Make a change?

A few weeks ago I was helping my daughter with a badge for Girl Scouts. Their community project was cleaning headstones in a very old cemetery in our hometown.

The girls had to do this for a few weeks, but near the end they asked for some help from families. So, my daughter and I went and worked for about 2 hours to wrap up her badge requirements.

It was hard work, but would be a good gig if I could get it full time. You are outside, people are sorta spooked by them, so you wouldn't have to deal with many people. You can listen to headphones (or your radio). You'd probably have a sweet lawnmower and weed whacker too.

I know it would be hard work, and I doubt there is much money in it (or put towards the maintenance of them) unless you are a national cemetery.

It was interesting to read the headstones as well. It had a very old section that they are looking to get recognized so the federal government will chip in, but right now that is in the works. Most headstones seemed to show the persons life in a date range and would say "died at 25" for example. In reading you saw a lot of late teens, early 20's and 30's as you'd expect for the time. I saw one, where the gentleman died in 1845 (or something like that) aged 92!

I bet he drank, smoked and ate bacon and red meat...but he did it sparingly and then worked in a field for 18 hours...so I guess its give and take.

U.S. Royalty live show @ the Beachcomber tonight free beer and video shoot

Hey all.
Head down to the Beachcomber tonight for U.S. Royalty and check out some clothing from Gant Rugger.

Here are some details on the clothes and band!


Gant Rugger's Designer Christopher Bastin stumbled across John Thornley of U.S. Royalty on a visit to NYC thinking they where the perfect GANT Rugger band. Said and done, John came along for the AW2010 shoot (Rockstar? Check. Model? Check) Herr. Bastin realized these boys kicked it with all Americana vibe that embodies the unique attitude of Gant Rugger and the collaboration has deepened ever since.

Stoffe (as we lovingly know Christopher Bastin) found the band to be a great source of inspiration, which, in turn led to the boys of U.S. Royalty wearing Gant Rugger around town. Not because they had to but because they feel the connection to authentic American sportswear and have grown close to Mr. Bastin and his team.

Oh yeah..the show is free by the way!
Open 4-10pm for a special video shoot with U.S. Royalty. 21+ only. FREE admission, first 300 people get a free can of Porkslap beer. Band starts at 8, the beer will be gone long before then. (You might even be in their video!) More info and directions here.

Same old same old on a Friday

I haven't been posting the link over to my other blog these past few fridays. Figure if you've been reading my blog enough you now there is

Forgotten Disc Friday as well.

Any, if its your bag, click and check out some new/old music.

Regards
March

Life is Good Festival News and Info!!

*this is just a screen shot from the site, you need to go there to click on items*


Yes! What a great idea, and it is about time. A "Festival" in the Boston area that I am actually wanting to get tickets for the day they go on sale!

Life is good has just announced the line-up for the 2010 Life is good Festival. Jason Mraz, Ben Harper & Relentless 7, Guster, Corinne Bailey Rae, Ziggy Marley, Mavis Staples, Brett Dennen, Dr. Dog, Grace Potter, Galactic, OK Go and more will help Life is good raise $1 million for kids in need on September 11-12 at Prowse Farm in Canton, at the base of the Blue Hills. Life is good is partnering with Superfly Presents, producers of Bonaroo and Outside Lands , to produce the festival.


In addition to the two main stages, there will be a “Good Kids” Stage, featuring The Laurie Berkner Band, Dan Zanes and Friends, They Might Be Giants, The Sippy Cups and Big Apple Circus.


Tickets go on sale June 17 at 10 a.m. and you can get em here. Adult single-day tickets are $50, and $90 two-day tickets are also available. Tickets for children ages 6-12 are available for $10 in a limited supply and children 5 and under are free.

Be sure to check out the Life is Good site has tons of FAQ, Directions and all the details.

Don't want to wish the summer away, but this is pretty darn good!

Robyn Hitchcock - Intimate Boston Show!

Robyn Hitchcock Live!

The Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline , Massachusetts will present a solo concert by British singer/songwriter Robyn Hitchcock on Tuesday, June 8 at 7:30 pm. The indie cult artist—one of the most influential figures in the development of alternative rock—will kicks off his four date U.S. Tour on with this show.


