Actor, director and educator LeVar Burton joins us today to talk about storytelling, Season 4 of LeVar Burton Reads and what to expect at his live show at The Wilbur on Friday.
NOW JUST $30! - choose MMMAVEN current student or alumni rate - everyone eligible.
I’m teaching my first class at MMMMAVEN in March. FRI 3.21 at 6pm. $50.
Stacey made the cool animation!
SOCIAL MEDIA WORKSHOP FOR BANDS, DJS, ARTISTS, COMIC CREATORS and MORE!
Join Clay Fernald (@ClayNFerno) for an intensive first level course in using social media for DJs, producers and bands.
Designed from the insider’s view of the music industry, this class will teach the basics of setting up profiles, checkins, username claiming and more for all of the major social media apps and platforms. The class will prepare you to use your phone, computer or tablet to generate buzz about your latest release, your next event, or strengthen your relationship with your established fans by creating a conversation that goes both ways. Are you a Boston band that’s been around forever but doesn’t have a twitter? This class is also for you. Recommended for musicians of all types, no genre or labels allowed! The class will be structured for beginning to intermediate understanding of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, but more concepts will be introduced in the short class, allowing some time at the end for student questions.
ClayNFerno
www.claynferno.com
Clay landed on the cover of The Boston Phoenix in 2005 for being the ‘Most Popular Man in Boston’ — according to social networking site MySpace. He has since made a career making social connections online and off by following marketing trends and staying ahead of them. By establishing best practices at Middle East Nightclub (@MidEastClub — verified) for social media, he has set an example there for other businesses, venues and independent promoters in town.
When not working in various roles for popular Boston bands, Clay also runs social media for band clients and fine artists. You may find his comic book and pop culture news columns on local and national websites. When comic book conventions roll into town, Clay is asked to moderate panels of top industry talent or can be found scouring the quarter bins for lost comic book gems.
EVENTBRITE:
FACEBOOK EVENT:
https://www.facebook.com/events/266851030145788/
SAT 12/21 - EARLY EVENING SHOW
TT THE BEARS PLACE
LeaguePodcast & RockOn! Concerts Present:
A Chippunk Christmas
Br1ght Pr1mate (Chiptune / Chipmusic / Futurepop) (8PM)
Control Group CD Release (featuring Darren Korb - Bastion) (7PM)
The Demographic featuring Sturgis from MC Frontalot) (6PM)
The World is Square (5PM)
18+ $10 Advance / $12 Day of Show
*NOTE: 4:30 pm Doors
http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=3887134
TT THE BEARS PLACE
10 Brookline St
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139-4152
(617) 492-0082
https://www.facebook.com/TTtheBears
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BRIGHT PRIMATE
Game Boy Symphony Orchestra Electro-beat Karaoke Death Metal For Your Mom
Night Animals is an album that was 3 years in the making. It is what we set out to do as BRIGHT PRIMATE, and we couldn’t be happier to be finally sharing it with you, our friends and fans and internet associates. Its been an effort of love and we believe that it represents another small step forward in the evolution of chip music from a basement hobbyists pursuit to what we all know it can become.
There are so many people that have helped us shape this album, so many people who have inspired us or listened to rough mixes late at night or assisted us with their expertise in one way or another, and we would like to acknowledge some invaluable specifics: Carl AKA Radlib AKA Oxygenstar et al. for general solidness of character and always moving forward; Misfit Chris for many 5am chat sessions and lending me his ears on more than one occasion; Smiletron David for being a constant mellow optimist in the wee hours of the night; Disasterpeace Rich for setting the bar pretty high; Dan of the J. Arthur Keenes Band for showing us all just how great a vocal chiptune album can be. Boston8Bit, Toy Company, Bitmasters, 8Static, I/O, Chipwin, REboot, PAX and Magfest peeps; you know who you are. Nerd Rock Radio and Seaking’s Seaglass too. Probably most of all though, thanks to you for listening to this record, whoever you are, because music is just two animals communicating in the night.
https://www.facebook.com/br1ghtpr1mate
YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alFhPUvhDlE
https://twitter.com/BRIGHTPRIMATE
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Control Group
Control Group is a new band comprised of three singer-musicians with
some impressive Indie cred: between them they have recorded three
BBC Peel Sessions, won Best Original Score at the Spike Video Game
Awards, sold 200,000 albums (Bastion), got NME’s Single Of The Week, won a
Rock Band® National Championship, had a Swirlies’ song named
after them, and toured with bands like Girls Against Boys, The Jon
Spencer Blues Explosion, and The Damned.
