20 favorite albums of 2015 (in no order)

Hop Along - Painted Shut
Wilco - Star Wars
Drake - If You're Reading This It's Too Late
The Sidekicks - Runners in the Nerved World
Jeff Rosenstock - We Cool?
Laura Stevenson - Cocksure
Something Sneaky - Pictures
Tenement - Predatory Highlights
Built to Spill - Untethered Moon
Girlpool - Before The World Was Big
Warren Haynes - Ashes and Dust
Worriers - Imaginary Life
Yonder Mountain String Band - Black Sheep
Watkins Family Hour - S/T
Dogs on Acid - S/T
Downtown Boys - Full Communism
Modest Mouse - Strangers to Ourselves
Screaming Females - Rose Mountain
Choke Up - Black Coffee, Bad Habits
Circles Around The Sun - Interludes for the Dead

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
The Word - Soul Food
Justin Bieber - Purpose
Desaparecidos - Payola
Jack U - S/T

Favorite Albums of 2014

LP
Against Me - Transgender Dysphoria Blues
Bruce Lee Band - Everything Will Be Alright, My Friend
Drake - Nothing Was the Same
Foo Fighters - Sonic Highways
Jenny Lewis - The Voyager
Joyce Manor - Never Hungover Again
Medeski, Scofield, Martin and Wood - Juice
The Menzingers - Rented World
Mike Gordon - Overstep
Owls - Two
Punch - They Don’t Have to Believe
Radiator Hospital - Torch Song
Riff Raff - Neon Icon
Skrillex - Recess
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Wig Out at Jagbags
The String Cheese Incident - Song in my Head
St. Vincent - St. Vincent
Tweedy - Sukirae
Tweens - TweensWhite Lung - Deep Fantasy


LIVE/ARCHIVE

Fugazi - First Demo
Grateful Dead - So Glad You Made It / Wake Up To Find Out
Grateful Grass - Dos
Jerry Garcia Band - GarciaLive Vol. 4 - 3.22.1978
Twiddle - Live
Umphrey’s McGee- 04.12.14 UM Covers It

TOP RECORDS OF 2013

records of the year
laura stevenson - wheel
the flatliners - dead language
swearin’ - surfing strange
daft punk -random access memories
vampire weekend - modern vampires of the city
the julie ruin - run fast
lemuria - the distance is so big
katy perry - prism
worriers - cruel optimist
justin timberlake - 20/20


honorable mentions
major lazer - free the universe
waxahatchee- cerulean salt
night birds - born to die in suburbia
broadcaster - a million hours
mad conductor - mc rises


re-issues / archive releases
death cab for cutie - transatlanticism (demos)
phish - ventura / niagara falls
grateful dead - sunshine daydream
nirvana - in utero (live & loud)


eps/singles
paint it black - invisible
hop along - sister cities
jahbreaker - bad weed, dealers fault
ben gibbard - bigger than love feat. aimee mann
miley cyrus - we can't stop
against me - true trans
iron chic - spooky action
upset - oxfords and wingtips

summah'13

5/09 SCREAMALES

5/18 ALKALINE

5/21 LEMURIA

5/23 LAURA

5/25 MENZINGERS

6/12 POSTAL SERVICE

6/13- ROO
6/16

6/23 B52S +GOGOS

7/03 PHISH

my top records of 2012

1) THE SIDEKICKS - AWKWARD BREEDS (REALLY)
2) THE EVENS - THE ODDS (DISCHORD)
3) JOYCE MANOR - OF ALL THINGS I’LL SOON GROW TIRED (ASIAN MAN)
4) THE MENZINGERS - ON THE IMPOSSIBLE PAST (EPITAPH)
5) TITUS ANDRONICUS - LOCAL BUSINESS (XL)
6) JOHN K SAMSON - PROVINCIAL (XL)
7) CLASSICS OF LOVE- CLASSICS OF LOVE (ASIAN MAN)
8) FIONA APPLE - THE IDLER WHEEL... (EPIC)
9) WAXAHATCHEE - AMERICAN WEEKEND (DON GIOVANNI)
10) CONVERGE - ALL WE LOVE WE LEAVE BEHIND (EPITAPH)

HONORABLE MENTIONS
-DAVID BYRNE & ST. VINCENT- LOVE THIS GIANT (4AD)
-JEFF ROSENSTOCK- I LOOK LIKE SHIT (QUOTE UNQUOTE)
-GRIMES - VISIONS (ARBUTUS)

