12/24: Free CTB Xmas Mix

Hey, are you having people over tonight or tomorrow? Throw some of these tunes on for some background.

I can't remember where I found all of these tunes. The best holiday mash-ups are from DJBC and his Santastic crew... The Phoenix has given free mixes the past two years... A slew of holiday music posts can be found on Can You See the Sunset and AM Then FM.

The zip file [SendSpace or Mediafire] includes the songs, and I've titled them with my sequence:

1 - "Xmas Party, Part 1" -- Bob & Ray
2 - "Everybody Christmastime" -- Tralalas
3 - "Frosty The Snowman" -- Kay Hanley
4 - "Just Like Christmas" -- Aberdeen City
5 - "James Brown Died on Christmas Day" -- Hands and Knees
6 - "Xmasploitation (Santa's Baddass Revenge)" -- mojochronic
7 - "Happy Christmas" --The Toasters
8 - "Snow Day" -- Bleu
9 - "Christmas Wrapping" -- The Waitresses
10- "Xmas Party, Part 6" -- Bob & Ray
11- "Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You" -- Billy Squier
12- "Feliz Navidad" -- El Vez
13- "Jingle Bells" -- Reverend Horton Heat
14- "This Christmas" -- The Organ Beats & Friends
15- "O Holy Night" -- South Park
16- "Last Christmas" -- The xx
17- "Xmas Message" -- Barry White
18- "Rocknroll Christmas" -- Quichenight
19- "Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas" -- Eels
20- "Christmas Comes But Once a Year" -- Amos Milburn
21- "Chiron Beta Prime" -- Jonathan Coulton
22- "Hanukkah" -- The Beatlesandlers
23- "Santa Claus" -- The Sonics
24- "A Wicked Hardcore Christmas" -- Big D and the Kids Table
25- "This Time Of Year" -- Mighty Mighty Bosstones
26- Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" -- The Jackson 5
27- "Santa Claus And His Old Lady" -- Cheech & Chong
28- "A Very Whiskey New Year" -- Three Day Threshold & Summer Villains
29- "Christmas Time is Here" -- Vince Guaraldi Trio
30- "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" -- Los Straitjackets

There's a lot of Boston-centric artists, because Boston is awesome.

It sucks to blog from the West Coast, but I will try to update the CTB calendar soon.

8/18 & 8/19: "Woodstock" on Boston Common

More Saturday cheapness is coming, but this extravaganza seemed to deserve its own post.

I don't have time to fix the columns...

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SAT 8/18 and SUN 8/19

Noon to 10pm
"Woodstock 4"
at Boston Common, Boston
Four stages:

-- near Soldiers and Sailors Monument
-- Founders Stage, Beacon Street side, North-West
-- Cross Paths, Beacon Street side, North-East
-- near State House

FREE

Usually these Woodstock/Weirdstock events is at the Cambridge YMCA with 20+ bands, so things have gotten really out of control for the 4th annual event.

With so many performers doing 15 minutes right after each other at 4 locations on the Common, it's probably going to feel disorganized.

Maybe it'll feel like the original Woodstock with a lot of unkempt hipsters dancing all over the lawn. It might even rain like 1969...

The idea is for everyone to have a typical busking set-up, and there should be no breaks in between. I'm listing the schedule, but it won't be exact. Some of the spaces are blank on the schedule, and some are listed for longer sets.

The crowd's positive vibrations can make this kind of thing special, so let's shoot for more Woodstock '69 than '99.

The schedule is hopefully current; I've added links to the bands that I recognize and/or like.

Good times to go today: Noon-ish (Cotton Candy, Little War Twins, The Diamond Mines, School for Robots, Lowman) or 3pm-ish (Onslo, Jesse Kaminsky / Steve Norton, Happy Lives) or later in the evening.

Somewhere in the Common, Vic Rawlings is probably going to play experimental cello for 4 hours and Jacob Mashak will perform John Cage's 4'33" consecutively 100 times.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * SATURDAY * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

STATE HOUSE Noon -- Cotton Candy 12:15 -- We Love You 12:30 -- Retribution Body 12:45 -- Richochet 1pm -- Panterrified 1:15pm -- Plake 1:30 -- Vanzetti 1:45 -- Dom LaColla 2:00 -- Adam Able 2:15 -- A.W.M.A.A 2:30 -- Filthiest Nation 2:45 -- Ray Brown 3:00 -- Onslo 3:15 -- Baylies Band 3:30 -- Orion Russell 3:45 -- Olde Men on Acid 4:00 -- Nathan Ventura 4:15 -- Codeine Schoolboy 4:30 -- Dois Apsaras 4:45 -- NATURALMAGIC 5:00 -- Slothrust 5:15 -- combman 5:30 -- Abortus Fever 5:45 -- Sun Castle 6:00 -- The Great Valley 6:15 -- Zach Phillips 6:30 -- Happy Jawbone 6:45 -- The Over Easies 7:00 -- "Special Guest" 7:15 -- nue collective 7:30 -- Eat Cloud 7:45 -- (New England) Patriots 8:00 -- Middle Kingdom 8:15 -- Not Art 8:30 -- Metal Tiger 8:45 -- Shane Hall 9:00 -- Hunnie Bunnies 9:15 -- Anus Morissette 9:30 -- :| kREW 9:45 -- Vehement Caress

