Miracles DO happen: Passion Pit, Phoenix, Spoon @ The Orpheum, Boston

Anyone that says Boston's crowd is the worst to perform in front of was not at the Orpheum last Friday.  I mean, what-a-show! WFNX hosted their annual "Miracle At Tremont Street" concert with Passion Pit, Phoenix** and Spoon as the guests of honor.  What's not to love?  It was heavy-loaded synth dream pop, french-infused alternative rock, and intense hoarse-vocal indie... it was rock and roll.

Passion Pit faced the Bostonian beast first.  Personally, this Boston band is one of my favorite discoveries of the last two years, and from what I could see, also favorites of the ecstatic crowd.  They have built a rather decent fan base.  I'm talking about a crowd that was dancing and singing-a-long at the beat of Sleepyhead and Smile Upon Me, and unleash an deafening scream with Moth's Wings and The Reeling.  I was happily surprised, why? Well, let's say, it was not their usual crowd twisting and shouting.  These were young professionals and the trendy clique of girls wearing heels and heavy make-up.  You have to understand that this is outstanding, having seen Passion Pit play at their niche, the Great Scott, before.  Clearly, they are Boston's very own group of heroes that have redeemed dream pop and heavy synth melodies, taken away the "hipster-only" label and made it mainstream. 

Phoenix followed the Brighton/Allston natives.  All they needed was two songs to unleash a rampage within the Orpheum premises.  Behold the power of the French! It has been a while since the last time I saw any band do what they did.  I'm still unsure how they did it.  When you listen to their albums, yes, you get mildly jolted, but how did they get happy-tunes with slightly romantic lyrics and turn them in to the loudest, craziest examples of contemporary rock I've ever seen? [and not to be presumptuous, but I've seen a lot].  And of course, it's worth mentioning that Thomas Mars was giving to the audience, as much as they gave to him.  He finalized his set by coming off the stage, and sang among the crowd... falling, falling, falling...  One word: EPIC.

The closing act: Spoon. 

The Austinites had quite a challenge; I mean, Phoenix had set a benchmark pretty high.  Still, they gave a fight and brought the crowd on a musical roller coaster, from mellow toe tapping songs to throat tearing hollers.  

These three bands are among the most acclaimed acts of the year.  I gotta give it to the people in WFNX that made this possible.  For lack of a better word, I have to say this was AWESOME.  I was definitely heart-warmed with musical joy... may the holiday season officially begin.


* There's a few extra videos of the show... do check 'em out!

Mew @ The Paradise, Boston

Visiting Northern Europe is still at the top of my to-do list.  I’ve realized there must be something magical about this land, as so many great bands have come from its pastures.  Is it the weather?  I mean, cold weather makes you remit to your living quarters, and mixed with a little bit of leisure and creative impetus, it’s got to produce a much rather artistic output, right?

Well, whatever it is… I’m grateful for it because it exported great bands, like Mew, Radiohead, Bjork, Sigur Ros, Royksopp, The Hives, The Cardigans, U2, The Knife, and the list could go on and on…

Mew was at the Dise this Wednesday.  It was a night of surprises.  Being the music junkie that I am, I looked at some previous set lists, so I had in mind what the show would be like.  I was wrong.

The Danish covered a little bit of Frengers, Kites and No More Stories […]  Of course, the expected tracks:  “Introducing Palace Players”, “Am I Wry? No”, and “Repeaterbeater”.   The unexpected?  An acoustic mash-up of “New Terrain” and “She Came Home For Christmas” with Jonas Bjerre behind the piano; it was a gasps, sighs and forgot-to-breath kind of moment.  This time I’ll let the videos of the show speak for themselves… Definitely a little early holiday gift Danish style.

