2000 Miles b/w The Drone

So the contest is over, and I’d like to congratulate Vanessa for winning The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – “2000 Miles”/”The Drone” 7″!

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest, and to everyone who reposted/shared/retweeted this! Look forward to a return to regularly-scheduled content, and hopefully more contests down the line!

2000 Miles b/w The Drone

That’s right! I’ve got a copy of the new 7″ single from the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, featuring their cover of “2000 Miles” by the Pretenders, and the Bosstones original “The Drone” on the b-side, and I want to give it away to one lucky reader!

What do you need to do? Simple! Just email gdts.blog@gmail.com with the subject line “I wanna win!” to be entered. The deadline to enter is January 14th.

Repost! Retweet! Share on Facebook! Good luck to everyone!

Hometown Throwdown, night 3

Once again, for the 4th time since coming back together in 2007, Boston’s own The Mighty Mighty Bosstones descended upon their city for the traditional Hometown Throwdown series of shows. As was the case last year, they played three shows at the relatively new House of Blues. Scheduled openers were We Are the Union, the F.U.s, H2O, the Flatliners, DYS, and Less Than Jake, though in the end H2O was forced to cancel when their lead singer’s flight to Boston was canceled.

Once again I was able to attend all three shows, and if it’s possible, that’s the recommended course of action for any Bosstones fan. Obviously, not everyone can do so, but the Bosstones will always vary the setlists enough to make it worth your while. Also to that effect, if someone ever asks which night is best to go to, it’s nearly impossible to answer. The later nights feature the band with, as Dicky says in ’98′s Live From the Middle East, their “Throwdown swerve” on, but every night will feature great songs and performances.

So, the openers. I must confess, I wasn’t particularly excited for any of the bands aside from Less Than Jake. We Are the Union played night 1 and replaced H2O on night 2. I had heard them before, but was never too into them. They really won me over, though, and I ended up buying their latest album (Great Leaps Forward, out on Paper + Plastick).
The F.U.’s are a classic Boston hardcore band, and they put on a good show, but Boston hardcore has never really been my thing. Ditto for DYS on night 3, but perhaps more so for them.
The Flatliners I’ve never been into, either, but unlike WATU the Flats’ performance did nothing to change my mind. Nothing truly objectionable, but kind of boring.
Less Than Jake was my favorite opener by far; I’ve known their material for a long time, plus they put on a hell of a fun show.

One neat thing that was a first this year: pre-Bosstones acts, each doing a song or two right before the Bosstones came on stage. The first night was an a capella group referred to as “Dicky’s Dickens,” the second was Lenny Lashley of Darkbuster fame, and finally the Dickens with a couple members of Boston’s the Dogmatics. I really enjoyed these little warm ups, particularly Lenny’s song. If you haven’t heard any of his solo material, I highly recommend you do so.

The Bosstones themselves, of course, shone the brightest each night. The giant wall of Santas and Blantas behind them certainly helped. For all three nights, they delivered excellent sets, delivered at a frantic pace that left very little breathing room between songs. I noticed that they were selling t-shirts with the art from their 1994 LP, Question the Answers, and to that end the sets contained a number of infrequently-heard songs from that fan favorite record, including “Jump Through the Hoops,” “Dogs and Chaplains,” “Pictures to Prove It,” and most excitingly for me, “Bronzing the Garbage.” Other highlights include members of the Dropkick Murphys joining the band on Night 2 for a rendition of the Murphys’ hit “Shipping Up to Boston” that would put a smile on the face of even the most jaded Boston local who’s sick of that song. In fact, Hometown Throwdown 13 seemed to have the strongest setlists of all of the post-hiatus Throwdowns.

The Bosstones are a band that get a whole lot of love from their fanbase, and with good reason. They always appear to truly appreciate their supporters, and try to give back. As an example, for people that ordered tickets to all three nights as a package deal, a free copy of their new 7″, “2000 Miles”/”The Drone” was mailed to each of us. It wasn’t announced or anything, it just happened. Not to mention the variety in the setlists, playing deeper cuts from their back catalog and even excluding “obvious” popular songs; even the Bosstones classic (and recent Rock Band 2 selection) “Where’d You G0?” didn’t appear once in the three shows.

The Hometown Throwdown is one of my favorite traditions. Much like the Fest, it brings people together from all around the world, united by their love of music. I met people from all over the United States, as well as Canada, the Netherlands, and even Australia. Truly a phenomenal experience, and I thank the Bosstones for putting it all together for us!

Setlists, for those interested. Thanks to the members of the official Mighty Mighty Bosstones message board for compiling these!

