The Scene

The Word Is Hush

2008-04-28T09:52:00.004-04:00

Ladyfriends and dudedudes, I'm pulling the plug on this here bloggy. Traffic to the site is, not surprisingly, way down, seeing as how Scamper's not exactly a band anymore. Weighing more heavily is the sad truth that my little service has been rendered increasingly irrelevant with sites such as tourfilter, iLike, and whatever other "feeds" you may get sent directly into your filthy "inbox." It's just another case of the corporate chains squashing the noble little guy, you Starbucks-swilling, Kabloom-frequenting, social networking douchehammers.

I kid! The truth is that I'm just far too lazy to keep writing this thing when no one really seems to care.

Thanks for indulging me all these years, and for your commentary, your suggestions, your shenanigans, and for letting me call you "biscuit."

Support local music. Except Campaign For Real-Time. Those guys are the worst.

love and squalor,
Nate Diggity

Beautiful Beat

2008-04-14T12:39:00.006-04:00

The results are in, and quite to no one's astonishment, my 2008 WBCN Rumble predictions were, how you say, EPIC FAIL. But we're left with some strong semi-finals this coming weekend (details below), and ain't no one complaining about that, no sir no ma'am.

Tomorrow, Tues 4.15, Colin Meloy of the Decemberists brings his solo tour to the Somerville Theatre. I was supposed to go to this show, but now I'm not. True story.

John Powhida of The Rudds is at Toad in Porter Square on Thurs 4.17. Or you can catch Night 3 of the Harris Ape-Ril residency at O'Brien's; I've been to the first two shows, and they have quite lived up to the hype -- not only for the back catalogue stuff we're being treated to, but also for the off-the-wall cover choices they're making. Counting Crows week 1, Queen (featuring Mike Nastri on piano!) week 2... my money's on a Bryan Adams power ballad this week. This Car Up, The Have Mercys, and Ben Karis-Nix support.

This weekend, we head back to the WBCN Rumble (all shows at Harper's Ferry):

Semi-Finals Night 1, Friday 4.18
Girls, Guns + Glory * Andrea Gillis * HUMANWINE * Jason Bennett and The Resistance (wildcard)
Nate's Take: This will likely come down to Andrea Gillis or HUMANWINE; I'll say Andrea FTW, and give the wildcard to HUMANWINE, and the judges will once again make a fool of me.

Semi-Finals Night 2, Sat 4.19
The Great Bandini * A.K.A.C.O.D. * The Men * Clouds
Nate's Take: I'm going to give this one to The Great Bandini, but I wouldn't be remotely surprised to see A.K.A.C.O.D. run with it.

Going head-to-head with the Rumble semi-finals is Piebald's two night Final Farewell extravaganza at the Middle East down. Interestingly, aforementioned Rumble semifinalists Clouds open for them on Friday. Busy weekend for those chaps. The Everyday Visuals take the support role on Saturday. I should mention that both shows are already sold out, so you've got some string-pulling to do if you want to attend.

Let's have a moment of silence for The Paradise Lounge as a venue for local rock; new ownership has decided that Boston desperately needs another Irish bar instead. Scamper had some damn fine times there, particularly our first annual moustache show / farewell to Marc Roderick. Said new management has also unceremoniously shown my door guy ass the door. Boo.

Download now: Nada Surf's new album Lucky. I was fortunate enough to catch them at an acoustic in-store at Newbury Comics last week, and any (mild) reservations I'd had about this new album were blown out the window. It's tremendous. Are you lightning? 'Cause I'm waiting.

George Lump is from Strasbourg

2008-04-01T12:07:00.029-04:00

April arrives with a veritable maelstrom of awesome. This Thursday April 3 kicks off the Harris Ape-ril residency at O'Brien's in Allston, with Okay Thursday, Talk Modern (Steve from Baker's new side project), and The Woodrow Wilsons. The sad news is that this is Okay Thursday's last hurrah, as Sarah's bandmates split off to focus their efforts on the (also awesome) Motion Sick. I'll be talking about this residency all month, particularly the final week, which rings bells of Scamper's Last Waltz. Check out the dope poster way down below, and take note of THIS little twist: Harris will not play the same song twice during the entire 4-week extravaganza. (My memory is fuzzy, but I believe we once played "Sophie" five times in the same set at our 2005 Abbey residency.) Damn.

On Friday April 4, Northeast Performer presents The Spinto Band, Baker, Self-Righteous Brothers, and Static of the Gods at TT's. Next door at the MidEast up, French Kicks headline and Aberdeen City supports. April 4 is also Alena's birthday, as well as what would be the 21st birthday of a pet anole I once had named George Lump. He didn't live to see the '90s, God rest his mealworm-ridden lizard soul.

And now, the annual tradition that absolutely none of you have been waiting for:

* ~ Nate Diggity's Astoundingly Terrible WBCN Rumble Predictions ~ *
All shows are at Harper's Ferry, 10 buckazoids, 18 and up

Funny thing about this here Rumble: I've seen an embarrassingly small sampling of these bands. So I'm judging by hitting up each of their Myspace pages and listening to exactly one minute of whatever tune happens to come up in the jukebox. Is that fair? Who cares?

Sunday April 6
Me + Joan Collins * Cherry S/T * Girls, Guns + Glory * Watts

Nate's Take: This one I'm giving to Me + Joan Collins. I was a sucker for Bo Barringer's earlier projects Make Lisa Rich and The Collisions, and this one sounds almost just as awesome. Cherry S/T struck me as Panic! at Linkin Park, Watts was perfectly serviceable ZZ Top-esque bar rock, and GG+G bored me to tears.
WINNER: Girls, Guns + Glory

Monday April 7
Wild Zero * Andrea Gillis * Daniel Bon and Future Ghosts * Cortez

Nate's Take: I'm gonna have to throw this one to the soulful and uber-talented Ms. Andrea Gillis, who already has some of this Rumbling under her belt form her time with The Rudds, though I could just as easily see the judges going for Wild Zero. (Wild Zero wild card? Brilliant!) DB+FG was actually okay, but I don't think it was meaty enough to make an impression. As for Cortez... well, I loathe metal. Sometimes I can appreciate it; this is not one of those times.
WINNER: Andrea Gillis

