Boston Music - Boston Concerts Clubs and Live Music Reviews

They ain't heavy, they're the Kirkwood Brothers
Finding out what makes the Meat Puppets tick with a new oral history BY JAMES PARKER

Organ beats

The preservation of Carolina Chocolate Drops
Seeing a Carolina Chocolate Drops concert is a transformative experience — and not just because of the old-time string band's immense talents and diverse instrumentation.
The Cult survives rock's highs and lows
There is a difference between an unknown musical artist and a superstar, and that difference isn't necessarily musical — it's mythological.
They ain't heavy, they're the Kirkwood Brothers
Finding out what makes the Meat Puppets tick with a new oral history

Sub Pop

Lemonade | Diver
Halfway through "Infinite Style," the glossy electro-pop opener from Lemonade's sophomore LP, you'll hear the faint sound of a rhythmic exhale — or possibly two sticks rubbing together.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse | Americana
The track listing for Americana, the first new release from Neil Young & Crazy Horse since 2003's Greendale, may make some fans skeptical at first.
Pomegranates | Heaven
Although the songs on Heaven might not be uniformly good, the Cincinnati-based Pomegranates bring the charm via killer guitar sounds, creative keyboards, and the girlish vocals of twin tenors Isaac Karns and Joey Cook (whose lighter-than-air musings buoy this collection).

Wild things

The Fringe at 40
"I'm feeling a little light-headed," George Garzone told the audience last Saturday at the Boston Conservatory Theater, closing his eyes and bringing a hand to his brow.
The 2012 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
New Orleans Notes
Esperanza Spalding’s “Society”
The first time I was knocked out by Esperanza Spalding, she wasn't even playing — she was talking.

Mixed and matched

Out: An electronic séance with Hooray for Earth and Zambri at Great Scott
We in Boston enjoy reminding others that Hooray for Earth originally formed here, so we can still call them a Boston band.
Photos: The Fringe at the Boston Conservatory Theater
The Fringe perform live at the Boston Conservatory Theater on May 12, 2012.
Photos: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros at the Orpheum Theatre
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros perform live at the Orpheum Theatre on May 12, 2012.

Return of a band namer

The Big Hurt: This week in technical difficulties
As a freshly minted connoisseur of dead-guy holograms, I was thrilled when Brian May announced that deceased legend FREDDIE MERCURY would make a special appearance at the 10th anniversary show of Queen's musical, We Will Rock You.
The Big Hurt: Platinum League vs. Yo! MTV Raps Trading Cards
I spied an exciting story on XXL magazine's website: "Platinum League Releases First Ever Hip-Hop Trading Cards."
The Big Hurt: This week in strategic promotional partnerships
Art can't reach its full purity until it's been smelted in the crucible of commerce.

Classical classics

Very live at the Met
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a piece about the Met in HD, the low-cost screenings of live Metropolitan Opera productions in movie theaters around the world.
Haitink and the BSO, Zander and the BPO, the Emerson Quartet, the Vores Violin Concerto, and Donald Teeters’s farewell to Boston Cecilia
Sometimes you know it the minute you hear it, sometimes it takes a while, sometimes it never happens at all.
Roman Totenberg's last bow
Roman Totenberg is teaching a lesson.