Having left their previous projects behind with the other detritus in rock music’s roiling wake,
Control Group found each other in the creative petri dish of Brooklyn.
There they set about discovering their new style, expressing the spirit of
their surroundings.
https://www.facebook.com/CtrlGroupMusic
Control Group is a new rock combo made up of three lead singers: Darren Korb, Jeremy Parker, and Evan Reynolds. The band’s sound is a combination of nostalgic guitar punk, DIY indie rock, and 90s pop. Imagine early Dinosaur Jr crossed with Foo Fighters with a bit of The Smiths thrown in.
https://twitter.com/ctrlgroupmusic
http://www.controlgroupmusic.com/
https://soundcloud.com/Control-Group
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THE DEMOGRAPHIC - Guitar, drums, etc.
“…a noisy conglomeration of garage-rock and Neil Young-esque guitar work mixed with proto-grunge and alt-country.”—The Noise
“…ultra-fuzzed guitars playing great riffs and punky sonic hooks.”—Valley Advocate
“Listen Close has lowbrow cinemascope grandeur, with precision and economy.”—Jersey Beat
“Ornery and catchy.”—Hampshire Life
“[Verse Chorus Curse] showcases a love for both noise and melody.” —Noise Boston
“Rock served raw… Every song is solid.” —The Deli
“…straight-ahead Husker Du-esque rockers.” —Valley Advocate
“They can raise speedy hell.” —Daily Hampshire Gazette
The Demographic is a somewhat loud guitar/drum duo from Northampton, Massachusetts featuring Tom Pappalardo (guitar+vocal) and Sturgis Cunningham (drums+back vocal). We write short, concise rock songs with most of the bullshit cut out. We’ve been together since 2009.
RIYL: Kurt Vonnegut, The IT Crowd,Massachusetts, 1992.
https://www.facebook.com/demographic
http://thedemographic.bandcamp.com/album/listen-close
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The World Is Square
SquareSoft/Enix VGM Folk Band from Boston, Massachusetts.
Description
The World is Square is a 5 Piece Video Game Tribute Band from Boston, MA; focusing on the Classic Years of SquareSoft/Enix Games. They perform songs from titles like Final Fantasy VII, and Chrono Trigger, using a variety of traditional, unconventional and modern instruments.
RIYL:
The Protomen, Those Who Fight, The X-Hunters, Descendants of Erdrick, Br1ght Pr1mate, Armcannon, Powerglove, Metriod Metal, VGO, The OneUps, Vanish Doom, Lords of Thunder, Diamond Machine, & so many more.
https://www.facebook.com/theworldissquareband
http://theworldissquare.bandcamp.com/
https://twitter.com/#!/twisband
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HOLIDAY GIFT TIME!
BOYS AND GIRLS - Stacey B. Rizoli will be selling her handcrafted flowers and jewelry at the show. We’ll take Square. Will post pictures soon!
*Flower Barrettes/Hair Accessories* *pins* *paintings* *original art* *handpainted birdhouses* *handpainted boxes*
Monsters are good. will also be there selling monster related items to fulfill all your holiday needs! And don’t miss your chance to get your photo with Frankenclaus!
*******************
https://www.facebook.com/events/349301125215186/
https://www.facebook.com/monstersaregood
http://www.rockonconcerts.com/
http://www.rockonconcerts.com/event/412743-chippunk-christmas-br1ght-cambridge/
PRESS: CLAYNFERNO [ at ] CLAYNFERNO.COM
ADS:
We could all use another convention, right? Maybe you didn’t have a whole weekend to spend in New York City for one of the two largest shows in the world! Or maybe you had an awesome time at the Boston Comic Con and, like many, feel they deserve more convention-ing this year because, obviously! This weekend, travel south for the biggest show in the smallest state, Rhode Island Comic Con on Saturday, November 2 and Sunday, November 3. Here is what we are looking forward to this weekend.
Last November, the day my MacBook (white, 2007, RIP) literally up and died after Q from Star Trek touched it (a connection) we took in our first Rhode Island Comic Con. We met Xander, had an intimate panel experience with Thor mastermind Walter Simonson hosted by Forces of Geek’sStefan Blitz, and delighted in the autumnal vibes of Downtown Providence over a deep dish pizza. This Saturday I aim to recreate those good vibes and see what RICC 2013 has to offer.