NIGHT 1

I Want My City Back
Don’t Know How to Party
Dr D
Graffiti Worth Reading
Rascal King
Old School Off the Bright
Kinder Words
Sister Mary
Simmer Down
Devil’s Night Out
Skeleton Song
You Gotta Go
Don’t Worry Desmond Dekker
Jump Through The Hoops
Toxic Toast
The Day He Didn’t Die
Na, Na, Na, Na, Na
Someday I suppose
Numbered Days
Hope I Never Lose My Wallet
The Impression That I Get
Holy Smoke

ENCORE
Linus and Lucy
2000 Miles
Little Bit Ugly
Bad News and Bad Breaks

—-
NIGHT 2

737 / Shoe Glue
Kinder Words
This Time of Year
1-2-8
Dogs and Chaplains
Royal Oil
You Left Right
Pictures To Prove It
The One With The Woes All Over It
Rascal King
Let Me Be
Sugar Free
Don’t Worry Desmond Dekker
Rudie Can’t Fail
Another Drinkin’ Song
Wrong Thing, Right Then
That Bug Bit Me
Someday I Suppose
Jump Through The Hoops
Graffiti Worth Reading
Dr. D
A Pretty Sad Excuse

ENCORE
Linus and Lucy
2000 Miles
Shipping Off To Boston w/ DKM
The Impression that I Get
Lights Out

—-
NIGHT 3

Linus and Lucy
Temporary Trip
He’s Back
Don’t Know How to Party
Howwhywuz, Howwhyam
Dogs and Chaplains
Bronzing the Garbage
Everybody’s Better
Rascal King
They Came to Boston
I Wrote it
Old School Off the Bright
Someday I Suppose
Skeleton Song
Devils Night Out
Don’t Worry Desmond Dekker
Jump Through the Hoops
Chasing the Sun Away
All Things Considered
Na, Na, Na, Na, Na
Hope I Never Lose My Wallet
The Impression That I Get
Bad News and Bad Breaks

ENCORE
Piano interlude/intros
Toxic Toast w/ JR
2000 Miles w/ Dropkicks
Holy Smoke
Pirate Ship
Lights Out

ENCORE 2
A Pretty Sad Excuse

Hometown Throwdown 13

Huzzah! The Mighty Mighty Bosstones have announced their annual Hometown Throwdown series of concerts, to be held, as you can see above, December 26th – 28th at the House of Blues in Boston, MA. Tickets are on sale through LiveNation this Saturday, October 23rd. I plan to be there for all three nights. How about you? Who would you like to see open the shows?

Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/xraphiex/

So here we are, wrapping up twenty-aught-nine, and once again, Boston’s own ska-core heroes The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are throwing their annual (minus some years in there) Hometown Throwdown. HTTD XII took place at Boston’s House of Blues for the first three nights, and wrapped up with a final show at the Middle East downstairs. And now the boys are playing in support of the recently-released Pin Points & Gin Joints. With a pair of reunions opening (Darkbuster on night 2, and Bim Skala Bim on night 3), this Throwdown certainly ranks up with the best that the ‘Tones have played.

Night One

The first night, at the House of Blues, featured local hardcore act Razors in the Night, and well-known NYC ska band the Pilfers, playing one of their sporadic shows of the last few years. I was unfamiliar with RITN’s material, but was quickly won over by their energy and catchy, pummeling sound. The Pilfers have long been a favorite of mine, and they did not disappoint, playing a great selection of songs for a receptive crowd, and got the majority of us pumped up for the ‘Tones.

The Bosstones kicked off the Throwdown with the “single” from their new album Pin Points & Gin Joints, “Graffiti Worth Reading,” and the assembled crowd loved it. They turned out a good mix of old and new, also playing “Sister Mary” and “Wasted Summers” from the new album, and a live debut of “The One With the Woes” from 2007′s b-side compilation Medium Rare. A great surprise was Dicky calling out a long-time fan to play the song he had waited years to hear, the title track from Don’t Know How to Party. I was right up there with him, stoked out of my mind to hear the song live. As has become a tradition at this point, the band also played “The Day He Didn’t Die.” All in all, a great set to open the series of shows with.

Night Two

Night two saw local favorites Darkbuster reuniting for the show, along with the Void Union (made of partially of members of Westbound Train). Void Union were similar in feel to Westbound Train, and with WBT’s current hiatus, might me your best source for ska/reggae in Boston. Darkbuster are perhaps the most drinkinest punk band around, and their fans are a rowdy bunch. Some of them were dicks, some were fine, just like any big show. The band themselves played a good set, though one that reminded me that I’m not at all familiar with their album 22 Songs You’ll Never Want to Hear Again.

