Lexington Symphony at Cary Hall, Lexington, MA, September 13, 2008
It’s a tribute to the quality of Boston’s classical-music scene that a suburban orchestra like the Lexington Symphony is capable of a performance to attract the attention of those who live closer to Symphony Hall.
By JEFFREY GANTZ | October 03, 2008

Going with the flow

Gamblin’ Hands dives right in
Business is picking up for East Bay newcomers Gamblin’ Hands, who perform their first headlining show tonight (the 2nd) at the Living Room.
By CHRIS CONTI | October 02, 2008

Men from Mars(eille)

Lo Còr de la Plana invade Boston
“Un jour ou l’autre, parlera l’Europe marseillais” — “Sooner or later, Europe will speak Marseille.”
By JEFFREY GANTZ | October 02, 2008

Sony’s loss is Portland’s gain

Music money
Three local music entities are reaping the benefits of a major national lawsuit against big-name music institutions.
By DEIRDRE FULTON | October 02, 2008

Portland scene report: October 3, 2008

Sibilance starts now
Loverless are pushing the envelope with their new record.
By PORTLAND PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | October 02, 2008

The South shall rise . . .

France's Occitan New Wave
The singing groups of the South of France draw on everything from mediæval pilgrimage chants and troubadour poetry to contemporary rap and ragga.
By JEFFREY GANTZ | October 01, 2008

Blink. | The Epidemic Of Ideas

Thirsty Ear (2008)
Aside from the general aggressive, post-rock, post-jazz underground feel, there’s pretty tunes here.
By JON GARELICK | October 01, 2008

Lenka | Lenka

Epic (2008)
A few months ago this pint-sized diva from Down Under posted a cutesy rendition of Modest Mouse’s “Gravity Rides Everything” to her MySpace page.
By MIKAEL WOOD | October 01, 2008

Termanology | Politics As Usual

Nature Sounds (2008)
This one should be considered a “How To” manual for regional rap stars who are poised to detonate worldwide.
By CHRIS FARAONE | October 01, 2008

Opening pitch

James Levine’s gala and Brahms, Russell Sherman’s Liszt, the Bostonians’ Kurt Weill
The most moving moment of this year’s Boston Symphony Orchestra opening gala came before the concert started — the standing ovation for James Levine, who looked rested and recuperated after his kidney surgery this summer, an operation that forced him to cancel most of his Tanglewood season.
By LLOYD SCHWARTZ | October 01, 2008

The rote stuff

The meticulous mayhem of USAISAMONSTER
A USAISAMONSTER show is all third-eye perception and muscle memory.
By MATT PARISH | October 01, 2008

Rate expectations

The Big Hurt: World-class criticism priced to move!
Grim economic news makes me pretty nervous.
By DAVID THORPE | October 01, 2008

Post-masters

47 releases in, Wire can still get it up
In the annals of rock-and-roll-origin stories, Colin Newman, singer/guitarist for the pinned-down cynical conceptualist rock band Wire, has one of the odder ones.
By DANIEL BROCKMAN | October 02, 2008

World party

Fresh fare at the FirstWorks Festival
In its fifth year, FirstWorks Festival 2008 has grown to be a culturally diverse showcase, distinctly international in flavor, with an array of theater and family entertainment.
By BILL RODRIGUEZ | October 01, 2008

Record reviewers

Meat Puppets, Dinosaur Jr, and Built to Spill at the Orpheum, September 27, 2008
The problem with these “play your most revered album in full” shows that everyone from Public Enemy to Liz Phair is doing lately is that the correct answer is not always a no-brainer.
By RYAN STEWART | October 01, 2008

Band apart

Rock Band 2 keeps it rolling
No need to double-check your calendar — Rock Band 2 really is available only 10 months after the release of the original.
By MITCH KRPATA | October 01, 2008

Hangin' Tough

New Kids 4-evah!
This article appeared in the September 9, 1999 issue of the Boston Phoenix .
By JASON GAY | September 26, 2008

It’s about time . . .

The Ditson Festival of Contemporary Music starts in Boston
It’s been 17 years since Boston’s last local festival of contemporary music, the New Music Harvest organized by composer Charles Fussell: 19 programs (several free), a celebration of composer Ned Rorem, an opera production performed by BU students, and the participation of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
By LLOYD SCHWARTZ | September 25, 2008

Shady neighbors

Arab On Radar revisited, via DVD, with Sunshine for Shady People
“You can actually make something out of nothing because we had shit, then we somehow whipped up this fucking fury — Arab On Radar,” says Jeff Schneider.
By CHRIS CONTI | September 25, 2008

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