CROSS PATHS Noon -- MBTA 12:15 -- In tub tune pump tropicamide 12:30 -- Little War Twins 12:45 -- Fifth Nation 1:00 -- Jeff Balter / Valerie Thompson 1:15 -- The Diamond Mines 1:30 -- Low Charge 1:45 -- Most Bitter 2:00 -- Uncle Awesome 2:15 -- Triode 2:30 -- Limbs Bin 2:45 -- Valerie Kuehne 3:00 -- Olivia 3:15 -- Ethan T. Parcel 3:30 -- Prince Romney Brass Trio 3:45 -- White Savages 4:00 -- Bruise Breakdown 4:15 -- N JETTY M 4:30 -- Prehistoric Horse 4:45 -- Peaceman and the Firedancers 5:00 -- Jack & Yoda 5:15 -- Banjo Assault 5:30 -- Joey Molinaro 5:45 -- The Lilt 6:00 -- Western Education 6:15 -- Tendrills 6:30 -- Of The Sun 6:45 -- Degan 7:00 -- B Law 7:15 -- Eskimeaux 7:30 -- ACLU Benefit 7:45 -- Brad Henkel 8:00 -- Buckminster 8:15 -- Friendship Ceremonies 8:30 -- Sam Sowyrda 8:45 -- Gmackrr 9:00 -- Ben Hersey 9:15 -- id m theft able 9:30 -- Crank Sturgeon 9:45 -- Andrea Pensado

FOUNDERS PLAQUE Noon -- Bodydrama 12:15 -- Gordon Marshall 12:30 -- One Armed Mist 12:45 -- Libras of Sound 1:00 -- School for Robots 1:15 -- Huge Bird 1:30 -- The Nimbleines 1:45 -- Walter Noons 2:00 -- Silas Lang 2:15 -- Nick Janowicz 2:30 -- Stainless 2:45 -- Make It Up 3:00 -- Huge Face 3:15 -- Don's Monkey 3:30 -- No Mayo 3:45 -- Andrew Mello 4:00 -- Cuddle Formation 4:15 -- Little Spoon 4:30 -- Cinnamon Phase 4:45 -- Bright Red Reason 5:00 -- Mixed Feelings 5:15 -- Joaquin Goldstein 5:30 -- Brendan Attridge 5:45 -- Brooke Pridemore 6:00 -- Meaner Pencil 6:15 -- Howdy, Cindy 6:30 -- Tuck Son 6:45 -- Landis Zehrung 7:00 -- Birdorgan 7:15 -- Walter Wright 7:30 -- Liz Roncka 7:45 -- Black Wampum 8:00 -- Harry & The Potters 8:15 -- Harry & The Potters 8:30 -- Ryan Krause 8:45 -- Illlich 9:00 -- Mia Friedman 9:15 -- Elijah Wyman 9:30 -- Hello Shark 9:45 -- Omnivore

SOLDIERS AND SAILORS MONUMENT Noon -- Christopher Strunk 12:15 -- 12:30 -- Sisters of The Moon 12:45 -- 1:00 -- Lowman 1:15 -- Adrian Sympson 1:30 -- Paul Lew 1:45 -- Matt Ress 2:00 -- Miss Olivia Kennett 2:15 -- Jason Belcher 2:30 -- Adventures of Boxhead 2:45 -- Jesse Kaminsky / Steve Norton 3:00 -- Timworld 3:15 -- Slim & Silver 3:30 -- Happy Lives 3:45 -- Munson 4:00 -- Colin and The Semicolons 4:15 -- Speaker For The Dead 4:30 -- Lung Pit 4:45 -- Rainbow Road 5:00 -- Rhythmic Cypher 5:15 -- Rhythmic Cypher 5:30 -- Eddy Luis Martinez IV 5:45 -- Glenn Furman 6:00 -- Erich Haygun 6:15 -- Jared Paul 6:30 -- Cauzamos and The Family Band 6:45 -- Lemon Kid 7:00 -- The Eskalators 7:15 -- The Wicked Hanging Chads 7:30 -- The Wicked Hanging Chads 7:45 -- The Wicked Hanging Chads 8:00 -- Little Emperor 8:15 -- Ray Brown 8:30 -- Dinnersss 8:45 -- Streight Angular 9:00 -- Hyena 9:15 -- Many Mansions 9:30 -- Casey Rocheteau 9:45 -- Michael Collins

