cretins called in sick (the illness, not the magazine), opening the first slot for… Malibu Lou & the Italians. Funnily enough, I don’t remember any of these jokers from Holly Vincent’s version. Not even one original member—how’s that gonna play on the nostalgia circuit? Lou’s up front on vocals, backed by two parts Watts (guitar and bass) and one part Muck (drums). Lou’s expansion from solo acoustic performance to a full-blown band is kinda like what Jay Allen has done in recent years, but whereas Jay uses his Arch-Criminals to beef up the sound of his existing catalog of original material, Lou & the Italians are handling different material from the old Malibu Lou set. Still keeping in the same vein, though, with ’70s and ’80s covers—the type of thing where you really sense the band’s appreciation of the songs they’re doing. Malibu Lou is a fun and personable guy in real life—you put him on stage and those qualities come through, be it in solo form or fronting a band. That’s the important element, because that’s what makes him good.
Next up are Watts themselves (all of ’em, I mean—Dan Kopko, John Blout, Craig LaPointe, and John Lynch). This is a band that draws from what most (too many) people think of as classic rock ’n’ roll, which is to say ’60s British acts. They swirl the whole thing up with early ’70s glam rock flavor, then somehow create the impression of new wave. That might sound like it’s all over the place, but inexplicably it comes off as a logical progression. Blah blah blah… doesn’t mean a thing. To me, these guys sound like your classic late ’70s Boston band, ala the Neighborhoods. No goofing around either—competent and totally professional musicianship every time I’ve seen them, and that includes tonight.
A little too observant if you ask me, Church booker Tim Downey suggests that I have nothing left to write about Muck & the Mires. Of course if he was truly observant, he could have added Downbeat 5, Andrea Gillis, and the Coffin Lids to the list. But why let that stop me? If you think of it as reporting rather than reviewing, then we’re golden. Tonight’s report goes like this: Muck and the gang play their set. They play like possessed madmen. If listening to this band is your only reason for living, then you’ve definitely got a reason for living. As predicted way back in the first paragraph, the out-of-town foreigners beaten into submission and driven into a frenzy, calling Muck back for an encore and only grudgingly letting them go when they’re finished.
Lastly we’ve got Dirty Truckers on our hands. I’ve seen them numerous times before but rarely (if ever) written about them, largely feeling under-qualified for the job. Not intimidated by them, but worried about not doing them justice. Damn the torpedoes! Best I can say is they’re very heavily Tom Petty-ish with maybe a smidgen of Dylan thrown in, plus occasional echoes of country music. As feared, that doesn’t do them justice. They also sound convincingly intelligent—there are very few people in the history of rock ’n’ roll who play the intelligence card without sounding simple-minded or moronic. Dirty Truckers are amongst those very few. They also rawk, daddy-o. Some nights they sound like just a great rock band, and other nights they sound like one of the best rock bands. It’s heady stuff. (Frank Strom)

