Free Music - Eardrums Pop

As previously reported in "Music Free for All", the music site Eardrums Pop has many fantastic audio offerings for your listening pleasure, for the wonderful price of zero dollars. And each download contains artwork for the single or EP. How cool is that? Here are four recent standouts:

• If you enjoy the ukulele and/or dreamy female vocals then check out Early to Bed. The duo has a 3-song download featuring "Til We Arrive", a perfect little wake-up tune, as well as two addtional offerings.
• The quiet and playful song "There is Another Sky" by Olafachada suggests laying in the tall grass on a sunny day. Hailing from Portugal and Norway, the duo (Bernardo Fachada and My Little Pony's Ola Innset) are creatively goofy and a whole lot of fun, as evidenced on the other song available, "Tall With Hard Long Eyes".
• Alison Eales brings us the triad of songs "Land and Sea", "Vigils", and a cover of The Just Joans' tune "Overblown Gestures". If you enjoy the honesty of a girl, her thoughts and her guitar, then this will fit right into your collection.
• And last but not least, if your ears have an affinity for early Go-Go's or Pretenders, or current LA sensations The Like, then Koo Kooo Kitchen's 3-song EP is just the thing for you. "Sweet Caress" has the energy of frantic guitars dueling with the 2 singers' voices, and "Bedsheet" is a late night cab ride from a small club show to an afterparty in the big city.

So download away, tell your friends about the songs you enjoy, and catch the bands live if they come to a venue near you. Grassroots is where much of the best music is to be found these days, and finding it can be half the fun!

Abbie Barrett - Free Song

Somerville, MA sensation Abbie Barrett has put out a brand new song for free for all of her fans, both long-time and new. Head on over to her Reverb Nation page and grab "Marry Me (The Wedding Song)" for your computer, iPod, or other digital music player. And don't forget to check the top of our page for all of her New England shows, including this year's Wyman's Pond Music Fest. Tell your friends about the new song, and please let us know how you like it!

Love and Live Music

Okay, everyone knows that Valentine's Day is tomorrow. Flowers, a box of candy, dinner, blah blah blah... We humbly suggest an additional way to make the evening memorable - live music!

By taking that special someone to see a great local band or soloist, you are cementing the night into his or her memory forever. There is nothing like a fantastic song or three to add to the overall experience of a night of fun and romance. Here are some free (or inexpensive, where noted) options at interesting venues for several of our favorite cities:

Boston, MA:

• At TOAD (Porter Square) you will find roots rock by The White Owls at 8 pm, and then the Americana sounds of The Gilded Splinters at 10 pm.
  
• The Beehive at the Boston Center for the Arts will feature the vocal stylings of Panayota Chaloulakou, a sensual blend of jazz, World Music, Greek, and her own unique flavors - 8 pm.
  
• There is great jazz to be found at Les Zygomates Wine Bar South Street. Yoko Miwa will be performing solo piano from 6 - 9 pm.

Portsmouth, NH:

• Sharon Jones is performing a solo set at The Press Room's Jazz Grill - 8 pm.
  
• Irish music duo Oran Mor is at RiRa - 7 pm.
  
• A triple bill for The Red Door's "Hush Hush Sweet Harlot" series: Brian McGee, Woody Pines and Melvern Taylor and his Fabulous Meltones ($5 suggested donation) - 7 pm.
  

Elsewhere:

• Gardner Ale House (Gardner, MA) - Danielle Miraglia performs from 6 - 9 pm. And if you haven't made plans yet, check out their $45 Dinner for Two (reservations recommended).
  
• Fratello's (Manchester, NH) has Tim Cannon performing from 6 - 9 pm.
  

So if you don't have plans, or have something going on in the vicinity of these shows, why not add a musical accompaniment to your already uncommon evening you have planned for that special someone. Who knows? You might just come away with a new favorite band or song that the two of you can share for a lifetime.

Just Can't Wait

We've had three blizzards in the span of ten days here in New England, which means a lot of downtime. Now I don't know about you, but it's given me a chance to do some thinking about music. In addition to signing up five of this year's acts to (and designing a new website for) 2011's Wyman's Pond Music Fest, I've also done a lot of reading about the national music scene, my favorite musicians, and the new albums that many of them are releasing this year.

Which of your favorite bands and/or singers have albums coming out that you are just dying to hear? We would like to know. Do this music-loving community a favor, and leave a recommendation or two for all to see. We want your enthusiasm to ooze through this site. We beg of you to favor us with your ideas of 'good' sounds for the upcoming seasons. Share with us the names of artists whose new songs you think deserve space in iPods other than your own. We want to see tons of comments on this topic. If we get twenty or more responses by Valentine's Day (as good a cut-off as any), one person will be randomly selected to win a ten dollar iTunes gift card as a thank you, so that he or she may acquire the anticipated album of his or her choice, merely for spreading the word to friends!

