Two great bands from opposite US coasts are back on tour together again and TSR went up to Beantown to catch their stop in Allston.
The Woolen Men and Lame Drivers played O’Brien’s Pub on Harvard Avenue as part of a four-band bill on the same night Boston’s beloved Bruins won a thrilling game three of their playoff series with the Blueshirts.
The Woolen Men (Portland, OR) played several tunes from their just-released self-titled Woodsist record. The hockey game’s third period played out on two televisions behind the bar during their set. Fans of both the band and the Bruins glanced at the tube and a few cheered when the game was over. Much of the Woolen Men’s vast body of work is available on cassette tapes sold at shows.
Lame Drivers (NYC) followed with an awesome 45-minute performance highlighted by a rousing version of “Other Side” off their new Flexi-Book EP. Joe Posner (above right) and Jason Sigal (above left) alternated instruments halfway through for a tune. Both guys have wonderful stage presence. Posner’s turn on Sigal’s guitar was rambunctious enough to leave a dangling string. When the two returned to their regular roles, Sigal was handed a guitar from one of the other bands to replace the one Posner had left in need of repair.
The rotation of band members also occurred during the Woolen Men show. Guitarist Lawton Browning and drummer Raf Spielman alternated places late in the set. This kind of switcharoo is something the Woods guys used to do quite a bit. It’s exciting from the fan’s standpoint to see this unexpected and bold display of versatility.
In the weeks and months leading up to the formal announcement of 2013’s Woodsist Fest (Big Sur) lineup, I was hoping The Woolen Men would be included. They’re totally worthy of playing that event and I’m a bit disappointed they won’t be there given their recent contribution to the label.
The Drivers are even more compelling live and I’d expect their currently constituted lineup to thrive the more dates they do. Posner is funny with the between-songs banter and is seriously skilled on the bass. Sigal has manic energy and does a tremendous job as counter-balance to Posner.
Admission to the show was $7. O’Brien’s is a small bar. A great place to see a show. The only knock is the stage’s proximity to the bathrooms. When someone exits either the men’s or women’s room, the doors’ lack of spring action requires those exiting to manually shut them. Otherwise they stay open and create a small distraction.
Me and Perl left after the Drivers and had a nightcap at Model Café on Beacon. The old sign above the Model is classic, beat-up neon and the bar itself has a great vibe.
It was chilly and misty late night as we attempted to walk back to Perl’s place in Brighton. About half-way home, we grew a bit weary and hailed a cab.
Perl lives with his girlfriend and shaggy, bandit-faced cat at the very top of a steep hill in an old house separated into three units. The altitude of the residence in a quiet, working-class neighborhood is among the highest in Boston.
After spending almost the entire day Wednesday at Boston’s Logan airport seeking an empty seat back to New York, I gave up and took a bus to South Station. From there, I caught the 5:35 PM Northeast Regional Amtrak train #177 to New York Penn. The fare was $71. The first three-quarters of the four-hour ride through Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York offered dazzling dusk views from the right side of the train. It’s not quite as pretty as the train ride along the Hudson on the Adirondack line, but water is never far off. You get all sorts of coves, inlets and harbors feeding off the Sound as you pass Mystic, New London and Bridgeport. You also see the skeletons of industry departed and shriveled-up portions of communities occupied by people left behind.
A derailment and crash that heavily damaged about two-hundred yards of tracks used by Amtrak in Fairfield last Friday had been patched up sufficiently by Wednesday morning to finally restore train service between Boston and New York. Although I didn’t sit in the popular “quiet” car, there wasn’t much noise near me. Most of the seats were empty.
-One aside about Tuesday night’s Bruins/Rangers game. I was shocked to see the Blueshirts come out totally flat down 2-0 in the series. They were badly out hustled from the opening face-off. A must-win game three at home ought to bring maximum effort yet it was the Bruins who raced faster for the puck and sustained greater commitment on the fore-check. Torts must bear responsibility for failing to prepare a team loaded with talent. Disorganization on the power play and tentative puck movement during key postseason stretches is very hard to understand when you look at the level of skill on the top three Ranger lines. I’d start next season with a new coaching staff led by someone who stresses the positive rather a guy who routinely criticizes his own players as a motivational tool.