And while we’re in the throes of all this Roland High LIfe news — we started playing shows again! Or at least, me and Walker played a solo acoustic show together as part of Ithaca Porch Fest. We’re also getting ready to start recording the next album, so this was a good warm-up, and the reception was such that we very much plan on doing it again. Go team!
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Thom Dunn is a Boston-based writer, musician, and utterly terrible dancer. He is the singer/guitarist for the indie rock/power-pop the Roland High Life, as well as a staff writer for the New York Times’ Wirecutter and a regular contributor at BoingBoing.net. Thom enjoys Oxford commas, metaphysics, and romantic clichés (especially when they involve whiskey), and he firmly believes that Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" is the single greatest atrocity committed against mankind. He is a graduate of Clarion Writer's Workshop at UCSD ('13) & Emerson College ('08).
Alejandro & the Fame at the Cantab Lounge!
That's right folks, everyone's favorite all-male hard rock Lady Gaga (+ other female pop artists) cover band returns to Boston — this Thursday night at the Cantab Lounge in Cambridge! Be there, or be having less fun than the rest of us.
And here's a little taste of the tunes...
"GIMME INDIE ROCK!": The Simple Comforts of A Future Perfect
A Future Perfect is a brand new play by Ken Urban about indie rockers in their 30s dealing with marriage, careers, babies, and of course, rock and roll. The show is currently receiving its world premiere in Boston with SpeakEasy Stage Company, and if you're anything like me — that is, the creative indie rock type somewhere between the age of 24 and 45 trying to find a balance between still doing what you love and living some semblance of an "adult" life without explicitly selling out and/or turning boring — there's a good chance that this show might hit that sweet spot for you. It has all the charm and humor of a great indie movie (like The Happy Sad, also by Ken Urban and currently available on Netflix), along with a fantastic soundtrack featuring the likes of Pavement, Modest Mouse, Neutral Milk Hotel, the Smiths, Dinosaur Jr., etc. etc.
In short, it's pretty fantastic.
Then again, I might be biased. After all, the show is directed by my partner, M. Bevin O'Gara, and I also did some music and video projection work for the show myself (in addition to the sound design by Nathan Leigh). So I mean — sure, if you want to put it that way, I guess I would be biased. But it's also an incredibly touching story about friendship, adulthood, and not losing sight of the things that you believe in. Even without the personal connections, that still hits pretty close to home for me.
A Future Perfect runs tonight through February 7 at the Calderwood Pavilion in the South End (there's also a Pay-What-You-Can performance this coming Sunday, Jan. 11). If you're reading this, you'll like it. Trust me.
Also there's puppets.
Joe Strummer's Original Handwritten Lyrics For "London Calling"
The late Joe Strummer would have been 62 years old today, and probably just as pissed off at the world as he ever was. To celebrate, here are his original handwritten lyrics for "London Calling."
The future's still unwritten, boyo.
And as a little added bonus, here's the Joe Strummer version of "London Calling" from the 2003 Grammy Awards, featuring Bruce Springsteen, Dave Grohl, Elvis Costello, and pretty much everyone else ever.
"I'll Fight A Whedon For You," My Newest Nerd Rock Single
A few years back, my friend Jeremy and I were joking around and discussing our adoration of Maurissa Tancharoen, a TV writer on Dollhouse and Spartacus and now one of the showrunners on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., plus an occasional actress in her own right on Dollhouse and Dr. Horrible's Sing-ALong-Blog. On top of all of that, she's also (sadly) married to Jed Whedon, brother of Joss. And she's just super cute and lovely, so Jeremy and I talked about writing a nerd rock song called "I'll Fight A Whedon For You," a sentiment which in our circles is pretty much considered the pinnacle of romantic sacrifice.
Well, I finally got around to actually making that song happen. I wrote the lyrics up for a Five By Five Hundred post a few weeks ago (and I'll include the annotation below, after the jump), and recorded the entire song at home over the last week or so. I play everything on the tune except for bass, which comes to you courtesy of the inimitable Jake WM. (okay I didn't technically so much play drums as I did edit and re-arrange pre-existing Logic Pro drum loops but it's pretty much the same thing.
Annotated Lyrics
The first time I saw you in pony tails,
that Horrible Doctor's fan, -- in DR. HORRIBLE'S SING ALONG BLOG, she played one of the"Fans," and wore pigtails. "Ponytails" just fit the rhythm better. I knew by your groove when you sang that tune that I wanted to be your man.