Like many conventions these days, the celebrity appearances often trump any comic news or artists appearing at the convention.
This convention is no exception. Last year we had the Batmobile from Batman ’66, this year, Batman himself Adam West (and Family Guy mayor of Quohog, RI) with faithful sidekick Robin Burt Ward are scheduled to appear. That’s not all, Bat-fans! Rounding out an almost unprecedented reunion of sorts is Catwoman Julie Newmar, who will knock you out with her cat-claws. Now that DC Comics is publishing a Batman ’66 series, I’m sure these stars will be signing a lot of comics with their likenesses this weekend–perhaps for the first time! Saturday, Stefan hosts a Bat-panel from 3pm-4:30pm in Room A.
[READ MORE AT DIGBOSTON.COM]
[SEE MORE AT WBZ]
Thanks!
Bloggers/Daily Email blasters & press folks! Looking for coverage on this —
Thursday’s 9/5 MAC LETHAL show at TT THE BEARS. You know him from his hilarious http://textsfrombenett.com/ blog! And this pancake video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Teaft0Kg-Ok
Let me know if I can help you get any information SORTED!
BOOOSH!
-Clay at LeaguePodcast - your source for comics, nerdcore, spyfi and covert activities!
https://www.facebook.com/leaguepodcast/events
GOOGLE CALENDAR: http://bit.ly/1dIJ5eD
**NEW** - Google Calendar of our Events
**NEW** SAT 9/28 - The Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (DAY 1 - 11AM - 4PM)
**NEW** SUN 9/29 - The Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (DAY 2 - 11AM - 4PM)
SUN 10/6: Rock On! Concerts & LeaguePodcast! present: Wil Wheaton VS. Paul and Storm
OCT 10-13: New York Comic Con
**NEW** FRI 10/11 - Peelander-Z CD Release @ Church Feat Members Of Electric Eel Shock! with PLANETOID [Presented by Rock On! Concerts and LeaguePodcast]
—
Clay Fernald / Clay N. Ferno
M: +1 (617) 30-COMIC (google voice)
Check out our comic book podcast, LeaguePodcast.com
Check out my comic book culture column at DigBoston.com - EARTH PRIME TIME: DigBoston
Pop culture & comics at Forces of Geek
Sunday, August 4, 2013
The Dear Hunter Tour with
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Stones Throw Records’ Homeboy Sandman embarks on the Dear Hunter Tour
On the heels of the release of his critically acclaimed LP First of a Living Breed (Stones Throw) and in support of two new projects (Kool Herc Fertile Crescent EP and All that I Hold Dear LP, Stones Throw 2013), his national tour with Brother Ali (Rhymesayers Entertainment), and a headlining tour of Europe, Homeboy Sandman will headline a tour of the US this summer. Open Mike Eagle (Hellfyre Club, Fake Four Inc, Mush Records) and Random aka Mega Ran (officially licensed by Capcom) will support.
Sandman says of the tour “The Dear Hunter Tour is in promotion of my latest Stones Throw release, ‘All That I Hold Dear.’ I’m blessed to join forces with two musicians also searching for substance, magic, brilliance, love, and truth. We’re going to find them too. When we do, we’re going to share them.”
Kool Herc Fertile Crescent EP (Stones Throw) vinyl/digital relase available now. 8-track release produced entirely by El RTNC (aka Rthentic). The record is an unapologetic homage to old school hip-hop in its bare-bones production, lyrical themes, cover art and even the title. With the blessing of DJ Kool Herc, one of the originators of hip-hop, Sandman pays respect to the pioneering DJ by proudly naming the release in his honor.
Homeboy Sandman
Homeboy Sandman is a musician. His genre is hip-hop. An emcee that prides himself on musical growth and evolution, he has adopted as his motto and creative mission statement, “Boy Sand like you’ve never seen him before. As usual.”
Before signing to Stones Throw he’d already been chosen as a coach on MTV’s MADE, featured in preeminent print hip-hop rags XXL and The Source, and perpetually championed on foremost online hubs. And since the signing, his accolades have extended beyond the realm of the hip hop specific. Rolling Stone has noted his “skill for wordplay that keeps you hooked.” NPR has highlighted his “artful, hysterical, disobedient hip-hop that you can dance to.” Pitchfork has straightforwardly dubbed him “one of the best pure lyricists around.
