California X 2/25/15 Bar

Crowded house to hear California X whose recent recording is catching a buzz. Always interesting for me to try to pick which peck of pizza munching freak show denizens grab instruments and play. The CalX quartet was not readily apparent. The music was decidedly indie-metal with two indie guitarists and a metal bass and drums rhythm section. Loud and sludgy, CalX had a good handle on the music but lacked a decent vocal delivery.

Funky Dawgs Brass Band 2/1815 Bar

  What better continuation of Mardi Gras than a healthy dose of FDB. The back room at Bar was rocking with two trombones, two trumpets, two saxes, a drummer, and a tuba player. FDB is a spin off from the Uconn marching band (they even channel Jonathan the mascot in their logo). Like the JB horns on spring break, FDB honked through numbers like "soul power", and " shake your booty".  All I'm sayin is the Dawgs is awn.

Steve Earle 2/7/15 MassMoca North Adams MA

The hardcore troubadour travels to the large scale contemporary art Mecca that is MassMoca. Nestled in the Berkshires, MassMoca just received some funding that will make it the largest contemporary art museum in the world. We were able to spend the afternoon in the museum. Exhibits of drizzled India ink, plastics, and an awesome ceiling film depicting passenger pigeon (now extinct) flock movements were the highlights.

  Earle played a solo set. The first few tunes were blues numbers from the soon to be released Terraplane. On to some valentines-oriented love songs. Earle just turned 60, and had some hard years early in his career. A protege of Townes Van Zandt, Earle chose heroin instead of alcohol (the addiction that killed the mentor). Perhaps 20 yrs sober, Earle has two distinct periods: the early "outlaw country" period that owes success to hits like Copperhead Road, and the liberal-thinking songwriter who penned hits like Can't Remember if We Said Goodbye, and Jerusalem. Joking that he was a socialist, not Obama, Earle told an Affordable Care Act success story about the artist that has decorated his past 10  or so albums. "Before the ACA, this guy would have lost everything." Closed the show with "Christmas in Washington."