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * SUNDAY * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

STATE HOUSE Noon -- Anthro Rex 12:15 -- Ben Hersey 12:30 -- 12:45 -- Zympht 1:00 -- Yop 40 1:15 -- Amygdala 1:30 -- Warped Forest 1:45 -- Mountainshark 2:00 -- Sam Gas Can 2:15 -- Junko Fujiwara 2:30 -- East Cackalack Ascetic Death Marching Band 2:45 -- Empty Phrases 3:00 -- Mutual Benefit 3:15 -- Big Waves of Pretty 3:30 -- Something About Horses 3:45 -- Hands and Knees 4:00 -- The Full Moon 4:15 -- Spiceraq Group 4:30 -- BATHAUS + Zilla 4:45 -- Uncle Tone 5:00 -- KC Solaris 5:15 -- Turtlecat Symphony 5:30 -- Con Tex 5:45 -- Greg Mullen & His Cosmic American Band 6:00 -- James Irwin 6:15 -- Hot Tub Panorama 6:30 -- Morgan Evans Weiler 6:45 -- Gang Clan Mafia 7:00 -- Taylor Richardson 7:15 -- Cave Bears 7:30 -- Abortus Fever 7:45 -- Ghost In Salad 8:00 -- Eggs, Eggs 8:15 -- BFPSP 8:30 -- Sweatshop 8:45 -- Blue Dress 9:00 -- Sophie Dickinson 9:15 -- Zookeepers 9:30 -- The Needy Visions 9:45 -- Guerilla Toss

CROSS PATHS Noon -- Streight Angular 12:15 -- The IOA http://www.facebook.com/ioaioaioa 12:30 -- Moniker 12:45 -- The Difference Engine 1:00 -- Goodman Brown 1:15 -- Make It Up 1:30 -- Mammox 1:45 -- bathroomspace 2:00 -- A Campbell Payne 2:15 -- War and Terror 2:30 -- 2:45 -- 3:00 -- The Nimbleines 3:15 -- Doug Linse 3:30 -- Valentin Prince 3:45 -- Sodafrog 4:00 -- So Sol 4:15 -- Scott Mizrachi 4:30 -- Personal Finance 4:45 -- Slow Horse and The Night Owls 5:00 -- Hunnabee & The Sandy Tar Boys 5:15 -- Matt Alvis 5:30 -- The Debate 5:45 -- L.R.A.D 6:00 -- Becoming Animals 6:15 -- Mia Lee 6:30 -- The Craters 6:45 -- 27 Prophets 7:00 -- WhistleJacket 7:15 -- Obsidian Helix 7:30 -- Michael Bloom 7:45 -- Lady Pilot 8:00 -- Cinder Track 8:15 -- Kellzo 8:30 -- Greg Sun 8:45 -- Foom 9:00 -- Marty Barrett 9:15 -- Arkm Foam 9:30 -- Preggy Peggy & The Lazy Babymakers 9:45 -- Xiphoid Dementia

FOUNDERS PLAQUE Noon -- Forbes Graham 12:15 -- Skinny Vinny 12:30 -- Mr. Transylvania 12:45 -- Sara June 1:00 -- Michael Rosenstein 1:15 -- Yesterday's Jam 1:30 -- The Fucktrots 1:45 -- Ryan Beke 2:00 -- Brendan Lawlor 2:15 -- Mobtet 2:30 -- Daniel Harris 2:45 -- 3:00 -- International Flute Army 3:15 -- Steve Norton 3:30 -- EUU 3:45 -- Smarty 4:00 -- ZEBU / NO SOUND 4:15 -- Huge Face 4:30 -- Tud 4:45 -- Michael Richarde 5:00 -- Samuel Holland 5:15 -- Hypnic Jerk 5:30 -- WOOLFMAYN 5:45 -- heavy fragile 6:00 -- Bradley Bailey 6:15 -- Judas Broos 6:30 -- Max Jeffers 6:45 -- Chris Wilson 7:00 -- Underwater Bear Ballet 7:15 -- Sister Mary 7:30 -- Steve Arceri 7:45 -- Kal Marks 8:00 -- Matt Altieri 8:15 -- verbing noun 8:30 -- Arvid Noe 8:45 -- Olden Yolk 9pm -- Ronnie Nordac 9:15 -- Saralee 9:30 -- Camp Hope 9:45 -- Rick Berlin

