Last week was hell for me. And when I say hell, I mean that it was a getting-kicked-in-the-crotch horrible with a side of smelly shit. Yea, real bad.

(As for why, let’s just say the debilitating state of the newspaper industry hit home, turning me from a vibrant and happy arts reporter to a full-of-piss-and-vinegar-rage cops reporter).

But I pushed on and, in the end, found that the right mixture of ice cream, Chinese food and indie rock is the right recipe to turn a shitty, soul-sucking, debilitating week completely around.

Step one: eat an obscene amount of ice cream at the Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl, an event that combines the unbridled joy of a buffet with the creamy taste of dairy. For $8, we went nuts, trying flavors like “Cheesecake Brownie,” “Birthday Cake,” “Imagined Whirl Peace” and “Mint Chocolate.”

From there, we headed to Chinatown and, after gorging on fried calamari and fried rice (yea, i beat the shit out of my stomach), it was time for the ladyfriend to return to the apartment, leaving me and the sis to venture out to the show.

(BTW: The most disturbing part of eating in Chinatown? Waiting for the men’s bathroom and seeing an elderly woman emerge from it. Worse than that? She didn’t flush).

Local band You Can Be a Wesley was performing when we got to Great Scott in Allston, inspiring us to head straight to the bar. The band was decent, though at times I felt their lyrics were completely comprised of sounds like “waaaaahhhhhhhhaaaww” and “aaaaaahhhhhhhhrrrrraaa.” It was endearing at first. Then annoying.

After Wesley was done, they said Grand Archives would be up next, which surprised me since I was expecting to see Sera Cahoone, who is on Subpop (like GA) to hit the stage next. We found out later she was sick and couldn’t perform that night.

Instead, we got the impossibly thin Mat Brooke (seriously, his legs look like ski poles) and company taking the stage and launching right into the music that, for the past year or so, have sent music bloggers into hyperventilating hysterics (I’m one of them).

Brooke looked possessed when he sang and tilted his head back during the high notes, which made his eyes look even wider. At times, he looked like a mix of Cat Stevens, Torgo from “Manos: Hands of Fate” and my old college roommate when he was drunk and stuck in the bathtub.

When he sang, his entire body stayed relatively still while his left leg vigorously kept the beat, so much so that it seemed to have a life of its own.

As the music played, every bad and negative thought in my mind melted away and I was left with an overall feeling of carefree wonder, as if the Grand Archives somehow mystically made me feel better about the stupid industry I chose for a profession (yay journalism).

In short, the Grand Archives saved my life that night.

But the best part was sharing that feeling with the band. GA was genuinely surprised at the response they got in Boston, with Brooke saying “This is, by far, the biggest crowd we’ve ever had. Thanks so much. Really.”

And then when the shouts and screams got louder, a small smile crept up on his bearded face, causing him to look up and reveal (for a brief moment) a glimpse of joy in his eyes.

The show was amazing. If you know their music, you know there’s hardly a bad song in their catalog (despite only having an EP and one album). One highlight was “The Crime Window,” a natural sing-a-long song that had the crowd stomping their feet and screaming.

But the big surprise was hearing “Torn Blue Foam Couch.” I never realized how much this song rocked. The quiet opening gave way to Brooke and company pounding on their respective instruments as the crowd howled in excitement.

Grand Archives - Torn Blue Foam Couch

Brooke then announced the band would play a “cheesy cover song” and proceeded to do “Another Saturday Night.”

SIS: “Hey! I know this song!” (she’s notorious for knowing songs and messing up lyrics)
ME: “Me too! I love this song! But wait…it’s not cheesy…is it?”

Grand Archives - Another Saturday Night

At that point I didn’t care anymore. The entire room was singing along and it felt that the good indie-rock feeling everyone created had a chance to make it to the streets.

At this time last year, I was writing my master’s capstone on Scottish rock bands. I was hoping to never write about the Fratellis again, but here I am. At the time, I thought the Fratellis were going to be big, but the initial buzz after that iPod commercial seemed to die quickly and backlash followed (Los Campesinos! won’t even be your friend if you like the Fratellis). Then last week, they came out with what in my opinion is a brilliant sophomore album, Here We Stand, and played a sold out show at Webster Hall.

