A gig pause for my birthday yesterday, which we spent on Boston Common and boating on the swan lake, then a splendid meal in the Italian Quarter with gracious host EdV and Melissa, which Ed pays for despite having been stopped and fined on the drive over for a very minor traffic misdemeanour! Today, however, after a day spent pressy shopping in Quincy, we're up for a gig again! We tried and failed totally to organise a trip to Newport, RI. to see Kay Hanley play an Acoustic Festival, so it's off to TT's instead. It's seemingly a poor second to Kay and Michael at Newport, but its' a damn sight closer and cheaper! Besides which, both of EdV's roommates, Josh Lattanzi and big Dave Wanamaker, are very enthusiastic about this show. So off we go!
We get to the virtually deserted venue at 9 - the entire evening is very sparsely attended and subdued of mood, very much the calm after the storm of the 2 Gravel Pit shows here! - and hit the pool tables, as ever. We're here mainly to check out Scott Janovitz' acoustic set, however, and Scotty is on pretty promptly at 9.30. Being the youngest brother of Buffalo Tom's Bill and the underrated Cold Water Flat's Paul, Scott Janovitz certainly has the right surname - indeed, there are fewer names "righter" in Boston Rock! - but does he have the pedigree? Well, any concerns in that area are dispensed with pretty quickly, as his solo acoustic set is poppy, upbeat and mighty fine. Young Scott has a fine voice, and his material, both solo and from his band Dragstrip Courage, is occasionally touching and melancholy, and well up to the family standard. Scott announces that Dragstrip Courage are doing a support slot Downstairs at the Middle East tomorrow, and immediately a vacant evening is filled.
Adam Franklin, ex of shoegazing staples Swervedriver, is more understated, darker and doomier. It's also odd to hear an English voice in Boston! Josh later describes his set as "awesome"; I wouldn't say that, but the Swervedriver material is good (perhaps prompting a revisit?) and Adam, obviously very competent as a performer, plays for over 1 1/2 hours and chooses a pretty eclectic mix of cover versions (Mott The Hoople's "Roll Away the Stone", Marty Robbins, Shangri-Las and even Libido's "Overthrown"!). So overall, not too poor a second!
Showing posts with label Dragstrip Courage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dragstrip Courage. Show all posts
Sunday, 18 April 2010
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
517 The Porcupine Tree, DRAGSTRIP COURAGE, The Middle East "Downstairs", Cambridge, MA USA, Tuesday 26 June 2001
The Boston pressure cooker gets hotter; today it's 95F and 89% humidity! So we follow Bill Hicks' advice and, "get the fuck out of the city," hitting the waterfront and going for a refreshing and breezy harbour cruise! But we're back on dry land for tonight's show, a fortunate surprise addition to our itinerary following Dragstrip Courage mainman Scott Janovitz' solo show last night. Another fortunate surprise is that our friend Kevin Camara is on the door of the Middle East in his capacity as promoter! So, 2 bear hugs later, we find ourselves let in for free! Cool!
So it's back in for a longer look at the venue of my onstage Pit antics a couple of years ago. It's not changed, thankfully, resembling a longer and thinner Camden Dingwalls, before they renovated that old place. So we hit the front, stage right, pushing through the clientele of really old people (surprisingly) for Dragstrip Courage. Scott, setting up onstage, recognises us from last night and gives us a wave which is nice. We of course are down the front as, after his fine solo performance last night, we're keen to see what Janovitz Jr. can do, plugged in and banded up, as it were. He eventually takes the stage to start the set and announces, "are you ready for some rock and/or roll?" which gets me on his side straight away. The subsequent set is excellent; lots of chunky chords and heart-tugging chorus lines, and hooks recalling both big brothers' bands Buffalo Tom and Cold Water Flat, but with chord structures, strum-along riffs and chiming harmonies which recalled The Byrds, no less. Scott has the self-deprecating gallows humour of the terminally ignored support - extolling the largely ignorant audience to, "stick around for The Porcupine Tree," was a lovely touch - and the humour and enjoyment is evident in their splendid, relaxed yet committed performance. The best set this holiday by a band not called The Gravel Pit!
We chat to Dragstrip's manager, doing the merch stand, before watching a bit of The Porcupine Tree, a bunch of pompous prog-rock relics not unlike Marillion. We leave after 3 numbers, but not before a chat, mutual compliments and a pic with Scott Janovitz, during which he mentions that Dragstrip Courage are working on getting over to the UK. We'd be glad to have you there, boys!
So it's back in for a longer look at the venue of my onstage Pit antics a couple of years ago. It's not changed, thankfully, resembling a longer and thinner Camden Dingwalls, before they renovated that old place. So we hit the front, stage right, pushing through the clientele of really old people (surprisingly) for Dragstrip Courage. Scott, setting up onstage, recognises us from last night and gives us a wave which is nice. We of course are down the front as, after his fine solo performance last night, we're keen to see what Janovitz Jr. can do, plugged in and banded up, as it were. He eventually takes the stage to start the set and announces, "are you ready for some rock and/or roll?" which gets me on his side straight away. The subsequent set is excellent; lots of chunky chords and heart-tugging chorus lines, and hooks recalling both big brothers' bands Buffalo Tom and Cold Water Flat, but with chord structures, strum-along riffs and chiming harmonies which recalled The Byrds, no less. Scott has the self-deprecating gallows humour of the terminally ignored support - extolling the largely ignorant audience to, "stick around for The Porcupine Tree," was a lovely touch - and the humour and enjoyment is evident in their splendid, relaxed yet committed performance. The best set this holiday by a band not called The Gravel Pit!
We chat to Dragstrip's manager, doing the merch stand, before watching a bit of The Porcupine Tree, a bunch of pompous prog-rock relics not unlike Marillion. We leave after 3 numbers, but not before a chat, mutual compliments and a pic with Scott Janovitz, during which he mentions that Dragstrip Courage are working on getting over to the UK. We'd be glad to have you there, boys!
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