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Please check back in January 2009.

So what's it like to get all the way to the very edge of obscurity? To be, you know, almost famous? Dean Wareham is one of those rare geniuses who know the answer to that question. Dean was the force behind Galaxie 500, one of the best bands you've never heard. Their pared-down, raw sound made Galaxie 500 a trailblazer in the 80s -- to many, much more than a mere footnote in the annals of east coast indie rock lore. Galaxie 500's sudden 1991 break-up spun Dean into Luna, and the other two members, Damon and ...

World AIDS Day is December 1st, and on that night HARPERS FERRY (158 Brighton Ave, Allston MA) hosts an evening filled with music and awareness. Doors are at 7pm, Music starts at 8pm. Proceeds from the $10 cover charge benefit the Mother of Peace Orphanage in Illovo, South Africa. Mother of Peace is a non-profit organization dedicated to caring for children affected by the HIV crisis in kwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Though final details are still being added as Boston area rockers come forth with ideas and suggestions and queries about how they can help, this is what's confirmed: ...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eight years ago Bob Matros, better known as Reverend Bob, needed an outlet for some downtempo songs that didn’t fit with his band; at the time Reverend Bob fronted the buzzworthy School of Assassins, a hard rocking Boston act . So Bob approached Mark White, better known as Dark Mark. It wasn’t long before the two friends conspired to form an acoustic side project, and they called their unusual duo Reverend Bob and the Darkness. Today’s version of Reverend Bob and the Darkness is a sprawling affair with an ever-evolving line-up that includes, at one time or ...

by Lexi Kahn It's hard to believe that it's been four years since a chance encounter with the Spottiswoode and His Enemies 2003 release. Some publicist had randomly mailed me their then-latest CD, a sprawling 17 tracks busting with dark rhythms, violent echoing effects, soaring horns, sweet harmonies, confessional singing and a gift for poetic lyrical expression. I immediately fell in love with this band's crazy dynamics, every player a god of his or her instrument, and Spottiswoode’s masterful language. Who could resist lines like “She likes English accents and chocolate desserts/She takes pills for her diet ...

by Lexi Kahn When Kier Byrnes first launched Three Day Threshold, the Boston music scene greeted his rowdy alt-country band like a henhouse greets a snake. But with focus, hard work and a lot of whiskey-fueled late nights, this bunch of friendly, sexy cowboys slowly earned the respect of booking agents, radio personalities and about a zillion fans. These days Three Day Threshold makes for a guaranteed great party at any of the many clubs they play, while here at home or out on tour. Saturday night (June 23rd 2007) will be a great party, indeed. Join the band ...

(by Lexi Kahn) What does it mean to be a peacekeeper? For many thousands of Americans it means putting on the uniform and bravely risking life and limb overseas. For many thousands more it means sending support in the form of money, food and clothing donations, and earnest prayers for those in active combat. At home, feelings of frustration pile up day after day with the 24-hour news cycle reporting yet another attack, another roadside bombing, another ambush that destroyed yet another life. It’s a hopeless feeling, wanting to do “something” but being ...

Miss Lyn Cardinal is a living legend in the Boston punk underground, partially for founding the Boston Groupie News fanzine in 1975. While the print edition went defunct in 1982, it's been resuscitated as an online 'zine and will scratch your punk itch for you on a daily basis. But Miss Lyn is first and foremost an artist. Her works will be on view all month at Carberry's Café (74 Prospect St. Cambridge MA). For many years Miss Lyn Cardinal divided her time between two bodies of work: large, non-traditional pastel paintings featuring mysterious, ...

by Lexi Kahn (photos by JustBill)  As parties go there's none better than the annual Mardi Gras Ball hosted by Shaun Wolf Wortis and Suzi Lee. It's a five-hour festival of classic New Orleans funk and soul, anchored by one of the best supergroups in town and speckled with fabulous guest singers from all sub-genres of local Boston music. The venue is always decorated with the traditional purple, gold and green Mardi Gras colors, people come in costume, beads abound and the booze flows like there's no tomorrow. The 14th Annual Mardi ...

by Lexi Kahn (photo by JustBill)   When Boston Babydoll Betty Blaize contacted me in November 2006 to see if I wanted to participate in the first Great Boston Burlesque Expo, I must admit that I didn't hesitate for a second before saying yes. No, I wasn't about to learn to bump, grind or twirl tassels. Ms. Blaize wanted my contribution for the business side of performing. "Sit on a panel about talking to the media? Teach a class about self-promotion? No problem!" Usually I'm talking to local rock musicians about such things, ...