The Bosstones’ set on night two was excellent. Some people may have been turned off by Darkbuster, but the Bosstones made up for it with this collection of songs. Opening with “Old School Off the Bright” from 2003′s A Jackknife to a Swan and “Nah Nah Nah Nah Nah” from the new album, things were off to a high note. They pulled out “A Reason to Toast,” another b-side that found its way onto Medium Rare, as well as “Another Drinkin’ Song,” “Tin Soldiers,” “Hope I Never Lose My Wallet,” and personal favorite from the new album, “I Wrote It.” But the real highlight of night two was the encore. A piano (or, rather, a keyboard inside an upright piano) was brought on stage, and 9th Bosstone, John “JG” Goetchius, came out the play a bit. The rest of the band soon joined, and after a brief introduction, launched into “Toxic Toast.” Perhaps my all-time favorite Bosstones song, hearing it with the piano intro brought tears to my eyes.

Night Three

Night three featured the Pietasters and a reunion of the classic Boston ska band Bim Skala Bim. The Pietasters played a solid, if short-feeling set to open the night up. Bim Skala Bim played a longer set than previous nights’ openers had. Their set was great; the guys look older, but still play great. Vinny, in particular, is a ball of energy. Great to have these guys back, if only sporadically.

“Dr. D” began things for the Bosstones on night three, and they again broke out a few deeper than usual cuts, such as b-side “Wrong Thing Right Then” and “Finally” off of Pay Attention. However, at the end of the main set, they called Vinny from Bim Skala Bim/Pilfers out to join trombonist Chris Rhodes on “A Little Bit Ugly” from their debut, Devil’s Night Out. It was pretty amazing; the bridge featured Chris and Vinny going back and forth in a trombonist duel that whipped the crowd up. What a way to go, huh?

Following the main set, some people in the crowd noticed that original Bosstones guitarist, Nate Albert, was hanging out side stage, and that a second guitar had been placed on-stage. When the band returned to the stage for the encore, they were in fact joined by Nate, to great applause from the crowd, for “X-Mas Time (It Sure Doesn’t Feel Like It)” and “Kinder Words.” Nate then departed, and the band played the six-and-a-half minute closer from the new album, “A Pretty Sad Excuse.” For the unfamiliar, the song spends its first few minutes as a slow ska number, until very suddenly ramping up into a big rock/punk song. So when the pit opened up, it did so very quickly. It was, well, awesome.

Night Four

Night four saw the Bosstones return to the Middle East downstairs, the traditional venue for the Hometown Throwdowns of the past. The Side Effects and Far From Finished opened. The Side Effects had a rather drunken demeanor, and their guitarist looked like a coked-up LA rocker. Oh, also, their songs all sounded the same. And I listen to punk rock. I had heard that Far From Finished was a hardcore band, but maybe that was some other Far From Finished; the guys I saw played pop songs. Most of the songs they played couldn’t even be considered melodic hardcore.

So what, of all songs, could the Bosstones play to open the last night of their hometown stand, back at the one and only Middle East? The polar opposite of a deep cut, that’s what: “The Impression That I Get.” Getting the “single” out of the way so early was a bold choice, and really kept the crowd on their toes; typically, hearing that song signifies the end of the set fast approaching, but here, the set could be whatever, wherever. And the set was extra long. They played songs like “Don’t Know How to Party,” “Illegal Left,” “It Can’t Hurt,” “Cowboy Coffee,” and many others. The encore was 5 songs, including “A Pretty Sad Excuse,” and closing out with “The Pirate Ship,” a fan favorite that is only available on the vinyl version of Question the Answers. A fitting end to four nights of high-energy shows that left us four-nighters pretty exhausted.

Conclusion

The Bosstones played four excellent nights that managed to keep a good balance of the “hits” with the less-played songs, most notably perhaps being the two playings of “Don’t Know How to Party.” The band is very gracious and appreciative of their dedicated fans, and those fans give it right back. In addition to the shows, the band did a meet and greet and McGreevy’s Saloon in downtown Boston (owned by Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys), and did a free raffle for prizes and tickets to shows. They not only play great music, they care a lot about the people who come to see them, and that elevates them from a good band to one of the greats.

On a Personal Note

I met a lot of incredible people this extended weekend, primarily thanks to the Bosstones’ official message board. These people made the entire experience even more enjoyable than it already was, a feat I’d have previously thought impossible. If these people are indicative of the overall fanbase- and I’d say they are- Dicky might be right that these are the greatest fans in the world.

Many thanks to Bosstones forum member XraphieX for the photo at the top of this post. Check out her gallery here!