Ted Leo in Brighton, MA

thanks to liz pelly for putting this on 

and supporting 826 literacy and writing center- boston

Laura Stevenson Halloween 2012

halloween pts 1+2 felt so right

supporting andrew jackson jihad @ tt the bears 

Crime In Stereo reunion

Bicycles for Afghanistan 

XXXX (The First Thousand Years of Solitude) 

... But You Are Vast 

Slow Math 

Abre Los Ojos 

Animal Pharm

Drugwolf

Sudan 

For Exes 

Gravity Grace 

Third Atlantic 

Nixon 

Almost Ghostless/Above the Gathering Oceans 

I Am Everything I Am Not 

Small Skeletal 

Dark Island City 

I, Stateside 

Encore:

Everything Changes/Nothing Is Ever Truly Lost 

Not Dead

tigers jaw @ wwta

following their performance at the democracy center 

with maura, save ends and shook ones

tom may from the menzingers replaced adam

v2.0

so i realize that it's been quite some time since this has been updated
so thus i commence phase two of this blog
which begins with some photo archiving,
as well as the second physical volume of this zine
wheels have been turning for quite some time
and I hope to have it compiled very soon
I've already contacted some contributors which will be a huge step forward
so you can hopefully expect that towards the close of fall.
stay tuned, and as always.. if you'd like to contribute,
or would like a physical copy
contact me at colinstevenbriggs@gmail.com

things to look forward to...

05/07 - Feist - House of Blues - Boston, MA

05/12 - The Young Leaves + More - Ezra's - Portsmouth, NH

05/13 - Ampere's 10th Anniversary - Center for the Arts - Northampton, MA

05/14 - Waxahatchee + MYSELF - Adeles - Dover, NH

05/17 - Aziz Ansari - Wilbur Theater - Boston, MA

05/19 - Third Eye Blind, Spindoctors, Eve 6, Switchfoot - Boston, MA - FREE!

05/20 - Rancid's 20th Anniversary - House of Blues - Boston, MA

05/22 - Sundials - Ezra's - Portsmouth NH

05/24 - Good Luck + Spoonboy - WWTA - Allston, MA

05/25 - Arrogant Sons of Bitches / The Fad - Heirloom Arts Theater - Danbury, CT

05/26 - Now Denial's 10th Anniversary - WWTA - Allston, MA

05/27 - Arrogant Sons of Bitches Reunion - Warsaw - Brooklyn, NY

mrow

safest spaces pt. 2

It was just a few weeks ago that a man in the next aisle over at Newbury Comics was changing all the words in a Steven Malkmus song to "homo". Paying no mind to the fact that it was a public space. It probably didn't cross his mind and if you ask him he'd probably say that he'd just grown accustom to saying words like this. As this has been the response from just about anyone whom I've had to confront due to the abundance of derogatory language they used in front of me. The good thing to know is that these people, more often than not have admitted their wrong and agreed to try and avoid these words in the future. Growing up in a town sheltered from much of the worlds diversity- I was shocked to see how much ignorance was inbred in society when I moved to Boston. The racism and homophobia was a little more blatant as cultures from across the country converge to attend the many universities in town. But what really scared me was the slow onset of the realization that sexism is bred whether we are aware or not in our everyday actions. Evin in certain musical communities who profess their beliefs against these thoughts that cripple basic human empathy, we find people, who unbeknownst to them are alienating others whether they realize it or not. Lets take a second to think about how many times we've seen "female fronted" attached to the promotion of a group, which only perpetuates the fact that there is something novel about it. Or how many times you've seen a group with a female member and when you tell your male friends they ask "is she hot?". Sure it is a part of human nature for people to be attracted to others especially when they are bold enough to get in front of a crowd and display their art. But when these impulses take priority over the music itself in a chain of thought you might be able to understand why this might make someone uncomfortable. So I urge you- the reader, to let others know who might not be aware that these thoughts exist and are quite destructive. If you know of a space that can be utilized to meed and create awareness whether it be an artistic setting or just your community, let it be known, If you don't have the resources to do so, maybe someone else does. Though the new age of technology has helped breed positive empathy, don't let your action stop at this. Live it out in your day to day life and if you hear someone spouting ignorance- SPEAK UP, sebaceous you might be able to feel like the world they live in is a safer space.