LIZZIE BORDEN & THE AXES, THE FOOLS, RODS & CONES, O POSITIVE, BIG CITY ROCKERS, DIGNEY FIGNUS, RIGHT TURN
V-66 25th Reunion
The House of Blues, Boston, MA
2/11/10
It's almost midnight when I turn to my date and say, "Isn’t this night like a scene in a Salvadore Dali movie?" And its true: a bunch of bands from another era are celebrating the 25th reunion of long-gone music video station V-66. I blink my eyes and it’s a cornucopia of night and day: punk rock, new wave, dance rock, guitar rock, roots rock, grrrrl rock. When I walk in Right Turn is playing and their Americana sound is good easy listening and they are followed by a short set of songs by Digney Fignus. Although Digney no longer dyes his hair blonde, his still-performing band is powerful and tight and very listenable. Big City Rockers, with Tom Hauck and Fred Pineau, then take the stage and do note-for-note Atlantics songs. Although Fred now has grey hair and his band no longer wears light colored shirts with dark thin ties onstage, hearing "Lonely Hearts" again reminds me how great their tunes still are. O Positive sounds as good as they ever did and its cool seeing a young Dave Herlihy give a V-66 interview on the huge stage screens pre-set. I admit I am a little sad when Dave tells me, "no, O Positive isn’t together anymore" with a sly grin. Rods & Cones music is real dance/rock, done great yet very dated, but this graying audience eats it up and after a brief onstage speech by the legendary Arnie Ginsberg, the Fools step up and blow the roof right off of this beautiful, newly-renovated nightclub. The Fools may be the legendary wizards of whimsy but there is nothing funny about great songs and an explosive performance and the Fools deliver bigtime. "It's A Night For Beautiful Girls" and "Life Sucks Then You Die” are both dynamic and it’s easy to get caught up in the moment seeing the huge crowd, fists clenched and punching the air in unison over their heads while shouting "life sucks" with the band. The fact they play "Whipping Post" as an un-anticipated inside joke encore to the aging crowd is very, very funny. And the song rocks! Mike Girard runs around the stage like a lunatic carrying what appeared to be a guitar made of a toilet seat—priceless! Lizzie Borden & the Axes close the night with a typically powerful performance with their most memorable hits. Sadly, neither Lizzie, Heather, Rita, or Cyndie have their big-haircuts anymore. Lizzie says we'd need a case of aerosol hair spray to do it now.
Special thanks to Tim McKenna from Live Nation and D-tension from the HOB. (AJ Wachtel)

LOST CAUSE DESPERADOS, THE PUBCRAWLERS
Geno's Rock Club, Portland, Maine
1/16/10
Geno's is happenin'. The mood is downright festive for a bill that features an unusual occurrence: only two bands. But if you need a band to anchor your CD release, you cannot go wrong with the beloved Pubcrawlers. The bagpipes are being wooed by the dexterous fingers of Travis Pubcrawler, backed by a powerhouse of traditional instruments, with a gut strong spine of punk rock. From the instant they begin the crowd erupts; beer frothing, fists pumping, eyes popping. I love this. I froth at learning they are about to sate my thirst for raging pirate, rum-soaking, Jolly Roger-flying, scally wagging, hard-rocking Celtic punk. Mind-bogglingly talented musicians create crowd fire, just tearing up fiddle, mando, accordion, whistle, pipes, in ways that traditionalist ghosts never saw coming. The way they surge together, gripping; a crab boat anchored in raging waves by ropes of salty power guitar surfing a tsunami of beat. Lead Celtic pirate, Brian Pubcrawler, electrifies like a rogue trap winch, an exposed wire of ocean flash fire. The rollicking crowd is left reeling, sailing, fucking fighting, and drinking. This is the theme of our hearts.
Next, an extremely thick wall of awesomeness treats the ears with Lost Cause Desperados. Surprise: head banging erupts amongst rock roots, a strong punk pepper dash, and many more, not indiscernible, flavors. Never having seen them before, I am comforted by their tightness—a sweet, throbbing release. CD release, I should say, and I am certainly impressed enough at this moment, three songs in, to part with three PBRs worth of currency to buy their CD (PBR being my current reference to currency). In fact a said PBR has just been slammed into my ankle by the still raucous crowd; LCD a sweet distraction. I enjoy when my rattling spinal engagement eclipses the treble of my ankle pain. Kris, Stu, Higgy, and, good lord, the singer guy (his mix is a bit buried in the Wall of Wow, but man, I want to hear the studio version) are consummate showmen. Good. Very, very good. (Stace)