Open Mike Eagle
“One of LA’s smartest young voices” says the LA Times…which the artist suspects, may just be a covert way of saying LA is dumb. “Open” Mike Eagle wouldn’t terribly mind, being born and raised in Chicago where the painful winters and his uppity grandparents kept him inside as a youth. He spent his formative years watching alternative music happen on MTV and hoping to one day be able to audition for the Native Tongues. As a young adult after graduating with a degree in Psychology, he did the next best thing and moved to Los Angeles,
joining the Project Blowed collective where he made music and toured with Busdriver, Aceyalone, Abstract Rude, Nocando and more. He’s also gained notoriety in the world of comedy by being invited by professional funny people (Paul F. Tompkins, Hannibal Buress, Matt Besser/UCB) to rap at their shows. He’d like to be rap’s Kurt Vonnegut
but recognizes that he’d first have to create something as iconic as the four-stroke illustration of an anus. He practices by releasing rap albums that delight, entertain, and confuse.
Random aka Mega Ran
If you put video games, the 80’s, hip-hop, soul music, jazz and standup comedy into a blender and hit “puree,” you’d have something close to The Random Experience.
The self-proclaimed “TeacherRapperHero” made waves by going way left of his backpack roots by combining 8-bit video game sounds and hard hitting hip-hop tracks, and has become a trailblazer in the budding genres of chiptune and nerd-rap. A Capcom cosign and admiration from the genre’s toughest critics has led to placements in TV, movies, university coursework, and of course, games.
Today, Random is no longer a teacher by title, but travels the world to entertain and educate through the gift of facemelting raps.
H.W.
Boston rapper H.W. dumps his demons - By Martín Caballero | BOSTON GLOBE
Last July, H.W. (short for “Hazardous Wastes”) released one of Boston hip-hop’s most literate, emotionally complex albums of the year in “Wall Papered Exit Wounds.” Delivered in the lyrically dense and raw personal style that has become his signature, the record quietly distinguished itself from the crowded local marketplace by vividly exposing its author’s titular emotional wounds for all to see, allowing listeners to eavesdrop on his internal struggle for peace of mind. It’s occasionally jarring and hardly uplifting stuff, but his gift for articulating pain is a rare one.
Yet there’s an important piece of context to note with “Exit Wounds”: The material was recorded six years ago, and the H.W. whose emotional turmoil fueled that record is not the same one who’ll be performing on June 5 at The Sinclair in Harvard Square.
“I hated that record,” H.W., born Josh DeCosta, says bluntly over a midday beer at a bar in Central Square. “The only reason I released it is because people told me it was good and I should put it out.”
Naturally, an intensely introspective album in which he struggles to find scraps of optimism within darkness would understandably be difficult to embrace in the same way that a detached listener might. But this isn’t his first release in that vein: “Exit Wounds” built on the foundation of 2009’s “A Year’s Worth of Worry,” where songs like “The End of the Line” established his reputation as a sensitive, emotional lyricist fueled by tumultuous romantic relationships that often ended in heartbreak. In 2013, that’s the reputation he’s working to change.
“It’s unbearable in a way,” says the Fall River native. “I was the guy who did songs about ex-girlfriends, and that’s all it was. And it got sickening being that person. It bothers me in the sense that there are so many more aspects of my personal life. If people talk to me they know that I’m not that person, I’m not that guy who goes home and cries every night and hates myself. I needed something to write about other than that.
‘In the studio I’m hyperly critical and constantly tweaking stuff, while on stage I don’t have enough time to think about it like that.
For someone whose creative output was so closely linked to his state of mind, shifting directions musically first necessitated a change in mentality.
“I based my worth on who I dated, and because of that every relationship was the end-all, be-all. So when those ended, it was devastating to the point that it destroyed by self-esteem. I eventually slowly realized that life doesn’t revolve around relationships. These girls, or these moments in time, as important as they may feel at the moment, are just that. It took a long time for me to understand what I cared about and how to write about what I cared about.”
“I’ve seen him grow and mature as a rapper and a performer drastically,” says longtime friend and DJ Emoh Bettah. “Most, if not all, of his earlier songs were about relationships gone sour or about friendships with ex-girlfriends, and I’d often joke with him about it but since then he’s been writing songs about other topics. His music may be too personal for some, but he does what he does well. All of his songs tell a story and he is just being himself, which is what I think people love about him.”
