EdV, Pete "The Peach" Stone and I head off to this gig from Ed's girlfriend's band, after tonight's Sheila Divine show at the Paradise; I'm buzzing from the Sheila's show, "The Peach" is on lecherous top form, and Ed is singing the Zamboni's "Hockey Monkey". A weird combination as we arrive in deepest darkest Somerville, to a venue which is even more dilapidated than the Linwood Grill in Fenway! Jon Lupfer had beaten us here from the TSD show and has grabbed a table, and the Stud are preparing to go on as we arrive at 11 pm.
I grab a seat and a beer as The Stud, featuring Ed's girlfriend Melissa Gibbs and Fly Seville drummer Jason Sloan, kick off. They lay down a fun set of simple but effective Ramones-ish punky pop tunes, and come across like early Muffs or The Slingbacks. The locals however only react when Melissa's co-vocalist Meredith offers some free CDs out. EdV joins them on bass onstage for their last number.
From the reasonably sublime to the ridiculous; the unnamed (I forgot, OK?) headliner features an ageing rock chick on vocals, and the mainman is a Jerry Garcia lookalike acid casualty who's celebrating his 45th birthday tonight but looks 20 years older. I find that my only way to humour them is to drink lots of tequila, so I'm primed when their poor bluesy set hits the Rolling Stones covers, and I sing along raucously to "It's All Over Now"!
We (that is, me, EdV, Melissa, Lupfer, the Stud, Ana etc) then head over to nearby Q Division for some after hours drinking, myself sensibly hitting the coca cola as I've necked far too much tequila. We eventually decamp, after singing American Hi-Fi numbers all evening, at about 2 am, a very tired and somewhat drunk Jon Lupfer driving me back to my digs on his way to Jamaica Plain. An odd end to a superb evening, thanks to gig 495!
Showing posts with label Heavy Stud. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heavy Stud. Show all posts
Saturday, 15 May 2010
Thursday, 4 March 2010
565 HEAVY STUD, The Creature Comforts; 566 JACK DRAG, Jr. Corduroy, 608, Somerville, and TT the Bear's, Cambridge, MA USA, Friday 28 June 2002
After a day hanging out with EdV in his back garden, we have a double whammy! Too many gigs in one night gives us a logistical nightmare, leaving us reluctantly having to blow off 608 headliners The Gentlemen to try to fit Jack Drag and Jr. Corduroy in! Never mind, at least we'll see The Gents tomorrow night!
But first, we actually go to 608, getting in on the Gents guest list, which makes us feel bad about leaving before their set, although the guys are OK with it. We walk in 3 numbers from the end of the very early-starting Creature Comforts set, sounding as chunky, expensive and hookily rocking as in NYC earlier this trip. I'm glad to find out they're playing tomorrow night as well; we'll make sure we're here for all of that one!
But we're here tonight to check out the Stud, EdV's girlfriend Melissa's band. They're on at 1/4 to 10 with a new rhythm section and seemingly a new vocalist, before I realise vocalist Meredith has lost a whole mess of weight and looks good on it! The Studs set, whilst again leaning heavily on their surf-punk influences (Ramones, Muffs etc.) is much more cohesive and assured than before, with the new rhythm section making them sound "less spazzy", and a lot more like a proper coherent band. I enjoy them and I'd now like to hear their records. We then beat a hasty exit, bumping into Brett Rosenberg and Geoff Van Duyne in the process; Geoff accompanies us out and gives us the new CD from his band Army Of Jasons. Cool!
We catch a "T" over to Central and get there at 10 to 11, paying to get in the packed and very hot TTs, running into Jack Drag frontman John Dragonetti, who seems pleased - no, honoured!- that we managed to make it over for his set. We then run into Blake and also Carol Hurley, with whom we chat at length, and who promptly invites us to crash at her place anytime. We may well do so (and indeed, we do in 2003. Thanks Carol!)...
But for now, we get a good spot to catch long-time Boston buddy Mark Kraus' band Jr. Corduroy for the first time. Featuring Wheat guitarist Ricky Brennan on keyboards, Sterlings drummer Ben Hedlund on drums and "mine host" Michael Paulo on bass, this is a real gathering of friends, which shows in the easy assurance with which they approach the set. The set itself is gorgeous; deliciously introspective mood music recalling Wheat, but with an unexpected dynamism which for me evokes the quieter, haunting moments of U2's magnum opus "The Joshua Tree". Yup, that's right, I just compared Jr. Corduroy to U2. Nurse! The screens!
