So this coming Tuesday, Secretly Canadian is reissuing the two long-lost albums by Bobb Trimble, Iron Curtain Innocence (1980) and Harvest of Dreams (1982). Both records are totally essential, I’ve learned in the past month or so. Haunting, creepy, and totally bizarre, maybe like an R. Stevie Moore or Ariel Pink interpretation of The Wall or something like that. Reagan-era Worcester and its desperate loneliness and desolation ooze out of every second of these records, but with a weird uplifting hope. I’ve been hooked on them from the moment I got them in about a month ago, and I can’t recommend the flanged-out weirdness of it all more.
This Thursday, November 8th, River Gods will be hosting a CD release/listening party with the man of the hour in attendance, and I suggest anyone interested get there early to enjoy the festivities. Details:
NOT a gig per se, but Bobb will indeed be on hand to help celebrate…
Secretly Canadian presents:
Bobb Trimble listening party
for the deluxe enhanced reissues of
Iron Curtain Innocence (1980)
Harvest of Dreams (1982)Both albums will be played
Also: DJ ned egg (Nick Branigan) & special guestsvenue is 4 blocks from Central Sq. (MBTA Red line)
recommended inexpensive parking ($1/hr.):
5 blocks away, at Green St. Garage
(260 Green St., between Pearl St. & Magazine St.)
I’ll be there having dinner and some brews and some haunting songsmithing before heading over to the Middle East to see A Place To Bury Strangers later in the evening. It’ll be a great night.
Its not often that I get so flustered and excited by what I’m seeing at a show that I’m simultaneously spellbound and barely containing my desire to run around to every person I know and confirm with them that this is the best. Seeing the Gris Gris play at PA’s Lounge in April of 2005 left me like this. And finally, seeing Sic Alps play at O’Briens in Allston last night did it again. Something about the Bay Area and its bands investment in exploring and embracing the ragged edge of fidelity so bravely? Who knows, but for me, seeing the duo of Mike Donovan and Matt Hartman practically rewrite the rulebook that Spacemen 3 wrote and dive into the simplest, most intuitive ideas just sold it. One-chord/one-riff songs, loose drums, great cranky echoed vocals mixed with the Hartman’s instumental multitasking, most effectively when he simply used a guitar as a snare drum while accompanying. Sweet drones and chants flowed into some rough and tumble bluesy numbers, into revelatory Sister Ray level freakouts, and back to delicate duets.. unbelievable. I later realized that Hartman is some kind of serious vet. Originally of legendary noise pop band, Henry’s Dress, he’s something of a journeyman, drumming with Cat Power, Coachwhips, Total Shutdown, who knows who else. Either way, tremendous band, really one of the most crucial shows I’ve seen in years, and I highly reccomend whatever you can get your hands on, but their LP called Pleasure and Treasure on Animal Disguise is a fierce minimalist garage/drone record of the highest order. It took me a few listens to wrap my head around it, and took seeing them live to truly understand how great they are, but all told it couldn’t be more rewarding. Good biz…
Both the shows on my “must see” schedule next week feature Cococoma headlining, but that’s kind of a secondary point. While I’ve been loving the hell out of their various 7″s and am happily anticipating their debut LP on Goner, the real crucial business is that in the course of two days four of the most exciting current local bands will be joining them. For the Providencers, or the Bostonians willing to commute, next wednesday (10/3) at AS220 will see two of Providence’s most brutal starting the party. Tinsel Teeth have the old school dirge rock jams down as well as a penchant for playing in the nude (not sure about AS220 policy on that kind of thing), and I keep missing the shows, like an idiot. After them, the best band in Providence, Black Clouds will ruin the show for anyone following them. Seriously, the nastiness of their primal two-guitar/drums bullshit is pretty unparalleled and makes it difficult to discuss in any kind of measured way. So yeah, Providence pretty much has it made that night. Worth the trip down for all you northern types.
The reason I’m actually making the trip up to Somerville the next day, though, is that any bill featuring Turpentine Brothers my unhinged buddies in Life Partners can’t really be passed up (especially when Cococoma gets mixed into that cocktail). The Turps really need to get some more wax out, whether a full length or more singles, because their last few singles (including a split with Cococoma) have been downright feral, and their live show has only suggested that as awesome as their first LP was, it’ll be buried by the dirt their next record will throw all over the place. I’ve maintained Life Partners as the inexplicably greatest band in Boston for some 6-7 months now. Offensive disaster rock that maintains a musicality almost never found at those depths, where no idea is a bad idea.
So yeah, Cococoma, thanks for inadvertently causing the best 1-2 punch of locals shows in recent memory. And hey, these Hipshakes you’re touring with sound great too. I’m gonna be broke soon…