Tuesday April 8
Dirt Mall * The Shills * HUMANWINE * The Murder Mile

Nate's Take: I'm having a rough time with this one. Judges in recent years have liked the art-rock thing that HUMANWINE does. I personally lean towards the garage-y 'Mats-esque rock of Dirt Mall, as well as the edgy pop sample I got from The Shills. Murder Mile left no impression on me whatsoever, except that the vocals bugged me. Hmm. I'll give it to The Shills, with apologies to Johnny Anguish.
WINNER: HUMANWINE

Thursday April 10
Cheater Pint * Clouds * On The Drop * The Men

Nate's Take: If I were judging, this unquestionably would go to Cheater Pint and their "Go-Go's on steroids" indie pop. I liked The Men except for, again, irritating punk vocals, which seems to be a theme this year. Clouds was fucking terrible sludge rock, and On the Drop was fucking terrible reggae.
WINNER: The Men

Friday April 11
Medicated Kisses * Hel Toro * The Great Bandini * Forgetful Jones

Nate's Take: Though I think I prefer Scott Janovitz's other band, The Russians, The Great Bandini is the only one of these bands that didn't make me want to punch things and/or vomit. Actually, I found something curiously interesting about Medicated Kisses' Paramore-ish mallpunk, but that picture on the top of their Myspace page makes me livid. Hel Toro was just noise, and I can only hope to forget the funk rock of Forgetful Jones. Wow, I'm a lot meaner than I used to be. Crusty old former scenester!
WINNER: The Great Bandini

Saturday April 12
Jason Bennett and The Resistance * A.K.A.C.O.D. * Genuflect * Disappearer

Nate's Take: I really thought I'd be going with A.K.A.C.O.D. here, but, well, nothing happened in the one minute of whatever song I got. Same thing for Disappearer, actually -- which might indicate that this is gonna be one boring night at Harpers. Jason Bennett -- oh good, more punk vocals. *shoots self* Perhaps by default, I'll go with Genuflect, because one metal band always advances, and these guys are actually pretty good at it.
WINNER: A.K.A.C.O.D.

Wild cards go to Wild Zero and A.K.A.C.O.D.
WILD CARDS: Jason Bennett and The Resistance and Clouds

Now here's that poster I mentioned all that time ago:

Get Your Balls Involved

2008-03-27T12:12:00.002-04:00

While Brendo mulls whether or not he's going to continue posting in his Journal, I should probably step up the posting over here, eh, horsies? How about I help you through the remainder of March and then come back full force next week, with zexxy details on the Harris Ape-ril residency AND my annual disaster of WBCN Rumble predictions! Word.

Thurs 3.27.2008 @ Great Scott: Valentine's Popfest buddies You Can Be A Wesley, Mike's Cheesecake buddies All These Kings, vanquished Rumble '06 foes Appomattox, and Mike's other Cheesecake buddies The Make
Fri 3.28.2008 @ TT's: The Shods, The Teenage Prayers, Watts, The Tampoffs
Sat 3.29.2008 @ O'Brien's: Age Rings, The Sterns
Mon 3.31.2008 @ TT's Other Side of the Bear: Jake Hall of Self-Righteous Brothers

Also check out:

OREO Speedwagon (members of Baker and Self-Righteous Brothers)
The Hard to Get, whose new EP This is the New Business Plan is dope

Smoke 'em if you got 'em.

We Would Make Such Good Cheez-It Partners

2008-03-17T13:46:00.005-04:00

What's shakin', Better Cheddars? I'm back just in time to dye everything green and act like a retarded gorilla.

No St. Pat's plans yet? If you want to brave the sea of idiots, my top two recommendations are Great Scott for the tremendous bill of Baker, The Luxury, The Bleedin' Bleedins, and the Animal Closet, or, if you prefer your Irish shenanigans more early, more intimate and more Irish-ish, Jon Gorey will be holding down the Sweetwater Cafe from 4-7pm.

This Thursday is a bear. How dare The Rationales and Aloud go up against the LOST mini-finale? But, like a good scenester, I'll rely on someone else's DVR to meet Kevin Johnson, and I'm gonna hit BOTH shows. Because I'm a champ. The Rationales (who, by the by, sound transcendent and incendiary -- transcendiary! -- in their newest lineup) and Dan Cray open things up at Church (formerly the Linwood), and then I'll zoom zoom zoom over to Allston for Aloud's release of Fan the Fury at Great Scott. By the way, the album is already available on iTunes, if you're jonesin' wicked hard. I think they screwed up and were trying to keep it quiet, but you can count on Nate Diggity for the sweet scoop. (Actually, you can thank the keen eye of Rachel Cooper, who pointed it out to me).

Friday, Drug Rug is at the big room at the Paradise, The Gentlemen and Downbeat 5 are at the Abbey, and Hot Box is at PA's Lounge. I haven't actually seen Hot Box since some acoustic show at TT's but I promote them anyway! What a guy.

Saturday we'll be bringing our unique brand of post-Scamper funk to O'Brien's in the form of the Brendan Boogie Band (now with shitty MP3s available on the Myspace page!). Opening are the frightening prodigies of rock known as the Mystery Tramps, and Soap Stars close out the night.

Finally, The Luxury has put together a little video for their tune "Malcontent," featuring sock puppets and what I am told was an "inadvertant" scene of a sparkly sperm-covered female dancing inside an oversized pink vagina. Mm hmm. See for yourself.

Now be gone with you.

Sitting on the Shelf

2008-02-20T13:32:00.012-05:00

Your entertainment for the next couple of weeks, beanie weenies:

Weds 2.20.2008 @ Great Scott: The Organ Beats
Sat 2.23.2008 @ PA's Lounge: Ryan Lee Crosby
or @ TT the Bear's: The Everyday Visuals, The Sterns, Thick As Thieves
Sun 2.24.2008 @ Great Scott: Bon Savants and Wonderful Spells (all ages; 3pm)
Mon 2.25.2008 @ TT the Bear's: Thom Moran of Bon Savants (acoustic)
or @ Great Scott: Robby Roadsteamer and Casey Desmond (I can't make sense of this bill at all)
Tues 2.26.2008 @ Harpers Ferry: French Kicks, Bon Savants, and Harris (FREE by RSVPing here)
Weds 2.27.2008 @ O'Brien's: The Dead Trees (formerly Furvis)
Thurs 2.28.2008 @ Middle East up: Baker w/Limbeck, John Ralston, House of Fools
or @ Middle East down: Campaign For Real Time (heads up: they're opening for some big deal hotshot band and it costs 20 bucks)
Leap Day! Fri 2.29.2008@ Middle East down: Hooray for Earth (EP release), Caspian, Age Rings (single release), Zambri
Sat 3.1.2008 @ the Framingham Civic League: Nightmare of You with Harris (!). I'm so creamy about this bill that I don't even care that it's in Framingham.
Mon 3.3.2008 @ the Abbey Lounge (pub stage): Me. Featuring an acoustic guitar, a giant beard, and a tall glass of Jameson's. Old Scamper songs (now certified "retro") and new songs. With members of Baker opening and Jon Gorey closing. FREE!