SOLDIERS AND SAILORS MONUMENT Noon -- Pancho, Moon, North & Sun 12:15 -- Gypsy Joint 12:30 -- Tony Gwynn Stefani 12:45 -- Crashing Cars 1:00 -- Cancer Killing Gemini 1:15 -- Abram Taber 1:30 -- The Rupert Selection 1:45 -- Rusty Things 2:00 -- The Wicked 2:15 -- Chris Kazarian 2:30 -- Fixtures 2:45 -- Charlotte Huffman 3:00 -- Manaia (Jen Strickland) 3:15 -- Moonbeam Fellowship 3:30 -- Bucky Fereke 3:45 -- Jeremy Quick Trio 4:00 -- Chris Cretella 4:15 -- Broken Bottle Boys 4:30 -- Spelt Melk 4:45 -- Jesse and The Hogg Brothers 5:00 -- Deth West 5:15 -- Uniami as Ether 5 Star Dome 5:30 -- Jesse Gallagher 5:45 -- Forest Wizard 6:00 -- Planets Around The Sun 6:15 -- Quilt 6:30 -- Sun Castle 6:45 -- Dark Rodeo 7:00 -- Michael Maloney 7:15 -- Time Solo 7:30 -- Chris North 7:45 -- Tounge Oven 8:00 -- Frozen Corn 8:15 -- Hurricanes of Love 8:30 -- Pelvis McGillicuddy 8:45 -- Soft White Three Way 9:00 -- Pancho The Kidd 9:15 -- Beau Alessi 9:30 -- Rayvon Browne 9:45 -- Gracious Calamity

SUN 7/8: Sunday Night Off-Topic Video

Some of the performers in the Darling Pet Munkee's "Creature Double Feature" videos may be familiar from Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling's remake of "The Prisoner's" opening credits (which was a Top 10 favorite of Time magazine).

This clip introduces the videos for two of their monster/comic-book themed rockers.

Proceed at your own risk...

7/3 & 7/4: Fireworks, The Pops

It's a milestone year for Boston due the bicentennial of the War of 1812, since the USS Constitution became known as "Old Ironsides" 200 years ago this month. (So you can remind people about that when you're at a cookout.)

Besides this stuff, there is other cheap fun today. (Stay tuned.)

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TUES 7/3 & WED 7/4

Various Times
Independence Day Fireworks, Etc
at Boston and Various Locations
FREE

Of course, showering the Boston sky above the Charles River is the big kahuna on 7/4 with the Dropkick Murphys and Jennifer Hudson joining the Boston Pops.

Last week, I mentioned the Commonwealth PDF list along with some towns relatively near Boston.

When I checked the specific locations, I noticed that some of dates didn't match the MA list. Whoops! I believe this information is more accurate:

TUES 7/3

Andover, North Andover, Lincoln PDF, Fitchburg, Foxborough, Stoughton, Gloucester, Haverhill, Needham, Nahant, Newton, Waltham, Weymouth, Winthrop

WED 7/4

Beverly, Marblehead, Salem, Wakefield (at least 3 of these 4 can be seen from the Salem-Beverly bridge), Lowell, Brockton (multiple days)

If you are interested in other locales, I'd suggest the WBZ list then confirm it anyway.

The Globe has their Independence Day section that also has an option where to find fireworks.

TUES 7/3 & WED 7/4

Tuesday:

8:20pm to 10pm
Boston Pops Pre-Concert
at Hatch Shell, Charles River Esplanade, Storrow Dr, Boston
FREE

Wednesday:

8pm to 11pm
Boston Pops Independence Day Concert & Fireworks
at Hatch Shell, Charles River Esplanade, Storrow Dr, Boston
FREE

From my experience, tonight's rehearsal concert is reasonably crowded (see some photos below). Although there are no fireworks, the Dropkick Murphys and Jennifer Hudson will still perform like it's the Fourth.

The prime seating in the "Oval" will open at 6pm tonight (and 9am on Wednesday). Even though you can't see the fireworks when you're seated so close to the stage, people will race like maniacs on the morning of 7/4. Read the FAQ's to prepare yourself.

The space along the Esplanade will fill up slightly less quickly, and there should be more day picnic space on the Memorial Drive side of the Charles.

Since you have the opportunity you should stand there at least once in your life and see one of the best annual pyrotechnic shows in person at least once in your life. No matter how big the TV is, it cannot do justice to the real thing.

The later you go, the more crowded it will be. The first time I went, the Longfellow Bridge was open to spectators and 7pm was a really long time to wait. The last time I went, we strolled to the Mass Ave Bridge area about 10pm and still found a good view.

The music? At least the Dropkick Murphys are going to play at some point.