The Fratellis debut album, Costello Music, featured boozy singalongs about girls with catchy hooks. Here We Stand is a little more of the same, but more toned down. There are a few misses, like “Mistress Mabel,” the poor man’s “Chelsea Dagger,” but for the most part, the variety and maturity on the second album makes it superior.

At Webster Hall on Friday night, the crowd was pretty well mixed in age and gender. The venue had yet to fill up when openers the Airborne Toxic Event from Los Angeles took the stage, yet everyone in the front was already crowding together, trying to get as close to the stage as possible. The bright colored lighting made it hard to see the band.

The five-piece band plays indie rock infused with violin and a little bit of pretension. They sounded pretty good, but they played for far too long, probably close to an hour. I like to see opening acts because you never know when you’ll discover a great band, but I prefer the sets to be short enough to introduce me to the band but not too long that I get impatient for the band I actually came to see. That’s unfair, I know, but it’s just how I feel.

The Fratellis opened with “My Friend John,” one of my favorite songs on the new album, but it sounded off, the playing lazy. Earlier that day, they played an acoustic show at the Virgin Megastore (which many audience members were raving about, but I couldn’t attend, because I, you know, have a job), so maybe they were tired. But the concert got progressively better and towards the end, Jon admitted that he felt “shite” at the beginning and apologized that the first five songs didn’t sound great. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a band apologize for sounding bad, so that was pretty refreshing, even though it would have been better if they sounded awesome the whole time.

By this point, the 1,400-capacity venue was completely packed. The band did a good job of mixing up the set list with new and old, the hits and the more obscure songs (including “Cuntry Boys & City Girls,” which was not included on the American Costello Music). My friend and I were standing towards the front with all the other short girls near a large group of rather obnoxious drunk boys who were aggressively pushing everyone.

I know, it’s a concert, I should relax and have fun. I can understand jumping and dancing, but I really don’t understand inflicting pain on others. If you must push people around, at least confine it to the songs that lend itself to that behavior, such as “Chelsea Dagger.” Don’t do it during every song, even the slow acoustic ones. That’s just silly. At least there was a duo of high school boys who took it upon themselves to try and block the girls so they wouldn’t be knock around. I guess gentlemen like the Fratellis too.

The show closed all too quickly with “Milk and Money,” an out of character piano ballad which progresses into a rock-out session. As the band left the stage, makeshift stars lit up the background, which were as cheesy as the annoyingly blinding lights.

The first encore was just guitarist Jon singing my new favorite, “Baby Doll.” I never thought the singers of “Chelsea Dagger” could make my heart melt, but I guess I’m just a sucker for a guy and his guitar wearing a “Come Together” shirt with a peace sign. It would have been an intimate moment had those same guys not been singing along loudly and dancing around, which was pretty rude to the band.

Then the rest of the band joined him for the crowd pleasers “Flathead” and “Baby Fratelli.” Though the show felt much too short, it ended on a high note–Mince (the drummer) threw his drum sticks into the crowd and I actually caught one, a concert first.

Yes, remember this movie homeslice? The high school story about geeky love in suburbia with a teenager making up her own slang almost at will? Then you no doubt became obsessed with the music behind all those frames of dramedy. And the reason for that is Kimya Dawson, a leader in the revolution that is anti-folk (they find folk artists and beat the shit out of them…ok not really).

But then why did I put a picture of “Juno” on the front of this post? Because if put this picture up, you’d be taking my anti-folk joke seriously and wonder how many folk artists this person trapped in her closet.

Right, the news. Dawson is releasing a new album on Sept. 9 called “Alphabutt,” which is a collection of children’s songs she wrote with friends and their kids (if you’ve heard her music before, then you know this is a perfect fit).

And why is this tour a big deal? Because the dates with the “*” next to it means she’ll be opening for none other than Ani DiFranco, queen of the anti-folk massacre of 1999 (it’s too easy…and too much fun).

