Can I break the spell...

 

I had the pleasure of seeing Mutemath play live at the Boston House of Blues with a few friends earlier in March. I'm not all that familiar with most of their repertoire (especially tracks off their newest 2011 album "Odd Soul") but based on YouTube clips and concert footage I caught while channel surfing some months ago, I was more than open to give them a go. Here are some the show's highlights:

• Drummer Darren King secures his headphones from falling off with duct tape. After seeing him play, this definitely wasn't just for show.
• Lighting, video, and staging effects really complimented the song set.
• The band had a lot of interaction with the crowd, and there was such great energy in the room. Perfect for the size of the venue!
• They played all the songs from their latest album "Odd Soul" on top of songs from their previous albums. 
• There most well-known song "Typical" served as the encore (linked below):

That's lead singer Paul Meany crowd surfing on a black aero-bed strung with what I can only assume are Christmas lights.

I forget which song this was, but confetti shot out over the crowd multiple times over the course of this number.

Thanks for a great show MuteMath, I would not hesitate to see them again if I had the chance.

Girl Power

I'm pretty picky when it comes to what female artists I listen to. I had the pleasure of catching Sara Bareilles at the House of Blues this past Tuesday, November 9. I wasn't sure what to expect, but man boy I blown away by what a talented musician she is and what a great show we got to be a part of. She shared a lot about some of what went behind the songs of her new album "Kaleidoscope Heart" and provided some great insight with the joys and difficulties of the songwriting process. I'm definitely feeling inspired to be a better musician and to even take a crack at writing some songs of my own.


Sara Bareilles - King of Anything
I paraphrase Ms. Bareilles, but she shared that this song was about people who should "mind their own f*cking business." Hilarious how upbeat and catchy it is too!


Brooke Fraser - Shadowfeet
This song comes off of her second album "Albertine", I saw Brooke Fraser perform live a few years back at Berklee College of Music. You may know her as a worship leader at Hillsong and the song "Hosanna", but she has some excellent solo albums I would highly recommend checking out. She falls roughly into the Pop/Folk genre.


Katy Perry - Teenage Dream
OK, I'll admit that I just can't resist a good pop song. This song will get stuck in my head for days and was covered by an all-male a cappella group in last week's episode of "Glee". Yea, a little weird for guys to sing it, but a nice arrangement nonetheless.

Tuesday's Tunes: If It Kills Me (acoustic)

One of my favorite artists to listen to, especially in the summer, is Jason Mraz. I had the pleasure of catching him in concert last year at an outdoor venue, and Mraz and his band were just phenomenal.

One tune in particular stood out: "If It Kills Me", a great combination of a catchy melody and angsty but whimsical lyrics. Check out an acoustic version of the song below:

Tuesday's Tunes: Ben Folds

I still remember when a friend of mine in high school let me borrow his Ben Folds Five cassette tape and their song "Brick" was playing on the radio. These were back in the days when almost I listened to was Top 40 and J-pop...those were interesting days.

Most recently I had the pleasure of catching Ben Folds in concert at Boston's House of Blues, which just confirmed his quirky genius, musical prowess and all around funny guy. He has a penchant for swearing, but it compliments beautifully the often exposed and painful nature of his lyrics. He often writes about the difficulties of "growing up" and entering adulthood, so the humor helps takes some of the edge off topic without trivializing it.

Ben Folds - Still Fighting It

Ben Folds Five - Brick