The scene from July 3, 2009:

5/25 to 5/28: Campfire Festival

It's a blurry image, but you get the idea...

There is cheapness through Monday on the calendar, and I have made my "Top 12 of the Weekend" list.

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FRI 5/25 (thru MON 5/28)

Various Times
"Campfire Festival"
at Club Passim, 47 Palmer St, Cambridge (Harvard Sq)
$10 per day / $30 Weekend Pass

Friday -- 6pm
Other Days -- Noon to Midnight

For the majority of the next 4 days Passim is hosting about 100 musical folk, bluegrass, blues, and rock acts. One doesn't even have to spend 11 hours to get your money's worth.

Passim's Campfire festivals usually happen at the beginning and end of the summer season. Performers will sing some songs solo as well as join together for impromptu collaborations -- just like a... campfire sing-along!

I'm not sure if anyone can handle sitting there all 4 days, but there is wall-to-wall folk, bluegrass, blues, and rock. These people are much better than the usual crowd that trade songs around a fire pit.

The whole schedule is listed below (and I tried to fix as many bad links, including MySpace and Facebook links when practical). I'd suggest picking a section and enjoy a few hours of music like: Friday (8:15pm to close), Saturday (3:45pm to 9:30pm), Sunday (6:30pm to close), or Monday (6:45pm to close) -- or any time really.

There may be less s'mores but also fewer mosquitoes (and they serve beer and wine now)...

FRIDAY:

6pm -- Melody Kills
6:45pm -- Meghan Yates
7:30pm -- Three Tall Pines
8:15pm -- Amy Correia, Nathan Reich, Matt Borrello, Nick Young
9:45pm -- The Suitcase Junket
10:30pm -- Rusty Belle
11:15pm -- OldJack

SATURDAY:

Noon -- Blues Ensemble
12:45pm -- Jug Band Ensemble
1:30pm -- Eric Leva
2:15pm -- Megan Lui, Francesca Blanchard, Bailey Cooke, Kat Quinn
3:45pm -- Summer of Aden
4:30pm -- Kellen Zakula
5:15pm -- Clayton Mathews
6pm -- Forrest O'Connor
6:45pm -- Jenna Lindbo, Jen Starsinic, Adrianne Lenker, Kwesi Kankam
8:15pm -- Jarrod Dickenson, Ryan Flaherty, Ryan Fitzsimmons
9:30pm -- Jake Hill, Melvern Taylor, Dietrich Strause, Connor Garvey
11pm -- The Bengsons

SUNDAY:

12:45pm -- Beth DeSombre, Rick Drost, Rick Gottlieb, Ryan Alvanos
2:15pm -- Bewilderbeast
3pm -- Oen Kennedy, Tom Smith, Kim Jennings, Levi Schmidt, Dan Cloutier
5pm -- April Bender
5:45pm -- The Pretty Darns
6:30pm -- Hannah & Maggie
7:15pm -- Hannah Sanders & Liz Simmons
8pm -- Ariel Rubin, Rhianna Larocque, Kerri Lowe
9:15pm -- The Greg Hawkes Ukulele Trio
10pm -- Dave Champagne, Lloyd Thayer, Patrick Coman, Brian Webb

MONDAY:

Noon -- Honky Tonk Ensemble
12:45pm -- Mountain Music Ensemble
1:30pm -- Andrea Belanger, Christa Gniadek, Carrie Ferguson, Kayln Rock
3pm -- Flynn Cohen's DeadString Ensemble
3:45pm -- Jake Armerding
4:30pm -- We Avalanche
5:15pm -- The Whiskey Boys
6pm -- Hannah Read Band
6:45pm -- Audrey Ryan, Alec Spiegelman, Jeremy Lyons, Jeff Conley
8:15pm -- Mike Block
9pm -- The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library
9:45pm -- Hanneke Cassel, Rose Polenzani, Caitlin Canty
11pm -- The Grownup Noise

Have a folky good weekend!

MON 2/20: RSVP for Boston Phil rehearsing in Somerville

Yes, Monday cheapness is on the calendar.

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MON 2/20

6:30pm to 9:30pm
Boston Philharmonic, "Concert 3": Open Rehearsal
at Arts at the Armory Performance Hall, 191 Highland Ave, Somerville (Spring Hill)
FREE w/ RSVP

Let's not kid ourselves. You and I don't know about Witold Lutoslawski.

The Boston Philharmonic is rehearsing Lutoslawski's "Concerto for Cello and Orchestra" which is described as:

Like a play without words it dramatizes the dilemma of the individual trapped in a repressive social system— in this case Soviet-dominated Poland— struggling to find his own voice and make it heard.