Also. Go visit the MySpace of She and Him and download "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" That's the one and only Zooey Deschanel, of Almost Famous, The Good Girl, and, um, Elf. It's kick-awesome.

Lastly, the new video for "Warm Out" by Hooray For Earth. Campy!

Post-script! For anyone who actually reads this and gives a damn, the request line is NOW OPEN for my March 3 solo show. Forgotten Scamper / Puzzlebusters / Playfair Roland / Combat Shock / Who-Patties songs? Nelson covers? Richard Marx / Five For Fighting medleys? Give me your best. And seriously, don't be lame and suggest, like, "Needless to Say." Come on, cub scouts. You can do better than that. If I actually get good suggestions here, I promise you that I'll actually do at least one of them.

Ready set go.

Streaks on the Cupid

2008-02-12T22:39:00.011-05:00

So, evidently people still play shows, even after Scamper has pulled the plug. I'm aghast and/or outraged.

First things first. Kate of My Little Radio just posted the best emotronic 80s synth pop tune ever. I'm in middle school, moussed hair, popped collar, pegged jeans heaven: Drive Me Crazy

Anyway. I'm not really in a snarky/clever place right now, so I'ma just cut and paste right out of my tourfilter and tell you to hit this shiz up.

Weds and Thurs Feb 13-14, Okay Thursday presents (and Great Scott hosts) the Pop! goes the Cupid Valentine's Day love-hate-fest. I don't really know what any of that means, but I know I'm playing on Wednesday (as is new daddy Joe Welsh of Fooled by April), and there's candy hearts to spare, and that if a band is gonna call themselves You Can Be A Wesley, they sure as hell better cover the Mr. Belvedere theme song.

Weds 2/13: You Can Be A Wesley, The Brendan Boogie Band, Ben Pilgrim, Dig in The Dirt
Thurs 2/14: This is How Rumors Get Started, Okay Thursday, The Toothaches, The Piddly Kids

On Friday 2/15, The Luxury brings the goodies to TT's. What goodies? I'm not allowed to tell.

Sunday 2/17, Middle East up, all ages, 1pm: The Appreciation Post, Math The Band, The Mystery Tramps, and more. Nicely. Sunday night, back to Great Scott for Drug Rug. Because you have Monday off.

Okbye.

Thank You

2008-02-03T22:13:00.000-05:00

2.2.2008 | photo by K2

Thank you for an amazing ride and the perfect send-off.

I'm still choked up, and I think I will be for awhile.

To the fans.

photo by Adam Salsman

Retrospective III: On Brendan

2008-01-30T22:51:00.001-05:00

So, the running gag has been that I was going to confound all your expectations and show up today with pages of praise about Marc Roderick. And then follow that up on Friday with an entry about Tom Polce. And spend the next couple of weeks running through Kay Hanley, Alena, Mike Nastri, Mark Bates, Nicole Anguish, Doug the Penguin, Robby Roadsteamer, Scher, Tina Cervasio, Pete Stone, Pete Galea, Pete Weiss, Pete the Greek, and Halogen before finally, begrudgingly, getting around to Brendo. Since he's such a joker and all.

But I'll be nice.

Brendan

I think it's a bit unusual for a late addition to a band -- and a bassist, at that -- not only to have a noticeable impact, but to actually be the missing piece that finally gets a band to where they always wanted to be. But Brendan was exactly that.

Before his Scamper days, Brendan (known then as Brendo Frendo) was known to us simply as a Fooled by April superfan who looked a lot like Mike and occasionally showed up at a Scamper show, drunk and heckly. In 2004, as we were parting ways with Marc Roderick, we hatched the idea of the Rotating Bassist Show: instead of tedious, traditional auditions, we'd have a whole army of bassists learn two songs apiece. We'd display our revolving crew of bassists at a live show, and at the end of the night, would unveil the newest Scamp. Brendo heard the idea at a party and wanted in. We all thought he was kidding, and that he just wanted to get on stage for a laugh and a lark. Which was fine by us.

To our complete and utter astonishment, not only could the guy play bass, he played our songs really damn well. And he immediately -- and spontaneously -- launched into third-part high harmonies, which really opened our eyes. This guy could bring something to the band above and beyond filling Roderick's Chuck Taylors. And the real kicker was that he was already our friend, and really and truly fit in seamlessly.

We scheduled a meeting at the Tin Tin Buffet (exciting Brendan so much that he forgot to bring his bass) and offered him the gig. With apologies to Chuck Young (dude, seriously, you were this close), it was a no-brainer.

Rehearsals in the fall of 2004 took on a whole new life. Brendan infused Scamper with an energy and lifeblood that had petered out in what was, behind the scenes, a rather tumultuous period for us. With our newfound ability to construct three-part harmonies in our tunes, Scamper had finally completed the puzzle. We began to take on what has become our signature sound, and his presence in the band absolutely propelled us to the next level. Suddenly, you couldn't read a review of us without a mention of harmony -- and while it obviously referred to our voices, I think the double meaning rings just as true.

Brendan's first real gig with us (outside of Rotating Bassists and some shit gig in Worcester) was our CD Release show for Leave Your Glasses On. He got to walk out to an enormous, adoring crowd, and he absolutely shined. And when he experienced first-hand exactly what it meant to be in Scamper -- spotlights, photos, synchronized jumps -- how did he respond? By losing 75 pounds in a matter of months, because he wanted -- needed -- to be in shape and look good for the band. That, my friends, is what you call dedication.