Get your tickets early. Ani sells out lightning quick.

July 2nd        Music Hall of Williamsburg        Brooklyn, NY
July 11th       The National                             Richmond, VA *
July 12th       Pines Theater                           Florence, MA *
July 13th       Cape Cod Melody Tent             Hyannis, MA *
July 15th       Ives Concert Park                     Danbury, CT *
July 16th       United Palace                           New York, NY *
July 25th       Capitol Hill Block Party             Seattle, WA

It gives me a warm, happy feeling inside to see headlining bands in the audience during opening acts. It shows me that they genuinely care about music and are probably nice people.

The members of Los Campesinos! not only watched both of their opening bands, but stood in the front, cheering and sometimes even singing along. In this way, Los Campesinos! forever endeared themselves to me before they even started playing.

Aleks (lead vocals/keyboard/melody horn), Ellen (bass/vocals), Gareth (lead vocals/glockenspiel/keyboard), Harriet (violin/keyboard/vocals), Neil (guitar/vocals), Ollie (drums/vocals), and Tom (guitar/vocals) Campesinos! (their adopted last name) met at Cardiff University. They have since graduated college (all but Aleks, who had to take a leave from medical school). Their debut album, Hold On Now, Youngster, was released in the U.S. on April 1 of this year. The band played at the Bowery Ballroom on Monday, May 19, for its fifth stop on its U.S. and Canada tour, continuing until the middle of June.

The first band, Flying, a trio from Brooklyn, did little for me, especially vocally. The three alternated on vocals and while a good voice is obviously not a requirement in rock ‘n’ roll, they did not make up for it with style, conviction, or stage presence, the way the other two bands did. They just sounded very shy and awkward and it was a little uncomfortable to watch. I’d like to give them the benefit of the doubt and say that they were probably nervous and maybe will get better as they become more comfortable around an audience.

The Jersey-based Titus Andronicus gets points for being named after an underrated Shakespeare play. I probably wouldn’t listen to this band at home–the music was a little too repetitive and, well, loud for my taste–but their energy was a relief after the previous set. There was a large group of friends or fans (I couldn’t tell which) in the audience who already knew the lyrics. During the band’s self-titled song, the lyrics evolved into an outcry of, “Your life is over.” There was something both disturbing and gratifying about a room full of people repeating this as lead singer Patrick Stickles jumped off an amp and mimed pointing a gun to his head. The power of rock does have a way of bringing people together.

This proved to be true during the final set by the band that made me allow the exclamation point as an acceptable form of punctuation. It was a good size crowd for a Monday night, maybe sold out, but I’m not sure. Everybody was cheerful and dancing (then again, how can you not dance to Los Campesinos!), and the crowd was one of the most polite I have ever witnessed. Everyone gave each other room and I saw no pushing or shoving. At one point, someone actually apologized for accidentally bumping into me.

Starting with the hyperactive screams of “One, two, three, four!” of “Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Breakbeats,” the band launched into a set as joyous as the album. One of the best things about seeing a band with only one album is that they are pretty much gauranteed to play the song that you’ve been listening to on repeat all week (for me, that song was “We Are All Accelerated Readers”).

We are All Accelerated Readers

I barely noticed the issues with Gareth’s mic, or mics (at one point he was using two). The band members are all between the ages of 21 and 23 and their songs have a juvenile ADHD-like quality, yet there is a sophistication in the clever lyrics and arrangements. The band was as interesting to watch as to listen to, especially Gareth, who looked like a little boy (no disrespect intended) with his horse shirt and charade-like hand motions. In any case, they were having fun with each other (I’m pretty sure Gareth licked Neil at one point) and the audience.

They closed appropriately with “Sweet Dreams Sweet Cheeks” (not to sound old, but at close to midnight, it was past my bedtime) before coming back for an encore, “2007, The Year Punk Rock Broke (My Heart).” In 2008, though, punk rock shouldn’t break the hearts of anyone listening to Los Campesinos!

