
Upcoming Events (Local Musician Dates)
Thursday, August 26, 2010
22-20s - Free Live EP

Monday, August 16, 2010
The Tumbled Sea - Free Album

If you are a fan of Harold Budd, Brian Eno, or other ambient and/or instrumental musicians, I highly recommend snagging this album, "Melody Summer", while you can. It is a quiet collection of songs that would be great to write, wake up or draw to; or to have dancing through the back of your mind as you read a book or look out at the ocean. A soothing, creative blend of piano/organ and strings, with the occasional woodwind intertwined makes for a truly magical listening experience. And check out his other music (and the other bands) on the Future Recordings page.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Goodnight, John Boy II
If you weren't able to make it up to Rollinsford, NH last night for the second in a series of "Goodnight, John Boy" shows, here is a good chunk of Almanac Mountain's performance, including the classic "Surry Hospitality", the mesmerizing "Spiral Onion Shoots", and some new songs:
Chris Cote of Almanac Mountain Performs at the New Studio from Alan Ammann on Vimeo.
Friday, August 13, 2010
WPMF: Alumni Shows This Weekend
If you were at July 31st's Wyman's Pond Music Fest, you got to hear stripped down versions of some fine musicians' work. If you'd like to hear them in a different setting this weekend, here are some dates:
- Tonight (8/13) @ Lidio's in Leominster: Lee Villaire and Elizabeth Lorrey will be trading sets from 6- 10 pm as they perform outdoors on the patio of this fine local restaurant. Grab a good meal, have a few drinks, and enjoy a four hour mix of rousing and thoughtful songs during Lidio's “Acoustics Under The Stars”. And best of all it's free!
Tomorrow (8/14) @ The New Studio in Rollinsford, NH: Almanac Mountain will be headlining the 2nd "Goodnight, John Boy" show at The Upper Mill at 8 pm. For $8 you get to hear him fully-plugged with backing musicians, plus hear a few new songs! And FYI, it's BYOB.
"Goodnight, John Boy" image by Christopher A Cote
Labels:
Almanac Mountain,
Elizabeth Lorrey,
Lee Villaire,
Live Show,
Local Music
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Octo Octa

Fast-forward to this weekend when the head of Spiragraph sent me a pair of new songs to listen to. Now this was more like it. After listening to "Let Me See You", I was instantly transported in my mind to a friendly non-pretentious club, with smiling people all around me, the sun shining down through a hole in the roof, and everyone having a joyous time moving on the dance floor. It's four minutes of pure happiness.
The other new song I heard was "I'm Trying". In a dark room, freshly-scrubbed bodies packed in on all sides, and multi-colored lights flashing on the other side of closed eyelids, the crowd moves to the entrancing beats. Six strong minutes of electronic togetherness. Every time the song ends I want to hear more, and that is always a good thing. I'd go to that party.
After hearing these fantastic new offerings, I went back to listen to Octo Octa's older stuff. I can now see where the artist was coming from. A person needs to be in the mindset of having just spent several hours playing old Nintendo games, and having to burn off some nervous energy after sitting on his/her backside all day. I had to transport myself back to a time when the bleeps, blips, and 'doodle-dee-dadas' of Pac-Man and Donkey Kong and Super Mario Brothers filled my head to truly appreciate songs like "Kid Wobble", which I have a new respect for, and especially the 'Peek Into The Future Version' of "Game Over", which can be found on Soundcloud.
Overall I like the direction Octo Octa is going. I missed his appearance at the first "Goodnight, John Boy" series, and am not sure if he is performing at the next one on August 14th (see "Upcoming Events" at the top of the page), but if you care to see him live, check his Reverb Nation homepage from time to time for gigs. And check out this early performance of his from the Ello Gallery in Portsmouth, NH:
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Wyman's Pond Music Fest - Wrap Up
The roster included (in order of performance):
- Seacoast NH - Almanac Mountain
- Groton, MA - Elizabeth Lorrey
- Central MA (via Montreal) - Lee Villaire
- Brighton, MA - Vanessa Kafka
- Dover, NH - James McGarvey III
- Boston, MA - Kenneth Budka
Pictured (l to r, bottom): Almanac Mountain, Elizabeth Lorrey, Lee Villaire, Vanessa Kafka (and bandmates). Photos by Ken M.
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