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I have a longer post I’ve been struggling to finish, so as a stop-gap I’m going to post some noteworthy local(ish) concerts coming up.

First up: These Are Powers, non-stop touring whirling dervishes, will be releasing a new EP called Taro Tarot [Hoss] on April 8th.

TAP is playing Neptune’srecord release party at Great Scott in Boston this Saturday night (2/16) with the excellent Animal Hospital. Go see them: they will kick your ass and take names. You will not be disappointed. (Unless you harbor skepticism about post-No Wave, booty-shaking atonal insanity.)

TAP will be also playing some dates with the ever-delightful Mr Calvin Johnson [K Recs, Beat Happening, the (original) Go Team, and on and on]. Calvin will be at Brown’s own Hourglass Café (located in the basement of Faunce House, 75 Waterman St.) on Saturday as well, which means —egads!— that I have to DECIDE between the two shows. (Say it ain’t so!)

Deer Tick will be playing a solo set at the Hourglass this Thursday evening (that’s Valentine’s Day for all you lovebirds out there). Tom Thumb opens. The show starts at 8PM and will be broadcast on live on BSR

Hourglass shows generally start around 9PM or so. But it never hurts to get there early —bring your laptop, take advantage of the free WiFi, awesome coffee, and comfy chairs.

• DEER TICK | Hourglass Café, 75 Waterman St. Providence | Thursday February 14th, 8PM

• CALVIN JOHNSON | the Underground at Faunce House, 75 Waterman St. Providence | Saturday February 16th, 8PM

• NEPTUNE, THESE ARE POWERS, HELMS, and ANIMAL HOSPITAL | Great Scott, 1222 Commonwealth Ave. Allston | Saturday February 16th | 21+ | 9PM | $10

• NEPTUNE (Record Release!) with WHITE MICE, LAZY MAGNET and THE GLASS SHIVERS | AS220, 115 Empire St. Providence | Sunday February 17th | $6

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THESE ARE POWERS Tour Dates

Feb 14 2008 | NY, New York Valentines Day @ Cake Shop w/The Apes, Knyfe Hyts, Mixel Pixel, Puttin’ On The Ritz
Feb 15 2008 | Annandale-On-Hudson, New York @Bard College
Feb 16 2008 | Allston, Massachusetts @ Great Scott w/Neptune, Animal Hospital
Feb 17 2008 | Pittsburgh, PA @ TBA
Feb 18 2008 | Detroit, MI @ TBA
Feb 20 2008 | Chicago, Illinois @ AV-Aerie (formerly Open End) w/Bird Names, Adam Griffin
Feb 21 2008 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin @ Mad Planet w/MAHJONGG, Juiceboxxx
Feb 22 2008 | Minneapolis, Minnesota @ 7th St. Entry w/MAHJONGG
Feb 23 2008 | Ames, Iowa @ The Practice Space w/Wet Hair, Secret Abuse, Iwa
Feb 24 2008 | Omaha, Nebraska @ The Waiting Room w/MAHJONGG, Calvin Johnson
Feb 25 2008 | Lincoln, Nebraska @ Box Awesome w/MAHJONGG, The Show is the Rainbow, Calvin Johnson
Feb 26 2008 | Denver, Colorado @ Larimer Lounge w/MAHJONGG
Feb 27 2008 | Salt Lake City, Utah @ Kilby Court w/ MAHJONGG, Calvin Johnson
Mar 1 2008 | San Francisco, California @ Hemlock Tavern w/Lemonade, Mi Ami
Mar 2 2008 | Oakland, California @ ABCo Artspace w/ Wildildlife, Chen Santa Maria, Lumerians
Mar 4 2008 | Los Angeles, California @ Echo
Mar 5 2008 | Los Angeles, California @ The Smell w/ Ima Gymnast, Teenage Moms, Bipolar Bear
Mar 6 2008 | Phoenix, Arizona @ Modified Arts w/The Chinese Stars, The Vultures, Soft Shoulder
Mar 7 2008 | Santa Fe, New Mexico @ High Mayhem w/Chinese Stars
Mar 9 2008 | Denton, Texas @ Rubber Gloves w/Shiny Around the Edges, Castanets
Mar 11 2008 | Houston, Texas @ Boondocks w/ The Death Set, Ponytail
Mar 12 2008 | Austin, TX – Habana Calle 6 (Cardboard Records Showcase)
Mar 13 2008 | Austin TX – Ms Bea’s w/ Ecstatic Sunshine, Foreign Islands, Pig Out, Tristan Perich, Panther, The Mae-Shi, Deer Tick, Castanets, Woods)
Mar 13 2008 | Austin, TX – MyOpenBar.com Garage w/ No Age, Mika Miko
Mar 15 2008 | Austin, TX – Mohawk w/ Matt and Kim, DD Fantasy, High Places, Ponytail, Ecstatic Sunshine, Foreign Islands, Team Robespierre, Woods, Abe Vigoda, Best Friends Forever)
Mar 16 2008 | Little Rock, Arkansas @ Happy Fucker House w/The Deathset
Mar 17 2008 | Nashville, Tennessee @ Exit/In w/The Deathset
Mar 18 2008 | Lexington, Kentucky @ The Void Skate Shop w/The Deathset
Mar 19 2008 | Greenville, NC @ Spazzatorium w/ the Deathset
Mar 20 2008 |Richmond, VA @ Gallery 5
Mar 21 2008 | Baltimore, Maryland @ Floristree w/ WZT Hearts and more…
Mar 28 2008 | Ridgewood, NY @ Silent Barn w/Extra Life, Skeletons
May 3 2008 | Krems, Austria @ DONAUFESTIVAL

