I just got a crazy little text message from Hartford to tell me the great news! Seamus and Meredith are engaged, and licensed event halls everywhere are lining up to bid on the reception. Way to go guys – here’s to a great life together.
New Pornographers/Belle & Sebastian @ Avalon, Boston.
At one point during the concert tonight, I turned to the group of friends and siblings I was with and made the uproariously hilarious remark: “Hi, I’m the Boston Fire Inspector. Thanks a lot for not inviting me?” The February 28th Belle and Sebastian show at Avalon in Boston (just a pause for the search engines here, folks) was grossly oversold, and I’d like to sarcastically thank the powers that be for jamming us in there like branded cattle. I’ve seen about 800 shows there since 1988 – including packed houses like Coldplay and the Pixies, and I’ve never been welfarically uncomfortable before. I could actually see the panic attacks taking place on the faces of the people around me. Especially when New Pornographers covered “Once Bitten, Twice Shy“. All horribly tasteless jokes aside, that was a real pain in the ass you money grubbing Landsdowne fucks.
The NP‘s were great, and I’m adding their new song Bones of an Idol to the Wadio right now so have a listen on your left. I’ve spun it 8 times already today – it’s awesome. They’re from Vancouver, and have developed a huge ex-pat following a la the Hip here in Boston. I saw tons of Maple Leafs being rocked on hats, scarves and jackets last night. They use two keyboards, a mouth organ and male/female vocal mix that’s about 50/50. A pulsing, unique sound that I’m going to be delving into deeply over the next few weeks. Super band.
Belle and Sebastian sounded amazing, despite the fact we eventually retreated to one of Avalon’s back corners when the crowds began to surge forward. One thing about hipster crowds – they don’t brush their teeth and fart uncontrollably. I have to chalk it up to all the cheap food available in Davis square, or the fact that sometimes they’re forced to eat Decemberist records when their student loans run out. Either way, it was like a focus group for Crest and Gas-X and I gladly hid in the back, hence my completely awful pictures. Not to mention I was asked to stop taking photos by a 4-foot tall bouncer who also smelt like he’d been eating aquarium scum.
I thoroughly enjoyed Stuart’s silly dancing, and the horns sounded perfect. Judy and the Dream of Horses and Seeing Other People were the highlights for me, although Stu forgot the first verse of the latter. These guys are a tight, tight outfit. The tour has just started, and here’s a list of the dates lest you wish to venture out. Just remember to wear fire retardent clothing and to spread Vaporub under your nostrils like Clarice Starling.
The Dulcet Tones Of Scotland’s Finest.
“Belle and Sebastian are not snogging. Sometimes they hold hands, but that is only a display of public solidarity. Sebastian thinks Belle ‘kicks with the other foot’. Sebastian is wrong, but then Sebastian can never see further than the next tragic ballad. It is lucky that Belle had a popular taste in music. She is the cheese to his dill pickle.” – Jeepster.
It’s just sort of dawned on me that I’m going to see Belle and Sebastian tonight with the New Pornographers opening up. I kind of want to go to the bathroom and rub myself. Something had to fill the gaping void that Big Country left in my life. My new camera will be making the trip (to the concert, not the bathroom), as will Nate, Tom, Janet etc – and I’ll be sure to post some wacky related concert photos tomorrow.
I started listening to this band in early 1998 while I lived in England. Moynihan reccomended them to me over this new technology we’d discovered called e-mail. I ran down to HMV in Maidenhead and picked up the then just released ‘The Boy With the Arab Strap’ before quickly moving on to ‘Tigermilk‘. That CD would go on to join the Verve’s Urban Hymns as the Hinds Head lockin CD, and it was a glorious time to be a 24-year-old. Pisshead.
My excitement over this band has been somewhat muted by age and time, but 7 years ago I would have burned off my own pubic hair with a magnifying glass to get a ticket. I have to get in touch with that young fanboy lad tonight and properly soak in the magnitude of the moment. But definitely try and talk him out of the whole pubic hair thing.
Bonnie Bounces Back.
I’ve felt like I’ve hit a plateau lately. Head first from about 20 feet in the air. Dropped by the ankles. If I were a pool of water, I’d be so stagnant there’d be more tadpoles swimming around in me than in Paris Hilton’s hair. Things can go from so exciting, to so stressful and stupid, so very quickly. Something big is about to happen – I’m just not sure what it is yet. And then there’s that little thing called perspective that comes knocking…
But if I may be allowed to put down my own violin for a moment, my mother called me yesterday to let me know that her post-chemo tests are completely negative. She had a long painful summer, the extent of which I cannot imagine. Although I keep this site fairly impersonal, I know there’s a lot of readers who will want to hear that news. Way to go, Mom. We love you. And I’m not just saying this because I’m moving into the trailer with you next week.