Three years ago, I missed seeing M. Ward in concert. And while I finally got to make up the missed opportunity by seeing Matt perform at the Somerville Theatre, something funny happened along the way: M. Ward recorded two new albums and stopped playing his old songs. Well, not entirely stopped. “Lullaby + Exile,” “Transfigurations of Vincent,” and “Big Boat” made appearances, but at least 14 of the 20 songs came from 2006’s Post-War and his new release Hold Time. Throw in a couple of tracks from She & Him, and I began to think my reverence for Transistor Radio and Transfigurations of Vincent was mine and mine alone.
But since M. Ward has perhaps moved on, I realized there’s no reason why I shouldn’t move along with him. Breaking out from his shy on-stage personality, M. Ward led the clapping in “Stars of Leo,” mesmerized the crowd with Don Gibson’s “Oh Lonesome Me,” and even worked in a Daniel Johnston cover with “To Go Home.” Particularly compelling was Matt’s first encore offering, “Magic Trick” off of Post-War, performed with members of opener Oakley Hall. The performance started out with the full rollicking fun of the recording, but finished in a quieter, more reflective mood. The Somerville Theatre truly lends itself to quieter moments, with its comfortable seating and vaulted interior. In all, it made for a truly stunning concert. M. Ward’s vocalizing and guitar playing is transfixing. What may not be apparent on the albums is readily accessible on stage: This guy is an amazing guitarist.
I left a humbled M. Ward fan. Apparently there’s much more out there than I realized, which means I have a lot more listening to do....
Set List
Hold Time
Lullaby + Exile
Chinese Translation
Epistemology
To Save Me
Some Lucky Night
Fisher of Men
Change is Hard
Oh Lonesome Me
One Hundred Million Years
Rag
Fahey
Stars of Leo
Transfigurations of Vincent
To Go Home
Beethoven
Big Boat
Encore
Magic Trick
Never Had Nobody Like You
Rave On
Stimulate the economy and your eardrums!
M. Ward’s brand new release, Hold Time, can be purchased on
DOWNLOAD: M. Ward - Epistemology (MP3) or Follow us for more M. Ward MP3s (Twitter)
Ugh. Paste’s profile of Free Energy made me kind of hate them. So does your review. It’s this unctuous defense of good-time rock-and-roll ("we’re just here to party, and we’re awesome!") that seems more self-serving than fun-loving.
by beth on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 09.41 pm from the entry: Foreign Born + Free Energy - The Knitting Factory (Brooklyn, NY; Mar. 12, 2010)
that inescapable feeling you are referring to, is that like when you hear something and you could have sworn you heard it before because of the nostalgic catchy quality? or is is like when you’ve heard a band exactly like said band?
great post by the way!
by paul on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 03.15 pm from the entry: The Novel Ideas - "The Sky Is A Field" - Borrow It
Whoa! I had no idea she was enegaged. You would never know with the way she behaves! Wow!
by art on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 09.48 am from the entry: Nikki Darlin and John McCauley: 1+1=1
This comment stream is so meta. Great review Kelly.
by chris on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 07.50 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
no prob. The whole album is excellent, combining some of the harder sonics of Los Angeles with the meat of his debut and obviously difficult to summarize in only 50 words… 
I’d say it’s on par with the debut, but better than Los Angeles.
by kelly on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 06.23 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
By the way, I really liked the mp3 posted. Thanks.
by Joshua H on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 06.17 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
WHO WROTE THIS...PUKE ! “WHO WROTE THIS...PUKE ! “Picture yourself coasting your bike past space funk palm trees, homeless harpists, vintage video arcades, electronic drum circles, and 60s psychedelic singers who’re waiting for the bus. Cosmogramma is kinda like that if someone suddenly tripped you just as you’re starting to enjoy the ride. But in a good way.””
by Joshua H on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 06.17 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
great photos!