The set stretches for nearly an hour of angular, introverted and emotive rock, delivered by Mark in somewhere between a mumble and a hushed whisper, but the intricate melodies and unexpected oomph wins them Best New Band (not seen "live" before, that is!) of this Boston trip, easily!
We then catch Jack Drag's set, which kicks off just after midnight. His set is as colourful, gadget-and-rhythm laden, and prettily pop as his recent UK shows, and once again is underlain by some excellent guitar work from a supreme guitar hero. Once again drawing heavily from optimistic new CD "The Sun Inside", it's a bright and happy way to end this double whammy, the rhythmic "At The Symphony" being the set highlight for me. Afterwards, John calls us both "troupers", before we head off for a deserved nights kip. We also run into former Sterling mainman Patrick Emswiler, and I grab a chat with Gravel Pit mainman Jed Parish and show him my recently-done Gravel Pit tattoo. Thankfully he's not too freaked out about it!
But first, we actually go to 608, getting in on the Gents guest list, which makes us feel bad about leaving before their set, although the guys are OK with it. We walk in 3 numbers from the end of the very early-starting Creature Comforts set, sounding as chunky, expensive and hookily rocking as in NYC earlier this trip. I'm glad to find out they're playing tomorrow night as well; we'll make sure we're here for all of that one!
But we're here tonight to check out the Stud, EdV's girlfriend Melissa's band. They're on at 1/4 to 10 with a new rhythm section and seemingly a new vocalist, before I realise vocalist Meredith has lost a whole mess of weight and looks good on it! The Studs set, whilst again leaning heavily on their surf-punk influences (Ramones, Muffs etc.) is much more cohesive and assured than before, with the new rhythm section making them sound "less spazzy", and a lot more like a proper coherent band. I enjoy them and I'd now like to hear their records. We then beat a hasty exit, bumping into Brett Rosenberg and Geoff Van Duyne in the process; Geoff accompanies us out and gives us the new CD from his band Army Of Jasons. Cool!
We catch a "T" over to Central and get there at 10 to 11, paying to get in the packed and very hot TTs, running into Jack Drag frontman John Dragonetti, who seems pleased - no, honoured!- that we managed to make it over for his set. We then run into Blake and also Carol Hurley, with whom we chat at length, and who promptly invites us to crash at her place anytime. We may well do so (and indeed, we do in 2003. Thanks Carol!)...
But for now, we get a good spot to catch long-time Boston buddy Mark Kraus' band Jr. Corduroy for the first time. Featuring Wheat guitarist Ricky Brennan on keyboards, Sterlings drummer Ben Hedlund on drums and "mine host" Michael Paulo on bass, this is a real gathering of friends, which shows in the easy assurance with which they approach the set. The set itself is gorgeous; deliciously introspective mood music recalling Wheat, but with an unexpected dynamism which for me evokes the quieter, haunting moments of U2's magnum opus "The Joshua Tree". Yup, that's right, I just compared Jr. Corduroy to U2. Nurse! The screens!
The set stretches for nearly an hour of angular, introverted and emotive rock, delivered by Mark in somewhere between a mumble and a hushed whisper, but the intricate melodies and unexpected oomph wins them Best New Band (not seen "live" before, that is!) of this Boston trip, easily!
We then catch Jack Drag's set, which kicks off just after midnight. His set is as colourful, gadget-and-rhythm laden, and prettily pop as his recent UK shows, and once again is underlain by some excellent guitar work from a supreme guitar hero. Once again drawing heavily from optimistic new CD "The Sun Inside", it's a bright and happy way to end this double whammy, the rhythmic "At The Symphony" being the set highlight for me. Afterwards, John calls us both "troupers", before we head off for a deserved nights kip. We also run into former Sterling mainman Patrick Emswiler, and I grab a chat with Gravel Pit mainman Jed Parish and show him my recently-done Gravel Pit tattoo. Thankfully he's not too freaked out about it!
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