PLAYGROUND BOSTON

The narrative behind an album can often be as compelling as the album itself, whether it’s Justin Vernon of Bon Iver locking himself in a remote Wisconsin cabin for three months to write “For Emma, Forever Ago” or that time when Puffy covered a Sting song in tribute to his boy Biggie. The story behind the music can often be bigger than the music itself. Meet Tennis, the husband and wife duo of Alana Moore and Patrick Riley. Their summery lo-fi beach bound hits have been met with rave reviews and an even bigger sense of mystery.

Moore and Riley began writing music together on an 8-month sailing voyage along the East Coast. The couple spent six years saving up for the trip, which was a childhood dream of Riley’s. Tennis’ song titles reference various ports they docked at on their journey – “Marathon” (Florida) “Baltimore” (like “The Wire”) and “South Carolina” (that one). The sense of discovery and adventure that fueled the trip are also present in the sounds and lyrics of their mysteriously poppy and fuzzed out record.

Tennis’ debut 7″ was released on Underwater Peoples late last month. The duo is touring the East Coast (by van) for their first time ever, and hope to unveil some of the mystery behind themselves. Catch their first east coast appearance on Sunday 8/22 at Great Scott on a great bill that also features Boston’s I Have Ears and Jersey’s Family Portrait.

Sunday, August 29th – Great Scott
18+ / $8 / Doors at 9pm

Tennis

i have ears

Family Portrait

Hunter S. Floortom

Memoryhouse - Photo Credit: Adrian Joseph Vieni

Great Scott continued their epic summer line up this past Monday with a killer triple bill featuring local act Avoxblue opening up for Long Island’s Twin Sister and Memoryhouse, a dream-pop trio from Ontario.

Avoxblue, the electronic solo project of Cambridge-based Jimmy Rossi Jr., provided a pleasantly solid opening act for this night of dreamy, ambient, mood music. Set up behind his laptop and other musical equipment, his droning sounds had the crowd bopping their heads along to his experimental beats and grooves.  Avoxblue played a short set but was able to gather the attention of both headliners who were out in the crowd watching his performance. The early arriving crowd at Great Scott gave Avoxblue his love, and Avoxblue returned the favor by closing out with a great rendition of his track “TimeWaves.” An EP dropping in the fall should be something to look forward to from this talented solo act.

Twin Sister - Photo Credit: Nir Landau of Foundwaves.com

Twin Sister performed next. This was their third show in Boston in the last six months – the band’s relentless touring and critical acclaim has earned them quite a following as the venue reached its peak audience during Twin Sister’s set.  The band showed a more confident and raucous vibe than they did in their previous performances at TT the Bear’s and The Middle East. Lead singer Andrea Estella led the band through an inspired performance of “Lady Daydream” to open, as her glass of whiskey and neon pink pocketbook rested at her feet during the performance. Estella brings an “I just walked up from the bar” accessibility to the band but it is the cohesiveness of the whole group together that really makes Twin Sister something to write home about. Their two EP’s this year, Color Your Life and Vampires with Dreaming Kids have received well-deserved massive acclaim, and the band’s live performance is equally as impressive. Lead guitarist Eric Cardona (totally thought he was Jewish, guess not) turned in an inspired performance. His distorted guitar solos took over on improvised versions of “Milk and Honey” and “Other Side of your Face” The addition of Cardona’s shredding is a welcome weapon in the Twin Sister arsenal. This might have been your last chance to catch Twin Sister before they move onto a certain bigger venue about half a mile down Comm Ave.

Twin Sister Live @ Great Scott 8/9
Video courtesy of Michael Marrotta of the Boston Phoenix

Memoryhouse headlined the show, and even though they suffered a little from some of the crowd trickling out after Twin Sister’s performance, you would never have known it. Memoryhouse really stole the show this night. The band’s debut EP The Years clocks in at a dainty 14 minutes long, which is even more surprising considering the solid 45 minutes the band clocked in during their set. (Download the EP for free here!) Another band in the Cocteau Twins / Mazzy Star inspired dream pop mold, Memoryhouse’s fresh take on the genre features a more rhythmic backdrop and a more in-your-face guitar punch than other bands of that style. They even finished their set with a crowd pleasing cover of My Bloody Valentine’s “When You Sleep.” This was the first stop on a brand new US tour for the Ontario trio, and it should be the start of a long and productive career making music for this experimental, yet listenable band.  An added bonus, and further incentive to catch Memoryhouse next time they come around – lead singer Denise Nouvion’s dance moves are unmatched by anyone in indie music today.

Memoryhouse Covering My Bloody Valentine, Live @ Great Scott 8/9
Video Courtesy of Liz Pelly of The Pelly Twins Blog

Check out Foundwaves’ full gallery of Twin Sister and Memoryhouse!