Jonathan Carr | This time I say to YOU: "Smile If You Wanna Kiss Me"

There's something about Thanksgiving season that makes me reminisce about the good ol' days.  A year ago I had the chance to meet a charming Scottish lad named Jonathan Carr.  I remember the night we met some friends mildly introduced us, but he shamelessly came with the most contagious smile (worthy of a TV ad) and said, "Smile if you wanna kiss me!" He had me after that cheap pick-up line.  How could I deny at least a pucker to the blue eyed comedian?  But, seriously...  I was helpless after being lured by his voice.
In the style of the great jazz oriented-pop singers, Jonny startled everyone with his great vocal strength.  Considering myself an alternative-indie fan, I was surprised with an ecstasy of love, joy and passion triggered by the beep-bop, ooh's and ah's coming from the man.
From then on, I became a faithful fan, something I hope most of you will become one day.

Jonny recently released his EP titled Letters and Reveries.  It is a work full of pop ballads, lucid lyrics and charming beats.  But it doesn't stop with the romantic odes.  There is humor hidden in the mushy-palette.  One of my favorite tracks included in this EP is Daisy Buchanan, a song based on a true-story alluding the famous Newbury St. bar, women and bad decisions.  Haven't we all had one of those?


Carr has personally worked with John Mayer himself, and, although I'm not a big fan of Mayer, it's hard to overlook the musical strength behind the pop idol that made us shiver in unison, convincing us our bodies were wonderlands.


When listening to Carr's new EP, there's no doubt that his music is plenty appropriate for the soundtrack of the chilly, empty streets of Boston during this holiday season.


Here are two lost clips/raw footage of a rooftop show Jonny had a few months ago. Ahhhh... The energy behind his "Back To You"! And, oh... instant karma - even the accidental flying balloons sighed with Carr's cover of "Blackbird".  Enjoy!  

Metric @ House of Blues, Boston

2009 has brought a lot of great shows to Boston so far, but to every rule, there is an exception.  Unfortunately, for me, that exception was Metric.


The band filled up the House of Blues (capacity of over 2,400 people), which is always a good omen.  Their track "Twilight Galaxy" was a great opening song - a relatively slow-mo tune with a strong synth foreshadowing an electro-rock explosion.  The band followed this with "Help, I'm Alive".  You would've expected that their hit-single would have brought the so-called explosion, but it didn't.


Emily Haines barely spoke to the fans, and although I know artists are not politicians or professional speakers, what's wrong with showing some appreciation to the fans?  It's simple math; I call it establishing a connection with the audience. And so... without this connection, the show went on with a few peaks along the curb (like their performance of "Dead Disco"), but altogether it felt like a listening party, where you join the masses, give away beer and press play.


My friend said I wasn't feeling it largely because of the venue; at least, for him, the House of Blues was "the McDonald's of concert halls".  I'm not sure I agree with this.  Although the atmosphere might be slightly fabricated, I've felt more pumped in other shows with similar features (in terms of audience capacity, size of venue, genre of the show and target audience).

Anywho... I love concerts, and I got to see the Canadian-US band live.  I must say that, although on a much smaller scale, the show You Can Be a Wesley put up after Metric at the restaurant of the HofB was great.  It is not the best place they've performed, as in there is no real stage and the sound could be better tuned, but the Wesleys' signature beat and familiar faces made the night worthwhile, after all.

Local Bands Throwdown ... YCBW and Banana Phonetic

So although this might be a little last minute, but I'd regret it if I didn't say a word or two about two upcoming acts.... My two favorite local bands will be having shows back-to-back this weekend, so... hit the venues.

Banana Phonetic - Cask n' Flagon @ 10:30 pm
This Allston-based band has slowly worked its way up the Boston indie radar.  They are slightly influenced by Wilco and Pavement and I personally love their constant change of tempos, which makes every show a dance off... and... it's also worth mentioning that Akhil, their front man and also main contributor to IndieMuse, has an awesome mane which can't stand still while they are jamming.  Seeing them live is a blast.


I heard they were recording in Vermont a few days ago, so maybe we'll get some great stuff from their new recordings.