These Are Powers | Hoss Records | Calvin Johnson bio [k]| Deer Tick |

These Are Powers, “Chipping Ice” (from the upcoming Taro Tarot EP [Hoss Records, 2008])

Beat Happening, “Bad Seeds”

Neptune, “Paris Green” [from GONG LAKE [Table of the Elements, 2008])

Local countrified upstarts DEER TICK will be at Jake’s Bar & Grille [373 Richmond St, Providence] on Saturday, February 9. The show starts at 9 pm; DRAG THE RIVER will play too.

In honor of the show, I wrote a little piece on DEER TICK. It goes a little something like this:

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REELIN’ & ROCKIN’

Deer Tick singer John McCauley’s lived-in, whiskey-rough rasp and weather-beaten, hard-luck anthems harken back to the old-school traditions of Nashville, a boozy world of dim lights, thick smoke, and loud, loud music. But McCauley, whose world-weary demeanor can make him seem startlingly older than his 21 years, is too smart a songwriter to settle in comfortably to the care-worn clichés of the honky-tonk: you’ll find no tears-in-beers melodrama or last-call revelations here.

Borrowing a phrase from the late, great Gram Parsons, McCauley prefers to characterize his work as “cosmic American music — a mixture of rock, country, bluegrass, blues and folk that doesn’t suck.” Echoing throughout are the influential sounds of Texan outlaws like Gram, Townes van Zandt, and Roky Erickson — storytellers and nomadic troubadours all. Acknowledging their significance, he adds, “I’m pretty crazy about Townes, Gram, and John Prine. I also love the Beatles, Roy Orbison, Paul Simon, and Buddy Holly. They were all so much themselves [that] it’s kind of weird.” Continues here…

Deer Tick Myspace | Deer Tick web | Feow! Records Bio

Deer Tick, “These Old Shoes” (written by Chris Paddock)

Deer Tick, “Baltimore Blues No. 1”

PHOTO BY AMATEUR6

My first gig is kinda embarrassing. (Isn’t everyone’s?) Sha Na Na at the late (but not lamented) Warwick Musical Tent —with my entire family in tow. In my defense, I was just a kid and had grown up watching their TV show. (Wasn’t Bowser on Miami Vice? Or am I making that up?)

My first REAL show was probably Sugarcubes/PIL/New Order at Great Woods (now Tweeter Center), 1989 or thereabouts.

Our local Cutting Edge of Crapola station WBRU held a contest to win backstage passes and I was determined to be that lucky fan. Alas, I won second place: a cassette copy of Technique (oh the humiliation!) and two (crappy) pizzas. Oy. Thanks but no thanks.

Despite my disappointment about not meeting my musical heroes, it was a pretty damn fine show nonetheless. (Besides, it being post-Madchester, New Order was, in all likelihood, too collectively coked-up to be kicky backstage company.)

The poor Sugarcubes played to an anemic crowd. Björk admonished us to “Dance! Dance! It looks like an Icelandic disco out there!”

New Order, “Mesh” (from Factus 8, 1982)

Sugarcubes, “Delicious Demon” (from Life’s Too Good)

Public Image Ltd., “Public Image” (from Public Image)