I’m a total Harry Potter nerd. I’m talking dressing up for midnight book parties kind of nerd. I was an English major in college, so I’m pretty much a nerd for literature in general. And since I write for this site, I obviously love live music. So, seeing a band sing about Harry Potter in a building full of books on a Saturday night is my idea of a good time. Add in the fact that it was free (did I mention I’m cheap too?) and there was no way I was going to miss this.

Boston-based Harry and the Potters are two brothers, Paul and Joe DeGeorge, who write all their songs from the point of view of Harry Potter. Paul represents the seventh year Harry, and Joe represents the fourth year Harry (although I never quite understood this because they both sing songs representing Harry from other years at Hogwarts).

The band is considered the frontrunners of the Wizard Rock movement. They mostly play in libraries, but this was their first time playing at the New York Public Library and they kept calling it a dream come true.

I wish more bands would hold concerts in libraries. Everything seemed so efficient. Tickets were handed out the day before so as not to go over the 500 capacity limit. On Saturday night, since the library was already closed, a line of mostly excited tweenage girls formed outside (I think I was the oldest person there who was not a parent). When they opened the doors, everyone went inside in an orderly fashion and staked out their spots, but there was plenty of room to roam around. I was surprised at how few people were dressed up. Some were wearing Gryffindor ties or Harry Potter related tees (full disclosure: I myself was wearing my homemade “Real Men Play Quidditch” shirt), but very few people were decked out in full Gryffindor gear. Although after everyone had a chance to visit the merch table, I turned around to notice a sea of green “Save Ginny” shirts.

The excitement in the room was infectious when Harry and the Potters bounced onstage in their trademark grey sweaters, white collared shirts, Gryffindor ties, and of course, glasses. They passed out foam fingers, but unfortunately there weren’t enough to go around, and two little boys might have killed each other for one had their parents not intervened. I’ve heard Harry and the Potters CDs before and while I’ve enjoyed their songs, they are not great musicians or singers.

Their songs are simplistic and repetitive. But they do know how to put on a great show. They had lots of energy, frequently jumping into the audience and pumping up the crowd with speeches about the power of love and rock. Towards the beginning of the show, they taught the audience a dance to a song with the lyrics, “Hagrid is fun to hug. Hagrid is full of love. Just don’t pull on Hagrid’s beard.” At various intervals throughout the show, they would go into the song. The first time, some were hesitant, but each time, more and more people would join in the silly dance. At one point in the concert, the drummer, known as “Bill Weasley” got offended that the Harrys called his brother Ron a weasle during the song “The Weasle.” He left and was replaced by a man dressed as a squid (I don’t know what that had to do with Harry Potter), but then they reconciled and Bill rejoined the band.

Inspired by being in the library shown in Ghostbusters, during “The Human Hosepipe,” they segued into the Ghostbusters theme (replacing, of course, the word “ghostbusters” with “Harry Potter”). They played crowdpleasers like “Save Ginny Weasley” and my personal favorite, which they said they don’t play often, “(not gonna put on) the Monkey Suit,” a song about sticking it to the man. For the final songs, the band was joined by the Dumbledore Army’s horn section, adding a more professional level of musicality to the evening. The concert seemed to end much too song, but all in all, it was an hour and a half well spent.

A couple of weeks ago, I was sent the album “Moonbeams” by Throw Me The Statue, which immediately became memorable thanks to the topless woman falling backwards off a dock. So initially, the cover distracted me.

During the first listen, I was a bit put off. I had it on as background music and felt some of it landed in the “crazy” category (think indie rock but incorporating instruments like the recorder). Then I heard the song “Lolita” and began to hear something good.

It was enough to get me out to their show last night and I can now say that I’m an even bigger fan of topless women falling off docks.

TMTS (yes, I’m that lazy) brought something to the small stage few bands do. Sure then had decorative lights and a keyboardist with a penchant for dancing, but what set them apart is the passion displayed on stage. During one song, frontman Scott Reitherman was jumping up and down and pounding on the extra drum kit on stage (yea, they need two. that’s how much they rock).

When Reitherman did this, he seemed possessed on stage, with his eyes closed and the spirit of rock pumping through his skinny frame. It’s encouraging to see passion like that on stage and only made me want to join him in beating the crap out of a drumkit and rock-howling at the moon.