You Can Be A Wesley - House of Blues, the restaurant @ 9:45 pm
You know about the Wesleys because I've written about them a few times.  But, just in case you need to understand why I love them so much... when they're on stage you know they are not playing to get a cult-like following, they play for the love of music, something many artists have forgotten about. 


Their music is an energy builder with unique vocals, and musical juxtapositions: heart-throbbing lines with soothing harmonies, explosive drum strokes with dreamy guitar riffs, and unexpected change of tempos with metaphorical lyrics.




So, people... no questions asked... two great shows.   Sounds like an awesome weekend is ahead of us.

Urban Art: Surviving the White Wash

I realize it's been a while... but this weekend I had some great encounters with great urban art around Boston.  So... here are a few...

 

 

KIA Soul Collective Rolls Into Boston: of cars, art and music

I noticed that the Kia Soul Collective Tour will be hitting Boston this weekend.  Yes, three days of complementary beverages and cars, free test-drives included.

Never been that impressed by motorized vehicles, but this event has a catch: an awesome line-up, music and design.

I'm personally thrilled to see Jonas & Francois, the parisian team of filmmakers, probably best known for being the masterminds behind Justice' "D.A.N.C.E." video.  The young directors will be featuring a shortfilm they have created solely for the Tour titled "Soul Streets"  - Back to the Future's DeLorean meets A-Ha's Take On Me?

The line-up, yes...

          Thu    Oct 15th   Cymbals Eat Guitars & DJ Redfoxx

          Fri     Oct 16th    Here We Go Magic, White Rabbits & DJ's Frank White, Mistaker, Ghostdad

          Sat    Oct 17th   Boy Crisis & DJ's The Bladerunners, Knife, and Harmeet

AND.... should you  test drive the new KIA models, of course, you get the opportunity to see the Pains of Being Pure At Heart at a private bash on Sunday. 

Where is this being held?    Artists For Humanity  -  100 W 2nd St, South Boston

Grizzly Bear @ the Orpheum

To me, Veckatimest best translates as "Summer oh-nine".  It is the soundtrack of the social experiment I like to call my post-grad career, simply because it became the aural analogy to my everyday.


I've lost many hours of sleep to Veckatimest and I guess I owe this to a friend of mine.  You know how friends always say "You should listen to this band, they're awesome"?  Well, this is a friend whom I trust blindly - his music taste is pretty much implacable and very in tune with mine.  Came May and all he would talk about was how he could not wait to get Grizzly Bear's new vinyl; halfway down going to the record store, his bike got a flat tire.  This little monster was not capable of stopping him from his endeavor.  He was on a mission.  I was intrigued.  I had to listen to the quadrupeds.


Once I did, only two songs grasped my attention.  But I have learned my lesson in terms of new bands, you actually have to listen to the albums.  After a couple of nights I was swearing my undying love.  It only snowballed after that.  I acquired Yellow House and Horn of Plenty, too and it was a matter of time before I became acquainted with Department of Eagles, GB's singer/songwriter/guitarist Daniel Rossen side project [note: Listen to No One Does It Like You].  


Ultimately, I found myself not only liking GB, but talking about them non-stop and longing to have a sidekick with whom to share this musical masterpiece.


I guess it's not hard to see that I have a deep emotional connection associated with this band.  Knowing they had scheduled two shows in Boston was just mind blowing... I had to be there.   The first one kicked in early in the summer at the Berklee Performance Center, a place that has limited seating and was bound to sell out immediately.  The second one happened this Thursday.

The Orpheum was packed by folk lovers, indie aficionados, and hipsters... Yes! haha  But it wasn't the crowd what made it so special.  It was the over all environment, the feeling... ya know? It was like going to an underground show in an Allston basement with your friend's band playing - it was familiar, cozy and face-melting - not to mention that Ed Droste, being from Boston, gave it a local twist by dedicating each song to a Massachusett's related element, from the infamous Red Line to Arsenal Mall and, of course, the Red Sox.

