Bands Around Boston: Chuck Ragan // The Middle East Downstairs

Last night, Chuck Ragan (of Hot Water Music) brought his grizzly-voiced brand of acoustic songcraft to the Middle East and I for one was pleased. Last year, Ragan released Feast or Famine on Side One Dummy, proving to all his HWM fans that gruff punk rock guys can still bring the rock and sing passionate songs while adding a more folk-related element. Each song on the album illustrates Ragan's ability to change musically while keeping a lyrical focus on the things most important to him: Friends and Family. Even in his live performance, he shows the importance of these two when he invites on stage touring buddies Ben Nichols (of Lucero) and Josh English (of Six Going on Seven) to join him in the fun.

The lighting was dark so my pictures sucked, but as you can see from above, not only did Chuck "Open Up and Wail" but he can play a heck of a harmonica too!

On the web:
Chuck Ragan Music
Chuck Ragan/Side One Dummy
Chuck Ragan on Myspace

Ola Podrida has made one of the best music videos ever

I know this video has been around for a few months, but i just came across Ola Podrida's video for "Lost And Found" again last night and just felt the need to share. Enjoy!

Because skiing isn’t just for athletes - it’s for crazy folks too.

Alana and I went to the Jones Street Boys show at Soundfix in Brooklyn last week. If you've never been there, it's a newly redone cross between a show space and a coffee shop, attached to a great record shop. Normally, it's just about the most relaxed show space around. Apparently not when the Jones Street Boys are there.

The music itself was really incredible, and having seen the band a ton of times, including Danny Erker and Jon Hull in their previous band, I've never heard them sound better. Their midwest tour did them well in many ways.















I have no idea where the wigs and sombrero came from, but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with the beer.

The Jones Street Boys Website

Daniel Merriweather

Ok, I have lots of work to do, so I can't stay long, but this song is incredible. Honestly, I was a little disappointed when I searched out more of Merriweather's work, but just this song is enough for me to remember his name and keep checking in on him.

I found this on Soundslam, so you can find more there. I should get back to work.



Daniel Merriweather's Myspace

Our Stage / Skewere BBQ SXSW contest

This happens every year, i just can't bring myself to start thinking about SXSW until January. Well, it's January now and we're less than 8 weeks away from Austin, TX, good music, beer and BBQ. And speaking of BBQ, Planetary and OurStage.com are running a contest right now and the winner will be added to the Skewer BBQ party at SXSW at Maggie Maes, right on 6th St. Full contest details can be found here, all it takes to enter is to sign up is to register for ourstage and add a song to either the Rock, Indie/Alternative, Punk, or Hard Rock music channels. Wooooooo Austin!

Richie Havens and Groove Armada

I saw Richie Havens at Mohegan Sun (a casino in CT) maybe ten years ago. He's incredible live, and a music legend who normally goes under the average person's radar. Cruising around the information superhighway yesterday I found this video from The Weight.

Groove Armada and Richie Havens recorded this in 2000, and I hadn't seen the video of anything live until now. If you've ever seen Richie Havens live, who I think became known from playing the original Woodstock, and normally plays solo with an acoustic guitar, it's odd to see him fronting a full band.

For more on Richie havens and how he came together with Groove Armada, check out The Weight

Sickness Reigns...so does KEXP

One by one, we're all getting ridiculously sick here at Planetary. I felt it this morning, where I used the snooze button like each hit was a shot of white blood cells. But to no degree did I feel any better. As crappy as I feel, we're sitting here listening to (the new KEXP DJ) Shani's Music That Matters podcast in a fairly quiet office (rare moment!) often interrupted by my obnoxious sneezing.

My friend Shawn has been a fan of podcasts and particularaly Music That Matters for a while now, and he's definitely turned me onto it. It's superior to WOXY, in my opinion, and there was a particular podcast for the Decibel Festival in 2006 where it started off with Apparat's "Montreal" from his Berlin, Montreal, Tel Aviv 12" - so so very good. Since then, I was hooked.

Also, Planetary works with Loveless Records a lot, and I particularly have been working with the label, which is partially owned by John Richards of KEXP fame. Amy Bauer, the label's general manager, is one of the sassiest and most hardworking gals I know, and I definitely consider her a colleague and inspiration. Voyager One and The Shackeltons are just about to release records in early 2008, but the fall's release of Carrie Akre's Last The Evening went over well, and that Tom Brosseau campaign for Grand Forks was unforgettable. Jess Pye could tell you all about that one ;)

I should probably get back to work, huh?

Fiiiiiiiiiiine....

Audible: KEXP Music That Matters w/ DJ Shani 01.09.08

Clean Sl8 in Oh 8

Since 2002, I've put a lot of effort into the Top Ten list, which really went off when mine was published along with the rest of the CMJ staff in 2003 while I interned there. Being in an office that moved so fast through piles and piles of undiscovered Top Ten material, I came out on top with, hah, The Distillers. (Actually, I found the link here...scroll on down to Vicki Siolos, Intern.) Nevertheless, since graduating college and leaving CMJ, I started to turn my Top Ten into a big deal by making it one.

In any case, I had a bit of a dilemma in 2007. My favorites included the likes of Gui Boratto's Chromophobia, The Cribs' Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever, and yes...even Radiohead's In Rainbows. A lot of my list consisted of a lot of obscure electronic music, which bothered me more than not because while I always love introducing people to new music, most of my music for the last year or two has been rather left-left-left of the dial. Last year, I simply couldn't put a list together. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club...one of my favorite bands...put together an impeccable record, but by the summer I'd practically forgotten about it. The Shackeltons, a band I've been working closely with for their Jan 29th release, has a s/t record that I've listened to more than most records throughout July to November of last year, yet I cannot put it on my Top Ten.

Maybe times they are a-changin'

It just seems that the relevance of my year-end list seems too overwhelmed by the constant pouring down of new music. Also, mixes have been the way to go. There's this minimal techno mix that my friends made for a weekly night that goes on in Cambridge called Make It New. You can find the tracklist for it here. I am really stoked to be listening to a brand new mix Initales A.A. made for his appearance at SOLID! tonight at Zuzu and for Basstown. I can't share, but I can show you this little write-up I did for Bostonist recently.

/rant


And yes, to this day I will still declare Coral Fang the best album of 2003.
(Have you even heard it? Jeez.)

Vacation is ovaaaa!

alcohol molecule

Back in the office today! After playing some musical chairs, I think we're all getting readjusted to company life. Catching up with some Stranded In Stereo, and the press department neck-deep in e-mails and correspondences to get back to...it'll be a busy week.

I mean half-week...hooray!

The above is a great example of my personal vacation. Though food was the culprit of my indulgence while being back home in New York with my nuclear family + beagle in tow, it was the times with my Boston family (consisting of fellow alcoholic peers) that was the most memorable.

Or, actually...perhaps "memorable" is not the right word.

Oh demon alcohol, memories I can't recall... - The Kinks

Looking forward to 2008! Of course, it'll only get busier...


Wikipedia: Alcohol

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Buzz! Honk! Woo!

Here's hoping your year brings you new interesting music, and the most bizarre online videos yet. In the interest of speeding up this blog, and jumping into the new year, I'm going to erase all the old songs and videos from here. They'll be replaced by better ones very soon.