I think their music got into other people as well, specifically the women at the show. By the third song, two scrambled to the front area of the stage and danced like no one was watching (we were). Soon, others joined in and it turned into a wild, uncoordinated musical mess…but it was awesome.

I’m definitely giving this band a couple more listens. If I was in to putting bands in boxes, I’d try to squeeze TMTS into one with Weezer…but I stomp on boxes and burn them, so I’m not going to do that.

Throw Me The Statue - “This is How We Kiss”

A Quick Word about the Opening Band:

Winter Hinterland, a local outfit from Jamaica Plain, MA walked onto the stage and set up these little lanterns (I think there were 3). Then they dimmed the lights, so much so that you could only see the lanterns and the Christmas lights they placed around the drums in the back. First i thought it was a cool atmospheric effect. Then I realized it was probably because the frontwoman was probably shy and didn’t want the audience to see her sing.

All of this faded away when one of the members took out a saw, (you know, the kind you use to cut branches and the limbs of disobedient carnies) and proceeded to play it with a bow.

Creatively speaking, it was cool. Aurally speaking, it reminded me of a sound effect you would hear in a haunted house, the kind of sound you hear before the drunken, unemployable middle-aged man jumps out at you with a mask and fake blood.

So the quick word? They were interesting, but made me feel weird inside…and a little scared. However, I am overjoyed that Boston is getting a weirder music scene, instead of churning out one pop rock band after another.

There are Neutral Milk Hotel fans, like myself, who met the group too late to ever see Jeff Mangum live and must rely on modern conveniences like YouTube to help fill the void. Here’s a clip of Mangum, solo, performing the title track from his 1998 release “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea.”

Many consider the album to be the group’s best. Since then, Mangum has been a sort of spiritual presence in the music world, popping up around the world and on various albums. In 2001 he suffered a nervous breakdown and has been in the background ever since.

Enjoy the video. It’s a footage of a great musician we may never see prominently on stage again.

Currently my favorite thing about living in New York City is that when I learn of an impossibly amazing band, it is like guaranteed they will be playing in the city within two weeks. Most recently and notably, a little duo called The Dodos were brought to my attention about two weeks ago and I’ve been patiently obsessed enamored since. Thusly, The Dodos were handed to me on a delicious musical platter in the form of a show yesterday evening at Sound Fix in Brooklyn’s hipster mecca Williamsburg, preceding a show at Death By Audio.

The venue itself sucked as far as venues go, because it’s really a record store sutured to a quaint, candelabra-lit bar in the back. The stage? Not really. I claimed my spot along the side wall opposite the bar (poor planning), lined with benches and tables; I propped myself on the bench’s backing and still couldn’t really see much beyond the audience hovering over where the band seemed to be standing. I did, however, manage a sweet view of drummer Logan Kroeber who sustained impressive levels of enthusiasm for such a modest little gig.

The show was short but free, so no complaints—and bonus points for squeezing my favorite track on the recently released and Pitchfork-praised Visiter in their six-song set (that song being “The Season,” if you care). Plowing through the first three tracks on Visiter—beseeching no applause—Kroeber and vocalist/guitarist/other-of-two Meric Long (both supported by a third tour-hand and synth-xylo-enthusiast) erupted with energy by means of their respective instruments. They threw in a track from their debut album Beware of the Maniacs for good measure.

Normally I’d knock a band for playing too true to their recordings (and in chronological order, no less), but I’m still running on the novelty high, so bonus points all around! The Dodos are playing a full show (for $10 this time, the capitalists) Sunday at the Mercury Lounge. Check out their MySpace page to test the folksy waters.

The Dodos - The Season

After a quick and quiet release, (their album was done a couple of weeks ago and they released without any press involvement) the Raconteurs are hitting the road for a cross country tour.

Here’s the thing. I was excited about “Broken Boy Soldiers” but was eventually disappointed with the somewhat non-rocking album.

