Tim Bugbee‘s real life job (manufacturing director in a biopharma company) has nothing to do with music, music has been a central core element all along. He first started writing about music (record reviews and some interviews) with The Big Takeover in the early 90s, and then also contributed to local Boston zine Popwatch. After Popwatch folded, he took a break from the ‘zine game (and not so coincidentally, also during this time he started a family, and lived briefly in Ireland), but recently photography has rekindled this passion, and he is glad to back on board with Jack and the BT staff.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor makes up a handful of canceled dates from last year, creating storm and stress in dynamic bursts. Their secret sauce? The hardworking projectionist.
The band does a long look back at their origins, and The Red Album and The Blue Album still hold up quite nicely.
The most famous band from Akron Ohio celebrates 50 years of de-evolution, still in progress.
Sharon Van Etten recruits a band, revamps her music, and brings a more collaborative and integrated approach.
The potent, two guitar attack of Swervedriver lands in Boston for the first time in six years, supporting the new EP The World’s Fair.
Australia’s answer to Gonerfest is a killer mix of bands reactivating for the gig and tons of new and current bands making their marks in the garage, punk and general rock genre.
Bartees Strange reaches into his bag of sonic tricks in support of his newest record, Horror.
Mogwai branch out into a more conventional songwriting approach but have not abandoned their control of dynamics.
Mike Baggetta’s MSSV trio hits the road for a marathon 52 days straight tour, with Mike Watt on bass and Stephen Hodges on the kit. Mark Shue’s Beech Creeps gives rousing support.
Colin Newman and Malka Spigel’s Immersion project continues to grow tendrils.
MSSV’s third record shows that the boat continues to track in the right direction.
A mind-expanding trio of disparate experimental jazz was on offer at Melbourne’s Northcote Social Club.
The Bevis Frond has perfected the dichotomy of super catchy pop songs and ear-melting psych rock freakouts.
Kevin Starrs brings his vision of ’70s giallo to life.
Frank Black dusts off his sophomore effort and brings out the OG gang to help play it.
The Saints, one of the lynch pins of the early punk movement, roar back to life on stage, abetted by some friends.
Nothing can top King Diamond playing on Halloween
Boris bring their sludge masterpiece to the live setting via an Amplifier Worship Service.
AIR blow the lunar dust off of their debut record Moon Safari, which has aged well.
Fontaines D.C. have always had a warm welcome in Boston, and that trend continues on the shoulders of touring their newest record, Romance.
Tick Tick BOOM! The Hives light the fuse and blow up Roadrunner.
35 years is nothing for timeless music
Wilco hosts their eighth curated festival nestled in the Berkshire Mountains with a wide ranging display of sounds.
Boston Calling enjoys superb weather on a bill stacked with pop performers and some C&W and others mixed in.
Kim Gordon recruits a crack all-female band and brings a level of urgency and ferocity to her recent solo material.
Warpaint continue their journey of dancey post-punk.
Guided By Voices storm the capital in preparation for the release of yet another strong record.
Jeff Tweedy and Wilco hit the beach, bringing 100 songs and plenty of friends and smiles along the way.
Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearn strip music to the barest of bones – a skeletal rhythm track and a forceful vocal attack.
Two guys, two guitars, and one small stage in the middle of the room.
Chrissie Hynde and Martin Chambers play through the The Pretenders songbook in front an appreciative Boston crowd.
Franklin and Hartridge bring a mix of brawn and finesse to the fore as they tear through Raise and Mezcal Head in fine fashion.
A pairing of two of the finest songwriters, both in a stripped-down setting.
The Buzzcocks hit town for the first time in six years, with their prodigious songbook of earworms in tow.
Billy Zoom battles cancer to hit the road with X once more.
The heady days of alt.rock return, with Jane’s Addiction headlining a bill that includes Dinosaur Jr. and Living Colour.
The final knockout blow was the title song of The Glowing Man, a thirty minute opus that alternately led to dropped jaws or shut eyes, the audience enrapt as the sonic tsunami washed over them.
