GOT IT LIVE! Bodega Girls were the “house band” for a riotous evening. |
It was the first time the Boston Phoenix hosted an awards party for its 23-year-old Best Music Poll, but what erupted June 15 at Brighton Music Hall was a drunken shitshow that honored decades of Boston rock and roll, and was capped off by the Bruins' first Stanley Cup championship since 1972.
Roughly a half-hour before the Bs would close out Game 7 against the Canucks (sending the venue's Allston neighborhood into a riotous frenzy) BMP 2011 was highlighted with a "surprise" guest appearance by Peter Wolf. Flanked by Duke Levine on guitar, Billy Beard on drums, and Stereo Telescope's Nikki Dessingue on keys, Wolf led the party's house band, Bodega Girls, in closing the night with a spirited throwdown of the J. Geils Band's 1971 blues classic "Looking for a Love."
It sealed a busy night for the Bodegas, who justified their Best Live Act nod by offering up multiple sets with a variety of guests: Bill Janovitz of Buffalo Tom ("Does This Mean You're Not My Friend"), Amanda Palmer ("Map of Tazmania"), Cosmo and Bobby from Dom ("Living in America"), as well as Cameron Keiber of the Beatings on the Pixies' "Gigantic" and Viva Viva's Chris Warren on the Modern Lovers' "Government Center." Mixing originals with covers of 'Til Tuesday, the Real Kids, and the Lyres, Bodega Girls cemented their sonic grip on the night. Host Paul Foley and Bodega opened the show with Bobby Brown's "Every Little Step," spandex tights included.
But this was more than just Boston rock as a throwback act. BMP winners Mean Creek performed a confident set that included their WFNX Song of the Year, "The Comedian," and Freezepop (Best Album) and Moe Pope (Best Rap/Hip-Hop) also held down the showcase stage.
The positive party atmosphere grew during the night as the Bruins built an insurmountable lead en route to a Cup-clinching victory, giving the room a distinct buzz. Post-show, performers and presenters drunkenly belted out the Star Spangled Banner while watching the Bs on the club's TVs, celebrating a victory achieved 2200 miles away in Canada and reveling in our vibrant music scene here at home. It was a night that not only honored Boston rock, but added another chapter to it.
PHOTOS: 2011 Best Music Poll awards party
VIDEO: Peter Wolf + Duke Levine + Bodega Girls "Looking For A Love"
VIDEO: Bodega Girls with Cosmo of Dom + Amanda Palmer + Buffalo Tom's Bill Janovitz
VIDEO: Freezepop "Special Effects"
VIDEO: Bodega Girls "School Night"
VIDEO: Bodega Girls covering 'Til Tuesday's "Voices Carry"
VIDEO: Amanda Palmer jams with Bodega Girls
VIDEO: Mean Creak "The Comedian"
VIDEO: Bodega Girls cover Pixies