Later this week people are going to pay $15 to $90, so you could hear some world-class modern classical music for free.

Perhaps the drawback is that the rehearsal starts promptly at 6:30pm and will last until 9:30pm. The concerto is rather interesting but rather serious.

Oh, and you can't park on-site. (But it's better to take the #88 or #90.)

WED 2/8: "Boston to Austin" Pre-SXSW Show

Phew, am glad that I'm pretending this is "Friday"... (See the post below.)

Friday cheapness is on the CTB calendar, and something more substantial is forthcoming.

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WED 2/8

9pm
"Boston to Austin: The Official Boston Music SXSW Kick-Off"
at Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston
$5 / 18+ * See below for free admission *

Prior to last year's SXSW Festival, there was a similar gig where some of the Boston bands warn the locals that they might become the darlings of the national/global music scene.

It may not go down like that, but there will a Boston-centric party in Austin sponsored by Converse and The Dig on 3/17. Unfortunately we don't know the lineup yet, so we can't rave about any particular band.

I think some local bands that might be at SXSW include Viva Viva, Will Dailey & the Rivals, Herra Terra, Quilt, The New Highway Hymnal, Il Abanico, Animal Talk, Joy Kills Sorrow, Reks and Statik Selektah.

Even though we don't know who's playing at this Wednesday's gig, it's cheaper to hit Allston than Austin.

* In fact, you can get in for FREE * if you visit the Converse store on Newbury Street and nab one of the 100 tickets they're giving away.

As of today, there are some free tix available. All you need to do is give them your first & last name and an email address.

Note: Limit 2 tickets per person.

12/29: Chance to Win Tix to 'Gansett Party

9pm
The Narragansett Holly Jolly Holiday Party
at TT the Bear's Place, 10 Brookline St, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$10

Feat: The Wandas, "The Blue Album", "The Color & The Shape", The 'Gansett Girls

It would be worth $10 to hear the fine pop-rock of The Wandas along with Weezer and Foo Fighters tribute bands. There are also going to be a performance by Rhode Island's 'Gansett Girls.

However there is a chance to win tickets by leaving a comment on the Narragansett blog with the answers to 3 questions.

I'm not sure if they're only giving to the early respondents or if they will randomly choose windows.

I can say the first 6 commenters all have the same answers, I wouldn't even do the research and follow their lead.

Even if you pay, you could leave with some shwag and some free beer in your belly...

The Matt & Kim Winner is...

If you were looking for Wednesday/Thursday cheapness, see below.

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I have read all the entries for the Matt & Kim ticket giveaway for the House of Blues concert on FRI 12/9.

It was difficult to choose, because I really liked every answer in one way or another.

A lot of them made me laugh or go "Aww..." (Julia!), but the winning criteria is completely subject to my whims.

There were two entries that had a time-travel aspect to it -- yet one of them also included a zombie element -- so the winner is:

James F. who said...

I would streak with Matt at my own funeral because I love his music and I've always wanted to be a naked zombie. Imagine the look on my mom's face!

Thanks to everyone who played! There may still be tickets for sale. I might just go, because they give a fun performance from what I've see and read.

You can always show up at the Converse Store (Back Bay) on Saturday 12/10 between 1pm and 3pm to see Matt and Kim. Their customized sneaker will be for sale (couldn't find an image of the shoe).

And I can't stop you from streaking through the store...

Tix Giveaway for 12/9: Matt & Kim at House of Blues

UPDATE: The contest is closed. Congrats to James F.!

There's nothing wrong with MuteMath, but I would be way more interested in seeing Matt and Kim in concert. I don't always want to dance to the same tunes as other people, but the Brooklyn duo are pretty friggin' awesome.

And a lucky reader will win 2 tickets to the House of Blues show on Friday 12/9. (Tix still appear to be available for $24 or $35.)

I like to give everyone an equal chance to win, so here's the giveaway contest:

Remember that video for "Lessons Learned" where Matt and Kim streak through Times Square (see below)?

If you could streak with either Matt or Kim, who would you choose and where would you do it?

There are no wrong answers, but I will choose my favorite by noon tomorrow (12/7) and announce it shortly afterwards.

Two ways to enter:

Sign in and leave a comment with one of the listed ID's (Google, OpenID, LiveJournal, WordPress, TypePad, AIM) so I can contact you --or-- email me (add the punctuation).

ALSO:

A good source tells me a Matt & Kim sneaker will be available at the Converse Store (Back Bay) on Friday.

I called the store, and they said the band will be there on Saturday 12/10 some time between 1pm and 3pm.

I doubt they're actually hanging out and signing stuff for 2 solid hours, but it wouldn't hurt to check it out.


