Tag: Boston

  • Michael Shannon, Jason Narducy and Friends, Life’s Rich Pageant, March 6th, 2026 at Royale in Boston

    Michael Shannon, Jason Narducy and Friends, Life’s Rich Pageant, March 6th, 2026 at Royale in Boston

    Friday night, the tour of Michael Shannon, Jason Narducy and Friends Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of R.E.M.’s “Life’s Rich Pageant” came through Boston with a killer show at Royale on Tremont. As they did with “Fables of the Reconstruction” at the same venue, they played the album in sequence. Yes, this included Shannon (who played…

  • Beat Surrender, Foundation, 1985 on Shake Records

    Beat Surrender, Foundation, 1985 on Shake Records

    Beat Surrender (this one at least – there are many things by that name including the Jam’s last single) was a Boston band made up of Paul Souza, Jackson White, David Matthews, and Ted Lyon. Check out that 1985 look on the back cover! Paul Souza went on to be in The Velveteen Playboys and…

  • Drop Nineteens, Hard Light, 2023 on Wharf Cat Records

    Drop Nineteens, Hard Light, 2023 on Wharf Cat Records

    Boston’s own Drop Nineteens were a standout “shoegaze” band in the early 90s but broke up in 1994 – this is their first release since 1993, and it sounds fantastic. I think I appreciate it even more than their earlier material. The current line up includes Greg Ackell, Paula Kelley, Motohiro Yasue, Steve Zimmerman, and…

  • John Mayall, Jazz Blues Fusion, 1972 on Polydor

    John Mayall, Jazz Blues Fusion, 1972 on Polydor

    Mayall is joined here by Larry Taylor, Freddy Robinson, Ron Selico, Clifford Solomon and Blue Mitchell – adding sax and trumpet to his traditional blues approach. Recoded in Boston (venue unstated) November 18th, 1971 and then at Hunter College in New York on December 3rd and 4th. My copy via a record fair at Mill…

  • Chrissie Hynde, Standing in the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan, 2021 on BMG

    Chrissie Hynde, Standing in the Doorway: Chrissie Hynde Sings Bob Dylan, 2021 on BMG

    I’m a sucker for a cover album, especially one dedicated to a specific artist. I’m also a huge fan of both Bob Dylan and Chrissie Hynde, so it should not be surprising I was excited to find this record. Hynde is joined by The Pretenders‘ James Walbourne and engineer/producer Tchad Blake, but the instrumentation and…

  • M. Ward, Think of Spring, 2020 on Anti-

    M. Ward, Think of Spring, 2020 on Anti-

    One of my favorite recent buys. M. Ward redoes Billie Holiday’s 1958 Lady in Satin. I loved his cover of Bowie’s Let’s Dance, and these standards take well to his vocal style, perhaps especially “I’m a Fool to Want You” and “You Don’t Know What Love is.” These are all more of less voice and…

  • Boston area record stores

    Boston area record stores

    Last week Boston.com shared The ultimate guide to independent record stores in greater Boston, including many of my favorites: Ones they missed, from my POV:

  • Thursday, September 22nd, 2022

    Thursday, September 22nd, 2022

    Echo and the Bunnymen live at the House of Blues

  • Saturday, December 18th, 2021

    Saturday, December 18th, 2021

  • The Del Fuegos, Boston Mass., 1985 on Slash Records.

    The Del Fuegos, Boston Mass., 1985 on Slash Records.

    The Del Fuegos, Boston Mass., 1985 on Slash Records. My copy is a Columbia Records Club edition, Slash labels with the WB logo in the background. Del Fuegos were an 80s Boston area garage rock band with Dan and Warren Zanes This is their second LP, with “Don’t Run Wild” and “I Still Want You”…

  • Saturday, October 9th, 2021

    Saturday, October 9th, 2021

  • Sunday, April 4th, 2021

    Sunday, April 4th, 2021

  • The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Dave Brubeck At Storyville 1954, 1954 on Columbia

    The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Dave Brubeck At Storyville 1954, 1954 on Columbia

    The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Dave Brubeck At Storyville 1954, 1954 on Columbia Storyville was a Boston jazz institution in the 1940s, run by George Wein (the same that started the Newport Folk Festival and the Newport Jazz Festival ). It started in the Copley Square Hotel but in 1950 moved to the first floor of…

  • The Del Fuegos, The Longest Day, 1984 on Slash Records

    The Del Fuegos, The Longest Day, 1984 on Slash Records

    The Del Fuegos, The Longest Day, 1984 on Slash Records My favorite Del Fuegos album: Back Seat Nothing, Have You Forgotten, Missing You. Both Dan Zanes and Warren Zanes have gone on to great things They had a reunion benefit show in 2011 at the Paradise which I alas missed

  • O Positive, Only Breathing, 1985 on Throbbing Lobster records.

    O Positive, Only Breathing, 1985 on Throbbing Lobster records.

    O Positive, Only Breathing, 1985 on Throbbing Lobster records. Boston based alternative band from the 80s – whose singer now teaches entertainment law at The Northeastern University College of Arts, Media, and Design Saw them open for Sinead O’Connor circa 1990 at Great Woods (I think) Via In Your Ear Allston

  • Aerosmith, self-titled, 1973 on Columbia.

    Aerosmith, self-titled, 1973 on Columbia.

    Aerosmith, self-titled, 1973 on Columbia. Required vinyl in the Boston rock canon. Original red Columbia labels, likely a Pittman pressing

  • Bye Boston

    Bye Boston

    Bye Boston

  • Thursday, October 31st, 2019 – Boston

    Thursday, October 31st, 2019 – Boston