My Local Top 3 (9/12/10-9/8/10)

Fall is sadly upon us and the hipster kids are exponentially growing in population. As we look ahead to this week, those hipster kids should be smiling because all three picks are indie rock studs. Indie rock is a real crapshoot live. A lot of these bands are getting so experimental in the studio that it is too difficult to translate live. Many others, however, put on a great bare-bones rock n' roll show that can't be beat. The proof is in the pudding though, don't take my word for it.

Monday 9/13
Wilbur Theatre, Boston, MA
Dirty Projectors
Owen Pallett

The Dirty Projectors really came alive last year with Bitte Orca. It was truly one of the most interesting studio releases I had listened to in a while. I haven't caught them live yet, but from what footage I've seen on the internet, they are pretty tight live as well. Dave Logstreth, the band's front man, is a very talented songwriter and one of today's most innovative guitarists.

Friday 9/17
House of Blues, Boston, MA
Broken Social Scene
The Sea and Cake

Two awesome bands that are great both live and in the studio. Broken Social Scene's latest album is as good as any they have released. I have always thought that they drew great similarity to Radiohead. That is a pretty trite thing to say at this point, but I think their creativity is groundbreaking in same sense of Radiohead's. The House of Blues is going to seem like a small venue to see this band in the not so distant future.




Saturday 9/18
Agganis Arena, Boston, MA
Pavement
Jenny Lewis

Pavement is one of the pioneer bands of indie rock. They somehow never saw the glory that the Smashing Pumpkins, Jane's Addiction, and other bands of the same genre saw in the early 90's, but 20 years later, they are regarded with an even greater importance. Stephen Malkmus is one of the greatest songwriters of modern rock and the band has influenced just about everyone. We've waited long enough for a reunion, so here's our chance.

Go see some live music this week,

Perry

M.I.A. Fall Tour

M.I.A. has seen nothing but controversy ever seen the success of "Paper Planes" came and passed. She has become notorious for ducking out on gigs and even retired at one point, but is back and hopefully willing to make up for her shaky couple of years. She will be making stops all across the US this fall, so dig up your neon gear and shutter shades because M.I.A. is no longer MIA.

09-21 Montreal, Quebec - Metropolis
09-22 Toronto, Ontario - The Sound Academy
09-25 Washington, DC - Virgin Festival
09-26 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
09-27 New York, NY - Terminal 5
09-29 Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
10-03 Ithaca, NY - Cornell University
10-04-05 Boston, MA - Royale Nightclub
10-09 Austin, TX - Zilker Park (Austin City Limits)
10-12 Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre
11-10 Brixton, England - Carling Academy Brixton
11-13 Manchester, England - Warehouse Project
11-16 Köln, Germany - E-Werk Köln
11-17 Berlin, Germany - C-Halle
11-25 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Noord-Holl
11-26 Eindhoven, Netherlands - STRP Festival
11-28 Munich, Germany - Muffathalle
11-29 Zurich, Switzerland - Rote-Fabrik
11-30 Vienna, Austria - Gasometer
12-02 Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
12-03 Rome, Italy - Atlantico Live
12-06 Madrid, Spain - La Riviera
12-07 Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz
12-11-12 Paris, France - Trianon

miauk.com

My Local Top 3: 9/5/10-9/12/10

Wednesday 9/8
House of Blues Foundation Room, Boston, MA
The Barr Brothers

The Slip is one of the best bands to come out of the Boston area in the past chunk of time, unfortunately they have never been consistent in playing live or releasing studio material. Now Brad and Andrew Barr, two thirds of The Slip, are releasing an album of their own. These guys are unbelievable musicians and Brad happens to be a great songwriter. They have made a tremendous contribution to the local music scene in their time, so do yourself a favor and get out to support them.

Thursday 9/9
Harper's Ferry, Allston, MA
Heavy Pets

Heavy Pets are one of the hardest working jambands out there today. Unfortunately, being a jamband is harder than ever right now, with the comeback of Phish and the rise of electronica and dubstep. That doesn't, however, take away from their skilled musicianship and keen ear for improvisation. The Heavy Pets bring it live and are a gimmick-free, stone-cold rockers.

Saturday 9/10-Sunday 9/12
Blue Hills Canton, MA
Life is Good Festival (lineup found here)

There are rarely large festivals with good lineups in the greater Boston area, but the new Life is Good Festival is definitely worth checking out. First of all, any lineup with Dr. Dog is automatically a good lineup. With that out of the way, it is important to recognize big names like Ben Harper and Galactic, but also smaller acts that bring the heat like Trombone Shorty, Eli Paperboy Reed, and Toubab Krewe. If the weather is nice, Blue Hills will be the place to be this weekend.

Go see some live music this week,

Perry