I personally am excited for the following:

• R.E.M. - "Collapse Into Now" - Due out in early March. I have rarely been disappointed by an R.E.M. album, and this one looks to be a real rocker. From the songs I have been able to hear so far, it is as if they took the hard edge of "Monster" and blended it with the very early jangle of their first few records. I'm sure there will be many surprises too. For example: "Oh My Heart" sounds like it could have been lifted from "Automatic for the People". Check out "Mine Smell Like Honey" below...
• Fleet Foxes - Title TBD - Due out in the spring. The first album from these Seattle songmakers was so amazing, I still have several of their songs popping into my head at random times, and the album is on my iPod to this day. They are still working on a title for the new disc, but if the songs are as memorable as their debut, then the title really won't matter in the long run.
• Lykke Li - "Wounded Rhymes" - Due out 02/28 - I find this songstress' catalog to be a mixed bag. Some songs are brilliant, and others truly grate. But when she succeeds (in my mind, as music is a subjective experience), it's truly memorable. For example, 2010's "Paris Blue" is hauntingly beautiful, and yet the upcoming "I Follow Rivers" is a jolt of eighties-ish oddness. Perhaps this is a good thing...

I am also looking forward to upcoming releases from local favorites Elizabeth Lorrey (EP: due March/April), Lee Villaire (6th album: date TBD), and Endless Wave (1st full-length: spring). And I have my fingers crossed for some new songs by Vanessa Kafka. So get to scanning the music sites, stations and channels, and let us know in the comments section what we should be keeping an ear out for in 2011. You'll be helping your favorites and your friends. ♫♪♫♪

Elizabeth Lorrey at Cafe Verde

Last night I made the drive up to Cafe Verde in Lawrence, MA to see Elizabeth Lorrey's first show of the new year. And as I knew it would be, it was totally worth the trip.

I met Erik at the cafe around 7:30, and Brian & Nikki and her friend Caitlin walked in right behind me. We got a table near the performer's windowfront area (behind a couple of strategically placed couches), and then I went over to talk to Elizabeth for a little while. After sweetly greeting me like an old friend she told me that in addition to all the great songs on her album "Awakening", she was going to perform a few new tunes, with a handful of covers mixed in. And on a cool side note, she threw her hat into the ring for the 2nd Annual Wyman's Pond Music Fest, and gave me some leads for 'new blood' to add to this year's lakeside day of music.

Her performance was full of energy and humor, and hearing her songs live again (but this time indoors and with a sound system) was amazing. The show was two hours of music, from 9 pm 'til 11 or so, with a short break after the first hour. She spread out her album songs over the two sets, and included a magical version of "Frozen", an emotionally-charged "She", and a raucous run-through of "Blood on the Statehouse Floor". As promised, she debuted several new songs, such as the fantastic "Invisible", "Eleanor", and "Bittersweet", which should all appear in some form on her new EP, coming in March or April. And blended throughout, she bestowed upon the thoroughly engaged crowd a whole slew of covers, including:

• "You're So Vain" - Carly Simon
• "Back on the Chain Gang" - The Pretenders
• "I'm a Believer" - The Monkees
• "Closer to Fine" - Indigo Girls
• "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) - Eurythmics
• Love is a Battlefield" - Pat Benetar

She also played songs by U2, Janis Ian, Coldplay, and several more (I lost count). So much for 'just a few covers mixed in'! Her energy was off the charts, she had the crowd singing along (especially Caitlin and Nikki, they seemed to know the words to every cover Elizabeth threw out at us), and even when she couldn't quite see a few lyrics on the page, she bluffed her way through with great humor, to no one's disappointment. She is so versatile! I swear I felt Aimee Mann in the house during her powerful rendition of 'Til Tuesday's "Welcome Home". What a phenomenal show.

The staff at Cafe Verde was fantastic too. The beer was good (I had 2 bottles of Harpoon UFO), everyone enjoyed their salads and sandwiches, and the waiter willingly made several 'adjustments' to Nikki's martini-esque drink with good humor. Add in an amused and patient cashier when we needed the tab split in four (no one brought cash except me) and an immaculate rest room, and it was a great experience all around. If you ever find yourself on Essex Street in Lawrence, I highly recommend this hip and homey place.

So: if you get a chance, don't wait until July to see Elizabeth Lorrey live. She already has a few shows booked in February and March. We always post them here at the top of our page, but check out her website and join her mailing list. You won't regret it!