THE A.R.E., JOHN MICHLIN, KIMBERLY BOMBA
All Asia, Cambridge, MA
1/31/10
Kimberly Bomba is the first on stage at the All Asia, a small bar which nonetheless commands a decent crowd this evening. This folk artist’s voice carries through the club, silencing any and all conversation as she performs songs from her new album, Inspirations, Frustrations and Capos, along with a few new creations. Much of her music has a relaxed, soothing vibe to it, but on a couple she picks up the pace with some rock elements. Her music is pretty clean in terms of the lyrics, so when she drops a couple F-bombs, the crowd can’t help but laugh a little. “Bet you didn’t think I could say fuck?” she says after her set.
John Michelin is a new solo artist, so he mixes covers with some of his own original material. I met him earlier that night, and though I could tell the rock musician was nervous, he told me he felt good about the show, and he sounds solid as he does a rendition of “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” to start off his set. He adds some of his own music to the mix, including an instrumental and a song he wrote just that day. Though he has some work ahead of him to become a crowd magnet, I’ll be sure to catch his next show. He’s definitely got potential.
The A.R.E. (which stands for Analogue Rock Ensemble—not sure if four people count as an ensemble, but I’ll go along with it) finish off the night with a bang, adding their progressive/punk elements to the show. Lead singer Rich jumps and gyrates around the stage, managing not to slam into the rest of the band—whether that’s skill or simple Providence is anyone’s guess. A friend tells me his moves are flawless. Hell, they fit the music, so yeah, flawless works just fine. The band is pretty new to the Boston area, but they’ve got a great sound, loud and fast, and songs like “Night of the Living Me” show a great deal of creativity behind the music. (Max Bowen)

THE BIG BIG BUCKS, LUAU, THE SINBUSTERS, BIRDORGAN
The 119 Gallery, Lowell, MA
2/6/10
The 119 Gallery in Lowell is decorated, for this exhibit, with an amalgam of ’40s and ’50s décor. The backdrop for the bands tonight will be three huge shelves of broken naked baby dolls staring unwaveringly back into the crowd. I know immediately that things are gonna get a little weird.
The first band up tonight is Birdorgan—an experimental noise ensemble. They start up when their drummer, Mike Dailey, asks, “Ready?” before the band tears into an electric wall of terror. Their main vocalist, Dei Xhrist, lets loose with some heavy screaming and fast paced scatting that’s unlike any noise I’ve ever heard a human make. A low, ominous electric hum fills the low end as sporadic drums and prickly untuned guitars flank the audience. At times it sounds as if they’re speaking in tongues. The music has no rhythm or melody, as one would expect from a noise band. Overall, their set strikes me as a sort of noise-theater or performance freak-out, particularly when guitarist Marc Bisson begins to smack his guitar with a slinky—creating an ungodly noise that I would assume is similar to the sound one hears when they fall way off the deep end. I like it, but I may be one of few. They’re definitely not for most people, but it’s well done if you’re into this sort of thing.
Next up are the Sinbusters, a Lowell band that’s been quickly gaining popularity. The night of strangeness continues when keyboard player Patrick steps on stage with a huge bushy beard, pig tails, and a dress that I can only describe as charming. They jump straight into their set. Nick’s shouty vocals ring out through the vintage mic with a tinny garage rock style that gains distortion the louder he belts it out. Jen provides backup vocals and shakes a tambourine as she dances to the punky one-two drums. Their songs are fast and loud, and their energy is contagious. The Sinbuster’s music sounds like a car chase, and it’s great to see the crowd getting into it. They have that classic garage rock sound with an interesting tinge of surf reverb. These songs are heavy enough to be confrontational, but mean enough to sound genuine—and that’s important.
Luau’s guitarist and lead singer, Jake, introduces the band and takes a long swig off his bottle of schnapps. He asks, “Does anyone have any antacids? This is giving me bad heartburn.” A voice in t responds, “Stop drinking the schnapps!” Jake is giving the crowd a hard stare as he calmly responds, “You’re not going to get me to stop drinking the schnapps, so get me an antacid.” With that the band promptly explodes into fast drums and dense chords. Their sound is something like At the Drive-In, if they had stayed together a bit longer. Luau has all the attitude of a hardcore punk group, but with melodic interludes and breaks that really show off their song writing skill. At times their guitar breaks have a triumphant quality as they take off over the driving distorted bass. They have a clear direction in their music, and they give the crowd a great performance.
Last for tonight is the Big Big Bucks. They start up with some tunes that have a very rock ’n’ roll feel to them, but with some pop hooks. They have a good energy, but know how to cool things down when the time is right. The drums pound away and smooth vocals weave in and out of the guitars’ distortion. The Big Big Bucks sound a little like Weezer, but edgier and heavier. They plug on through their set list and maintain a great balance of slow, fast, heavy and soft songs. The guitar riffs they are playing range from ’70s heavy rock to chugging grunge power chords, with sweeter breaks that hearken to Oasis and other ’90s pop. Their sound if something all their own, but it’s recognizable and easy to listen to. (Alex Enman)

