Posts by Andrew Bruss

On a Boston night, where the hometown New England Patriots were in the process of losing the AFC championship, the Wood Brothers were bringing their unique blend of folksy, jazzed out Americana to a small crowd at Club Passim.

Seeing the energy of the show was “through-the-roof,” Matisyahu and his Hanukkah extravaganza gave Boston a performance at the Avalon Ballroom that was more than worthy of a cliché “two thumbs up.”

By continuously “throwing it all out there,” saturating the market with catchy rock tunes that are driven from the heart, and making more top ten of 2006 lists than can be counted, the Hold Steady are showing the rock world what their fan base already knows. They’re not necessarily going to “save rock and roll,” but they’re definitely giving it a long needed jump-start.

he Benevento/Russo Duo rocked their way through a single set at Higher Ground that was heavy on improvisation, but remained focused on the studio takes of their material. Having toured extensively with Phish alum Mike Gordon, Higher Ground has gradually become a second home away from The Duo’s NYC hot spot – The Knitting Factory.

When Michael Franti summons “how you feelin?” people respond. This was clearly the case at Boston’s Avalon Ballroom as Michael Franti and Spearhead had 1,500 bodies jumping to their rockin reggae rhythms, while fans responded with full lung capacity to Franti’s vigorous calls.

ortland, Oregon’s The Decemberists recently shocked their devoted fan base when they bolted from long time indie label, Kill Rock Stars, for the mainstream industry giant known as Capitol Records. The Crane Wife signifies a big middle finger to the rules of what is and what should be an indie major.

As the stakes have gradually risen, and potentially reached a boiling point on a west-coast tour with the Benevento/Russo Duo, the group surprised many members within its camp by deciding to take time off from the road, and indulge in some hard-earned down-time.

Medeski, Scofield, Martin, and Wood, kicked off their night of funked out jazz at Northampton's Calvin Theater, it was obvious to everyone in the house that gimmicks and stage antics weren’t on the agenda. Instead, quality musicianship was the quartet’s goal, and world-class technique was what they came to deliver.

Steel Train’s set at Cambridge Mass’ TT the Bears Place on the Friday of Halloween weekend was not only the conclusion of their recent trek across the States, but their last performance with drummer Matthias Gruber. The atmosphere around the venue was laid back as fans and performers alike watched the last few innings of Game 7 of the World Series while the opening act, House of Fools, did their thing.

Seeing as the venue was right across the street from the place where Paul Revere got the memo before taking his famous ride, the sextet’s front-man, Colin Meloy, even made a point to comment on the fact that their pre-civil war surroundings were probably built by “enslaved Nubian units.”