Don't get me started on the visuals... Ah! The lighting...  The most important element in the stage set up were the dangling jars that eventually became like giant christmas lights twinkling according to the tracks.  I'm telling you, it was a basement gig... just slightly upgraded.
...and the music, of course.  


The surround sound given by the Orpheum was perfect for their music, which I like to say is orchestral indie pop.  Its all about instrumentality, plus, their theatricality was accentuated by the live versions of their heavy layered songs.  Droste's voice was melodic and vibrated with great strength and confidence... he's just a great singer.  Chris Taylor, the one-man band, is fascinating.  He moves from the bass, to the clarinet, to the flute, to the saxophone and back to the bass, while playing with audio gimmicks at all times.  Amazing.  And Christopher Bear, the drummer... wow.  I believe he is the largest reason I say orchestral is the operative word in their music.  His drums can be deep and harmonizing or quite the opposite, enticing and aggressive.  I'd dare to say that few drummers have been able to guide through a song from beginning to end without losing me, somewhat a hypnotic situation.  And, of course, Dan Rossen.  He is just the master of the guitar, and probably the main reason my all time favorite GB song is "Ready, Able".

I read an article a few days ago about Grizzly Bear... It read something like this: "It is feasible that, since the release of their deservedly beloved Veckatimest, no one does not like Grizzly Bear.  You could play them for your smelly calculus professor who only listens to Brahms..."  It made me laugh, but I can't say I couldn't agree more.


I really just hope this band doesn't fall in the category of one hit wonders that fade once this "indie fad" is over, cause, their honestly great... and live, even better.  Jaw-dropping, forgot I had to breath, can't stop staring kinda great.

ADDENDUM: Damian Ortega | DIY "Mexican Style"

One of the beauties of navigating the cyberspace is having the capacity to attain the unattainable... haha
Yes! In a way you are able to defeat the system from within.  Now, what do I mean by this?


Well... as is the case of many museums, the ICA has a strict no-camera policy for rotating exhibitions.  Only the fortunate ones with press passes can filter in, unlike the rest of us, simple mortals.  


I mentioned Damian's exhibition here, but still felt I was laking the appropriate visuals to get my point across, so... here is a free pass to Damian Ortega's Do It Yourself.


WARNING:  The video is noteworthy because of the sneak peak it gives to most pieces in the exhition, but when it comes to the anchorwoman and the reporter... well... uptight and ineffective, to say the least.  I wasn't quite satisfied with the coverage and interpretation they gave to Damian's work.  He says you have to do your research for this exhibition... Did he?

Yeah Yeah Yeahs @ the Orpheum

So who needs Red Bull when you can have a fix of Karen O?


O... O... Oh my god.
When I first listened to It's Blitz I couldn't stop.  It became an immediate fixation.  I had to listen to it all-the-time... while reading, when walking, during a bike ride, even before going to bed.  It was my little secret delight.  Now, after seeing the Yeah Yeah Yeahs live for the second time, I can't honestly say this will become a healthy addiction.


I'm almost certain the rest of the Orpheum can relate.  The YYY's played most of the new album and a few from their previous hits, including "Cheated Hearts", "Honey Bear" and "Gold Lions".  And... opened with my favorite: "Runaway".


Karen O was unstoppable, Nick Zinner kept moving from the guitar to the synth and Brian Chase, well... I think we all owe Chase a big one for making "Heads Will Roll" a great dance-until-you-can't-dance-no-more song.  There was nothing that could stop EVERYONE from shaking it "like a ladder to the sun", not even the Orpheum's awful seating arrangement, which, by-the-by, gives you less leg space than many airlines in this country.

One minor detail... After seeing their performance live at All Points West, I must admit that their stage design is made for bigger spaces.  Everything looked crowded and the Eye just wasn't the same.


Of course, "Maps" had to be in the track list... oh... yeah...

Damian Ortega | DIY "Mexican Style"

DIY -- Do It Yourself.