THE FOUR LEGGED FAITHFUL
The Chit Chat Lounge, Haverhill, MA
1/29/10
I go to the YMCA to work out now. I see Matt, a guy who works there, carrying a guitar, so I ask him if he plays with a band. And that’s how I end up at the Chit Chat Lounge tonight. The Four Legged Faithful is a four-piece with no drummer. They make use of an acoustic guitar, stand-up bass, banjo, mandolin, and four strong voices. The band starts with a bluegrass number. It’s kind of what I expect from them. The next song has such a complicated rhythm that it comes off as some strange vein of folk jazz. The third song is what I’d call a cowboy song—laid back and kind folky. Next is a cover of Jethro Tull’s “Locomotive Breath” complete with a vocalized flute solo. Okay, they’ve proven to me that they’re not just another kickin’ bluegrass band. At least for this set, they tend to take a bit too much time between songs and never let momentum of the set get rolling. The good part is that each one of these guys, Nate Pelletier on banjo, Jon Kaplan on mandolin, Pierog on bass, and Matt Migliori on guitar, is a complete individual and could be the lead singer of his own band. Put four lead voices together and you get some great harmonies and a big variety of singing styles. A couple of songs really stand out. One original called “New York” is about a tree growing in the city that cites shades of Crosby Stills & Nash, and a fun cover of Cake’s “Stickshifts and Saftey Belts” that complains about the seating arrangement in today’s cars—“I need you here with me, not way over there in a bucket seat.” The Four Legged Faithful are quite the musical workout. (T Max)

HERO(N) OF ALEXANDRIA, THE HIGH SEAS, MOTHER NIGHT, HANGMAN'S ALPHABET
Middle East, Cambridge, MA
1/10/10
Hangman's Alphabet tries to warm up a frigid Sunday night crowd with feedback induced nightmares. This is not quite metal machine music. It is rock ’n’ roll with enough stops and starts to keep you on your toes as you rock out with an eye on your thesaurus.
Mother Night plays second to a good, if frozen, crowd. They play a very short instrumental set that leaves the crowd yelling for more. Not a bad Boston response for a new band. Are they math rock? Post partum methadone drone? Spazz core oompa krunk tone? Psychedelic indie narcoleptic two-tone noise? Yes.
Next up is the High Seas. These guys would fit well with one of my favorite Boston bands, Tristan da Cunha. All four guys take turn singing lead and complete each other’s phrases like they were married. Maximum minimalist, these guys could do the college fight song for RISD.
The last band I get to see is Hero(n) of Alexandria. I hope to see a full set next time. If Lightning Bolt and Can't held a tea party, this would be the soundtrack at the end of the wonderful rainbow. There is lots of hooting and hollering. (Eric Baylies)