safer safest spaces pt. 1

there are an increasing number of bands in the past few decades who have chosen to play only all ages shows with the argument that there should be no age limit for enjoying live music. I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment and try to abide by it between all the groups I've played with over the years - with only a few exceptions. These rules are usually put in place so that a venue may ensure that they are within the limit of their liquor license. In turn, a common response is the establishment of "underground" venues (most times quite literally) which don't concern themselves with underage drinking or whether or not a touring band can draw "heads". For myself and many others, this is the optimum setting for certain performances, not to say that I haven't enjoyed any 18+ or 21+ venue shows.. But more often than not I am conscious of some hindering aspect of the age restraint. As I get older it happens less frequently but when I became of age, I can recall many instances when my thoughts would dwell on the fact that someone whose life could've been changed by a performance- wasn't there, because of how old they were. I can say that I've personally been drawn to a community that shares a similar ethos in and around the Boston area, regionally, nationally and internationally. Though I don't find it as important to profess these beliefs as much as simply standing by them, I can say that figureheads such as Ian MacKaye have helped draw me closer to a number of great people. In many ways the internet has helped me empathize with many people, whom I wouldn't normally on a daily basis. It's exposed me to new people, places, thoughts, and ideas. Though the ability behind words often breeds ignorance (see: youtube.com), I believe that this is an important example to learn from.

let the printing commence

<3 long arm staplers

collating can be fun

friendszine mixtape vol. II

spring 2012
matty pop chart - everyone does everything
black wine - through the foam
kimya dawson - twentieth century fox fanfare
dillinger four - maximum piss & vinegar
bikini kill - carnival
for science - soledad
julie ruin - the punk singer
norah jones - jesus, etc.
the sidekicks - grace
the weakerthans - the reasons
punch - do it yourself
big eyes - pretend to care
good luck - all good people
jonathan edwards - everybody knows her

LISTEN NOW AT SPOTIFY
[mediafire available upon request]

i will share my thoughts on these songs in my FIRST
physical copy of friendszine due out Spring 2012
I am pleased to announce that I am almost finished with all my layouts
and will be printing very very soon!

