Author Archives: brian

About brian

Brian is a freelance music writer and photographer based in Boston who works full-time as a business-to-business marketing communications specialist and graphic/web designer. He provides all the content for Fighting Tinnitus. You can view his concert photography portfolio at www.lifeinhighiso.com.

Foraging // Nik Freitas // Saturday Night Underwater

After quietly building up a very strong back catalog of solo records since 2002, Los Angeles singer and songwriter Nik Freitas spent the last couple of years as part of Conor Oberst’s Mystic Valley Band and backing James Mercer and … Continue reading

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Debrief // Iron and Wine & the Low Anthem at the House of Blues, Boston // April 19, 2011

For those who have followed Sam Beam since his earliest days as Iron and Wine, the 10-piece band that backed the bearded singer-songwriter shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Beam’s sound has expanded steadily since the release of his hushed, … Continue reading

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Debrief // Pete Yorn & Ben Kweller at the House of Blues, Boston // March 8, 2011

Pete Yorn anxiously waited two long, super-prolific years to release the album he recorded with Frank Black. As good as that 2010 self-titled release was, it didn’t take long for it to get pushed to the back burner. Ten years … Continue reading

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Debrief // Wild Flag at Brighton Music Hall // March 7, 2011

From the day that Carrie Brownstein announced last fall that she had teamed up with Mary Timony, Rebecca Cole and Janet Weiss to form Wild Flag, the quartet has done its best to dampen the hype that was sure to accompany … Continue reading

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Debrief // Southeast Engine at TT’s // Feb. 26, 2011

An early start time, small crowd, rough-around-the-edges performance and unfamiliar setlist made Southeast Engine’s show at TT’s on Saturday feel more like an intimate rehearsal in the company of friends than a full-fledged rock concert for public consumption.

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Foraging // Southeast Engine // New Growth

From the Forest to the Sea – the fourth album from criminally underrated Ohio quartet Southeast Engine – was FiTi’s favorite album of 2009, so we’ve been anxiously awaiting its follow-up. Canary finally arrives on March 29 via Misra, and it’s … Continue reading

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Debrief // Gregory Alan Isakov at Johnny D’s // Feb. 17, 2011

At most concerts, the encore is a scripted part of the show, taken for granted by both performer and audience. At Johnny D’s last night, Gregory Alan Isakov and his band earned every minute of theirs, and an appreciative crowd … Continue reading

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Riffing // Gregory Alan Isakov

Every year, I seem to discover at least one great album that I had somehow overlooked the previous. In 2010, that album was Gregory Alan Isakov’s This Empty Northern Hemisphere, an engaging collection of impeccably arranged tunes. On the album, … Continue reading

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Riffing // Tyler Williams of The Head and the Heart

Harmony-heavy Seattle sextet The Head and the Heart was one of the West Coast’s most unexpected breakout bands of 2010, and after signing with Sub Pop the group is poised to break out across the country this year. In the … Continue reading

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Debrief // Josh Ritter & Scott Hutchison at the House of Blues // Feb. 11, 2011

Josh Ritter held court over what may have been the most jovial brawl anyone has ever seen Friday night at the House of Blues. The one-time Somerville native had dubbed the night’s festivities a Valentine’s Day Brawl, but from the … Continue reading

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