Boston Invades Northampton.

You don't have to drive to Boston to see some really quality Boston bands in the coming days. I'd like to voice my support for seeing Hallelujah The Hills on Saturday, followed by an evening with Neptune on Monday. Think you can handle it?

Saturday, June 28th
Hallelujah The Hills
The Thungs
at the Basement (21 Center Street), Northampton, MA
10pm, 21+, FREE FOR ALL YOU CHEAPSKATES!

Monday, June 30th
Neptune
Bunnies
Vermin
Eric Hnatow
at the Elevens (140 Pleasant Street), Northampton, MA
10pm, 21+, in the range of inexpensive

We Love Neptune (And You Should Too).

In our on-going effort to keep tabs on seemingly every band on the Love & Circuits compilation, especially when it concerns the western portion of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, get a load of this, dudes:

Monday, June 30th
NEPTUNE!
Bunnies
Vermin
Eric Hnatow
at the Elevens (140 Pleasant Street), Northampton, MA
10pm, 21+

Mark Ya Calendars

Boston College's radio station WZBC 90.3 FM is holding a 35th Anniversary concert on May 3rd at T.T. the Bears with No Age, Neptune, Big Digit and The Big Disappointments confirmed. For only 10 bucks looks like a worthy weekend event.

Parts and Labor are doing a few shows in our northerly neighbor states. First is a show with the AustinHouston-tastic Indian Jewelry at Dartmouth College's Fuel Rocket Club on May 9th. The second is a show with Brooklyn's fine Aa (Big A Little A) at Bennington College on May 10th.

3 of the bands just mentioned can be found on the Cardboard Records Love and Circuits compliation that came out last month. Much like how the DFA Record Compilation #2 was the map of NYC dance music back in 2004, this compilation is gives you the state of 2008 noise rock.

Here's the mandatory Youtube video:

Aa - Thirteen (not a Big Star cover)

For the Weekend

In case you're in the Boston-area this weekend rather than attending the Flywheel's 2nd Annual Record Fair, may I recommend you check yourself into the following events?

APRIL 12TH

PISSED JEANS 2X SHOWS

Show 1
Oxfam Cafe
5:30 PM FREE, ALL AGES

Pissed Jeans
New Lows
Waste Management
Rival Mob

Show 2
The Middle East Upstairs
9 PM $9, 18+

Pissed Jeans
Gerty Farish
Reports
Tinsel Teeth

APRIL 13TH

Milky Way
9 PM $8, 21+

AIDS Wolf
White Mice
Neptune

Dollar Short

I wanted to post this prior to the Neptune's show but I never found a version to embed. It's like a Terry Richardson video shoot. Or not.

"Grey Shallows" from Gong Lake

Happy Birthday To Me!

We've got another drool-worthy show on the radar this weekend featuring Neptune (see: the Oneida/Kinski show we gushed about a few months ago). It's also their album release show, but the real cause for celebration is that it's MY BIRTHDAY*. The incredible, amazing & underrated Helms are also playing, along with These Are Powers, who put out one of 2007's finest albums while out Liars-ing Liars.

Neptune
Helms
These Are Powers
Animal Hospital
Saturday, February 16th
9pm, $10.00, 21+
Great Scott
Harvard and Comm. Ave
Allston MA 02134

A film-noir inspired video for "Silver Lung" by These Are Powers, complete with lots of potatoes:



* I will be accepting vegan baked goods & gifts if you wish to bestow them upon me in honor of the twenty-third year of my existence.

Come On Everybody, Let's Rock!

So Oneida is playing in Cambridge at the Middle East this Saturday with Kinski, Cul De Sac & Neptune. If that line-up doesn't make your head want to explode with glee, then I feel really, really sorry for you. I'm not usually one for advocating going to Boston for things, but seriously. Oneida. If your head doesn't explode with glee over the line-up, it will definitely explode from sheer rockage after seeing Oneida live.

Don't believe me? "Each One, Teach One", live in Atlanta.


We were also talking last night about the Sheets Of Easter Everywhere six-tape series that Furniture Records is doing where a whole slew of bands cover Oneida's epic "Sheets of Easter" (duh). I thought the line-up seemed bizarrely heavy on relatively obscure Texas bands (plus Jana Hunter, who isn't so obscure now that she has the Devendra thing going for her) & I guess it wasn't my imagination, given that the label is based out of Austin, which never occurred to me. Let's just say that I hadn't heard the names Best Fwends or Skullening since I was living in Houston. From Furniture:

Everyone here at Furniture is proud to inform you that we will be begin our singles club within the week. Unlike most singles clubs, Sheets of Easter Everywhere will be a very very unique experience. Over the course of a year we will be releasing six tapes with very nice packaging (each volume designed by a different artist). Each tape will feature interpretations of Oneida's infamous "Sheets of Easter." One tape will be released every other month starting in February 2007 and there will be a very small run of each tape. After the year is up, we will have a final tape blowout extravaganza but those details will be disclosed at a later date.

Sheets of Easter Everywhere will feature: AIDS Wolf, Awesome Cool Dudes, BARR, Best Fwends, Birthdayboyy, Cleckhuddersfax, Daniel Francis Doyle, DJ Sony Playstation, Excepter, Fancy Feast, Fireworks Ensemble, Jason Forrest, Genghis Tron, Glitter Pals, Jana Hunter, Shawn David McMillen, MonsterDudes, Parts & Labor, Pit er Pat, Plastic Crimewave Sound, Dick Price, Pterodactyl, Skullening, Synt.tofs and many more types of bands and music.

As far as I can tell, only two of the tapes are out so far, so you probably have time to jump on the cassette bandwagon before the rest of the series materializes.