Yet for a rapper with a highly technical lyrical style and no shortage of things to say (“I think I’m way too personal in general, I’m just an over-sharer,” he admits), it’s surprising H.W.’s output isn’t more prodigious: case in point being the long gap between the recording and release of “Exit Wounds.” Rather than adhering to the modern rap marketing scheme of flooding the Internet with new material via social media in search of approval, he takes his work direct to live audiences.
“On stage, there’s something that clicks within me and I am the person who I am with my closest friends,” he says of his shows, which often find him performing unreleased or incomplete songs and interacting with the audience. “I love that feeling, maybe because it’s the sense of self-gratification that I’ve always sought from everything in life. In the studio I’m hyperly critical and constantly tweaking stuff, while on stage I don’t have enough time to think about it like that.”
That said, you’re more likely to hear H.W.’s musical evolution at an upcoming show before you can get it on iTunes. His next release will be the conceptual album “I Only Exist on the Internet,” targeted for late June release, which should show glimpses of the broader material he’s seeking to explore: topics like politics, environmental issues, and yes, maybe even a party jam. It’s not so much a rejection of the melancholic raps of the past, but an appreciation for their role in getting him to this new, more optimistic place in life and music.
“I’m not the best rapper ever,” he says. “I just would like to be able to display all aspects of myself. There are way more important things to talk about than my feelings on this one person I care about. The world is crumbling around me; there should be something else I’m able to share. A lot of this new album is about liking life, because I actually like life right now. ”
http://longlivehw.bandcamp.com
—
FACEBOOK EVENT: https://www.facebook.com/events/345904638870304/
TWITTER STUFF
http://www.twitter.com/ChurchBoston
http://www.twitter.com/RockOnConcerts
http://www.twitter.com/LeaguePodcast
http://www.twitter.com/HomeboySandman
http://www.twitter.com/MegaRan
http://www.twitter.com/Mike_Eagle
http://www.twitter.com/megaran
http://www.teacherrapperhero.com
The FOURTH ANNUAL STARLABFEST will take place on Saturday, June 15th (June 22nd rain-date). As always, the fest will take place in the parking lot of the studio. It will feature 12 awesome local bands on two stages, free burgers, hot dogs and veggies from the grill as well as free food from local vendors, Narragansett beer and local folks selling their used gear, vintage clothing and other fun stuff. Everyone is welcome!
THE FEST BEGINS AT 12NOON WITH THE FLEA MARKET AND BBQ, LIVE MUSIC BEGINS AT 2PM SHARP.
|
WEST STAGE |
EAST STAGE |
NIGHT 1.0
SAT 3/23/13
Hard Rock Cafe Boston
22-24 Clinton Street, Boston, Massachusetts
Mega Ran
Active Knowledge
Shane Hall
Gage
Weird Die Young
FACEBOOK EVENT
POST-PAX PAX AFTER PARTY 1.0
8pm Doors $10
21+ Event- Valid ID Required- No Exceptions
TICKET LINK
SHORT: http://ticketf.ly/XHzNGy
Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/leaguepodcast
http://www.twitter.com/rockonconcerts
http://www.twitter.com/activeknow
http://www.twitter.com/megaran
#nerdcore
EXTRA: TWO NIGHT PARTY PASS HERE
OR at MIDDLE EAST BOX OFFICE 2-8pm Daily - NO FEES!
SAT 3/23 Hard Rock: MEGARAN & ACTIVE KNOWLEDGE. Giveaways! #swag & tix for @EvilDead #EVILDEAD! @LeaguePodcast @RockonConcerts #PAXEAST
________________________________________
NIGHT 2.0
SUN 3/24/13
Middle East Downstairs
480 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02139
League Podcast & Rock On! Concerts Present:
The Protomen
MC Frontalot
Br1ght Pr1mate (Chiptune / Chipmusic / Futurepop)
The World is Square (SquareSoft/Enix VGM Folk Band)
All Ages $15
*NOTE: 7pm Doors
TIX - Facebook Event
- TWO NIGHT POST PAX PARTY PASS for $20 -
(Admission to 3/23 Hard Rock Cafe & 3/24 Middle East)
Here or at MIDDLE EAST BOX OFFICE (no fees!)!
CENTRAL SQ. MBTA
All Ages $15 *NOTE: 7pm Doors
EXTRA: TWO NIGHT PARTY PASS HERE
OR at MIDDLE EAST BOX OFFICE 2-8pm Daily - NO FEES!
POST-PAX AFTER PARTY 2.0