GENTLEMEN HALL
Roger's Pub, Wellesley MA
2/5/10
Roger’s Pub at Babson College is a notoriously hard venue to play. A school full of over-worked business students coupled with an ancient sound system rarely leads to enthusiastic responses from the audience. Gentlemen Hall is one of those rare exceptions. I walk into the bar and my first thought is it sounds like MGMT and Jamiroquai got in a gang-fight with the Backstreet Boys… and it sounds pretty awesome! After a deliciously cheap one-dollar draft I am immediately caught up in the band’s infectious dance vibe. It seems each one of the six members of Gentlemen Hall is a front man and they each contribute to the high-intensity energy of the night. Guitar player Jacob repeatedly walks with an unspoken confidence into the crowd getting everybody to sing along and even get on stage. Rory lays down driving and heavy bass lines. Seth, the band’s flute player (who has a flute player nowadays?!), adds catchy riffs to every song and routinely calls out to the crowd. The unspoken hero of the night, however, is Brad; barely visible behind his wall of keyboards, he adds enough synths, noises, and effects throughout the night to send the Killers back to the drawing board. Gentlemen Hall combines all the essentials of a dance party with a healthy dose of electrical accompaniment, and endless energy to knock Roger’s Pub off its unsuspecting feet. (Yonatan Dotan)

PESKY J NIXON
Cat in the Cradle Coffeehouse, Byfield, MA
1/15/10
I catch the last song of John Waterman’s set—he’s a decent folk performer with a bit of delta blues in his guitar.
Pesky J. Nixon is a folk three-piece tonight (they’re missing their bassist) with Ethan Baird (guitar/ lead vocals), Jake Bush (accordion/ harmonica/ vocals), and Dan Carp (djembe with suitcase bass drum/ vocals). They start out with the light-hearted “Hope I Don’t Get Born Again” to show where they’re not coming from. Remember the name Nixon is more than a dethroned president—these guys have more the feel of the once Red Sox right fielder Trot Nixon—talented and humorous at times. Ethan runs the show—he’s a burly guy with a good voice and a knack for storytelling between songs. The cafe is about sixty-foot square with a thirty-foot ceiling and a four-foot high theatrical curtained stage. The ceiling holds a dozen spotlights to give the place a real professional show feel. The sound by booker Chris Paglia is clean and clear, and, down below the back of the stage, beer, wine, coffee and treats are to be had. Back to the band—wow—they do lots of three part harmonies and have their dynamics down. Jake, who has a nice deep voice when harmonizing, takes on some of the lead vocal chores on his songs and sounds a bit like Harry Chapin, which is fitting for the café, since Harry sang “Cat’s in the Cradle.” Ethan gives advice to the gals in the audience who go out with songwriters—“don’t ask them to write a song about you—especially if they write good break-up songs.” He continues on about the ex who asked him to write a song about her. A week later they broke up and “Who Will Love You” was written. They end the show with a couple of good audience sing-alongs. (T Max)

AUTUMN ABOVE
WUML Studios, Lowell, MA
1/25/10
I’ll always have an affinity for UMass Lowell’s radio station, WUML. So many great bands from Lowell have passed through their doors and it’s always fun (or at least interesting) to stop by on Monday nights for their weekly showcase, Live From the Fallout Shelter.
Playing live in the studio tonight is Autumn Above, an all-acoustic act from Beverly, Mass. They have three acoustic guitars, an acoustic bass, and drums—as well as a mic for each member. They open up much louder than anyone expects and people scramble for earplugs. They have a good grasp on dynamics and don’t seem limited by their all-acoustic status. Ryan Davidson and Chris Harvey belt out wailing vocals over proggy guitar riffs, at times sounding a lot like early Coheed and Cambria, but at others they have an almost Iron Maiden flavor—no easy feat for an acoustic act. They power through complex songs and the drums keep everything moving, but never overpower the others. Though they are primarily acoustic, they encounter the same problems that other progressive groups do: sounding a little long-winded and generically complex. This is a problem most bands with very talented musicians run into. They put on a good show, though, and while they might sound a little lengthy they have a great energy and fun about them. (Alex Enman)

 

We get a lot of calls and emails from bands requesting coverage of their live shows. Please be advised that shows are never assigned for review. Noise writers cover what they choose to attend. It’s logistically impossible for us to honor or acknowledge these requests. The Noise has always had its ears close to the ground in Greater Boston. If you’re doing something even remotely exceptional, we’ll be the first to tell the world. If you’re horrible, same thing.