But then your Commentary made me Asian Aware-y -- the DVD Commentary for DR. HORRIBLE'S SING ALONG BLOG is a full musical entitled, naturally, COMMENTARY: THE MUSICAL, and Maurissa sings a song in it called "Nobody's Asian In The Movies," because, well, she's the only Asian in the movie. and I knew what I'd have to do:
I'll fight a Whedon for you: Zak, Jed, or Joss, -- The Three Whedon Brothers, Jed being her actual husband, Joss being the more famous one, and Zak being, well, I just didn't want to leave him out. Yeah, you know that it's true. There's more a chance I'll see DOLLHOUSE renewed -- I think I was one of 11 people who watched that show when it aired. I REGRET NOTHING. But it's true: I'll fight a Whedon for you.
Echoes remain from that song that you sang as Kilo the cutest Doll. -- Uhh, well, she sang a song called "Remains" in an episode of DOLLHOUSE, which was written by her and Jed. She also had a recurring cameo as a doll named Kilo, and the protagonist on the show was a doll named Echo. I'm too poor for STARZ or for SPARTACUS, but you know that I'll give you my all. -- Pretty safe explanatory there. She worked on SPARTACUS; I never watched it.
No, I'll never yield; I'll back AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. -- She's now showrunner on Marvel's AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.LD., and the original S.H.I.E.L.D. comics used the catchphrase "Don't yield! Back S.H.I.E.L.D.!" because it was the 60s until Agent Coulson dies (I mean, again, like, for real this time) -- Technically, Agent Coulson already died in THE AVENGERS, but he's mysteriously back to life on AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. You're Pretty In Pink, I don't care what they think -- She was apparently in a girl pop group called Pretty In Pink, according to Wikipedia. I don't know. Then I saw you with another guy. -- Being her husband, Jed, because I'm clearly working in the established trope of heartbroken nerd rock power pop songs here
Even though you have lupus -- Uhh, well, she has lupus. I thought we could this but then werewolves devoured my heart. -- Sometimes I genuinely get confused between "lupus" and "lupine," like a werewolf. Whoops!
But I'll fight a Whedon for you: Zak, Jed, or Joss, Yeah, you know that it's true. There's more a chance I'll see DOLLHOUSE renewed But it's true: I'll fight a Whedon for you.
Did you know that our birthdays are one day apart (except plus or minus ten years)? -- A fun fact that I discovered while trying to find something to write for the bridge: her birthday is in fact on November 28, 1975, whereas I was born on November 29, 1985. Which I guess is like a sign or something? And sure, Jed is hot -- what's he got that I'm not? I mean, like, besides his career -- Pretty self-explanatory there, I think
So Mo, won't you go with me, baby, you know we'd be cool (ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
But I'll fight a Whedon for you: Zak, Jed, or Joss, Yeah, you know that it's true. I hope AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. makes it past season 2 -- The show only just got picked up for a full first season order, and Whedon shows are kind of infamous for being prematurely cancelled. 'cause it's true: I'll fight a Whedon for you.
Damn you, Jed.
The Art of Rock N Roll
Many people overlook the nuanced art of rock n roll, both within the songs*, and within the performance itself. Consider then: the set list. A good set list (or track listing**, for that matter) is a thing of beauty, complete with its own narrative arc of musical peaks and valleys that carry the audience through a complete cathartic hour-long rock n roll experience. But I realize that it's an art form that not many have mastered. And so this week on Five by Five Hundred, I've offered my assistance in a very public format. So you're welcome, Aspiring Rock Stars. Go forth, and make rock!
"Set List For A Washed Up Rock N Roll Band" on FiveByFiveHundred.com
*Perhaps another day I shall blog at length about the importance of the narrative arc in song arrangements as well, in which case I'll be mostly using Weezer's Blue Album as a perfect example.
**Foo Fighters' "The Colours & the Shapes" has the best non-concept album track listing ever. I'll fight you on it.
This Saturday — Alejandro & The Fame In JP!
Boston's premiere all-male Lady Gaga cover band plays the Midway Cafe in JP! Doors at 8pm! Be there! I can literally walk my equipment over to the club from my house! Wooohoo!
Oh yeah, and here's the Facebook event. Whoops. Sorry, I got excited.
And remember: just dance, motherfuckers
Pretentious Poetic Firefly References
Not much time to write for FiveByFiveHundred.com today, as we had a big fancy Open House at the Huntington (stupid having to work on holidays* grrrrr). So instead, I've re-posted a poem that I wrote about 4 years ago or so, about romance, assholes, and Firefly. Because really, what else is there to talk about?
"Mal Means Bad (in the Latin)" on Five By Five Hundred
*All personal moral dilemma with Columbus Day aside.
Basketcase
Truth be told, I've always thought The Fourth Green Day has the best job in the world. He gets to reap all of the benefits of being a rock star, without any of the hassle -- no publicity, no scandals. Hell, he doesn't have to write the songs! He just plays the parts on tour (and let's face it, Green Day doesn't write particularly difficult tunes). But he still gets the chance to stand on stage and rock out to an adoring crowd, and get paid handsomely to do so. If you offered me that gig, I've take it in a heartbeat.