Hitchcock’s remarkable body of recordings have spanned more than three decades. Those recordings and his live performances have won him an enduring reputation as a compelling lyricist with a penchant for incisive whimsy and vivid surrealist metaphor, as well as a world-class songsmith. In Hitchcock’s universe, adventure rocket ships, exploding, twist-off heads, and crawling things are the norm, as are supersonic harmonies and an ever-present chiming guitar sound. Through the years, the refrains, the harmonics, and the hilarity conspired and drew a blueprint for alternative pop.


Tickets to Robyn Hitchcock in concert are $20/general admission and $17/Coolidge Corner Theatre members. Doors will open at 7:00 pm for the 7:30 p.m. performance. Advance tickets are on sale here, and at the Coolidge Corner Theatre box office, 290 Harvard Street , Brookline , Massachusetts The Coolidge Corner phone # is 617-734-2500

Black Helicopter - local shows!

Black Helicopter Play June 9 at the Middle East And June 26 at PA's Lounge

The band will be out in support of their new cd "Don't Fuck with the Apocalypse" (Ecstatic Peace!)

Since their first live performance in 1999 and subsequent debut album, That Specific Function, to their third full-length release on Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace! label in 2010, Boston’s Black Helicopter have been riding a fine line between mechanical, grinding cyclical rhythms, sparse yet intricate airy psych-outs, and addicting pop melodies. In some cases, the songs are a natural progression from these Green Magnet School and Kudgel alums, but in others, their direction is a pleasant surprise. Black Helicopter’s new album is no exception, offering both meaty slashing layers filled with pounding intent, and engaging melodic interludes that stick in your skull.

Behold the awesomeness live! Wednesday, June 9: Middle East Downstairs, 480 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, with Random Musing faves, Dead Meadow and Cropduster. $12, 18+, doors open at 8:00 p.m. Can't make that one? How about Saturday, June 26: PA's Lounge, 345 Somerville Ave., Somerville, with Velvet Elvis. $10, 21+, doors open at 8:30 p.m.

Comparisons have been made to bands like Shellac, Pavement and Mission of Burma. The band has also shared the stage with the likes of Sonic Youth, Thurston Moore, J. Mascis, Mission of Burma, Shellac, Fucked Up, Dead Meadow, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Orchestra, Deerhoof, Easy Action, Harvey Milk, the Shipping News, and Sunburned Hand of the Man. The band's flight paths have mostly circulated in the Northeast, but have also included tours of the Midwest and South, as well as three trips to SXSW to play Ecstatic Peace! showcases.

The Belles - new music.

Brendon Benson, Josh Ritter, The Magic Numbers, The Pernice Brothers, The Get Up Kids, Webb Brothers, Matt Pond PA, Ben Kweller... Just a few of the expansive list of acts that The Belles have shared a stage with across Europe and the USA. The media everywhere from the Britain's NME to LA Weekly, and a host of press in the Antipodes have referenced everyone from Elliott Smith to The Everly Brothers, Wilco, The Beach Boys and The La's in describing the band's sweet pop sounds. Quintessentially mid western (well, they are from Lawrence, KS, and list Paul Westerberg as an inspiration), their songs are honest and charming. And captivating.

After touring their much lauded debut 'Omerta' across both sides of the Atlantic, The Belles embarked on recording a follow up, an album that was to be entitled 'Misery Loves Industry'. But rather than celebrate its release, the band saw the record end up as another addition to the (long) list of "great lost albums" as the project was shelved. Confusion, record label difficulties, a few odd shows, and some lo-fi recordings released online, and that was it for The Belles, though the band never really called it a day. But fast forward to 2010, and with renewed interest, suddenly The Belles have risen from the proverbial ashes. With some of those lo-fi singles, and a large portion of the unreleased 'MIsery' album, the band has returned with a follow up - what really should have been the logical successor to 'Omerta'. Appropriately titled, 'Time Flies When You're Losing Your Mind' the album draws on all the strengths that gave the band its initial appeal - simple melodies, lo-fi charm, and great pop songs. As Time Out once proclaimed... 'simple, frills-free Americana'

The album is released June 8 through S-Curve Records

The Belles tunes!
Time Flies When You're Losing Your Mind is here
also "The Late Hours" here