Band In Boston

Talk about sudden overmotivation. We figured putting out a session every day this month wasn’t enough of a challenge, so here’s a new episode of original recipe Band in Boston. Enjoy! Featuring The Maquis, Wye Oak, St. Claire, Viva Viva, Meadowlarks, The Boyfriends, Private Dancer, Margin Walker, Pile, Bunny’s a Swine, Nightmare Air, The Broken River Prophet, Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs, The Wrong Reasons, The Tired Times, The highway, Glorytellers, and The Swimmers.

I don’t know where to start describing Quixote. They are the kind of band that made me fall in love with music so many years ago. Clever and witty (both musically and lyrically), dynamic, poppy. We love them. They also managed to piece their set together almost seamlessly, like an on-the-fly concept album. Song List: 1. Zigeuner 01:57 2. Hubris 03:35 3. Annunaki 03:39 download 4. God Damn 02:32 download 5. Wide Awake, Half Alive 03:08 download 6. Owls 02:24 download 7. From the Yardarm 04:21 download 8. To the Bottom and Back Again 03:54 download Quixote on the web Download individual tracks here or listen to the whole thing:

St. Claire was originally named Forsythe, after the last name of brother/sister team Emily and Glenn. As the band expanded, they changed their name. They stripped it back down to the duo for us (and you!). Go and see them on Sunday December 6 at Great Scott! Song List: 1. I Would Invite You 03:46 download 2. Georgia 04:42 3. He is a Ghost 03:51 download 4. I’ll Steal Back All My Horses 03:04 download 5. My Eyes and My Fears 06:26 download 6. You Itch Like a Secret 04:36 St. Claire on Myspace Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole thing:

Columbus, Ohio’s Flotation Walls list everyone from Leonard Cohen to Aphex Twin as influences, and it’s not just to be cute. Their anthemic songs come across as the soundtrack to a postmodern Wagnerian opera. Song List: * Body 04:21 * Sperm and Egg 03:28 * Kids, Look at the Waves 03:55 * Worms 03:19 * Frozen Lake 04:28 * I Have Seen Death and his Tremendous Pink Eyes 05:53 * The Sky Ejaculates 04:32 flotationwalls.com Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole thing:

On to day 2 of Session-A-Day December! When a band is named after a Fermilab experiment to observe neutrinos, you never know what to expect. In the case of MiniBoone, you get a twisted mix that reminds us of a cross between The Press, The Talking Heads, Modest Mouse, and maybe a pinch of They Might Be Giants. Song list: 1. An Auspicious Beginning 03:24 download 2. Rosalina Must Dance Alone 02:49 download 3. Chairs are for Lovers 02:09 download 4. Car With the Cans on the Back 03:22 download 5. Summer Jam (Cool Fun) 04:00 download 6. Funny Money 04:40 download MiniBoone on Myspace Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole shebang:

Just now, as I pasted this photo of A Brief Smile (from NYC) into today’s post, I was surprised all over again at how young these guys are. Barely into their twenties, they already have an album and 4 EPs (3 of which you can – and should – download for free from their website), and they create some of the most room-filling shoegazey (but catchy!) rock that we’ve heard in quite some time. Song List: 1. Century at Heart 03:32 2. For a While 03:52 download 3. In Dreams 03:58 download 4. Motorcycle 03:05 download 5. Animal Magnetism 03:32 download 6. Surprise 04:55 download A Brief Smile on the interwebs. Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole session:

From the Florida Everglades by way of Athens – their current home – Tim and Jenny are collectively Captain #1. They sing songs, about, as they say, “murders, about love, about angels and hydrogen balloons.” We couldn’t put it better ourselves. Song List: 1. On the Back of a Whale 02:42 download 2. These Roads Will Lead You Home 02:51 3. Clover Street 03:18 download 4. Untitled 02:43 download 5. Untitled 02:03 download 6. Walk You Home 01:59 download 7. Trailer Trash 02:28 download 8. Eulogy 02:59 download 9. Old Man at a Counter in a Small Town 02:47 download 10. Apple of My Eye 03:04 captainnumber1.com Download individual tracks here. Or listen to the whole thing, complete with banter, below:

