Guggenheim Grotto |
With the Boston Celtic Music Festival taking over a host of venues January 9 and 10 (see www.bcmfest.com), it can be easy to forget that not all Irish music is . . . Celtic music. Much of it is just pop, and too much of it is unknown. Take Dublin’s Guggenheim Grotto. Sometimes they’ve got a little Spoon, sometimes they’ve got a lot of Stars, sometimes it’s a squeeze of Squeeze or a shake of Shelley (as in Percy Bysshe) — but it’s all done with a chummy (even pubby?) candor, and a sincerity that’s not exotic, exactly, but certainly rare in these parts. This week they kick off a four-week Thursday-night residency at Lizard Lounge, with early-evening shows scheduled for January 8, 15, 22, and 29. Here’s a preview.
Guggenheim Grotto, “Philosophiaâ€
A perfunctory sit with their MySpace offering makes it clear that the Grotto are as skilled with sweet, wafery pop (“Fee Da Da Deeâ€) as they are with more-austere meditations (“Ozymandiasâ€). But “Philosophia†covers frontman Kevin May’s “deflation†from years of theological studies. Heavy! Although you wouldn’t know that from drifting off on it.
Sub Rosa, “The Blue Seedâ€
Stick around on the January 15 date for the Sub Rosa Society — a “secret society†(oops) led by local folk hero (though she’s real) Rose Polenzani. Born as an impromptu act to fill a gap left by a cancellation at Lizard Lounge, this loose-knit gang of players now perform monthly — always bringing in a stranger to keep them on their creative toes. If “The Blue Seed†is any indication, things tend to work out quite nicely.
The Blizzard of ’78, “The Songâ€
If you haven’t heard Book of Lies, the second full-length release from this scruffy Boston/Providence troupe, you can download the whole dang thing off their Web site — and I recommend you do. “The Song†seems as natural an ambassador of their sound as any: snarling guitars, hooks hooked from the Mats playbook, a dab of punk. Hold onto your pint glasses on January 29 when they join the Grotto for a proper release party.
Scarce, “Ocean Blueâ€
Although the title of Scarce’s most recent album, Tattoos, Parades and Yesterdays, is about as confusingly non-evocative as it gets, their music comes through loud and clear — or, in this case, soft and hazy. “Ocean Blue†is a good indicator of what to expect when the band get acoustic with Guggenheim Grotto (and the Blizzard) on January 29.
