Hip To Be Square

Tim Duffy and Matt Prevost like to play with little boys. More on this story later. In the mean time, Flaming Lips new album and Elliot the Letter Ostrich reviews coming up.

SILVER JEWS TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I'm going and I'm really pumped. And yes, I will be posting how the show went as soon as I return home. And I will again attempt to take some pictures. Hopefully coming out better than Sigur Ros.

But in other news, while many are aware of this guy named Josh Ritter, I had yet to really hear any of his music - until today. Bows & Arrows has been posting a bunch of music by Josh and really pumpin him up. So I finally got over to his myspace page to give him a listen. Awsome. And even better, he is playing in our area. He's heading to the Avalon on April 29th and playing at Shelburne Falls Memorial Hall in Shelburn Falls, MA on May 6th. Memorial Hall is about a 2 hour drive from Boston. Avalon is about a 15 minute "T" ride from my apartment. But, you know what, I am going to probably head to Shelburne Falls. Why? Avalon sucks. That's why. For those of you who aren't from Boston, the Avalon employees are more interested in their Avaland patrans than their concert goer patrans. One hint to this fact is that shows only go until 10 pm. And they are very strict about that time slot. They filter us out and setup the cages for the dancers. That's right, I said cages. While I'm not totally against scantally clad women dancing in cages, it sort of ruins the atmosphere of going to see a really great artist play really great music.

While on the other hand, the Memorial Hall looks like a perfect setting. And as a fan of live music, I know that setting is about 50 to 60% of the overall experience. So, what's my point? I suggest going to Shelburne Falls and if you have a friend near the area, try and convince him or her to go and to let you crash at their place. Or, I'm sure the town of Shelburne Falls has some nice inns to crash at.

Plus, Two Gallants is playing in Boston on the same night as Josh and I really want to catch these guys. My buddy over at Little C's is a big fan and they have been getting a lot of press recently. They have a pretty raw sound to them and I also like the upstairs at the Middle East. Another place with a good vibe to it.

If you're heading to the Silver Jews tonight, look for the kid trying to figure out his digital camera and constantly looking frustrated at the outcome.

(Picture taken from Big Digits website)

Going to begin a new tradition here at The Square. Like other music blogs and journals, I am starting my own ranking system. Only this is for live shows and not albums. And I have seen a few shows recently so I'll start off this tradition with three reviews.

First I saw Serena Maneesh last Wednesday at TT and the Bear's. I had only heard a couple of tracks by these guys and thought that it sounded interesting enough to check out. Unfortunately they were more enjoyable off stage then on. We met with their new guitarist, his name has one of those "O's" with a cross through it, and he was quite hilarious. Our conversation included vikings, mesoamerican mythology, and talking about how Icelanders are more beautiful then Norwegians - he said it, not I. But once they got up on stage their presence changed. They became darker and took on a sinister approach to their instruments - beating their guitars into the ground and scratching their strings with capo's. Don't get me wrong, the feedback was amazing. Neil himself would be impressed. But the music just wasn't very accessible or danceable. I guess I should have expected that but for some reason I was anticipating more hooks and less sprawled out jamming. But they had moments of clarity. I think the show overall wasn't that great for both the band and the audience - both didn't seem to connect. The place started to thin out and I believe the band may have ended earlier then they were suppose to.

Serena Maneesh gets a 6 on the Square's live music scale.

Now to a local group that I was introduced to last night. Big Digits have got to be the best entertainers in the greater Boston area. Until I'm proven otherwise, I will stand by that statement. I'm a child of the 80's and I think many of the musicians on the scene today are in the same boat. But these guys just throw it down. With a push of a button their preset beats and melodies start the magic and their dance moves and tag team style vocals bring it all home. They are true performers. Check out their website and download some of their music, here.

Big Digits get an 8.5

And for the final band, Hot Chip was quite amazing. Now, you have to be a fan of some electronic music and four on the floor disco beats so if you are looking for a straight forward rock show, you need not go any further. But if you like a band that makes you sweat after the first few songs, keep on reading. And make sure you look further into this band. Keep your eye on Hot Chip. They have yet to really break out either here or back at home in the U.K. But if more people go see them live I think that might change. Go to their website, here, to listen to some of their tunes. And I also have to mention that it's not every day that a band says the crowd is better in Boston then in NYC. Apparently the crowd at the Bowery Ballroom, where Hot Chip played before Boston, wasn't all that great. Not sure who was in the crowd but they must have been brain dead. These guys rock.

9.0

It's been some time. I have been on the road in Las Vegas and down in Florida. And no, I was not on vacation so both spots were unappreciated since I had to work the whole time. Kind of a bummer. Plus, I was taught how to play craps in Vegas and it didn't turn out so hot. But what a great game. I recommend learning how to play.

But on to more music. I have been seeing some music recently - Serena Maneesh, Hot Chip, Big Digits - and I will be posting a review shortly. For now, go check out Big Digits website here. These guys are hilarious. A great local band here in Boston. Along the same lines as Junior Senior.