Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - House of Blues, Boston MA

*(photo by AD whom I was standing next to)

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
House of Blues, Boston MA
Thursday, May 27, 2010

Support: The Heavy

I've waited for this..and waited and waited it seemed, but Thursday night I was able to check off Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings off my concert bucket list. Ever since I read a review of her album "100 Days, 100 Nights" I had been curious. I knew NOTHING about the singer or band, and honestly I *thought* I was a casual fan at best of the genre of music, but the review was so good I took the chance, and just fell in love. The band had played local twice before since I knew about them, the first was the week I got the cd and it was a sold out show already, then the next was Halloween night (having 2 kids of the trick or treat age) kept me from attending that. Finally, there was my chance and I scoffed up tickets the day of on sale when Sharon would be town to promote her latest album "I Learned the Hard Way".

The Dap Kings took the stage about 20 after 9 and the sold out crowd was just ready to burst. Lead by guitar player Binky Griptite the band ran through a few instrumental tunes and set the tone for the evening. Griptite spoke often, and kept teasing us with the arrival of Ms. Sharon Jones..and finally..she arrived. The place went bonkers. Bosco Mann on bass, was the band leader when there were no speaking parts. He'd come out in from of Homer Steinweiss' drum kit and point to the guitars or horns like James Brown. Jones, all 4 foot something unleashed her soul to us and didn't let it down for close to 90 minutes.

Jones touched on the latest album with rousing renditions of "The Game Gets Old", "I Learned the Hard Way", "She Ain't a Child No More" and a very fun version of "Mama Don't Like My Man".

In reading, Jones is 54 years old. The former prison guard commands the stage as you'd expect. Pointing, calling the shots and just being so amazing. She gave us dance lessons, told us she couldn't pronounce Massachusetts well all the while she hardly seemed to break a sweat. I saw her have ONE sip of a drink and never watched her wipe her brow.

The horn section was very tight and high in the mix, and the "Dapettes", two female backing singers swayed all evening. Drums and percussion were tight and you kept thinking "wow, what a strong supporting cast!"

Sharon is quick to offer the spotlight to others. She ran the band through introductions and had them each run a quick solo. The backup singers probably got the loudest ovation of the night with some soulful crooning. Keeping with the spirit of openness Jones invited close to 20 females on stage to dance, and had 2 men up on stage at various points where she sang to them. She kept constant eye contact with her subjects and really was open, not shying away from the males or females.

For the first song of the encore Jones stayed off stage and let the band run through a vocal free cover of The Temptations song (Reach Out)" I'll Be There". She did come back to the stage for a blistering version of "100 Days, 100 Nights" that left this reviewer just speechless. At one point, she moved within arms reach and crooned to the lucky fella right in front of me (see the image). It was awesome. She holds a note at the end of the song that just slays me and she checked with her band..asking.."is this the last song" setting us up for an over the top, all out vocal romp...and we got it....pay day! Just stunning.

The band kept the motor rolling and she told us she had to go..had to go...and then Binky thanked us all once more and told us to stop over at the merchandise table as they'd be over to say hi and sign things. With that, the show ended.

Grabbed a poster and waited my turn...got Sharon to sign it. She was gracious with EVERY person, talking, laughing, offering cheeks to kiss. She looked stunning, nothing like you'd expect her to be like after 90 mints of a serious musical beat down.

I won't miss her again, and you shouldn't either.

Links for you:
The band's main page is here.
myspace and
Wiki page. the bands label site is here.

Follow the band on twitter and become a fan on facebook.

In the News

A Canadian publisher has created a pornographic magazine aimed at blind people.

A Florida man is being sued over a negative review he left on ebay. The man said he paid for a $44.00 alarm clock that arrived in three pieces. The seller said, it was listed "as is".

A Florida woman beat a ticket for running a red light when her husband, using a stopwatch, found that the yellow light at the intersection lasted only 3.8 seconds and not the required 4.5 seconds.

The KFC Double Down sandwich has more sodium in it than an adult should consume in an entire day.

The Mayor of a town in England and his wife, fell asleep during a play done by 11 year olds. The kids were very upset, and the mayor blamed his cold medication for making them sleepy.

77 U.S. Troops died in Afghanistan in the first 3 months of 2010, about twice as many as in the same period a year before. Most deaths were caused by IED's.

Sarah Palin left her $125,000 per year as the Governor of Alaska and has raked in over $12 million already with book deals, speaking fees etc.