And Brendan's ability to hit those high notes meant more than just three-part harmonies; it also, finally, afforded us the opportunity to do Def Leppard and Journey covers. (He also relieved Keith and myself of stage banter duty, which has led to some of our more legendary, if not especially proud, stage moments.)

Finally, it cannot be underestimated how much Brendan has contributed to the Scamper marketing machine. He has tirelessly posted to his journal almost every day for over three years, finally giving Keith the "sticky web content" that had so eluded us. (Does anyone out there remember the MadLibs, or that original "message board" that looked like a clunky Facebook wall?) And he took the reins on the podcast, writing all of the skits (Nate Sets U Str8? Completely Brendan material.), producing and directing each episode, and editing them all together every week. It's probably the most work anyone not named Keith has ever done for the band. The podcast was not only one of the most fun (and ambitious, honestly) projects on which the band has ever embarked, but it expanded Scamper Nation into an untapped world community. Sales of our records actually skyrocketed, and that's not exaggeration for the sake of sentiment. (Make a note, bands: sexually-charged fairy tales featuring gingerbread men and faux-English accents will MOVE YOUR RECORDS.) He's also been the impetus behind so much of the little stuff: the coordinated outfits, the choreography (from the shared mics to the kicks to the sexy robot dance) -- all the little things that get people to take notice.

Behind all the dick jokes, Brendan is a tremendously sensitive guy, who really and truly cares about everyone in the band. If any one of us is acting a little out of sorts at rehearsal, he wants to pull you aside and talk it out. He's made us all into more honest and open people, he's helped us keep our priorities in check, and, more than anything, he constantly reminds us to enjoy every goddamn second of being in the band -- as he has, without pretense, since 2004. Brendan has said many times that his favorite part of being in Scamper isn't the swooning ladyfans or radio interviews or the Mtv auditions (what, you don't know that story?); no, his favorite part is the downtime between a soundcheck and a show, when the four of us simply get to hang out together. A lot of bands kind of hate each other; we've been extremely fortunate to be each other's best friends, and I think that bond is evident in our music and our stage show. Brendan has really helped us appreciate everything that we have, and in return, I hope he knows how much we appreciate him.

I can't express how pleased I am to be part of his new project, because -- we now find out -- he's also one hell of a songwriter. He calls the Brendan Boogie Band his vanity project, but you know what? He deserves that chance to hog the spotlight. He's absolutely earned it.

Brendan's first appearance, and synchronized jump, with Scamper, 9.3.2004
Please note the shorts.

Retrospective II: On Mike

2008-01-29T15:27:00.000-05:00

Mike

Ah, the thankless life of a rock drummer. You have, far and away, more gear than anyone else in the band, and no one ever helps you carry any of it. You're stuck on the back end of the stage behind a bunch of cymbals. You're never in any of the pictures.

And if you're Mike, people constantly mistake you for Brendan.

So let's give the poor guy some love.

I can't say that my first interaction with Mike Mirabella was rife with promise. Picture it: Houlihan's Restaurant, summer 2001. Nate, a rather miserable server, is introduced to the new restaurant manager by the boss, who says "Hey, Nate, you're looking for a drummer, right? Mike plays drums!" Nate looks Mike up and down, scowls, and says "Yeah, great," and walks away. Mike's first thought: "What a dick."

In my defense, up to this point Keith and I had only ever played with one rhythm section -- the illustrious and legendary Scher and Joe from upstate NY -- and we weren't at all comfortable with the idea of anyone else. (And, let's be honest, I am kind of a dick.) But in June 2001, we swallowed hard, rented out the rehearsal space in the back of Mars Music, and invited Mike down for an audition. (Mike, of course, brought along an uninvited Marc Roderick, but that's a different story for a different day.) We struggled our way through a bunch of old Scamper originals ("Caramel," "Rockette," "Lucy," and the completely forgotten, and forgettable, "Let Me Down"), and while it all went okay, nothing exactly felt like magic.

And then we played "El Scorcho" by Weezer, and everything fell into place.

It would be dishonest of me to sit here and pretend that it's all been hearts and rainbows with Mike. While he and I have had relatively few issues (it helps that we go out and drink beer all the time), he and Keith butted heads incessantly for the first few years, and he and Brendan have had more than their share of intra-rhythm section battles. Mike is stubborn, and opinionated, and argumentative. But it's because he's so goddamned determined not only to to play everything as well as he possibly can, but because he wants the songs to sound the best that they possibly can. Some might say that he's passionate to a fault -- but when it comes to your band, I'd counter that by saying that you can never be "too" passionate. Everything he argues, deep down he is arguing for the good of the band, which is a lot more selfless than you'll find in a lot of musicians.

I suspect that Mike, much like Keith and myself, sometimes doesn't think of himself as a great musician. (We're a bunch of walking inferiority complexes, us Scamper boys.) He sets his standards really damn high, and when he doesn't live up to them, he gets upset, if not downright angry. But he's improved tremendously since 2001, particularly once Tom Polce got his hands on him and started whipping him into shape. Mirabella pre- and post- Leave Your Glasses On is a real lesson in becoming a monster drummer.

This quote, pulled from a review by the venerable Steve Gisselbrecht, says it all: "My one quibble is that the drummer actually makes mistakes. Not many: maybe three or four audible errors in a 45 minute set. It's a good performance. It's just that he's usually perfect, so any error really stands out." [Emphasis mine.] Steve doesn't lie, ladies and gents, and we've been blessed to work with a drummer who knows how to play to the song, not to his ego -- and to do it really fucking well.

And then in 2003, Mike put a whole new twist into our relationship with him, and really made us open our eyes and see a previously untapped talent: he showed up at rehearsal near giddy with pride about a tune he'd written. We begrudgingly handed him a guitar and let him play it for us (let's be honest here, folks; when your drummer starts writing songs, it's usually time to fire your drummer) -- and we were bowled over. That song was "Wait Wait," and it has proven to be one of our most popular and enduring songs. It was an immediate crowd favorite, and we haven't left it out of a setlist since. Keith and I didn't have a stellar record of opening up songwriting to our bandmates, but I'm excited, in this brave post-Scamper world, to hand Mike the keys and really see where he can go.