Avoxblue

Twin Sister

Memoryhouse

Great Scott

The Murder Mile - Photo by Jillian Santella - www.jilliansara.com

The Murder Mile – “We Will Rise Again” – Rebel Hearts

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Thanks to Jillian Santella for the photos, you can catch more of her work at her website, jilliansara.com, or at her Examiner page.

Murder Mile

BrownBoot

Drew and Paul of CTTG, shown here performing with The New Alibis - Photo by Johnny Arguedas

Cradle To The Grave

“Before The Dawn”

Cradle To The Grave

© 2010 Self-Released

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Download this song FREE

Cradle To The Grave is a brand new band consisting of four veterans of Boston music over the past decade or so. With a lineup this solid, big things are expected, and with this first single it’s looking like they’re going to live up to them! Check out this lineup:

Drew Suxx – guitar & vox (The New Alibis, Lost City Angels)

Paul Christian – lead guitar (The New Alibis, Far From Finished)

Vietnam Le – bass (The Appreciation Post)

Dave Norton – drums (The Men, Victory At Sea)

MARK YOUR CALENDARS – Saturday, July 31st @ Great Scott

Cradle To The Grave

The Morgan Knockers

Dead Ellington

Marc Cannata (Far From Finished)

DJ sets by Andrew “Panda” Galante (The Alrighters)

Cradle To The Grave has already recorded a 6-song EP and will be releasing it at their debut show! Pick up a free download of “Before The Dawn” today, and be on the lookout for more songs from these guys becoming available in the weeks leading up to their show!

Friday, June 25th – Rosebud Bar

Davis Square will doing some serious rocking tonight, courtesy of the best new venue in town, the Rosebud Diner. Very intimate setting, cheap beer, cool bartenders, aaaaand let’s throw in some wicked facemeltery to top it all off. Cocked n’ Loaded has a serious balls-to-the-walls sound, some good old fashioned rock and fucking roll. They’ll be celebrating the release of their latest album, “Take A Shot,” alongside the bluesy rock insanity of PGB Favorites Mellow Bravo, who picked up Track of the Week honors a few weeks back. Jim Healey, proud owner of the best beard in Boston, and DJ Mook round out the music for the night – don’t miss this show!

Friday, June 25th – Middle East Upstairs

Want to keep it a little more mellow this Friday night? We’ve got you covered for that too! There’s a little more of a pop feel to the show at the Middle East tonight, featuring an excellent and diverse lineup of some incredible local bands! This show features excellent female vocalists in each band, a bit of a change from the testosterone-fest over at the Rosebud! (not that there’s anything wrong with that, just a change of pace!) Psych-pop masterminds 28 Degrees Taurus are releasing their 3rd full-length album, and have recruited some very talented friends to help them celebrate – former Track of the Week honorees Static Of The Gods, minimalist caged rage duo Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling, and the lo-fi harmonized sweetness of Banditas! Check out this video of 28 Degrees Taurus taken from a show at TTs earlier this year!

Saturday, June 26th – Great Scott

Looks like a PGB Track of the Week weekend! Yet another honoree, (and PGB Favorites) The Beatings, are supporting local indie rock legends Wheat this Saturday at Great Scott. The Beatings have noise rock down to a science, and have been churning out critically acclaimed records for about a decade now. If you have yet to catch one of their high-energy sets with their infamous 3-pronged vocal attack, this is the perfect opportunity! Also featured on this bill are indie crunchers Foredoes Me Quite and an acoustic set by Joe Touchette III. Check out this Beatings video – yeah the song’s not off their latest album, but its a good song and a cool video… so shaddap and enjoy it!

Thick Shakes

“Paid To Care”

Ooh Mommy

© 2009 Snugglehound Records

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Catch Thick Shakes with Viva Viva, Quintron & Miss Pussycat, and Jeff The Brotherhood at Great Scott next Wednesday, June 16th!

Thick Shakes

This is definitely a match made in heaven. The Pill, happening every Friday at Great Scott, is easily one of the biggest club nights in Boston, perfectly situated in the heart of Allston to cater to the indie crowd that calls Rock City their home. They’ve won The Phoenix’s “Best Dance Night” pretty much every year for the past century or so, and show no signs of slowing down (OK OK fine, so they’ve only been around for 5 years, not centuries). DJs Ken and Michael V spin Britpop, Indie Pop, New Wave, and just about anything else you can shake your ass to. This week The Pill will be featuring PGB Favorites (and former Track Of The Week honorees) Conservative Man, an edgy synth-pop outfit based somewhere between Boston, Philly, New Hampshire, and The Future. CM is an absolutely perfect fit for The Pill, as Allston’s finest are about to find out.