President Obama and his wife Michelle, reported 5.5 million in income in 2009 - most from the sale of Obama's two books. They paid 1.8 million in federal taxes, gave $329,100 to charity. Obama also gave his 1.4 million dollar prize he won for winning the Nobel Peace Prize, to charity. Associated Press

About 25% of the world's population (1.8 Billion people), do not have electricity in their homes. - MSNBC.com

You Tube celebrated it's 5th Birthday in early May. The very first video was a 19 second clip uploaded by one of the co-founders. The site now stream 1 BILLION clips a day. -Techradar.com

The Roots - First look and listen at new material!

The Roots are set to release their next full length album on June 22. The album "How I Got Over" will feature a slew of guests such as Jim James (My Morning Jacket,
Joanna Newsom, members of the Dirty Projectors, Patty Crash, John Legend, and Blu, as well as members of the Legendary Roots Crew.

Here is a track for download. It's called "Dear God 2.0" and you can get it here!

Eric Matthews/ Seinking Ships

Eric Matthews. He was once of the legendary Cardinal - a groundbreaking orchestral pop act that paved the way for everyone from The Polyphonic Spree to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes.

Eric was also signed to Sub Pop and released the classic 'Fanfare' single (and an LP that MOJO cited as 'one of the 67 Lost albums You Must Own'). He decided to make an album with Ohio native Christopher Seink - mainly instrumentals inspired by 80's soundtrack music. But they decide some vocals would be great and the name Miki Berenyi comes up. Now note that Miki had dropped out of the music business after Lush, her much lauded shoegaze/dream pop band on 4AD had split up in the late 90's. Amazingly Eric found a way to get in touch, and sent her music. Even more amazingly Miki decided to become involved, and laid vocals on a few tracks for the album - a release that is entitled "museum Quality Capture'. No disputing this album is obtuse, but intriguing at the same time. And finally getting released!

Stereogum ran a piece with the song 'You Didnt Love Me' that you can check out here.

Pitchfork wrote about the project here.

Seinking Ships
One Day Forever check out the [mp3]
You Didnt Love Me (feat Miki Berenyi)[mp3]

The album is out June 8 on S-Curve Records

Here they are on myspace as well as their official site. For more stuff, check em out on facebook.

The label site is here.

Rock and Blues Cruise info Summer 2010

Spend your summer nights on the ocean listening to live music!

The Rock and Blues Concert Cruises return to Boston Harbor for a sixth season of summer fun and the lineup is better than ever. The 2010 series features a number of national acts including independent singer–songwriter Ben Kweller, The Ryan Montbleau Band who has been bursting out of the local roots with their nationwide tour with Martin Sexton, New Orleans legends The Radiators, Celtic Rockers Enter the Haggis and more. The series also features the very best local bands including shows from Beatlejuice, Martha’s Vineyards own Entrain and an exciting double bill featuring Will Dailey and the Rivals and Jenny Dee and the Delinquents, The David Wax Museum, Tim Blane and more. An August 1st cruise will celebrate the birthday of Jerry Garcia with the Grateful Dread. Complete information and ticketing is available here.


The full 2010 summer schedule is:

June 25 Ernie and the Automatics with My SilentBravery 8:00 PM

June 26 Ben Kweller with The David Wax Museum 5:30 PM

June 26 Ben Kweller with Tim Blane 9:00 PM

July 9 Entrain 8:00 PM

July 16 Danny Klein’s Full House (Celebrating the music of the J.Geils Band) 8:00 PM

July 24 The Ryan Montbleau Band - with special guests 5:30 PM

July 24 The Ryan Montbleau Band – with special guests 9:00 PM

July 25 Redbones BBQ Blues Cruise with The Radiators 6:00 PM (and special guest The Luke Mulholland Band)

August 1 Jerry’s Birthday Cruise with Grateful Dread 5:00 PM

August 6 Double Bill Will Dailey and the Rivals 8:00 PM (and and Jenny Dee and the Deelinquents)

August 7 Booty Vortex 8:00 PM

August 13 Enter the Haggis 8:00 PM

August 20 Beatlejuice 8:00 PM

August 27 Bonerama with the Nate Wilson Group 8:00 PM

Tickets for Rock and Blues Concert Cruises are available online right here. Cruises leave from the Boston Harbor Cruise terminal at Long Wharf (located between the New England Aquarium and the Long Wharf Marriott Hotel.) Boats board a half hour before departure time and ticket holders must be 21+. Discounted parking is available at the 75 State Street garage just a short walk from Long Wharf. The Rock and Blues Cruises are accessible by public transportation, taking the MBTA Blue Line to the Aquarium stop.

Rock and Blues Concert Cruise Pre-Parties

Pre-Parties will be taking place again at The Landing, Boston’s only fully outdoor patio bar located right on the Wharf. Cruise goers have the option to enjoy a refreshing drink at the Landing before boarding the boat.