Matt and Kim - "Lessons Learned" from FVMMO Films on Vimeo

11/14: RSVP for Surfer Blood

FYI: Am not sure if a full Tuesday post is on deck. Tuesday & Wednesday cheapness is on the calendar.

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MON 11/14

7pm
"WFNX Disorientation"
at The Lansdowne Pub, 9 Lansdowne St, Boston (Kenmore Sq)
FREE w/ RSVP / 21+

Feat: Surfer Blood

It's not exactly a show that I would die to see -- or try to win by redialing 50 times per chance. I would still be happy to see Surfer Blood for free.

The band's new recording sounds more confident and substantial then when I heard them last year.

There is a way to get your name on the list for Night #2 (which still probably doesn't guarantee entry unless you show up in a timely manner).

These things usually have an opening band, maybe Trabants? Or Viva Viva? These are just guesses...

Halloween Rock - The Hush Now, et al.

Many Boston bands get inspired for the musical equivalent of 'dressing up' as other bands, but The Hush Now have recorded Halloween tunes for 2 years in a row: "The Legend of Dudley Town" after the cursed CT village and last year's "Please Mephistopheles, Leave Me Alone".

It made me think of other 'scary' songs, local and otherwise.

If you didn't celebrate over the weekend, you've probably postponed your party until next weekend. That means you have time to make a Halloween mix. Or maybe you'll find this post for a future year -- if there will be one!

(I suspect this is the beginnings of a post in 360 days.)

On the local front:

Boston Band Crush's Halloween Spooktacular 2011, you can dowload songs like: "Zombie Apocalypse!" - Madame Psychosis, "You Creep Me Out" - Apple Betty, and "Haunted House" - The Bynars. And last year's edition had such classics as "Justin Bieber In The Haunted Graveyard" by Summer Villains.

Darling Pet Munkee is playing at the Middle East tonight, and they have some killer songs (free download) like "MONSTER S-I-Z-E MONSTERS" and "Genuine Soil From Dracula's Castle".

Some generally creepy/spooky local artists that come to mind are: Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys, Humanwine, Ian Adams, Black Fortress Of Opium, What Time is it Mr Fox?, Doctor Gasp, The Coffin Lids, and Box Five just toured on their Poe project. (That guy is so Raven...)

More local Halloween songs can be found on WFNX's Boston Accents playlist from last night and last year.

Some obvious tracks:

"Thriller" - Michael Jackson
"The Time Warp" - Rocky Horror Picture Show
"Dead Man's Party" - Oingo Boingo
"Pet Semetary" - The Ramones
"Monster Mash" - Bobby Pickett (Somerville, MA native)
"I Put a Spell on You" - Screaming Jay Hawkins
"Werewolves of London" - Warren Zevon
"Superstition" - Stevie Wonder
"Welcome to My Nightmare" - Alice Cooper
"Don't Fear the Reaper" - Blue Oyster Cult
"Frankenstein" - Edgar Winter Group

The less obvious tier:

"(Every Day Is) Halloween" - Ministry
"Bela Lugosi's Dead" - Bauhaus
"Red Right Hand" - Nick Cave
"Devil In My Car" - The B-52s
"Hell" - The Squirrel Nut Zippers
"People Are Strange" - The Doors
"Halloween" - different songs by Misfits, Dead Kennedys, Sonic Youth, Siouxsie & The Banshees
"I Was A Teenage Werewolf" - The Cramps
"Werewolf" - Southern Culture on the Skids
"This Is Halloween" - The Nightmare Before Christmas
"Zombie Graveyard Party" - Be Your Own Pet
"Somebody's Watching Me" - Rockwell
"The Munsters Theme" - Los Straitjackets
"Rapture" - Blondie
"Graveyard Girlfriend" - Groovie Ghoulies
"Gargoyles Over Copenhagen" - Nekromantix
Anything by Roky Erickson ("I Walked With a Zombie", "Two-Headed Dog", "Creature with the Atomic Brain")

Non-Halloween tunes, but scary in their way...

"War Pigs" - Black Sabbath
"Do You Take This Man" - Diamanda Galas
"The Man in the Long Black Coat" - Bob Dylan
"Earth Died Screaming" - Tom Waits ('Bone Machine' album in general)
"The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead" - XTC
"In the Court of the Crimson King" - King Crimson

SUN 10/30: Sunday Night Off-Topic Video

It's been a month since Occupy Boston began, and it's far from over.

Of the performances at OB, Sleepover Shows caught stripped-down versions of Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library and Hallelujah the Hills at Dewey Park.

It's okay if you haven't been down to Occupy. You might be surprised how easy it is to talk to people.

If you see reports that make you anxious about interacting with the protestors, keep in mind that you probably have more in common with Occupy folks than the commentators on TV.

