November 2009 Archives

On Friday night December 4th at Gemstones in Downtown Lowell, two of the Northeast's biggest acts and most prolific performers will be sharing the stage for one night of incredible live music.

Voted by MTV as "Boston's Best Breakout Artist for 2009" Gentlemen Hall will be opening for Lowell's own Jen Kearney and The Lost Onion. Two amazingly talented bands that have taken the rock, funk, and soul genres' to its next level with original songs that go right to the source of the influential groups and performers both acts have been compared too, and It only takes one listen from Jen's 2009 CD "The Year of the Ox" or the debut EP from Gentlemen Hall for one to start making such comparisons themselves to the likes of The Jackson Five, Aretha Franklin, Rick James, Jamiroquai, and Stevie Wonder.

On the surface Jen and the Gentlemen may appear to be quite different, however it is at the center of their two unique sounds and styles where both go right to the roots of funk and soul while bringing their own incredibly strong set lists of original music to the stage wherever and whenever they perform.

While JKLO has been perfectly nicknamed "The Soul of Lowell" by her fans and her music has most recently been heard on the WZLX 100.7FM radio program "Blues on Sunday", The "Gentlemen" with a style all their own have been dubbed "Robo-funk" by the Boston Globe and have been tagged by the same newspaper as "A true feel good band", both JKLO and GH have also gathered an impressive east coast following that the music industry is finally starting to take notice of.

The opportunity to see both bands on the same night sharing the same stage is a must see event, and getting the show started this Friday at 9pm will be Ashland's Attic another up and coming local band that appears to have a very similar influence. This is truly going to be a show that music fans will be talking about for a long time.

So come on out this Friday night to one of Downtown Lowell's premiere venues for Ashland's Attic, Gentlemen Hall, and Jen Kearney and the Lost Onion it is a show that simply cannot be missed.

Hope to see you there!

Fans of The Decemberist, Sufjan Stevens, and The Shins are going to love these guys (and gals) ! The long awaited CD from The Boston based Baroque Pop septet Supa Dupa is scheduled to be released on Dec 16th, and to cap off the date the band will be holding it's CD release party with a live performance at TT The Bears in Cambridge Massachusetts.

The tracks on the new Supa Dupa CD are not only heavily layered with wonderful musical arrangements but the lyrics and multiple part harmonies are also a delightful blend of clever story telling . And the candy colored uniform dress code the band adheres to while performing live is a throw back to the days when baroque pop first hit the scene in the mid 60's with acts such as The Left Bank and The Zombies, thus making Supa Dupa as much fun to watch as they are to listen to. Live performance is about sound and vision and all seven members of the band clearly seem to know this.

With songs from the CD such as "Not Played Enough" and "Sliced Bread" front man and songwriter Barry Kudrowitz shares with us all the notion that the human condition and words from the heart are always the main ingredient for success when writing a song and the soft touch of the music and heartbeat like rhythms can best be described as; romantic.

Check'em out at TT The Bears in Cambridge on Wednesday Night, December 16th, and if ya can't make it, you can tune into to WMBR 88.1 FM on Thursday January 7th at 4pm, Supa Dupa will be performing live on Dropping Knowledge w/ Drew and Vinayak hosted by yours truly.

Stay tuned

WMBR Radio personality, producer of the musically geared television show "A Local Anesthetic" and lifelong Mill City resident, Joe Graham (Joe G) has truly plugged himself into the center the local music scene. His popular radio and television show has featured some of the best musical acts the area has to offer, and whether he's playing their music on the air, shooting them on camera, or promoting them from the stage. Joe G's "Audio Floss" is your first choice to what's going on, who's hot, and where they're at before you step out for a night on the town......

"The Godfather of Boston Comedy" Dick Doherty and Joe Graham (JoeG) of Dick Doherty Beantown Comedy along with Gerry Murphy and Finbarr Sheehan owners of The Old Court Restaurant & Irish Pub 29 Central Street are pleased to announce the return of a premier stand up comedy club to downtown Lowell.

Dick operated the very popular comedy club Dick Doherty's Comedy 93 at the GRILL 93 in Andover for 8 years and Dick Doherty's Comedy Escape at The China Blossom in North Andover for 5 years and then"Dick Doherty's Comedy Escape" at the now defunct Doubletree Hotel (now a U Mass Lowell dorm ) for three years, Dick is very excited to be bringing his very successful Beantown Comedy Club format back to Lowell.They will be presenting one show a month in November, December and January and plan to do every other week after that. Several Dinner & Show packages will be available for the restaurant with appetizers and drinks available in the showroom. The club opens Saturday November 21st @ 9pm with Showtime, HBO, Comedy Central Star Robbie Printz along with Luke Hanbury and of course Dick himself. December 19th R-RATED HYPNOTIST Joey Devito a regular at The Grill 93 for years along with the Merrimack Valley's own Kyle Crawford and Laura Ficiciello, and coming in January Georgie of The Sopranos, Frank Santorelli

This Saturday, Nov 21st, 9PM at The Old Court Irish Restaurant and Pub

Robbie Printz, NATIONAL HEADLINER ~ A&E NETWORK'S, MTV COMEDY STAR Originally from the Boston area, Robbie began his assault on the national comedy scene in 1990 when he won the WBCN Comedy Riot. He then moved to New York and established himself as a solid young comedian through performances at all of the major comedy clubs and eventually several episodes of "MTV's Half Hour Comedy Hour". Robbie's popularity was sky rocketing and eventually led him to the West Coast and Los Angeles. Since moving to LA. in 1994, Robbie has performed in all of the major comedy clubs. He has also headlined an episode of "A&E's Evening at the Improv", and appeared in several nationally televised commercials. Robbie recently had the pleasure of opening for Aerosmith in New York at MTV's 10th Anniversary Special which aired in 14 countries and was seen live by an estimated 30 million people.