Other Summer Cruise Options

Rock and Blues Concert Cruises are not the only way to enjoy a summer night out on Boston Harbor. The Boston Harbor Mystery Cruise is a murder mystery dinner cruise, presents an all new interactive mystery – “Marriage Can Be Murder”. It’s two and a half hours of food, fun and fantasy. Mystery Cruises begin Saturday June 19th and run every Saturday until September 25th Cruises board at 7:00pm, depart at 7:30pm and return at approximately 10:00pm. Tickets are available 781-784-7469 (SHOW) or online.

Will Mentalist in Cambridge 5/28

The mentalist Will is going to be performing Friday, May 28th at the Out of the Blue Art Gallery on Prospect St in Cambridge. The show starts at 8:30 and it's a $5 donation.

Will has been performing all over the country steadily for many years and is well known as one of the best mentalists around, and this is the perfect night to see him perform in a more intimate setting.

Check him out on his site. For more information on the venue click here.

for you my love I fear....

Hope you might check out Forgotten Disc Friday.

This week the band had a song in a recent movie from this record. I guess it is a sign.

Staring to think I'll shut it down at 200 FDF entries..so 14 or so left maybe..we shall see.

-March

Tokyo Police Club..lotsa stuff.

Tokyo Police Club are awfully busy. First and foremost they want to challenge you...to anything! For details check out the details on their site.

Even more stuff: VIDEO

We have videos! here and here. Also another video for "Breakneck Speed" is here.

Here is a link to download the "Wait Up (Boots of Danger)" remix by Passion Pit for free! The band is cool with you sharing this, so please do so. It is right here

The Album "Champ" is out on June 8th. Here are some tour dates:

TOKYO POLICE CLUB ON TOUR 2010:
Jun 2, 2010 Ram's Head Live (with Passion Pit) - Baltimore, MD
Jun 3, 2010 9:30 Club (with Passion Pit) - Washington, DC
Jun 7, 2010 The Norva (with Passion Pit) - Norfolk, VA
Jun, 8, 2010 The National (With Passion Pit) Richmond, VA
Jun 9, 2010 The Tabernacle (with Passion Pit) - Atlanta, GA
Jun 11, 2010 Bonnaroo - Manchester, TN
Jun 12, 2010 Club at Firestone (with Passion Pit) - Orlando, FL
Jun 13, 2010 The FIllmore (with Passion Pit) - Miami Beach, FL
Jun 14, 2010 The Ritz Ybor (with Passion Pit) - Tampa, FL
Jun 16, 2010 House of Blues (with Passion Pit) - New Orleans, LA
Jun 17, 2010 Warehouse Live (with Passion Pit) - Houston, TX
Jun 18, 2010 Stubb's (with Passion Pit) - Austin, TX
Jun 19, 2010 Stubb's (with Passion Pit) - Austin, TX
Jun 21, 2010 Palladium Ballroom (with Passion Pit) - Dallas, TX
Jun 23, 2010 The Pageant (with Passion Pit) - St. Louis, MO
Jun 25, 2010 Royal Oak Music Theater (with Passion PIt) - Royal Oak, MI
Jun 27, 2010 Mann Center (with Passion Pit) - Philadelphia, PA
Jun 29, 2010 Prospect Park Bandshell (with Passion Pit) - Brooklyn, NY
Jun 30, 2010 Governor's Island (with Passion Pit) - New York, NY


Headline Tour

July 23 Nod Experiment Festival - Jackson, MI
July 24 Grog - Cleveland, OH
July 25 Town Ball Room - Buffalo, NY
July 27 Black Cat - Washington, DC
July 28 The Basement - Columbus, OH
July 29 The Vogue - Indianapolis, IN
July 31 Record Bar - Kansas City, KS
Aug 1 Slowdown - Omaha, NE
Aug 3 Bluebird - Denver, CO
Aug 4 In The Venue - Salt Lake City
Aug 5 Beauty Bar - Las Vegas, NV
Aug 7 Plush - Tuscan, AZ
Aug 8 Casbah - San Diego, CA
Aug 12 El Rey - Los Angeles, CA
Aug 15 Aladdin - Portland, OR
Aug 16 Neumos - Seattle, WA
Aug 19 Varsity - Minneapolis, MN
Aug 20 Metro - Chicago, IL

Pearl Jam - TD Garden, Boston full review

Pearl Jam
TD Garden, Boston, MA
Monday May 17, 2010
Support: Band of Horses

The full review I did for melophobe.com for the Pearl Jam show can be found here.

Few quick pictures Pearl Jam TD Garden May 10, 2010

More to come for sure..but a few pictures of Pearl Jam from the TD Garden on Monday May, 17, 2010.

I'll upload some Band of Horses shots as well.

much more to come. ***updated*** My full review has been posted to
melophobe! The direct link is here.

come sit down on my knee.