Thru THUR 10/13: Can You Enter this Contest?

I personally tried the link to enter the Citi/Wang Concert Sweepstakes on a couple browsers with no luck, but the contest people said it's working.

The bottom line is that if it works for you, there is one less entry competing against you...

I wish I would've told you about this earlier because the winner is going to get:

- a pair of tickets to an event of their choice at the Citi/Wang Theatre
- a music prize pack including an MP3 player and headphones (approx. value $354)
- a gift certificate for a night on the town ($200)
- a pair of tickets to a local Boston museum or attraction

Some upcoming shows include: concerts such as Sting, John Mellencamp, Duran Duran, Noel Gallagher's (ex-Oasis) new band... Boston Lyric Opera performances... I imagine you could request tix for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular...

There is supposed to be a quick registration form to fill out, and the deadline is tomorrow 10/13. You can enter every 24 hours (PDF rules), so that's 2 chances to win. You must also be a MA resident.

Update: Okay, it worked for me. I can now see they're gathering info to probably make sales calls for cable TV.

PS: There's quite a bit of cheapness through Saturday on the calendar.

Tuesday Music: "The Ames Sessions" thru 8/4

6pm
"The Ames Sessions"
at Woodward, Ames Hotel, 1 Court St, Boston (Downtown Crossing)
FREE w/ RSVP

This building around the corner from City Hall could be a case study in preventing homeless veterans from loitering -- install a luxury hotel with a fancy bar on the ground floor.

My tone doesn't mean that hotels are bad and intimidating vagrants are good -- I just find it interesting. When the scaffolding came down, the result was rather subtle since they maintained most of the historic exterior.

For the next 3 Tuesdays, a different pair of artists are scheduled to situate on the patio for a couple sets of tunes that should be perfect accompaniment to relaxing with a tasty drink.

The folks at MuseBox havve done a good job to match musicians together:

9/20: Anna Rose, Leo Blais

It's going to take a while for people to stop mentioning that Anna Rose's dad is an Oscar-winning composer whose work includes "Little Shop of Horrors" and "The Little Mermaid". She is off to a good start with an appealing folk/pop sound that includes a rather nice Arcade Fire cover.

Leo Blais is our most tuneful local representative on the patio. This is the kind of bittersweet, melodic powerpop that I can listen to for hours. Although I didn't take the time to find them, I'll never forget seeing pictures of Leo's apartment that was decorated by his handmade album artwork of his lyrics, etc. (You get the idea on his site.)

The next two weeks are going to be worth your while as well.

9/27: Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, Supercute

8/4: Kim Boekbinder, Audrey Ryan

As far as tomorrow's gig, it's still possible to RSVP as of this posting. If it's raining, I'd lie to think they'd move it inside. Hey, Courtney Love played somewhere inside the Ames.

Even if it rains, I saw the mention of "specials and prizes" during the Ames Sessions.

Yes, most of the cocktails are over $10 (and awesome, btw). Have a beer or splurge... You might still feel ahead of the game with a free tunes...

SUN 9/18: Sunday Night Off-Topic Video

I went to the a concert at Fenway Park a couple weeks ago, and I enjoyed The Mighty Mighty Bosstones more than the Dropkick Murphys.

SUN 9/4: Sunday Night Off-Topic Video

In honor of Labor Day, here are a couple union songs performed by Billy Bragg and Dropkick Murphys:

SUN 8/28: Sunday Night Off-Topic Video

In case you have power and could use a little laugh after the stress of a hurricane passing by, I submit a peculiar new music video by The City and Horses.

Give it a minute, because the sight of two orange-clad 'dancers' spazzing out over a catchy, sardonic ditty does have to the power to amuse and distract.



It's strange enough to go viral, and you could be one of the first thousand views...

My power is currently off (thanks, mysteriously available wifi), but I think I could have a good amount on the calendar and blog soon if my laptop battery holds out.

SUN 7/24: Sunday Night Off-Topic Video

Does it feel cooler with Kingsley Flood and some bears running around Cambridge (and Malden) in the snow... Great song, great video!

Free MP3: Billy Bragg, "Never Buy The Sun"

While you're waiting for Friday & Saturday cheapness, I'll share a link for my song of the week.

I've loved Billy Bragg from the first Cockney yelp that landed on my ear. And gotta love public radio for turning me on to his new anti-tabloid song in the wake of the News of the World scandal.

Short version: Many people from Liverpool (aka "scousers" in the song) protest the related Sun paper for their disgusting -- and false -- reporting about a soccer tragedy in 1989.

A little celebrity news here and there won't kill you, but listening to song reminded me that we're supporting whatever they do by reading/watching.

I'm just sayin'...