01.28.12 - goodbye brave little abacus

james gentile photo graphy

record of the year 2011

SIT RESIST - LAURA STEVENSON AND THE CANS

I was first exposed to this perpetually underrated songwriting through the first bomb the music industry release album minus band. The song FRRREEEEEEEEE BIIIIIIIRRRRRRD!!! FRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEE BIIIIIIIIIRRRD!!!! caught my attention in a way that I couldn't describe. It wasn't till my obsession forced me to scour the liner notes when I realized that the x factor that made this song different than the others was an unfamiliar name, Ms. Laura "LSteve" Stevenson. For me, the release of sit resist means more than the songs which it contains, it speaks to the constantly inspiring relationship I've built with these wonderful people since I first wondered why Freebird stood out. Shortly after I entered college, the cans debuted "a record" on quote unquote records. This wasn't anything like the previous releases of qur, there was something familiar about this, but the use of simplicity was not. it was minimalistic, and refreshing, descriptors I rarely pair together. The recording was lo-fi, but not in the way that people usually set out to create, you can so clearly hear the sincerity. I think this is what causes most people to latch on to the music, and one of the many reasons I've grown to love these characters. My band first played with Laura and the Cans, alongside The Brass and Sean Bonette of Andrew Jackson Jihad, in support of Bomb the Music Industry's release of their album Scrambles. At this time, it made no sense to us as to why we would play with any of those groups on an individual basis, let alone on such a beautifully unique bill. Not to mention that the first time I listened to Scrambles, I started bawling somewhere around the wonderful contribution of Laura to the track Sort of Like Being Pumped. These were the harmonies as a first year music student, I would die to write. The stark difference of Jeff and Laura's voices, just made so much sense. Just as their split seven inch did when they released it later that summer. I can't think of how many times I played that seven over and over after purchasing it from Laura after they played the very first set of my first fest (8). I introduced myself and reminded her that we played together at their first Boston show, and she'd been across the whole gosh darn country with bomb and andrew jackson jihad since then. She was glad to be reacquainted as I struggled to express what that set or her music made me feel. I couldn't describe it, still sometimes I can't, as I affirm that they are a perpetually underrated band. The opening track to the bomb/laura split halloween 1 + 2, opens sit resist in a way that i find to be so appropriately re-recorded, as it really shows they leaps and bounds they had made since a record. Somewhere along the line, my band was in the studio under the production of Mr. Jeff and he mentioned that he was gonna play pretty regularly with the cans and that they'd be looking for some dates up our way pretty soon. This same night was the first time that my best friend adam played me brave little abacus's - masked dancers. I sat in the roxbury loft of Mr. Steve Foote as I heard I see it too for the first time, though I had heard a demo on a cd that adam had handed me after the scrambles release show. That was one of three tracks that I played endlessly. I can recall giving him sarcastic responses like "10 minutes.. really?? what are you guys a jam band or something". This is pertinent to my tale because this was when our lives both seemed to radically shift as though we suddenly shared the same aspirations. Of course we both aspire to be punk rock stars, but it just made so much sense to the both of us to book a date for the cans each. That weekend was such guilt free fun, and to this day still some of my favorite cans sets, that contain my earliest memories of the songs on sit resist. I couldn't help but feel like a groupie when I showed up to my third cans show in a row at "the castle" at brandies university. The night before, I'd convinced them to play pixies "wave of mutilation", they agreed- only on the condition that I brought my guitar and sang along with them. This being my favorite song at the time, and the cans being a contender for my favorite band, I couldn't be opposed to the idea. Fast forward to October of '10, I break my wrist just weeks before attending my second fest. When I awoke from surgery, I wasn't allowed to take pain killers quite yet and the drugs were starting to wear off as I struggled to hold back my uncontrollable tears. The thought of not being able to attend fest crossed my mind, the pain was truly settling in as I sobbed to my mother about how this was potentially the worst moment of my life. She insisted that I would be fine, and assured me that I would be given painkillers soon. I asked for my Ipod and I frantically searched for something but not just anything would suffice. I played "a record", and sobbed, now for multiple reasons. The comfort that this record offered, was so hauntingly beautiful. The next time I saw Laura, was The Wild's set at fest 9 (the first of that weekend). I couldn't believe how excited she was to see me, and I wondered what I did to deserve such wonderful people in my life. It took all weekend to come around to tell laura and mike my experience in that hospital bed. As again in such a cyclical fashion, I was in Gainesville trying to describe what this music meant to me and I was at a loss for words. At this point, most of the songs on sit release were in full rotation and I knew them by heart. I saw them a handful of times between then and the release and every time they brought more progress. Soon they would announce that Don Giovanni Records would put out the still untitled record and shortly after that I downloaded the first single "Master of Art" on the lables yearly sampler. This brought me back to brandies as we discussed pursuing our individual degrees, and trying to find the beauty in the mundane institutionalized study of art history and music. Now the cans were amongst company that I saw fit, certainly some of my favorite artists. In February of 2011, I caught another 3 cans shows, reaffirming the cyclical nature of my relationship with them. February was a particularly rough month for me emotionally. Those shows were certainly sparing moments. The first night at the Great Scott in Allston, I stood at the side of the stage when the cans played "peachy" for one of the first times. Laura looked to me for confidence, as I saw the uncertainty in her eyes. It was something that slowly I started to understand as I realized how vulnerable she was playing in that bar, especially in sections where she isn't backed by her band. It brought me back to the words of freebird, and really what it means to be a girl with a guitar in a bar playing to please mostly drunk people. Sometimes its hard for me to fully realize stage fright, but in situations like these it is quite obvious. The next show was at the university of new hampshire with bomb, bla and billy raygun, where a good number of college students heckled to play songs that were inappropriate, knowing the band. Not to say that naivety was the whole issue, but lets just say some things happen when certain people go off to college for the first time. The performances were stellar both of these nights, but the atmosphere not so much. Though there was a rather adventurous entrance to hotel room 311 later, that I'd say spared that night. The toughest thing about these two shows, was the fact that I could see them on a steady rise, while the attention they deserved struggled to catch up. But what made things come full circle was the third night in their native Brooklyn,New York- As one of the most prominently billed acts on the don giovanni records showcase. It was here that I saw them in their element, playing for their family and friends, and a near full room who for the most part held onto every note they played. Though I ventured down solo, I returned with my friend liz pelly who had worked previously with joe, who runs don giovanni. Liz was someone whose ability to connect with people over music, I have always been envious of. Needless to say, I was nervous for this five hour car ride. As soon as we got in the car, she suggested that we listen that we listen to the advance copy of sit/resist that she'd gotten from joe. This was the first time that I heard this record. I sat there and soaked in each track, realizing how each of them spelled out such distinct memories for me. Every time I listen through I recall each one so vividly, the good and the bad. I truly am honored to know these people, and so grateful that they have played such a positively motivating and comforting role in my life, musically and personally.