To that end, it speaks volumes that when Brendan and I started brainstorming on our new projects, we never for a second hesitated to build our plans around Mike. He's been our backbone for nearly seven years, and we wouldn't -- and won't -- have it any other way.

Lastly, Mike deserves some props for being my sidekick in schmoozing, and hitting up rock shows, and getting shithoused at parties. I know that, at a glance, that isn't exactly as heartwarming as what I said about Keith yesterday. But, while Keith has been my best friend in many of the traditional senses, he's definitely not the kind of guy with whom you go out to drink whiskey and talk about the dames. And Brendan -- well, Brendan kind of hates local rock, and he sure as hell hates "the Scene." And it is here more than anywhere else that Mike has stepped up and really proven invaluable to me, and, by extension, to Scamper. Because, do you know how a band works its way up the ladder and really gets anywhere? Sure, some of it comes down to having good songs and playing well and putting on a good show. But, for better or worse, a lot of it quite simply comes down to being at the right parties and getting drunk with the right people. (That's right, Will Dailey, I'm lookin' at you.) That would have been hard to do alone. Bands need bonds like this if they're to have any chance at longevity.

It wouldn't be wrong of you to think of Scamper as, first and foremost, a Nate and Keith project. But Mike's been on board from day one in June 2001, and he has loved this band with everything he has. My friendship with him has proven to be much more than just a convenient outgrowth of the band; it has, in fact, cemented the whole thing together.

Nate, Keith, and Mike at Scamper's debut show, 8.30.2001
Note the "matching" shirts. Those were Mike's idea too.

Retrospective I: On Keith

2008-01-28T21:33:00.000-05:00

When our brothers-in-rock Fooled by April packed it in in 2005, guitarist Joe used his diary to sing the praises of his fellow bandmates. What with my feeling nostalgic and more than a little melancholy with the impending demise of Scamper, I've decided to take a break from using this space to plug local shows and hot tunes, and instead give a little to love to my band -- my best friends, my surrogate family, and the most successful relationship I've ever managed to maintain.

This will be a snark-free zone this week, so if you can't handle a little sappy, heartfelt stuff, you'd best get yourself back to Brendan's Journal.

Keith

Keith and I have been playing music together since January 1994, which is really the entirety of my adult life. While I can acknowledge the legitimate reasons for pulling the plug here in 2008, it's hard for me to imagine a life where Keith and I aren't sitting in a basement somewhere with acoustic guitars, working out harmonies and cute solos, feeling the excitement of a killer new chorus, and -- perhaps my favorite part of the Scamper creative process -- correcting those bizarre rhythms that really only make sense in Keith's head. The hardest thing for me this coming Saturday is going to be looking to my left and seeing Keith by my side -- where he has stood unwaveringly for fourteen years, from a garage in suburban Clifton Park, NY, to the big stage at a sold-out Avalon -- for the last time. I'll keep playing music, of course, but every stage on which I set foot, whether I be a sideman in Brendan's project or fronting my own, is going to feel a little bit empty. Already, in writing new material for whatever it is I end up doing down the road, it feels more than a little bizarre to debut new songs to anyone other than Keith. He's always been the first pair of ears other than my own to hear my songs, and there's a lot of comfort there.

Scamper owes our every success to Keith's diligence, his persistence, and his never-ending faith in this band. Keith constantly pushed us -- sometimes against our will -- to achieve more and aim higher. To say he poured his heart and soul into the band sounds trite, so let me be a bit more concrete: he spent, literally, hundreds of man-hours assembling CDs, doing the graphic design for our records, getting t-shirts, stickers, and buttons made, obsessively building bigger and better websites, and managing the band's finances (imagine if Mike or I had been in charge of the money! "Another round for everyone, on Scamper!"). And, of course, he also wrote a bunch of tunes that people seemed to like. And he did it all while juggling a career (the rest of us merely have jobs) and a family! It's really rather mind-boggling; I get overwhelmed by the "About Me" section of my MySpace, for heaven's sake.

It's a little known fact that Scamper almost disbanded in 2003, over personal and monetary issues, prior to recording Leave Your Glasses On. But I sat in Keith's car and told him, "No. You're not done. You can't walk away from this band without having something you're proud of. Can you?" In response, he single-handedly devised a scheme by which we could record a major-label-quality album without bankrupting ourselves and without exploding the band as we knew it. He got Tom Polce on board to produce us, and got the tunes licensed. He wooed Kay Hanley to sing on our EP. And those moves right there are what propelled us from being a mediocre band playing mediocre shows to being a damn fine band that comes in third in a lot of contests. And we did it with our personal bank accounts intact. Now that's a fucking band manager.

Keith and I always had a little trouble thinking of ourselves as musicians; we've been saddled with the self-image of a couple of hacks, by virtue of our truly ugly (and grunge-y) musical beginnings. But over the last few years in particular, Keith really learned how to be a fucking performer. He learned solos that I thought he had no shot of learning. And he sang his damn balls off. Keith became a musician simply because he refuses to do anything halfway. And, by standing by his side, it forced me to do the same.

Keith has been our focus, our center, and our motivator. If he were ever late to rehearsal, the remaining three of us would literally stand around, shuffling our feet, not knowing what in the world to do. Anyone who heard us on WFNX the other night can see just how directionless we our without our leader. Over the second half of 2007, when Keith began, for lack of a better term, "checking out," it was like helplessly watching the air go out of a tire. Without Keith... well, we're just the Brendan Boogie Band.

So raise a glass (something non-alcoholic, please) to our fearless leader Keith, without whom this Scamper thing would never have gotten off the ground, and without whom I'd be a lot more of a lost soul.

Keith and Nate, 1995

Your Problem is Becoming

2008-01-23T14:44:00.001-05:00

Hot Downloads: fuse.tv
New tracks from The Submarines and Nada Surf were the highlights for me, but a lot of this music is dope.

Shows this Week:
Weds 1/23: Band of Horses @ The Paradise (Sold out, suckers)
Fri 1/25: Mary Lou Lord (note: not Traci Lords) @ The Cantab
Sat and Sun 1/26 and 1/27: The Click Five and Damone @ Bill's Bar. The Sunday show features our friends All These Kings as support.

