weekend update.

2/25 Mikey Erg @ Outskirts House

The anticipation was unbearable on friday afternoon. My footprints in the new fallen snow showed how impatient i was for the show, as I paced back and forth waiting for the train. After meeting up with some friends in Allston amidst a flash snow storm, we took the bus out to Brighton. Outskirts House was a bit more accessible this time around, as all shows have been moved to the basement.The show started with Joey Unis of the band the BFs, with some acoustic renditions of his own songs as well as some cover songs.

The show continued with Jeff Rowe, who I'd previously seen with friends Laura Stevenson and the Cans at Great Scott. His energy was more apparent in this basement setting as he embraced the crowd with his gruff but tender vocals. The audience joined in on the songs that they knew and even added some harmony vocals which I assumed were from close friends of his, who were also at the show at Great Scott. Jeff closed his set with a song that just can't seem to escape the basements of Allston/Brighton, "Bikeage" by Descendents. Tigers Jaw covered this at the last Outskirts show and I felt like it was quite appropriate that this tradition continued as Jeff took this song on as his own and gave it new life. Dan Webb, normally backed by the Spiders, played a solo set as the acoustic music continued through the night. He brought a little more of a country rock twinge into the bill, which the audience seemed to enjoy. Not being familiar with his band, I had a hard time imagining these songs in that setting as they stood on their own very well. But I was certainly left with the urge to see Dan Webb with the Spiders.

Mikey Erg took the stage with very little commotion as he began to loop the opening chords of "Introducing Morrisey". Mike Erg otherwise known as Mike Yannich, was full of stories on this night. He was very open with the crowd as he encouraged them to move closer. He spoke of failed album release shows, as this show was supposed to be a release for his first solo single released on a 12" die-cut heart on Paper and Plastic records. Unfortunately he didn't have them with him, but he told the crowd that this wasn't the first time this had happened, as most of his album releases this was the case. He also told of his future endeavors which includes touring full time with the Star Fucking Hipsters featuring Stza of Leftover Crack, as well as a new split with Alex Kerns of Lemuria on Asian Man Records. Mike continued to play songs from his new 12", the future split, classic ergs songs as well as covers from Jonathan Edwards and Cee-Lo Green. It was great to sing along to these songs in such an intimate setting beside good friends. I look forward to what Outskirts House has to offer, and if you are curious look them up on facebook for future shows.

2/27 The Toasters @ Middle East Upstairs

This was kind of a last minute venture for me as I had remembered that my friend Logan was coming to town with The Toasters and asked if there was any chance of a guest spot. He returned my text promptly saying that he was planning to get a hold of me. It's nice to know that people are thinking of you sometimes, especially when it has been a long time. I first was introduced to Logan through his last band Royal City Riot, but was familiar with his playing from The Flaming Tsunamis record "Fear Everything". I got to the club just in time to catch the Allstonians who I have only seen once before, but It had been quite some time. They were quite impressive as usual with a more dominant horn section than I remember than before. They played some tunes that I recalled, and even got me dancing a little bit. The night was off to a good start but by no means did I expect what it would turn into.

I caught up with Logan a little bit before The Toasters went on and it was really great to see him, as it had been a few years since he'd played with Royal City Riot at Westbound Train's cd release show at the same venue a few years ago. The Toasters took the stage and the crowd responded immediately. The room exploded as one of the oldest collective mosh pits I'd seen in a while formed. Just about every one in the room was moving to countless songs, spanning their 30 year career as this marked their 30th anniversary. This band has seen many different members over the years, but this time around lead singer and sole original member Bucket was joined by members of local bands Westbound Train and Mile 21, which was cool to see.

I recalled a moment of my youth as my glasses were knocked off of my face while attempting to dance, and half of the floor assisted me in their retrieval. What a great feeling it was, as everyone in the room continued to dance. I was covered in sweat as usual as the show ended, but it was nice to be in the same position as many people my age for once. I caught up with Logan again after the show, and it was nice to reaffirm my friendship with him and know that he is still playing music for all the right reasons.

2/28 Paul Baribeau @ Mass Art

Kids started to pile up in front of classroom 181 and the doors were pushed back slightly. My friend Cash, who is a student at Mass Art said that the show would cap at around 65 which made me somewhat nervous as I waited for the E line amongst hundreds since there had been "difficulties" with the green line. Since I had friends who were coming from New Hampshire, I wanted to make sure they got in and began to worry a bit. I got to the show around the time it was slated to start and thankfully there weren't too many people there. Paul has a way of keeping his shows under wraps, which I think is a really cool and personal thing. This usually makes his shows a special thing.

The Poorest Saint took the stage after the crowded hallway filled the classroom and the people in attendance were eagerly awaiting the start. The Poorest Saint played a few songs which seemed to really connect with the crowd. He melded manic strumming and strained vocals which appropriately resonated as a great start to a wonderful show. My friend Vicky, who also was responsible for the show, played with the next band Parasol. A female dominant three piece pop punk band who embraced minimalism to their advantage. Despite a few technical difficulties, this band played quite well for a band who I believe are quite new band. Another solo performer,

The New and Very Welcome encouraged the audience to sit, and I think this really worked to her advantage. Her vocals resonated thoroughly throughout the room and captured everyones attention. I couldn't help but associate my reaction to her with the act of On The Might Of Princes who also portray a quite brooding version of emotional post punk? but with a larger instrumentation. A Saves The Day captured the attention of many and really got the crowd involved as she led the crowd in some crowd participation in her final songs. Following The New and Very Welcome was Lion Cub, an act that didn't really resonate with me only because of their mix. After listening to their recordings, I found that much of their accompanying drum and bass prerecorded tracks were drowned out by guitars and vocals. They had good ideas, but the fact that their female keyboardist and bell kit player was completely drowned out really bothered me. Watching her every move go unheard was quite a hard thing for me to watch, but her energy was certainly appreciated.

The acts that followed brought an unprecedented energy to the classroom which really unified the audience. The Boy Who Could Fly took perch on a cinder block to get a head on the audience and it really had a way of demanding attention. From what I understand, this is not usually a solo act, but I think that it was a very hard thing to tell. Her clear and crisp vocals beautifully accompanied her clear telecaster sound. It was nice to see her reach out to the crowd and be quite personable. I can only imagine she has taken cues from Paul in that regard, seeing that they are both residents of Bloomington, Indiana. Finally Paul took the stage and blazed through a number of songs from his newest self released album Unbearable. These songs have been gathered by Paul over the years, but were finally released last year. The majority of the crowd seemed familiar with Paul's work, which is always a great addition to the show because it gives a really overwhelming sense of unity. It seems as though, some of his older songs were still the more well known ones, but I guess that every performer strives for their songs to be lasting in a way. Although the crowd was a bit larger than his last performance in a Cambridge living room, he seemed to address the crowd in a humble manner. It was a great thing to see him in the company of my friends from New Hampshire, who began to appreciate Paul after I exposed him to them during our trip to The Fest. Paul pleased the crowd as always, and the show went off without a hitch. Much thanks to Vicky for putting on this show and continuing to make awesome shows like this happen in awesome spaces.