The Pill will be doing something a little different this weekend. In homage to the 30th anniversary of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis’ suicide, the entire night will be done up tribute-style. The DJs will be mixing in tracks from Joy Division, Warsaw, and New Order all night (JD predecessor and successor, respectively). Videodrome will be on hand, showcasing a Joy Division documentary and the “Closer” biopic, as well as plenty of other visual stimulants. To top it off, Conservative Man will have a few Joy Division covers sprinkled in throughout their set. Which covers? Why don’t you find out for yourself! Ian McCarthy, The Conservative Man himself, has recorded three covers and made them available for free download! (OK OK sure, call me out again. The three covers are “Transmission,” “She’s Lost Control,” and “Digital”) Check out McCarthy’s version of “Digital,” which was actually the last Joy Division song ever played live, as the band closed out their set with it on the final show before Curtis’ death.

Conservative Man (covering Joy Division) – “Digital”

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Download the 3-song Conservative Man Joy Division EP FREE!

Friday, May 21st – 10pm – 21+ – $5

Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston

Conservative Man

Videodrome

The Pill

Great Scott

Thursday, April 29th @ Great Scott

Former WBCN personality, local rocker, and creator of the amazing Quiet Desperation Allston reality sitcom Rob Potylo is putting on his own version of the WBCN Rock & Roll Rumble down at Great Scott this Thursday. He’ll be filming for the 20th episode of his show, giving away prizes, and drumming up support for an initiative to get local radio stations to play more Boston music rather than cookie-cutter-corporate rock. The former Roadsteamer has assembled a great lineup for this event, with performances by his own band, Humanwine, Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling, and New York’s King Hell. Great local sponsors + great local rock = a great fuckin’ time!

Friday, April 30th @ TT The Bear’s

This is an unbelievable lineup of some of the best indie rock in town. If you’re a PGB reader, you’ve heard us scream bloody murder about the merits of Aloud and The Lights Out, and how amazing their live sets are. If you’re not familiar with them, click those links and get yourself caught up! They’ll be joined by 2009 BMA Pop Act of the Year winners The Everyday Visuals, easily one of the most critically acclaimed bands in the city. The driving force behind them, singer Christopher Pappas, departs our fair city for the smoggier pastures of LA later this summer, so this may be one of your last chances to see this amazing band! Rounding out the bill is New York powerpop outfit Flying Machines, freshly back from SXSW and a live performance at Rolling Stone HQ. Don’t miss this show!

Saturday, May 1st @ TT The Bear’s

Very cool event happening Saturday at TT’s. Rock photographer extraordinaire (and PGB contributor) Nicole Tammaro will be turning the venue into an art gallery, featuring artwork by local Boston musicians bringing their talents to a new form of media. The night will also feature performances by (in order) Squallie Greenthumb, Paul & The Strings, The Other Girls (local supergroup featuring Andrea Gillis, Linda Khoury, Amy Griffin, Melissa Gibbs, & Michelle Paulhus), Bryan McPherson, and Gene Dante & The Future Starlets. This was an extremely popular event last year, and this year’s rendition promises to be even bigger and better. Support local music and local artists, all wrapped up in the same event!

And don’t forget about our BBC & PGB Presents show, the main event, coming at you Saturday, May 1st from The Hard Rock Cafe… More info coming soon!

Screw the lamb! Boston rock started off March strong and will be ending it the same way, with an extended weekend of great shows all over town. There’s so many can’t-miss options happening that they had to go and start the weekend off on Thursday rather than Friday. Didn’t you hear? You don’t have to go into work on Friday. Your boss understands that you need time to rock out, and whether its the hard stuff and Church or the more indie style over at Great Scott, your rocking out will not be denied. Check out these great shows happening Thursday night…

Thursday, March 25th @ Church

Worcester metal badassness meets Boston metal badassness in this second part of a series of shows designed to show off the meanest of the mean from New England’s two largest cities. Earlier this month the two Worcester bands on the bill, Birch Hill Dam and Burn The Witch brought the two Boston bands, Born of Thunder and Bring the Knife, down to the Lucky Dog in lovely (yeah, lovely!) Kelly Square, Worcester… Now its time for the Boston bands to return the favor down at Church in the Fens. Gotta love that Massachusetts Metal Solidarity! Get ready to bang your head, throw a fist or some horns in the air, and sin up  What better place to throw some devil horns in the air and rock out than at the most blasphemously sinful house of worship Boston has to offer?

Thursday, March 25th @ Great Scott

Don’t get me wrong, Action Camp and Hello Ninja are great, but any show featuring Boston heavyweights The Beatings AND Aloud is one worth the price of admission – no matter what it may be. The Beatings have been taking some time off in the wake of some serious touring in support of last year’s critically acclaimed Late Season Kids, now they’re ready to kick their noise rock machine back into overdrive. Aloud is commemorating the 2 year anniversary of their seminal album Fan The Fury by playing a setlist that will include alternate versions of newer favorites, as well as a few oldies thrown in that date all the way back to their 2004 EP! There’s probably going to be a few songs played on Thursday at Great Scott that you will NEVER have another chance to hear – don’t miss out!