A purple glow filled the final day of the festival.
The final chapter of Boston Calling to be held in the brick-lined plaza at City Hall features Sia, Robyn, Sufjan Stevens and a host of others.
The frenetic strumming of The Feelies in full force, married to the upturned lip sneer of Richard Hell and the je ne sais fuck you of Lou Reed.
Gustav Ejstes of Dungen is back in the US after a five year absence, with a new record and a short tour.
Boston Calling’s wildly varying lineup tries to be all things to all people and somehow succeeds.
Royal Headache blows away a sold out Great Scott.
The Pixies had a most triumphant homecoming, Jack Black played Jack Black, and both TV On The Radio and St. Vincent transmitted from an exotic, remote location.
Photos from Day 2 of Boston Calling, featuring My Morning Jacket, Ben Harper and St. Vincent
The Spring edition Boston Calling kicks off with a shimmying set by Beck and a slightly dozy performance by Tame Impala.
Did the Welsh settle America? Find out what Prince Madog and John Evans have been up to.
The very roots of metal, on display in two different forms.
This was in the ‘hood, and you know you’ve got ethnic people; you don’t have “White Riot” on your jacket. They don’t know about The Clash song. You want a white riot? OK!
“When I found out about bass, D Boon’s mom put me on bass – this is the 70’s. This is where you put the retarded friend, it’s like right field in little league. Punk changed a lot of that shit.”
The classic lineup rolls on like an out of control freight train, only on roller coaster rails with insane grip.
Day 3 of Boston Calling, featuring Modest Mouse, Brand New, Tegan and Sara, Phosphorescent, Kurt Vile, Built To Spill and more.
Day 2 of Boston Calling, including sets from Death Cab For Cutie, The Decemberists, Warpaint and more.
Day 1 of the Spring edition of Boston Calling, featuring Jack Johnson, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, and Cass McCombs.
LOUDsoftLOUD discussion with a master of the form, Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai
The Rocket has returned.
WMBR’s Jon Bernhardt rallies some ’90s indie rock heroes for a celebration.
Mark Arm and Steve Turner of Mudhoney talk about growing up grunge, the shitty tour with Blind Melon, and GG Allin’s dick.
Cornell howls, Thayil slays, Camerons slams, Shepherd sways – grunge lives in 2013.
Tame Impala find the locus of The Beatles, Pink Floyd and hacky sack.
Australian imports with enough tremolo to shatter windows
Canada’s longest running trio tours on their newest record, Clockwork Angels.
The blues are back!
When Reverend Gira pulls in your town and sets up the revival tent, it’s a call to all pilgrims. Heed the call, join in the triumph.
The old dogs don’t have any new tricks, but why mess with a successful formula?
At least in Jane’s Addiction case, it wasn’t better to burn out than to fade away.
Radiohead continue their mastery of the live stage.
The Archers restring their bow and hit the target.
Swervedriver still has some fuel left in the tank
The Joy Formidable capture Boston, taking no prisoners.
The Wedding Present bring Seamonsters roaring back to life.
On the 100th anniversary of Woody Guthrie’s birth, his words still provide inspiration a new generation of musicians.
Half of The Chameleons is better than the full complement of most bands.
For a final victory lap, it was all there. Judas Priest is dead, long live Priest.
Foo Fighters wrap up their North American tour with a strong supporting cast and rock the sold-out TD Garden audience.
35 years on, The Damned still deliver.
Power pop doesn’t have to be all buffed out and shiny; there was plenty of grit and sweat in tonight’s doses.
Sun City Girl/Alvarius B./Sublime Frequencies principal Alan Bishop discusses life, liberty and getting bitten by a band member.
Bill Callahan’s baritone brings songs of grief and joy to life on stage.
Urge Overkill man their Rock and Roll Submarine
Wilco is back for the second version of their self-managed festival, nestled in the woods (and rain) of Western Massachusetts.
