Here's a quick one this morning before I share up the weekly live set...

We shouldn't have much longer to wait for the arrival of perennial Boston band (and Jon Stewart fave) Buffalo Tom's seventh album. According to an update from singer/guitarist Bill Janovitz: "Looks like our record will be out around May". Here's hoping. Looks like Bill, Chris, and Tom will be heading down to SxSW next month, so catch 'em for me if you're down there.

For those in the downtown Boston area this week, Bill will be playing a free solo set at noon on Wednesday the 14th at the First Act Guitar Store on Boylston (and I'm sure he won't be able to resist covering a love song of some sort). The following week, on Friday the 23rd, you can catch another free lunchtime set from Dear Leader / Sheila Divine frontman Aaron Perrino.


Another Valentine's Day show to make note of is an appearance by The Community Sisters, which brings together three of Boston's best: Seana Carmody (Swirlies/Syrup USA/Shenzou 5), Mona Elliott (Victory at Sea/Spore), and Deb Warfield (Broken River Prophet/Shenzou 5). The acoustic trio plays on Wednesday night at PA's Lounge in Somerville with Carlisle Sound, Kahoots, and Jeff Chasse, and if the Community Sisters' MySpace page gives any indication, fans of our furry outdoor friends will be most pleased.



Former Bostonian and ex-Helium frontwoman Mary Timony has announced the title and release date for the next album with her band (which includes Medications singer/guitarist Devin Ocampo on drums and bass player Chad Molter). It'll be called "The Shapes We Make", and will be out on May 8th, 2007 on Kill Rock Stars. I'm sure we'll get a preview during a March tour they have planned, which includes a stop at SxSW.

Here's a link to the track that the band contributed to the recent KRS "Winter Holiday Album", which was recorded at J. Robbins' Magpie Cage studios in Baltimore during the same sessions for "The Shapes We Make"...



In case you hadn't yet heard, former Belly frontwoman and Throwing Muse Tanya Donelly has generously offered up 10 downloadable demos that she recorded before the album that eventually became Belly's "Star". According to Tanya's notes, some of the tracks include contributions from Kim Deal, as they almost ended up as Breeders songs before the parting of musical ways that resulted in Belly and a Tanya-less Breeders. Along with those 10 tracks, you'll find almost 20 other demos from her solo career, and while all the songs are freely shared, there's a Paypal tip jar you can use to return Tanya's generosity with a little of your own.


The Shins just added a bunch more stops to their now-in-progress North American tour, and Boston is one of 'em. The band will hit the Orpheum on Thursday, March 15th with Viva Voce (so, yes, look for Anita Robinson to add her gorgeous harmonies to some Shins songs on stage). Tickets will go on sale this Saturday, February 17th, at 10am, and will sell out shortly thereafter.


I'm actually slightly surprised that Bloc Party hasn't yet sold out their own show at the Orpheum on March 28th, but I'm guessing it's gotta be close. I was on the fence about seeing them this time around, but after spending tons of time with "Weekend In The City" (and the dozen-or-so b-sides), I checked ticket availability over the weekend and scored a couple seats in the front row of a balcony box. Tight budget be damned, I'm there.


You have until this Wednesday night to catch one of the only Boston-area showings of the re-released mid-90s indie-rock-ish flick Half-Cocked (that's a lotta hyphens). The film, which was co-directed by Suki Hawley and former Sleepyhead bass player Michael Galinsky, is screening daily at 6:30 and 8:30pm at The Video Underground in Jamaica Plain (pdf flyer here). If you're at all a fan of the American indie-rock scene circa 15 years ago, the black and white film will either spark all sorts of fond memories, or act as a minor history lesson if you weren't paying attention back then. But a rocking history lesson, to be sure. The Grifters' performance of "She Blows Blasts of Static" is worth the price of admission alone.

If you're looking to see it on your own smaller screen, the film has just been released on a 10th-anniverary DVD, which includes Galinksy & Hawley's follow-up film, "Radiation", and a slew of bonus material. I'll write more on the DVD release later on, but you can check out some of the bonus material over at the Half-Cocked site.


Another music-specific film I'm really looking forward to is coming to Boston in April, just a month after it premieres at Austin's SXSW. "The Silver Jew", which follows David Berman as he plays the Middle East (yes, the actual Middle East, not our local club) with his band, The Silver Jews (via Aquarium Drunkard). The 50-minute documentary (.mov trailer here) will be part of the 2007 Independent Film Festival of Boston, which will be marking its fifth year on April 25th through the 30th. This is the first bit of lineup news I've heard about the festival, and I'm already excited... can't wait to see what else the IFFBoston crew has planned for this year.


Lastly, thanks to Will at Northeast Performer magazine for asking me to contribute some music-blog-related ramblings to an article in their February issue titled "Blogs and Internet Radio: The Online Explosion of Personal Preference". I was pretty pleased to discover my thoughts alongside those of WOXY's Bryan Jay Miller (I do love me some WOXY), and also to read the phrase "as Searles wisely points out". I'm not sure the word "wisely" and I have ever been linked.