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By Martin Smith Days two and three of Boston Calling provided music that was as diverse as the weather (Saturday 90s, Sunday 50s). The contrast between bands was often stark, starting with hip-hop and moving anywhere from instrumental jam bands, to 70s soul, to top 40 pop, but always landing
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The little festival that could is flexing into a festival that has and will continue to impress, at least that’s what Friday proved at Boston Calling. Hours before the gates opened on opening night, plans for next year had been released: a solo Spring edition, sprawling across the Harvard
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It’s taken me years (and a couple near misses) to finally catch the Old 97’s, despite having reviewed Rhett Miller’s (excellent) The Instigator for my college paper when it came out (15 years ago, holy smokes) and abundant recommendations of their live show. Fortunately, the Old 97’
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Matthew Logan Vasquez opened his show at the Red Room seated on a stool, wearing a black Stetson, the very picture of a tasteful singer-songwriter. He ended the set ninety minutes later in a shirtless raveup, moshing in a circle of sweaty men in a similar state of undress. In
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I fell for Savages’ debut, Silence Yourself, as soon as the knotty, groovy ostinato of Ayse Hassan’s bass eclipsed Gena Rowlands testy silence (in a clip from Cassavetes’ Opening Night) in answer to the question: “I’m 65. How old are you?” It’s as if the song – the
Bloc Party
SXSW is weird. Early on Thursday night, I went to go see Sunflower Bean again (my second time in two days, their 4th show of the day) at Stubb’s. Opening the lineup was Loretta Lynn and her stately 7-piece band. Loretta Lynn wants you to know two things: she
sxsw
A disclaimer: Just as it is impossible to see more than the tiniest fraction of all that SXSW has to offer (around 1,800 acts, at almost 100 venues), it feels impossible to do anything more than make some general observations and pick a few favorite moments to write about.
2016
A quick get-to-know-you, since I’m going to be here with you for the next few days: I’m Andrew. This is my 8th SXSW, over the course of the past decade. I’d point you to some of my past sxsw clips, but they were for print concerns that
The Rosebuds
[T]he thing about the ocean, as plenty of others have observed before, is that as big as it is, the part we see most often is just the top. And yet the ocean’s surface has inspired no end of contemplation. On Sand + Silence, the Rosebuds’ newest album, the
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Photos by inger klekacz [T]here are fantastic reasons for not going to concerts. The standing, the waiting, the crowds, the noise, the heat, the late-night hours, the cost, the fact that your friends might not go and…who goes to concerts alone??? Concerts, to most people, are a pain,
8-track
Photos by inger klekacz [R]unners can run to rock, but can rockers rock to runners? Sure, there is a longstanding marriage between live music and sporting events (i.e. Super Bowl), but does indie rock jive with competitive sports? Does it want to? Regardless of who wants what, somebody
black metal
Photo by Colin McLaughlin [D]eafheaven’s first post-Sunbather release show in Portland must have been booked a while in advance. There was no other logical explanation for squeezing the five-piece black metal band and their massive sound into the 250-capacity Bunk Bar. Especially considering the dizzying amount of buzz