Best for Last:
Some of you out there might recall (by virtue of it scarring your sensitive little retinae) my moment of Noise centerfold glory from spring 2006. Well, the party responsible for that hirsute assault on humanity, Ms. Liz Linder, has put together an art show, and yours truly is featured as a near life-sized pin-up. And it's not the centerfold shot -- no, it's that sneaky shot that she slipped into the back pages of the Noise, featuring my guitar case, argyle socks, and very little else.

I'm not sure even I want to see a life-size version of that, but if your sick curiosity gets the best of you, details are in the clickable invite below. Cha!

Slederbies!

2008-01-15T10:15:00.000-05:00

It's a quiet week for the rock and the roll, my Rosemary & Olive Oil Triscuits. Thank heavens American Idol is back!

On Wednesday 1/16 you should get your rear to Hennessy's upstairs in Faneuil Hall to see The Rationales and the Brendan Boogie Band, the latter of which features ME in an uncredited role on guitar and harmonies. Brendan will deny it if asked.

If you live in NYC, or you're down for a little road trippin', Friday 1/18 brings the tremendous trifecta of Baker, Harris, and (2007 Rumble kings) Township to The Delancey. Why can't we get bills like that? Ah, well, at least we have the better baseball team.

Bon Savants keep Allston in check on Saturday at Ye Olde Great Scotte.

Hooray For Earth isn't dropping their new Cellphone EP until Leap Day, but the chatter and YouTubing has begun.

YouTubing makes me think of Sno-Tubing, which is how I'd prefer to be spending my winter days.

Who Brought the Trickery?

2008-01-06T18:34:00.000-05:00

Two thousand Nate, babies. This is the year we bring back the word "dame."

It's also the year that begins with all sorts of acoustic awesome. Monday evening, Jan 7, brings us the hot acoustic twist of David Mirabella and Aloud's Jen & Henry at The Other Side of the Bear at TT's. And on Tuesday, Jan 8, those bright-eyed and mop-topped lads in the Mystery Tramps are unplugging and showing off their mad speed skillz at the Paradise Lounge.

Meantime, O'Brien's is trotting out all our old Rumble 06 friends, with Appomattox on Tuesday and We're All Gonna Die on Wednesday.

And it's totally a Lizard Lounge-tastic weekend, with Casey Desmond on Friday and Will Dailey on Saturday.

Oh, and look! The decidedly unpalatable craphouse known as Emergenza is back, and has devoured and defiled the Middle East upstairs for most of the month. Booo pay-to-play. Booo shitty bands. Booo keeping me at Avalon too long this past June, and piling on to what was already to a glorious disaster at Chez Diggity. (Chez Diggity is my brain.) Booo Nikki and Paolo.

Let's Give It Up For The New Year

2007-12-31T17:40:00.001-05:00

Hmm, I seem to have not written up a New Years entry. And you seem to not care. And, honestly, if you're coming here at 6pm on December 31 for recommendations, you're sorrier than I gave you credit for. Hopefully you've already secured plans to see Bang Camaro, or C4RT, or the Rudds. Or maybe you're going out dancing, or making nasty with your better half. Whatever it is, be safe, and celebrate the end of this pisser of a year.

Tomorrow night, 1.1.08, you should go see Hot Box at O'Brien's.

More to come. I've got to start drinking all this Andre.

Spread My Holiday Cheer All Over You

2007-12-13T22:53:00.000-05:00

My word, there are a lot of sad posters appearing on the scampernet these days.

So, 'tis the season for local bands to write holiday rock songs. That there is something that Scamper never quite got around to doing. Oh, sure, there was "It's Hard to be a Pirate on Christmas," but that never made it off the Mirabella drawing board. And in 2002 we did a pretty kickass version of "Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland"...and then proceeded to play it out as late as February. Idiots.

Anyway. Give these a listen, via their conveniently linked Myspaces:
Aloud - "Put on the Parka"
The Self-Righteous Brothers - "Christmas Disco"
The Animal Closet - "Santa Sucks"

This Sunday, Dec 16, Age Rings and Hooray for Earth are at Great Scott, if you're willing to brave the second storm that's scheduled to slam our sorry New England asses.

Beyond that, TT's is pretty much the only place you need to be for what remains of 2007. The sad news is that longtime TT's bartender, and sweetheart to all, Jeanne has been diagnosed with cancer, and in true Boston fashion, everyone who's anyone (note: not Scamper) is playing a series of benefit shows in her honour. The 21st brings The Shods, The Pills, AdFrank, Downbeat 5, Joyce & Chick of Scarce, Auto Interiors, and Jonny Pape. The 27th has Taxpayer, The Appreciation Post, and The Everyday Visuals. The 28th features The Gravel Pit, Francine, Baker, The Douglas Fir, and Jules Verdone (and two special guests, who have yet to be announced) (note: not Scamper). And lastly, on the 29th, it's Buffalo Tom, Thalia Zedek, Meghan Toohey, The Painted Lights, and Keys To The Streets of Fear. All shows are $15, and I don't think I need to tell you that it's for a good cause.

Oh, and Saturday the 22nd? The Lemonheads at the Middle East down.

That oughtta keep you vultures quiet for awhile. I'll be back with my annual New Years shows & makeout recommendations -- and I just might be writing it from Florida.

Happy stuff to all.

Michael Landon is Going For Broke

2007-12-10T12:21:00.000-05:00

Have you heard about this Brendan Boogie Band? None of you are tracking them on tourfilter, I can tell you that much. But it seems that our very own Brendan is going solo, even before the ashes of Scamper have gone lukewarm. Apparently I'm playing in this band. And apparently the debut show is tomorrow night, 11 Dec 2007, at the Bulfinch Yacht Club. With the Rationales and "The Beatle," which we're all assuming is Paul McCartney.

Speaking of members of rhythm sections thinking they're the bee's knees, Luxury drummer Steve Foster took a bunch of Christmas carols and rewrote them to be about chickens. Makes perfect sense. See Christmas Chickens at TT's on Thursday 13 Dec 2007, with Robby Roadsteamer, the Snowleopards, and Kier Byrnes of Three Day Threshold.

That's kind of all I've got for you this week. Oh, do you like blogs? You know Kay Hanley, of the late, great Letters to Cleo? Do you know what she's doing now? Singing backup on the scandal-ridden Hannah Montana tour. It's all rather preposterous, and she's letting us in on the shenanigans here. Strange life.

