Author Archives: suze72
Simon Phillips, A Jazz Fusion Powerhouse
I love it when I go to a show not really knowing the artist (therefor having no expectations), and having my mind blown. That happened last night with Simon Phillips on his Protocol II tour stop at Scullers Jazz Club.
Ernest Tibbs, Steve Weingart, Andy Timmons, Simon Phillips (left to right)
My friend asked if I wanted to see this show; since I wasn’t familiar with Simon’s name (although I of course know Toto, the band he’s probably best known for), I listened to a clip of his music. It took me less than 30 seconds of listening to know that I needed to see this show.
Simon
Barnstar! Rocks Club Passim
Yes, the exclamation point is part of the band’s name – I like the POW! statement it makes (at least to me) about this terrific band.
Barnstar!
Barnstar! is a group of extremely talented local musicians playing bluegrass music. Read the rest of this entry
Club d’Elf Soars
Club d’Elf is an amazing ensemble that never seems to consist of the same members twice! I’ve seen them three times so far, and the only musician who has performed in all three shows is Mike Rivard, the bass and sintir player.
Mike Rivard
It is difficult, if not impossible, to describe Club d’Elf’s music in one word – other than fabulous! Read the rest of this entry
Willie Nile, A Great Storyteller
Willie Nile is one of the best singer-songwriters you don’t know, yet he’s been around long enough that he opened for The Who and recorded in the same studio at the same time as Yoko Ono and John Lennon.
Willie Nile, Johnny ‘Pie’ Pisano, and Peter Hoffman
Music maven that I am, I wasn’t familiar with Willie until a couple of years ago when I saw a picture of an elementary school friend playing with him. That was reason enough to check him out in a live performance. Now, I will see him every time he plays in the Boston area, especially if he’s at Club Passim.
Willie Nile
Ringing in 2014 With The Felice Brothers
In 2010, I started going to concerts on New Year’s Eve and it’s become a tradition that I intend to keep (as long as there are shows I’d like to see).
This year, the show was The Felice Brothers, who I’d seen open for Mumford & Sons, and The Low Anthem, who I’d never seen, at Brighton Music Hall.
Both Bands Together on Stage at Midnight
Best Concerts of 2013
The time has come for me to reflect on the 128 concerts I attended in 2013 and determine the top ten. It was an extremely difficult task this year because I saw so many excellent shows.
I laid one ground rule for myself. I did not include sets at festivals for one main reason – there is generally a lot more energy at a festival than at a ‘regular’ concert and the musicians feed off that energy which produces a better show. Also, at festivals musicians from other bands tend to sit in with the act on stage so one is not always seeing the band as they typically perform. Read the rest of this entry
A Prince Among Men
In a word, WOW! Prince!!!
The entire show was a spectacle without going over the top.
The Crowd as Prince Took the Stage
An Evening of Excellent Downhome Blues Was Just What I Needed
I was in the mood for some blues last night – the holidays have been quite stressful this year and I hoped that hearing the blues would lift my spirits. It did that and more!
I first saw Sue Foley perform almost twenty years ago at Antone’s in Austin, Texas, and loved her. I saw her again at a blues festival in New Hampshire about eleven years ago and not since. I had never heard of Peter Karp, but figured since he and Sue have partnered, he had to be good. Johnny D’s is quite possibly my favorite venue in the Boston area and was the perfect place to host this terrific blues band.
Peter and Sue
An Overview of Boston-Area Music Venues
I thought this would be a good time to post some lists. One I’ve been thinking about for a while is to my ten favorite shows of the year. That’s going to be a hard list to make since I’ve seen about 125 shows so far.
In this first list, I’ll tell you about many of the venues where I’ve seen shows, and what I like as well as dislike about them. This will be in alphabetical order so as not to imply that the top of the list is my favorite venue – I’m also forcing you to read the entire post! Aha, an ulterior motive!
This list is not complete because there are venues at which I have not attended shows – Iron Horse in Northampton, The Center for the Arts in Natick, T.T. the Bear’s and The Middle East in Cambridge. I have also not included music festivals because I don’t believe anyone attends a festival because it’s held at a particular venue or outdoor space. Read the rest of this entry
Concert Announcements? Surely You Jest (Don’t Call Me Shirley)!
Here is is, another weekly post about concerts announced this week. There weren’t many shows announced that caused me to say ‘wow’ this week.
Marc Cohn at the Somerville Theatre – Thursday, February 13
Nicole Atkins at Brighton Music Hall – Friday, February 14
Brett Dennen at The Royale Boston – Friday, February 28
Tony Bennett at Providence Performing Arts Center – Saturday, March 8
Lorde at The Opheum – Friday, March 14
The Melodic (I’ve never heard of them but the description sounds very interesting) at The Narrows Center for the Arts – Sunday, March 30
Simon Townsend at The Narrows Center for the Arts – Friday, April 11
Alejandro Escovedo at The Narrows Center for the Arts – Saturday, April 19
Delbert McClinton at The Narrows Center for the Arts – Tuesday, April 22
suze reviews the blues 