DICK DOHERTY "THE GODFATHER OF BOSTON COMEDY" with over forty five years in the entertainment business, Dick Doherty's illustrious career has taken him on a whirlwind tour around the nation and through time. From happy-hour folk singing in the early 60's to sold-out performances with his rock band "The Majority" in the mid 60's, to headlining shows at New York's renowned Copa Cabana Club in the 70's. "Dirty" Dick Doherty is back! Since his 1990 return debut at The Improv in Atlantic City, Dick has been performing to sold out crowds across the country. Variety Magazine says of Dick," Your mother would want to wash his mouth out with soap, and then take him home to feed him!" Dick chooses to maintain a naughty yet lovable format which continues to endear him to comedy audiences of all ages all around the world. As proven this past summer when Dick performed at such venues as The Fleet Center, Government Center and also in Hong Kong, China at the Convention Center at numerous sold out shows!!! Come see why Dick Doherty is here to stay.

This is guaranteed to be a great night of comedy, come early, eat, drink, and enjoy the show!

For reservations call 1-800-401-2221 or visit Dick online at beantowncomedy.com

Oh the long uphill struggle for stardom that rests on the shoulders of the "Cover band" almost all of them are reduced to weddings, private parties, proms, and the local bars. Good work if you can get it. for some they are a crowd favorite and can be quite popular on the local scene. But achieving breakout status, touring nationally, and becoming full blown rock stars is virtually impossible for many a talented musician who chooses imitation over originality.

However, there are recorded cases of such success and if one has the look and can replicate the sound, I'm here to tell you all that fame and fortune is waiting. All you have to do is pick an icon or a legendary rock band and just go for it.

On a number of occasions I have paid to see people impersonating Elvis, Elton John, Neil Diamond, and Rod Stewart. I have seen bands cover AC/DC, The Doors, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, and The Beatles. We all know and love the songs. Suspending ones disbelief for a couple hours and buying your ticket to see a band performing the music of your youth can be great fun, and some of these acts are playing to packed houses.

Truly, the only road to stardom for a cover band is the road that has already been paved by the act(s) they are trying to duplicate.

This brings me to your headliner. A cover band that is currently touring the country and with incredible success; "Get The Lead Out" (The American Led Zeppelin) is a total attack on the musical senses and a must see for Led Zep fans! A two-an-a-half-hour rock n' roll marathon featuring one Led Zeppelin song after another. Seven amazingly talented musicians will take the stage over the course of the evening to perfectly nail through the amps every popular tune from the original bands repertoire (that is no small number of tunes music fans, you'll hear all your faves), i also think it should be noted that GTLO actually takes 7 people to pull off on stage what the original 4 members of Zeppelin did, but perhaps that is what it takes to perform those songs to perfection and the goal of GTLO is to mimic the studio sound of the original recordings as well as breaking out songs which the original band never left on the stage back in the day.

So if you're a fan of Led Zeppelin, "Get The Led Out" is a must see show for you. Not only are they the best cover band I have ever heard, but they are in fact one of the best live shows I have ever seen!

and this just in; ; Get The Led Out ( The American Led Zeppelin) will be appearing live at The House of Blues on Friday January 22nd in Boston. so if ya can swing the price for the ticket in these hard times and enjoy drinking a $7 bottle of beer, then you are guaranteed to have a great time.

Stay tuned!

The band is called "Air Traffic Controller" and their debut CD "The One" hits shelves and the digital downloads of the www on Dec 8th. The CD features 12 songs that are perfectly polished and incredibly radio friendly. The music and lyrics are smart, wonderfully catchy, and positively charming.

The first single, "Can't Let Go" is a hit song waiting to happen! and i'm not suggesting that anyone stop there, The One is without a doubt loaded with more than just a handful of memorable tracks.

While "Bad Axe MI" takes only one listen before you all hold up those cigarette lighters, close your eyes, and start chanting; "One more song, One more song" deeper tracks such as "More, More, More" and "God Has A Plan" will have you clapping your hands and toe tapping along from start to finish.

The debut CD by Air Traffic Controller is simply that good, and truly something worth listening to again and again.

Nominated by MTV as one of Bostons Best Breakout Artist of 2009 "Air Traffic Controller" is one band that is sure to be taking off soon, and as cliche' as this may sound; The Sky's the Limit!

Be sure to check out their live appearance at Gemstones Night Club in Downtown Lowell on Saturday Night February 27th, tickets at the door are just $5.

also appearing that night are two other very popular local acts; "Audrey Can't Die" and "SpeakerMute" the show starts at 9pm and the doors open at 7:30pm

The semi-new Boston House of Blues will be getting another highline performer when the ageless Roger Daltrey performs on November 8th. Although Daltrey will be riding solo this time out, he won't be alone and will be accompanied by the band Paper Zoo. Paper Zoo which is set to release their new self-titled EP via Custard this fall. If you're not familiar with Paper Zoo, check out their MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/wearepaperzoo
If you would like to see this show, tickets are still available through Ticketmaster. Ticket prices for this show are reasonable with a high of $70. Also available are meet and greet ticket packages which will run you around $310. But if you're a Who fan and enjoy the entertainment value Roger Daltreybrings to the stage, then meeting him just might be within your purchase.
So now the question becomes, what exactly will The Roger be playing, and will it be as good as his performances with his childhood friend Pete Townsend. If you're going to this show, we would love to hear your review. Comment back and let us know your thoughts