If you’re a fan of The New Black Magic Rainbow Quartet, you’re going to love Bell and the Bees. Featuring two of the same members, this time led by Sue Bell on guitar and vocals, they may have the distinction of being the quietest band we’ve ever recorded. The result is an incredibly intimate set of songs that would make a perfect relaxing soundtrack to, for example, a day of insane Christmas shopping. Song List: 1. Forest of Letters 02:24 2. Old Time Medicine 02:59 download 3. Audrey’s Diary 02:13 download 4. Do You Know 02:47 download 5. Apples to Ashes 03:14 download 6. Song Sung Blue (by Neil Diamond) 02:31 download 7. Me, My Dad, and Smokey Robinson 03:13 download 8. Sha La La 05:52 download 9. (Icarus Reprise) 03:11 download Bell and the Bees on MySpace Download the individual tracks here. Or listen to the whole thing in one go:

I’m not even going to try to describe Dead Heart Bloom (from NYC), but I’m sure you’ll be downloading the tracks. Because, damn, this is one of our favorite sessions ever. Song List: 1. Love Like Lies 04:45 2. Flash in a Bottle 06:15 download 3. Strange Waves 04:20 download 4. The Up and Down 03:58 download 5. Chelsea Song #2 02:50 download Dead Heart Bloom’s home on the web (where you can download their EPs for free!)

Oftentimes, we’ll have bands come in with brand new songs that haven’t even been titled yet. That is when we get to randomly choose a phrase that one of us overhears someone using during the session. Such is the case with “Peanut Butter Finish”, a song that was so new that the vocals weren’t even done yet. We’ll be amazed if anyone in The Royalty remembers the meaning of that phrase. We won’t, however, be amazed if you remember to go and see them at PA’s on Saturday. Because if you’re a fan of Pavement-esque fuzz pop, boy is it your lucky day. Song List: 1. Whatever I Want 03:28 download 2. Move 06:04 download 3. Driving Song 03:22 download 4. Single 07:12 download 5. Grounded (by Pavement) 04:10 download 6. Forth 03:43 download 7. New Year 06:40 download 8. “Peanut Butter Finish” (Instrumental) 04:49 download 9. Entertainment 03:35 download 10. Mission 08:09 download 11.

We’re back with a whole pile of great sessions in the next week or so. Those of you who creep around music.bandinbostonpodcast.com already found this gem, but here’s a proper release for the iTunes crowd. TonyBear stopped in with his sister GinaBear just in time to record some great tunes before she hit the road in pursuit of married life. Tony is known to have a rotating cast of bears joining him, so who knows what arrangement he’ll be in the next time he plays out. Song List: 1. The Second Week in July 02:28 download 2. Summer of Love 03:00 download 3. Poor Boy 03:19 download 4. Don’t Hurt Yourself 04:04 download 5. Anytime Motion 02:37 download 6. Live Like Mountains 03:56 download 7. Knife Sticker 02:50 download 8. Sneakers 03:23 download TonyBear on MySpace

I think we’ve made it clear how much we love Akudama. This is their third trip into the Flophouse, not counting when Cal and Blake stopped by as a duo. This time they brought along a few brand new tunes, and a couple of great covers. Be sure to check out their free EP of the Month series – this month features… well hey, a bunch of these songs! Song List: 1. Thumbelina download 2. Sun (From Underneath the Lake) download 3. People download 4. Barbershop download 5. Turtle Tan download 6. Emit download 7. Dreams (Fleetwood Mac) download 8. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes download web: www.akudamamusic.com Full session with banter and whatnot:

We first got wind of Brother George when The Dead Trees last came through town, and Tory was playing aux percussion.  Little did we know he had his own band that is going to knock your socks off presently. They are playing Monday, September 14th at Zuzu. And yes, that’s Zuzu, so it’s free! If that can’t get you out on a Monday night, nothing will. Give up, go watch your Charlie Sheen shows. Song List: 1. This Time, Next Time download 2. Did You Know download 3. Welcome Home download 4. White Sheets download 5. Books on Tape download 6. Jesus is Alright download 7. Baby Ky’ote download Download all the songs here. Brother George on Myspace

West Branch, Michigan’s The Valley Ghosts falls into that category of “too loud for the living room,” but we were able to get a couple of their quietest songs out of them, while causing minimum damage. Song List: 1. The Hum download 2. Nine O’Clock download Download All The Valley Ghosts on the Myspace.

A lot of bands cite Bob Dylan and Van Morrison as influences. And a lot of those bands suck. Mount Peru proves that you don’t have to telegraph such things when you do it justice. Born from the ashes of Whiskey Giants, they take along the aforementioned Bob and The Man and mix in a helping of poppy wonderfulness. Song list: 1. Disaster Girl download 2. Suicidal Tennessee download 3. Crooked Road Blues download 4. Psalm download Mount Peru on the MySpaces