The Melvins take their endless residency to a half dozen fortunate cities and play five seminal and separate recordings from 1991-1994.
Swedish songstress Lykke Li blends a hypnotic mix of tightly-wound pop songs and dance floor fever.
Low has a fan in Robert Plant, and with good reason. The MN-based band delivers a slow, silent killing using a brush, a mallet, some strings and some skins.
This is a band whose upside is high enough that you’ll need an altimeter to accurately gauge it; don’t miss the chance to see them in a small club while you can.
Lou Barlow and Jason Lowenstein set the clock back to 1994 and give us the best of Sebadoh’s Bakesale and Harmacy.
Chart-topping (how weird does that sound?) PacNW band The Decemberists play the first of two sold-out shows in Boston, in support of The King Is Dead.
Two sides of David Lowery’s songwriting talent, two albums delivered in full.
Killing Joke reform, create an outstanding new record, and deliver a crushing performance.
Man or Astro-man? zip up their space suits and take flight once more.
Photos from the first of three shows by The Allman Brothers Band in Boston.
Guided By Voices ends the Hallway of Shatterproof Glass tour at the sold-out Terminal 5 in New York City.
A cold blast of metal blows in, featuring the first post-Celtic Frost work of Tom Warrior and black metal from Norway in the form of 1349.
The return of Chapterhouse hits all the right notes.
The second day of the celebration of thirty years of The Big Takeover, forcefully capped by imposing performances from For Against and Mark Burgess.
Day one of The Big Takeover’s 30th Anniversary Party, held at The Bell House and featuring sets from The Avengers, Channel 3, Visqueen, Springhouse and more.
Kurt Vile with a slightly revamped Violators lineup pair with the shimmery breeze of Real Estate.
Bob Pollard returns to the stage, debuting the new Moses On A Snail, at a sold-out Canal St. Tavern in his hometown of Dayton Ohio.
Can the mastermind behind the seminal ghoulish hardcore and metal bands MISFITS and SAMHAIN still summon the demons like he once did?
Triumphant show to an adoring packed house, Buzzcocks can still bring the energy and the hooks.
The conclusion of my interview with Steve Diggle, touching on his new record, his relationship with Pete Shelley, and tattoos.
The Buzzcocks’ co-founder and singer/guitarist discusses their impending American tour, during which the band will be playing their first two records in their entirety.
Can John Lydon provoke and effect with the same caustic wit? The jury is out, as he let the music do most of his talking.
John Doe and Exene show that the simplest approach is often the best.
Is a recast glance to a 22 year old record still a valid experience? Read and find out.
Thirty five songs later, Wilco does indeed love you.
Can old school thrash metal bands still bring it? As long as they mix it up and keep you on your toes they can.
A special evening of film, discussion, and most of all, heart-felt music
Burma plays the second of two nights to the hometown fans, featuring newer and older songs. Ears are left hanging and bleeding.
Holly Golightly treads the lo-fi/no-fi line and delivers a raucous, lively set with counterpart Lawyer Dave.
Stars ‘n’ Bars weren’t waving in the crowd, but the spirit of the deep south as defined by three blazing guitars was on full display.
For one night, it was like 1991 all over again. The Jesus Lizard stalk the stage like no other.
Neko Case and her big voice fills the airy Wilbur Theatre quite easily while a stripped down Calexico breezes through their songs.
Punk rock Chicago-style never disappoints. When the pioneers come to town, take heed and join in the mosh pit.
Songwriter Joe Pernice puts down the guitar and picks up a pen to write his first novel. And not surprisingly, a recording comes out of the effort too.
A Chameleon makes a surprise appearance in Boston and delivers an incredible night of passionate music.
Australian and Welsh guitar power collide and create energy.
Judas Priest takes a look back, fondly remembering British Steel.
The Church continue to excel at lush, gauzy, guitar-driven music.
Prog rock lives, with emphasis on the rock…no Roger Dean-inspired fantasies here.