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Pin Points & Gin Joints

2009 closes out with a new release from one of my all-time favorite bands, the one and only Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Boston’s plaid-clad crew returned from hiatus in late 2007 to bring a handful of new songs (on the b-side compilation Medium Rare) and play another of their legendary end-of-year stands, the Hometown Throwdown. Now, we have an 14 all-new (15 if you bought the vinyl) songs from the boys. The songs they’ve released so far post-hiatus have been solid. How does this stack up to their impressive catalog?

Damn well, honestly. The album opens with the “single” “Graffiti Worth Reading,” an upbeat, energetic song with a great sing along chorus. The song is decidedly in the camp of the former half of “ska-core,” as is much of the album; the Bosstones haven’t done a whole lot of “heavy” songs such as “Issachar” in recent history, and this album is largely bereft of such songs. There’s no “Mr. Moran” on this album. Perhaps the closest song on PP&GJ is the anti-war “Too Many Stars.” Not to say they’ve forgotten how to rock out; often the distortion ramps up on the chorus, and the guys do their thing. But the classic metal and hardcore influences are less apparent on this album than ever before.

This is not, however, a bad thing, since these guys are the best at what they do.

Lyrically, vocalist Dicky Barrett turns in some of his strongest work here. Even the deceptively-titled “Nah Nah Nah Nah Nah” reveals in its verses a letter to a father who left his wife and young child long ago. And damn if it’s not fun to sing along to the simple (it’s just the title) chorus live. And then there’s the impressive, album-closing “A Pretty Sad Excuse,” a six-and-a-half minute stylistic tour de force that runs from laid-back ska to anthemic rock to fast-paced punk and back, and it finds Dicky lamenting about a sort of self-loathing that I think any misfit could relate to. And we’re all misfits in one way or another, after all.

This album also marks a big first for the band: the debut of new 9th Bosstone, keyboardist John “JG” Goetchius. He’s well-used here, with most songs featuring notable organ or piano, in particular the rollicking “Death Valley Vipers,” whose added piano and trumpet calls to mind a Sergio Leone film (or just the Ennio Morricone soundtrack) played through the Bosstones’ filter.

This album is yet another incredibly strong effort from the band, and fans will find a lot to love here. Casual Bosstones fans, who probably know “that ‘Knock on Wood’ song” plus a handful of others (I’m probably not giving them enough credit, but whatever, it’s my blog), should find plenty to enjoy here. The album doesn’t contain the variety of, say, Question the Answers, but it’s hard to deny these are some of the best songs the boys have put out.

Also, speaking of the Bosstones and their annual Hometown Throwdown shows, stay tuned for a recap of this year’s set of shows in the next few days!

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

This is a somewhat unconventional post (for GDTS anyway), since it’s not a review of an album per se, it’s a review and recap of the shows I went to from the Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ holiday tradition, the Hometown Throwdown. This year, Throwdown 11, found the lads in plaid playing four shows at Cambridge, MA’s Middle East Nightclub, one night at Toad’s Place in New Haven, CT (the so-called Rhodestown Throwdown, in honor of trombonist Chris Rhodes, who hails from New Haven), and a New Year’s Eve show at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel, in Providence, RI.

I was able to attend nights 1, 3, and 4 at the Middle East. The Bosstones have been kicking out their unholy, unruly blend of ska, punk, hardcore, reggae, metal, and whatever else, for many, many years; since 1983 according to Wikipedia. They spent years making a name for themselves with their energetic, raucous live shows. Their first LP, Devil’s Night Out, was released on Taang!! Records in 1989. Since then, they’ve played more live shows than you can imagine, had a hit single with “The Impression That I Get,” off their 1997 album Let’s Face It, and took a 4-year hiatus, beginning in 2003. At this point, many fans of the band considered them gone, so when, one morning in October 2007, singer Dicky Barrett announced Throwdown 10 on WBCN (Boston), it sent excited shockwaves through the ska kids around the world who still held onto the plaid dreams of the band.

So, all that lead up! You ask, “yeah, we know the goddamned Bosstones. How were the shows?” In a word, phenomenal. The Bosstones have always been a terrific live act. And now, with all the members getting up there in years, one might expect the show to suffer. Not so, anyone who has seen them since Throwdown 10 will confirm. The band appears to feed off- and give out- the energy and love they get from the crowd, and likewise the crowd answers in spades. A Bosstones show may in fact be the thing that could power a perpetual motion machine.