Free download: "She's a Joke" - The Charms

Bats Living at the Clam

2007-11-26T14:43:00.000-05:00

Are we all properly full of Thanksgiving pumpkin cheesecake? Good. Let's get back to business, for I have a dope show (or two!) for you every single night this week:

Mon Nov 26: Okay Thursday @ PA's Lounge
Tues Nov 27: The Sneaks (ex-Anushka Pop) @ the Abbey
Weds Nov 28: Downbeat 5 @ TT the Bear's
Thurs Nov 29: Will Dailey @ The Paradise, or Self-Righteous Brothers @ PA's Lounge
Fri Nov 30: All These Kings @ Bill's Bar
Sat Dec 01: Harris, Howarewe Hawaii?, Paper Thin Stages, Mike Fiore (Faces on Film), Shore Leave @ Middle East up

Speaking of Will Dailey, check out the current (Jay-Z) issue of Rolling Stone, where our former Mappari boy is bountifully discussed in the context of music on TV. What, you didn't see him on CSI with Lieutenant Dan?

The Charms have released a new EP entitled Heroes and Villains, with downloady links and artwork right hnyaw. And while you're partying on that there site, as a special treat, they're putting two tunes a week up for FREE download. Who doesn't like free downloads? Who doesn't like a cookie?

Addendum: Ok Go / Scamper superfan Katy recently launched a little MP3 blog called That One Pop Gem, and if you're getting (understandably) fed up with my failing to introduce you to much new music as of late, give her site a spin. She writes far more regularly than yours truly, and hey, she has exquisite taste.

There's Cranberry Sauce in My Heart

2007-11-18T22:05:00.000-05:00

Need a break from throwing mashed potatoes at your Facebook friends?

Protokoll is rocking both of the apostrophes in O'Brien's Monday night, 11/19, along with Yoni Gordon and the Goods, Hats and Glasses, and Wonderful Spells. I'm amused at O'Brien's new site being a subpage of greatscottboston.com. Allston: one nation, one domain name!

Wednesday 11/21 brings the Rationales to the Abbey, if you haven't already skipped town to go boozing with your bozo high school friends in your shitty suburban hometown. And when you've had your fill of yams and pumpkin pie, catch Age Rings at Great Scott on Sunday 11/25.

If you're not hip to The Submarines yet, you're an asshole. It's Blake Hazard and Jack Drag, two of the first Boston acts that won me over when I moved my ass out here all those years ago, now united as one in matrimony and awesomeness -- in LA, where all the cool kids go. But the debut disc, Declare a New State!, is righteous, and 3000 miles need not stand in your way.

Local recommendation of the week: "Flood" by The Animal Closet. In my mind, this song is sung by the dude from the long-lost Nimmer. I know that only makes sense to about four of you out there, but seriously, listen!

Local sad goodbye of the week: The Dead Trees, formerly Furvis, packed up their shit and moved to Portland. Oregon, not Maine. Godspeed, kids.

Oh, and Hooray For Earth did a cover of The Ronettes' "Be My Baby," and it kicks a million kinds of balls, but all I've got is this bootleg copy and I don't know if I'm allowed to share it. So, yeah. I don't know why I told you that.

Here's to awkward family reunions! See you next week.

Music is my Boyfriend

2007-11-05T10:41:00.000-05:00

Hey Boston, let's begin this edition of The Scene with a spelling lesson.

1. Hennessy's. H-E-N-N-E-S-S-Y-apostrophe-S. Not Hennessey's. HENNESSY'S.

2. And where is Hennessy's located? Faneuil Hall. F-A-N-E-U-I-L. You can remember this with the simple trick that those pesky vowels appear in that very order on your keyboard.

Kindly stop fucking these things up, because it makes me want to punch you in the head.

Moving on. You should go catch Aloud, Age Rings, the Snowleopards, and St. Helena at Hennessy's in Faneuil Hall on Thursday Nov 8. Alternatively, if you prefer your venues easily spelled, hit up the Abbey for Johnny Anguish's Dirt Mall and the Weisstronauts.

Saturday Nov 10 brings us a Chauncey reunion show, along with the Everyday Visuals and Cassavettes. Middle East down.

That's all I've got for this week. I'm actually not trying very hard, because I'm skipping town for a long weekend in San Francisco. Fend for yourselves, hotshots.

Download now: "Music is my Hot, Hot Sex" - Cansei de Ser Sexy. Stupid iPhone commericals. Or iPod touch. Whatever.

Tacoby Bellsbury

2007-10-30T15:12:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I picked up a copy of the Boston Herald, as I do most every day from spring training through the World Series, and was a bit disconcerted; not only had the Red Sox won an unthinkable second World Series title, there in the A&E section was the top-billed "Scamper Scurries Into Retirement" article. Oof. I hope you got your copy -- that's some serious collector's item stuff.

Anyhow! I've recovered from the birthday and Red Sox riots and I'm ready to start bothering you on a weekly basis once more.

Firstly. If you haven't seen Okay Thursday lately, you need to. I'll somewhat abashedly admit that I hadn't seen them in many months, and had yet to bear witness to their new lineup and new sound. But I caught them opening for the mighty Imperial Teen at TT's last week, and my sweet holy hell. They were good before, but they are TREMENDOUS now. I think there's some irony in that the music has a lot more balls now that there's a second girl in the band, but I don't think anyone knows what irony means anymore. So forget it.

Secondly. Tomorrow is Halloween, which means local bands do cover shows. Funny how something that is so sneered upon becomes super-cool for this one silly night. My recommendations this year will be short and sweet: Baker (The Cars) and Self-Righteous Brothers (Beatles) at the Middle East up, and/or The Motion Sick (Poison) and The Luxury (Def Leppard) at TT's. I will not be dressed like Bert this year -- because I, as any self-respecting grown up should do, have stopped going to Supercuts.

Nextforth. The Decemberists are doing two shows this weekend at the Orpheum; the fun twist on this tour is that they play one show of short, poppy songs, and one full of the long sea shanties. Alas, I'm not going to either one, but I do highly recommend seeing these laddies and lassies live. (If you're looking for me, as I suspect you are, I'll be working the door at the Paradise for the Superdrag show on Saturday.)

