Thursday Ramblings

A happy Thursday to you, Solid State! Feeling a little scattered today, so bear with me …

Higher Ground delighted aging hipsters (like me) around the region earlier this week by announcing that Broken Social Scene will play the Ballroom on Wednesday September 22. Tickets go on sale Friday at 11 a.m. And if it doesn't sell out by, say 11:03 a.m., I will never give Alex Crothers and Co. a hard about time about booking indie bands ever again.

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Speaking of Higher Ground: Li'l Kim. Wednesday, June 02. Really.

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I'll probably mention this in my column next week, but it never hurts to give new material a dry run, right? Anyway, earlier this week, I was minding my own business, just compiling some club listings for next week's issue when I stumbled across this listing for Thursday, June 20 Langdon Street Café website.

JP and the Tough Choices

J.P. Harris and The Tough Choices play Country-Goddamned-Music. Period. Sick and tired of the modern Pop-Country filth broadcast shamelessly and persistently across our beautiful countrysides, The Tough Choices set out to right the wrongs done to a music so classically and quintessentially American. As we speak, Hank Williams, Buck Owens, Carl Smith, and countless other champions of Honky Tonk are rolling in their graves, groaning with disgust over the watered-down contemporary excuse that Nashville presents us for Country Music. Save a few Randy Travis gems and Alan Jackson hits, this flim-flam is pathetic, at best.

And then, I noticed this curious addition to the band's press blurb …

FREE BEER IF YOUR NAME IS DAN BOLLES.

JP, you had me "country-goddamned music."

(PS- Not that I'm above boozy bribery, ahem, but I'll actually be on my way to Philadelphia that night. Sorry, boys. Another time, perhaps?)

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In the last week or so, I've had three or four separate people — none of whom are not involved with the band or promoting the show, mind you — email about how much they think I would personally like The Barr Brothers. The Slip-offshoot will be at Parima this Saturday. I'm only just digging in this morning, but I'll say this, any band that effectively uses a harp and hammer dulcimer is aces in my book. Here's a clip:

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As it turns out, Thom Yorke is fan of Vermont's own Bill McKibben and his website 350.org. Neat-o.

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Apparently, my column this week stirred up some grumblings in the local comedy community. Take it away, Wacky Pete …

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And last but not least, this week's paper contained an enormous production goof. Long story short, my lead music feature about local hardcore punk band Unrestrained and their upcoming bicycle tour of New England — yes, bicycles — was regrettably omitted from the print edition. Or, at least the first 700-ish words were. Do the band a solid and check out the full story here. And if you really want to help me make it up to them, you could attend their farewell show tonight at 242 Main.

Comments

[Tyler Machado]

As something of a Slip superfan, I'm (a) embarassed that I had no idea this Barr Brothers show was happening until I read this blog post, and (b) really excited to hear more music from them. I always liked The Slip's experimental/folk moments much more than their jammy/jazzy moments, so this project is very much my style and a worthy successor while The Slip continues to be on hiatus. Pretty bummed that I'm not in town this weekend to be at Parima tonight.

[Nathan Hartswick]

I shouldn't need to say this, but as the ghost author of the aforementioned "Wacky Pete" column, I just wanted to clarify, for anyone who may have misinterpreted it, that I intended it as a JOKE.

Since writing it I have had several people assume I was genuinely offended by Mr. Bolles comments on the comedy scene in Vermont, which I was not. He was accurate in suggesting that any town with a growing scene (music, comedy or otherwise) is bound to have good talent and bad talent (as opposed to NO talent, which, for many years, was the case for comedy in Vermont).

If you thought Dan was suggesting people should go comedy shows in order to enjoy the schaudenfraude of watching bad comics bomb - or if you somehow thought I was criticizing him for suggesting so, lighten the hell up. It was a joke, people.

Viva la comedia,
N

[風俗被リンク]

It's my happy to hear such a good song in the morning.

Thanks for the sharing.