Sir Richard Bishop plays with a full band for the first time since the end of Sun City Girls.
PJ Harvey can singe your soul with a beautiful voice.
Phish is safe at home in Phenway Park.
Surf’s up, Sufi’s up – join the ride and feel your third eyelid flicker and open.
The Damned were too smart and too talented to stay in the punk cul-de-sac, and successfully mixed both psychedelia and goth along with punk and garage with the main reason of success being that they could write and perform a song much better than the average safety-pin victim.
Equal parts brute force and delicate beauty, Mogwai bring a velvet cudgel to the side of your head. And it feels so good.
Even Morrissey is subject to the House of Rules.
Kristin Hersh jumpstarts Throwing Muses back into brief existence for a triumphant hometown reunion.
The Rose City’s Biltzen Trapper show off the best from last year’s excellent record, Furr.
Genesis P-Orridge says goodbye and pays homage to Lady Jaye
Alan Jourgenson bids adieu to Ministry and revs up the glam machine.
The Roots and Antibalas work with rather than against each other in Red Bull’s Sound Clash.
Long-time jazz great Bill Frisell shows that the music form doesn’t need horns or keyboards for definition.
Robyn Hitchcock turns back the clock and sings about trams, alcoholic suicides, and dying leaves. It’s the feelgood record of the season.
Calexico finally rouse the restful
David Eugene Edwards’ latest effort under the Woven Hand banner is more fearsome and relentless than anything he’s previously done.
Blixa Bargeld and the rest of Neubauten compile a large handful of previously web-only tracks into a electronic/percussive stew.
Stereolab remains a solid, dependable friend. Don’t be a stranger.
Boston Spaceships achieve lift-off, heading straight for the Big Dipper.
My Bloody Valentine end sixteen years of American live performance silence via a deafening roar to close out the massively successful All Tomorrow’s Parties/New York festival.
Shellac put in the best gig of the day, on day 2 of ATP which was filled with great shows.
All Tomorrow’s Parties, the stamp of excellence. Day 1 looks at the “Don’t Look Back” section, with bands like Thurston Moore and Tortoise playing entire records from their discography.
My Morning Jacket brave the storm, bring the storm.
The conclusion to my interview with Steven Stapleton, the creative force behind Nurse With Wound.
Steven Stapleton gives a rare glimpse into the mysterious realm of Nurse With Wound.
Radiohead’s now king, but rather than press you against the wall they will lift you out of your seat.
King Buzzo and Dale Crover = rockness personified.
Steven Stapleton will cure you, and the method involves mutated jazz beats and a petrol-sodden rag.
Boris and Torche leave a pile of rubble and tattered eardrums.
The day the nerds won.
Polvo shake off the dust and return to form.
Mission of Burma relive the past, re-ignite the present, and give us hope for the future.
The Pixies may have written about a planet of sound, but Swervedriver lived there.
Sub Pop’s greatest band still breathes fire
This is LA, not Boston – X shows us how the West Coast does it.
Robert Smith and The Cure give us a Boston marathon.
Nash and King, together again. Break out your martini glass and velour jacket, and join the fun.
Good bands can never die
Eitzel and Vudi weave tales of beautiful sadness.
Philly-based ensemble provide a live score to a singular film.
Boredoms drum Boston straight into self-actualization
Mould’s new material sits comfortably beside Sugar and Hüsker Dü classics in the live setting.
Cat Power keeps on soul patrol, waves goodbye to the past.
These go to eleven – Nigel Tufnel becomes a doctor
Neil Young still has something to say
The Go! Team bury the fun-meter needle into the red
What Came After (the) Songs:Ohia
Welsh indie pop meets teutonic electronica
Hard rock dinosaurs still roam the earth
Electrelane simmers to a boil
Folk-Blues acoustic master still commands attention.
Jay Farrar breathes life back into Son Volt
TED LEO & his PHARMACISTS filled the necessary prescription with gusto…
