August 2010 - musings from boston

Then... and now. The Stooges, 1972 (photo by Mick Rock | www.mickrock.com); Iggy & the Stooges, 2010 (photo by Robert Matheu)

Iggy and The Stooges at the House of Blues
TONIGHT (doors at 6:30 pm, show at 7:30 pm; all ages)

Boston welcomes the awesome, venerable and uber-classy Iggy and The Stooges, who perform at the House of Blues on Lansdowne Street tonight. Hugely influential and responsible for raising disgruntled angst to an art form, in-your-face live performance, and the epic stage dive, I recently saw them referred to as pre-punk – how cool is that?

See my Iggy and the Stooges profile on Ryan’s Smashing Life: “It sucks to be ahead of your time… The trick is to live long enough to be fully vindicated and reap the emotional (and financial) rewards of those years of isolation, when you thrashed and screamed and spilled your guts – and waited for the world to catch up.” more…

[No blogger love? Even with my gushing and enthusiastic preview on the highly regarded and widely-read RSL, the House of Blues could not find it in their hearts to cough up *one ticket* so I could attend and review the show. You’d think they might be a bit more appreciative of local press coverage, seeing as how their Atlantic City, NJ show (at the 2300-capacity House of Blues) was only half full. I’ll be covering it anyway, ’cause Iggy and the Stooges rock. Corporate entities = near sightedness.]

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Expanding Awareness: African Spirituality and Shamanism

By julie

On August 28, 2010

In Expanding Awareness

On this morning’s “Expanding Awareness” program, Victor and his guest are discussing African Spirituality and Shamanism. This happens at 10am on WZBC 90.3 fm. You can also listen to the show online or after the fact on the WZBC Archive (all of ‘ZBC’s shows are online for two weeks).

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The Infamous Band Roundup – August 24, 2010 (part two)

By julie

On August 24, 2010

In Band Profiles, Indie Music

Some 'roundup 2' bands: Tallest Trees, The Drums, Wartime Blues (photo by Russel Daniels), and Vincent Minor.

Here’s part two of my latest band roundup, featuring Soft Cat, Tallest Trees, The Drums, The State Arcades, The Wild Complete, Vincent Minor, War Tapes, and Wartime Blues. This time, we have several states represented: Maryland, Tennessee, New York, Arizona, California, and even (Missoula) Montana. Plus London, England (The State Arcades). And yes, there are two bands with the word “war” in their name. It’s been that kind of year. Maybe next time I’ll do a feature with only war bands. Please send in your requests.

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Expanding Awareness: Foot Reflexology

By julie

On August 20, 2010

In Expanding Awareness

On tomorrow morning’s “Expanding Awareness” program, Victor and his guest will be discussing Foot Reflexology. This happens at 10am on WZBC 90.3 fm. You can also listen to the show online or after the fact on the WZBC Archive (all of ‘ZBC’s shows are online for two weeks).

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The Infamous Band Roundup – August 19, 2010 (part one)

By julie

On August 19, 2010

In Band Profiles, Indie Music

Gram Rabbit, Nice Purse, Kaiser Cartel (photo by Tony Nelson), and Setting Sun (photo by Amber S. Clark - ambersclark.com).

It’s time to do another of my “band roundups.” Here’s part one, featuring Apache Beat, Gram Rabbit, Kaiser Cartel, Nice Purse, not an Airplane, Phantom Power, Sebastian Blanck, and Setting Sun. That’s a whopping five New York bands, two Californian, and one Minneapolis (something of an unintended geographical focus; we’ll have to see about mixing it up a bit more next time). Stylistically, there’s tribal stew, sinister cowpoke, upbeat pop, folky lo-fi & traditional, atmospheric ambience, and a modern take on ’60s psychedelia.