Hope you might check out Forgotten Disc Friday.

Seems like traffic is way down..everywhere. Might be time to shut er' down. We shall see.

-March

Get Ready for Earth Fest

Radio 92.9 once again will be hosting this years "Earth Fest" at the DCR Hatch Memorial Shell on Saturday May 22, 2010 from 11am to 5pm. This year the bands include Collective Soul, Marcy Playground, Crash Kings and the Gin Blossoms, plus a ton more.

There will also be "Kids Planet" that features Music and Environmental Exhibits.

Family-friendly artists including Ben Rudnick and Friends, Black Diamonds, Debbie and Friends and artists from Zumix will take to the stage in Kids Planet, an interactive family zone featuring environmental activities and games in addition to the musical performances.

Kids Planet activities begin at 10 a.m.

Kids Planet has always been the place for families to participate in interactive fun at the Radio 92.9 EarthFest. Exhibitors offer interactive ways for children to learn about healthy living, environmental science and conservation. This year, activities will include an obstacle course hosted by Boston Sports Club, face painting hosted by Whole Foods, exhibits by the Massachusetts Federation of Farmers Markets and the Girl Scouts of America and much more. The Diaper Lab will be sponsoring a Diaper Changing and Nursing Station and will provide wristbands for children to ensure their parents can be located quickly in the event they get separated.

Musical shows on the Kids Planet stage begin at 10:15 am and this year’s performers include:

* Ben Rudnick and Friends, celebrating their tenth year of jamming for the whole family. The band both produces their own original folk-rock music and creates fun takes on well known songs. Five time Parents Choice Award winners, Ben Rudnick and Friend’s success lies in their music – not just for kids, but for the whole family to enjoy. Ben Rudnick and Friends will perform at 12:15 p.m.

* The Black Diamonds are children’s entertainment for kids, by kids! Comprised of five local children ages 8 – 12, the Black Diamonds have been touring local festivals, including the Topsfield Fair and were invited to play in Berlin, Germany, this year. A fun, rock anthem band, Black Diamonds covers music from Bon Jovi to The Who, and also will perform their original song, “Almost Famous,” on stage this year. Black Diamonds will round out the performances in Kids Planet with a set at 3:15 p.m.


* By day, Debbie Cavalier is the continuing education dean at Berklee College of Music. At the Radio 92.9 EarthFest, she’s the energetic leader of “kindie” pop group Debbie and Friends, who create, in their words, “kids music that’s all grown up.” Performing in the greater Boston area for two years, Debbie and Friends is all about making music together, involving the audience during her concerts. Debbie and Friends just released their second album, More Story Songs and Sing Alongs, this March, which follows up their first album, Story Songs and Sing Alongs. Debbie and Friends will appear on stage at 11:00 am.

* Zumix is a youth community arts group created in 1991 in East Boston, MA. Members represent all of Boston’s diverse communities. The non-profit arts and cultural organization offers children an avenue to explore their passions in music and give back to the community with local arts performances. The Zumix Children’s Choir opens the music stage at 10:15 a.m. and the Zumix Divercity Band and Zumix Jazz Ensemble will perform at 1:45 p.m.

On the main stage, musical performances will begin at 12:00 noon. A local band will kick off the main-stage entertainment, as determined by a battle of the bands contest which will take place before the event.

The event is expected to draw a crowd of more than 100,000 people!!!

The 17th Annual Radio 92.9 EarthFest is also accessible by MBTA. Concertgoers can take the Green Line to Arlington Street or take the Red Line to Charles Street / MGH. For more details, visit the MBTA website at www.mbta.com. A bike valet service is available on site courtesy of MassBike and International Bicycles.

See you at the show..and heck..its FREE!!!

Jonsi - House of Blues May 6, 2010

I did a review of the Jonsi show at the House of Blues in Boston on Thursday May 6, 2010.

I wrote the review for Melophobe.com and the direct link to my review is here. Hope you will check it out.

Win Editors Shirt and 7 inch single!

Howdy dear readers.

To coincide with the release of the new Editors video "Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool", I have been given the chance to give YOU (one lucky U.S. resident) a limited 7" that were released for Record Store Day. I can also throw in a EDITORS U.S. Tour t-shirt as well, to sweeten the deal.

One US based winner will be chosen at random. Shoot me an email at laokas2002 at yahoo dot com for your chance to win this sweet prize!

The 7" - EDITORS vinyl is - Last Day - Unreleased track 'Last Day' and 'Papillon (Acoustic) Live at Studio Brussels'

Check out the great video for "Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool" right here!

Thanks for reading, one winner chosen 12noon ET on May 7, 2010.