CONCERT: Vic Chesnutt: Opener Liz Durrett held the crowd's attention with just a classical guitar, a well-used distortion pedal and a lovely, expressive voice (which reminded me somehow of both Sarah McLaughlin and Feist). Apparently her album is more fully orchestrated, but the sparse setting suits her, and the distortion was more than enough to add variety to the arrangements. A good way to set the mood for the evening, and another reminder of how absurdly well-behaved Marquee Room crowds are. Honestly, the last few shows I've seen there, you could hear a pin drop.
Even from a wheelchair, Chesnutt commands the stage. Actually, that feels like the wrong word -- he somehow seems too sweet to command anything, mostly thanks to his banter … Read More

As an excercise/experiment, I've started writing mini-reviews of every movie I watch, concert I see, book I read, etc -- as long as it's the first time I've consumed it, I'll try my best to review it. I'm not exactly sure how long it'll last, but while it does, I'll probably collect a few of them every week here on the blog. They're all pretty informal, but hopefully someone'll get at least some enjoyment out of them -- and having an audience will make me more likely to actually carry on with this.

CONCERT: DINOSAUR JR, Nov. 14: There's no denying that a lot of their songs sound the same (they all boil down to volume + guitar wank), but there's also no denying that the band truly delivered. Mascis can rip out solos with the best of them, but the real key seems to be Lou … Read More