Okay, the “Sibilance” staff admit it: We’re a little obsessed with Ray LaMontagne. Luckily our jones for some new music from him will be fulfilled Saturday, June 24, with a special edition of Charlie Gaylord’s “Greetings from Area Code 207” program on WCLZ. At 11 am (and they’ll likely replay it later), you can hear LaMontagne do four tracks, including three from his upcoming Till the Sun Turns Black, and chat about life on the road for a big label. He’s got himself a new touring band, actually, and they were rehearsing on the outskirts of town in an industrial park, so Gaylord lucked into the in-person interview despite a general lack of interview opportunities being offered until the new record is ready for release (we’re hearing August 22 now). And if you’re similarly obsessed, google around looking for a download of Ray doing a version of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy.” It’s damn near sublime.
In case you were worried the Hi-Fivin’ White Guys were starting to get big heads, what with the new disc and the positive review from Sam Pfeifle (pfft — like he ever criticizes anything), rest assured. During their June 15 CD-release show at Geno’s, opening band and touring partners Smartbomb convinced the audience to walk out of the club during Hi-Fivin’s first song. A number of people took the occasion to first spit beer on the band and let them know that they suck. It was heart-warming, really, especially when everybody decided to actually come back and watch their set. Unfortunately, it was drummer Adam Cogswell’s last show with the band, which is a major loss.
Maine ex-pat Zachary Oberzan comes back to Biddeford, of all places, for a gig at McArthur Hall, June 24. He’s got a new disc, Athletes of Romance, about which Zach says with no understatement, “It is a great masterwork.” We’ll not go that far, but agree that Zach can turn a nice phrase. Local Shana Paradis opens.
Cal Clark, frontman for Band-Aid for a Bullet Wound, is kicking off his record label, Love and Strife Productions, with a compilation CD of local punk, rock, and folk bands called The Worst and the Better off Dead. The disc will feature Band-Aid, Sinferno, and the Hot Tarts, among others (whatever happened to the Hot Tarts Cornmeal Records re-release of their self-titled debut? It’s unclear. Label honcho Charlie Gaylord can’t quite figure it out, himself). Look for the Love and Strife release in the beginning of July.