Like any good multiple-night stand by a band, the setlists were sufficiently diverse; over the course of all 6 shows, the band played 63 different songs from their extensive catalog. With an average of 24 songs per show, that’s not bad. Of course, there are going to be repeats; notably, “Impression,” “Rascal King,” “Don’t Worry Desmond Dekker,” and “Where’d You Go?” were played at all of the shows. You’ll not find me complaining, as those four songs are hits and fan favorites, and I enjoy them every time. But the highlights definitely had to be the extent to which the band pulled from their back catalog. Long-time fans could be seen going absolutely nuts when they played the “Bosstones chestnut” “Pirate Ship,” a song only available on the 2×10″ version of their album Question the Answers, and never played live before the band’s show in Buffalo earlier this year.

Over the course of the shows, they played nearly the entirety of their sophomore album, More Noise & Other Disturbances; only “Bad in Plaid” didn’t make the cut. A member of the Bosstones’ message board broke down the setlists from each night, getting a count of how many times each song was played, how many songs from each album were represented, and so on. It proved invaluable when writing all of the above!

So, the shows I saw! Night 1 saw some sound issues, but the band itself was on top fo their game. The energy was non-stop from the get-go, and they cranked out the hits. Night 3 was the all ages show, so the energy level of the crowd had the youhtful exuberance factor added to it. Couple that with an even stronger setlist than the first night, and one can only imagine the blissful chaos of the show. Not to mention, as a highlight, the Bosstones played their cover of Boston hardcore legends Slapshot’s “What’s At Stake,” with that band’s lead singer- blood pouring from an injury during his band’s set- performing vocal duties with Dicky Barrett.

Night 4 had what has been called the best set of the Middle East shows. Throwing out classics like “Guns and the Young,” “They Came to Boston,” “Drunks and Children,” and others, they got the crowd moving and kept them going all night. Openers Big D and the Kids Table were slightly disappointing with their set- the list contained almost no songs not off their 2007 album Strictly Rude- but the Bosstones more than made up for it. A definite highlight was the first encore song, “Awfully Quiet,” performed with the horn section from Big D, and Chris Rhodes running through the crowd, blaring away.

Any long-time Bosstones fan- a member of the 737- will tell you that the Hometown Throwdown is not to be missed if you can possibly go. This series of shows proved to anyone who needed convincing that the ‘Tones have still got it, and don’t appear to be losing it any time soon. Absolutely amazing. And a great way to cap off 2008!

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Don't Know How to Party

Welcome back! I hope that whatever holidays you celebrate (if any) were pleasent.

In honor of the fact that I’m going to three of the six Hometown Throwdown shows the Mighty Mighty Bosstones perform in (and now around- what’s up New Haven and Providence!) Boston, I’m going to take a look at a Bosstones album. So here goes a look at their first major label LP, Don’t Know How to Party.

If you don’t know the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, you’ve probably at least heard “The Impression That I Get” (aka “that ‘knock on wood’ song”) at some point in your life. It was pretty popular back in ’97. The Boston-based band spent years perfecting their blend of ska, hardcore, metal, and anything else the Boston music scene could assimilate. They had become pretty well known for their raucous live shows, and partying mentality. After a pair of albums on Taang! Records, they were signed by Mercury and, after dropping the Ska-Core, The Devil, and More EP, unleashed Don’t Know How to Party in 1993.

Overall, the album has a harder, more metal-influenced edge than its predecessor, More Noise and Other Disturbances, but is also just more overall diverse stylistically than the Taang! albums; this set of songs hints at the extreme diversity to be found on Question the Answers the following year. Opener “Our Only Weapon” and “Last Dead Mouse” on heavy on hard riffs, and light on ska’s characteristic off-beat rhythms. “Last Dead Mouse” sways and grooves along its story of a salesman with a peculiar offer. The title track gets back into the ska-core the band was known for, and is as good an anthem as one could ask for.

This album contains a number of songs that would become fan-favorites over the years: the title track, the single “Someday I Suppose,” “Holy Smoke,” “Illegal Left,” and of course, the closing song/s, “737/Shoe Glue.” The material here is all memorable, and finds the band fine-tuning its style, and also finding singer Dicky Barrett learning more nuanced vocal stylings; the vocals are still gruff, as is his style, but there’s more tunefulness and less reliance on the Boston hardcore-style growl.

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones have always put out strong, catchy material; this is one of many traits that have made them beloved in their Boston scene, and the ska scene in general. (another is their supreme love and respect for their fans) Their third album finds the band on top of their game, and producing ever-stronger material without, it appears, a lot of major label meddling. The best starting place for a new listener? No, that would probably be Let’s Face It. It does, after all, have the “knock on wood” song on it. But this is a great album, and an excellent addition to any ska fan’s collection.