Trying to define, compare or begin to explain this acronym has been quite a challenge.  Even before writing this, I had a hard time arranging my thoughts and, to be completely honest, even after doing some research and going through sleepless nights thinking about it, I am still intrigued by its meaning.

I was given the awesome opportunity to be present in the curatorial/staff walk for the new ICA's exhibition Damian Ortega, Do It Yourself, where Ortega himself was giving a full disclosure of his works.  For art lovers, like myself, this was pure bliss.  And, I mean, is it possible not to be remotely interested in his exhibition when you are welcomed by his Cosmic Thing?  I was drooling all over it when I first saw it.

DIY is a term usually used for things related to home improvement, like building and repairing things without professional help - think about the Ikea phenomenon.  In art, it evokes ideas of breaking things down, reassembling, and manipulating everyday objects in such a way that they are brought out of their usual context.  Without getting into technicisms... DIY has a lot to do with ready-mades and the Duchamp and Damien Hirst legacy.

Ortega naturally brings a lot of his Mexican heritage into his pieces; references to his natal country are not evident, but definitely present.  This survey of the last decade covers his Coke bottle sculptures, leather floor plans, mirror cubes, chair sculptures, videos and photographs... the list goes on.  Though, in a brief Q&A session he admitted to be identified, hence, driven to work with bricks.

I genuinely loved this show.  But, i know... Contemporary installation art can be scary and slightly confusing.  As a friend said, it's hard to be face-to-face with a piece that many times needs to be explained to be understood; a piece that isn't necessarily 'pretty', with bits and pieces of a foreign culture.

If you feel this when facing Ortega's work, then I say: Eureka! Success! He brought you out of your comfort zone, and triggered curiosity.  Maybe even made you questioned your own stance.  

The ICA will have his show 'til January 2010.  Enough to see it once, twice or maybe three times?

DAMIAN ORTEGA

WHITE CUBE PROFILE   |   THE PHOENIX' PHOTO GALLERY OF EXHIBITION

Urban Art: Surviving the Whitewash

And so the random encounters with the anonymous creatures continues.  Ahhh... beautiful.

Urban Art: Surviving the Whitewash

Boston is a hub of urban art.  No coincidence! It is a full-grown metropolis (the largest of New England), the college capital of the world, and a Fung Wah bus ride away from NYC... there is a constant influx of creativity.


I heard via word-of-mouth about the X-Men mural and, to my dismay, I found it already gone.  Given, many residents don't really appreciate any of the tagging, especially in areas like Back Bay and the South End. Understandable.  Yet, is it a sign of an ever-growing generational gap?  A matter of taste?


In honor of the now gone Sentinel, I've decided to pay tribute to the few surviving stencils and tags I found on my way there... Urban artists!!! Keep on 'rad-i-fying' the city... 

Shepard Fairey | "Supply and Demand"

                                                             
This time the ICA went all out: they legitimized urban art, rather disliked by many, by transferring it to their museum walls. Shepard Fairey's exhibition Supply and Demand was one of the more controversial ones this spring-fall, largely because Fairey was arrested at the doors of his very own opening show. Now, putting that minor, yet very important, detail to the side, the show well deserved to turn faces because of the artwork.

Supply and Demand was Fairey's first complete survey, covering work from his early skateboard designs to his latest murals. "Hope", the unofficial poster for the Democratic campaign, received the greatest attention from the public.  I find it amusing some have argued this iconic image was the reason for Obama's victory; I leave that up to you to decide...

                          

Unfortunately, the show was brought down mid-August and, of course, Fairey left with a bam. He closed the cycle with a great dancing party within ICA premises, giving the masses a little taste of his spinnin skills, along with Z-Trip and Chuck D.  You can still listen to Fairey spinnin, just make sure to check out the Phoenix's video covering Fairey's night of debauchery.

SHEPARD FAIREY

VIDEO, "THE PHOENIX"   |   WEBSITE   |   MYSPACE