Subsequently. The International Pop Overthrow is rolling through town again, this time housed at Great Scott in Allston. Highlights: the recently rebirthed Rooftop Suicide Club on 11/2 and Brett Rosenberg's triumphant return to Boston on 11/5.

Penultimately. Boston has a new venue for the live rock and roll: Church now occupies the space formerly known as the Linwood. With the recent losses of the Skybar, the Kirkland, the Overdraught, and evidently the Basement at the Baseball Tavern, any new venue is hot business. I've yet to see the place, but initialy reviews have been spectacular. So go there and drink beer.

Finally. When I first moved to Boston, I was a regular reader of the Improper Bostonian and the Phoenix. I've come to not care for either publication in the years since, turning my allegiances -- as many have -- to the Dig. But once a year, the Improper trumpets the local rock scene and gives credit where credit is due. I recall the Fly Seville (oh how I miss them!) gracing the cover back in 2000 or 2001, and dreaming of a day when perhaps Scamper would see their name highlighted on that glossy, pretentious cover. In the end, we never got so much as a glance askance from Ezra et al. But do pick up the current issue (pictured below). That Casey, she's gonna conquer the world.

Go Shorty

2007-10-09T10:05:00.000-04:00

As you may have heard, October is birthday time for yours truly, and to commemorate my 24th trip around the sun, I've decided to throw myself a rock gala on Friday the 19th.

You heard me. A gala.

Poster by Jordan Valentine, killer lineup by me. I'm the best!

Here's some links, in case you like clicking on things.

World's Greatest Sinners
Aloud
Harris
Baker

with acoustic mini-sets by:
Patrick Emswiler (The Spaceshots, The Sterlings)
Jon Gorey
Dave Mirabella (The Rationales)

After the live music curfew at 12:30am, we pull an Avalon and presto change-o the place into a raging dance club til 2. It's a near guarantee that Mike, Brendo, and I will do the sublimely stupid Sexyback dance.

Note for the sports fans: No ALCS game scheduled that night. I continue to be the best!

See you there. Bring a clown!

I Ain't Been Sleeping Too Well

2007-10-01T12:33:00.000-04:00

Greetings, Mets fans. Another week, another shakedown of the scene.

First things first, word on the street is that the usually reliable tourfilter has gone and informed the world that Scamper will be appearing at the Abbey Lounge on October 19. This is both a bald-faced lie and indirectly kind of true. Our little pop ensemble will not be performing that night, but you will find me -- and my bandmates, I would hope -- there, partaking in the first annual Nate Diggity Birthday Rock Gala. I'm technically not allowed to promote it quite yet, as there may be some "bending" of some "two-week rules" going down, but suffice it to say that all my faves will be there, and you'd be a maroon to miss out.

As for the week at hand:

Tues 10/2: While the Rudds cool their jets for a spell, John Powhida International Airport continues to take the town by storm. Catch them opening up the Paradise big room, 7:30p.

Weds 10/3: The Rationales close out the night at TT's, hopefully just around the time we see Jonathan Papelbon doing a fist pump and Vlad sulking back to the clubhouse.

Fri 10/5: WOOHOO. Baker, at long, long last, unleashes their full-length debut album, Bike Ride, at TT's. The Luxury and Self-Righteous Brothers open, and Sameer from Happy Endings spins fresh dance jams afterward.

I have a suspicion they're pulling a Scamper and growing moustaches for this.

A Round of Banana Martinis

2007-09-24T00:01:00.000-04:00

Here's your hot business for the week, my DJ Jazzy Jeffs and Fresh Princes.

Monday 9/24: The Other Side of the Bear acoustic series at TT's gives you Patrick Emswiler (The Spaceshots), Brian Sullivan (Dylan In The Movies), and Scott Janovitz (The Great Bandini). 8:30pm, 3 buckazoids.

Tuesday 9/25: Dave Mirabella wraps up his Abbey pub stage residency with Dan Cray and Eric Hellweg. 7pm, free.

Thurs 9/26 and Fri 9/27: Bishop Allen and John Vanderslice hold down two nights at the Middle East up. Friday is already sold out, and I'm outraged.

Sat 9/28: Max Heinegg drops a fresh disc at the Lizard Lounge. Depending on which of those sites you click on, any or all of the following people might be playing: Dana Colley (Morphine, Twinemen), Mike Piehl (Reverse), Jared Marsh (Taxpayer), Thom Moran (Bon Savants), and/or Noelle LeBlanc (Damone). Wowz. Oh, and Max will be backed by Jetlagger. Hella.

Alternatively, hit up Harris at Harper's Ferry, for the insane price of five dollars. It's a birthday show, and they like spankings.

We'll Be Twenty For Life

2007-09-17T15:24:00.000-04:00

Oh look, it's Monday and I owe you a Scene.

Tonight (Mon 9/17), you'd be a fool to miss The Apples in Stereo at the Middle East down. But hey, if your "tendencies" lean toward the "Allston" side of the "river," C4RT continues their residency at Great Scott, with Robby "Sox Appeal" Roadsteamer in tow. I'm not here to tell you what to do.

Speaking of residencies, Dave Mirabella continues his Tuesday acoustic ballyhoo on the Abbey pub stage, this time with the magical Phil Aiken. 7pm, and free as always.

Word on the street is that All These Kings added a ladygirl to their band, and that their new stuff is transcendant. I'd tell you to go check them out at the Paradise Lounge on Thursday 9/20, but I won't. Because your presence is demanded -- DEMANDED! -- at the debut of The Rationales at the Bulfinch Yacht Club.

Rilo Kiley is at Avalon on Friday 9/21, and it's the very last time I'll be demeaning myself to work the door there before they level the joint (following a blowout last show on 9/30 by Dropkick Murphys, but that's getting ahead of myself). So yeah, come by and sashay your sweet ass through my turnstile.

The Information holds down court at The Plan at Great Scott on Sat 9/22. Dancetastic!

Meantime, the following songs are ruling my life:

"Paris 2004" by Peter Bjorn and John. I wish I'd bothered to grab this album before they played Avalon last week. Alas. I'm, in the words of my dad, a bonehead.
"What For" - Rooney. The new album initially disappointed the crackers out of me, but, quite against my will, the formulaic and predictable pop pablum has won me over. Fuck you.
"Room With a View" - Imperial Teen. No commentary; that's just a good song. Boner Jams 03.

THE END.