Their newest effort “Consolers Of The Lonely” delivers the album I wanted two years ago. And the idea that they said “screw you” to the press in terms of marketing is daring, proving that faith in the music industry is being flushed away like a rotten smelling turd filled with corn.

Check out “Five on the Five

OK, so we had that song streaming on the site for about 10 hours before we got an email from the “Web Sheriff” politely threatening us to pull it off. Since we don’t have any lawyers (or any semblance of an actual office), we adhered to the email.

However, since we are trying to promote music rather than steal, we were given a widget that had the new video for “Salute Your Solution.” It wasn’t compatible with Wordpress, which makes sense since it’s one of the widely used programs out there for blogs.

Instead, we present you with silence, which is all we can offer at the moment. If you’re in the mood for it, it’s at the bottom of the page.

04/14/08 Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge
04/15/08 Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge
04/20/08 Vancouver. BC @ Commodore Ballroom*
04/21/08 Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s*
04/22/08 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom*
04/23/08 San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s 365 Club*
04/25/08 Indio, CA @ Coachella
04/26/08 Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint*
04/28/08 Denver, CO @ The Fillmore*
04/29/08 Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theatre*
05/1/08 Dallas, Texas @ House of Blues*
05/2/08 and 05/3/08 Austin, Texas @ Stubb’s BBQ*
05/4/08 New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
05/13/08 Manchester, Tennessee @ Bonnaroo^
05/27/08 Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club^
05/28/08 Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club^
05/30/08 New York, NY @ Terminal 5^
06/3/08 Boston, MA @ Bank of America Pavilion^
06/4/08 Montreal, QUE @ Metropolis^
06/5/08 Toronto, ONT @ Ricoh Coliseum^
06/7/08 Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore^
06/9/08 Columbus, OH @ LC Amphitheater^
06/10/08 Cincinnati, OH @ National City Pavilion^
06/12/08 St. Louis, MO @ Pageant%
06/13/08 Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music Festival

* with Birds of Avalon
^ with Black Lips
% with Fiery Furnaces

Thanks to this upcoming Rilo Kiley tour, Jenny Lewis and I will finally be able to rekindle our love. It’s a love that has existed for years and been kept apart by distance and the evil soul of “the industry.” And it exists solely in my mind.

Don’t understand my fascination? Check out Rilo Kiley’s “Moneymaker” video and just try not to get all riled up (and yes, those are real porn stars).

04.17.08 - San Francisco, CA Concourse (SF Design Center)
04.19.08 - Portland, OR (Roseland )
04.20.08 - Seattle, WA (Showbox SoDo)
04.23.08 - Santa Cruz, CA (Rio Theatre)
04.24.08 - Pomona, CA (The Glasshouse)
04.26.08 - Indio, CA (Coachella Arts & Music Festival)
05.15.08 - San Diego, CA (Concerts in the Park)
05.19.08 - Denver, CO (Ogden Theatre)
05.20.08 - Omaha, NE (Slowdown)
05.21.08 - Omaha, NE (Slowdown)
05.22.08 - Minneapolis, MN (First Avenue)
05.23.08 - Milwaukee, WI (Pabst Theatre)
05.24.28 - Chicago, IL (The Riviera)
05.25.08 - Royal Oak, MI (Royal Oak Music Theatre)
05.26.08 - Cleveland, OH (House of Blues)
05.28.08 - Toronto, ON (Phoenix Theatre)
05.30.08 - Worcester, MA (Palladium)
05.31.08 - Providence, RI (Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel)
06.01.08 - Northampton, MA (Calvin Theater)
06.02.08 - New York, NY (Terminal 5)
06.05.08 - Philadelphia, PA (Electric Factory)
06.06.08 - Washington, DC (9:30 Club)
06.07.08 - Baltimore, MD (Rams Head Live)
06.08.08 - Richmond, CA (Toads Place)
06.10.08 - Norfolk, VA (The Norva)
06.11.08 - Asheville, NC (Orange Peel)
06.12.08 - Charleston, SC (Charleston Music Farm)
06.13.08 - Manchester, TN (Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival)
06.15.08 - Dallas, TX (Palladium)
06.16.08 - Austin, TX (Stubbs BBQ)