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Neuroplasty: Using the Maximum Power of Your Brain

By julie

On August 14, 2010

In Expanding Awareness

This morning on “Expanding Awareness,” Victor and his guests will be discussing Neuroplasty – using the maximum power of your brain (something I’m definitely *not* doing right now as I quickly put this up before the show actually begins). This happens at 10am on WZBC 90.3 fm. You can also listen to the show online or after the fact on the WZBC Archive (all of ‘ZBC’s shows are online for two weeks).

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Boston Bands This Week…

By julie

On August 8, 2010

In Boston Bands, Show Previews

The New Collisions, John Powhida (and The International Airport), What Time Is It, Mr. Fox? (photo by Katrine Wheeler) and Goli (photo by Karen Clunes).

For this edition, we’re starting the week on Sunday (today), since I forgot to mention tonight’s Bent Wit Cabaret show last time. Their theme is “Mystery,” and the performance will feature spoken word artist Jha D, magician Dezrah the Strange, burlesque by Penny Candy and Abby Normal, The System of Soothing (a 7 minute opera by Frank Pesci based on a story by Edgar Allen Poe), and much more. There’s The Boston Waterfront Performing Arts Festival at Christopher Columbus Park (in the North End) on Tuesday (8/10), featuring Sarah Borges and The Broken Singles and the New Collisions. On Thursday, Club D’Elf are playing at the Lizard Lounge. On Friday, there’s three things of note: Agent Bishop Presents The Lucky 13 Bash at Church of Boston; Goli Going East (members of Fluttr Effect) and Cabiria‘s CD release party; and Jo-Jo’s (who’s Jo-Jo?) Birthday Roast featuring John Powhida’s International Airport. On Saturday, Otis Grove plays a free show at the Middle East Corner, and “Boudoir Noir” – billed as “an intimate carnival of delight and revolt” – promises to be quite cool, what with The Slomski Brothers, What Time Is It, Mr. Fox? and HUMANWINE.

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Expanding Awareness: Yoga For Today

By julie

On August 6, 2010

In Expanding Awareness

On Victor’s show tomorrow (Saturday) morning at 10am on WZBC 90.3 fm, he and his guest will be discussing “Yoga For Today”. You can also listen to the show online or after the fact on the WZBC Archive (all of ‘ZBC’s shows are online for two weeks).

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On VIP Concert Packages and the ‘Meet & Greet’ (a.k.a. Pay to say ‘Hey’)

By julie

On August 5, 2010

In Music Biz, Ruminations

Thirty Seconds To Mars VIP Packages, and inset: Bon Jovi VIP chair (from a photo by Richard Perry/The New York Times)

The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, August 15-18, 1969, featuring Richie Havens, Santana, the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix… $7 per day. Bon Jovi at the Meadowlands in New Jersey, May 24-25, 2010, the top VIP concert package (with a catered meal, leather bag, and the chair you sit in, custom-designed with the Bon Jovi logo): $1,875. My, how things have changed. In this rapidly shifting milieu of the music business, with a shrinking base of increasingly poor and fewer rich music consumers, new models for generating revenue from the concert-going elite are emerging.

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Boston Bands This Week…

By julie

On August 2, 2010

In Boston Bands, Show Previews

Three Boston/Allston bands will be converging at Great Scott on Saturday to pay homage, sadly, to one of them calling it quits. For Forest Henderson, whom I profiled back in April of last year, it’ll be their final show. They’ll be joined by the cool bluesy rock sounds of Big East and ‘folk punk’ quartet Pray for Polanski .

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screams, whispers and songs from planet earth

Month: August 2010 Page 1 of 2

Iggy and the Stooges @ the House of Blues Tonight

Expanding Awareness: African Spirituality and Shamanism

The Infamous Band Roundup – August 24, 2010 (part two)

Expanding Awareness: Foot Reflexology

The Infamous Band Roundup – August 19, 2010 (part one)

Neuroplasty: Using the Maximum Power of Your Brain

Boston Bands This Week…

Expanding Awareness: Yoga For Today

On VIP Concert Packages and the ‘Meet & Greet’ (a.k.a. Pay to say ‘Hey’)

Boston Bands This Week…