Fri. March 30

Big noise in a tiny package.That’s the quick-hit take on singer-guitarist Ritzy Bryan and the Joy Formidable, the Wales-formed, London-based trio she fronts. The group nearly sold out Brighton Music Hall last year, returned to the Garden to open for the Foo Fighters and is back in our midst Friday March 30 at the Paradise. Their album was in my 2011 Top Ten, as submitted to the Village Voice Pazz & Jop Poll.

The following is drawn from a Herald review I wrote.

The band’s name? It’s not ironic. Sure, at the nearly soldout Brighton Music Hall Tuesday, there was sonic turmoil and some gnarly sounds, but the pleasure principle was stoked throughout the 65-minute set. It wasn’t confectious pop, by any means. No one will confuse Bryan with the many chirpy, dance-pop Brit gals hitting our shores these days. She was certainly effervescent, bantering with the crowd and her band mates, chatting up the charity for the homeless the band supports. But the Joy Formidable gets inspiration from the shoegazer bands of the early-‘90s such as Slowdive, Ride, Lush and Swervedriver. That means the sound is something of a melodic cacophony, with the singer not concerned with conveying a specific message.

 Thurs. March 15

 In 2010, Chris and Rich Robinson, the oft-battling brothers and co-leaders of the Black Crowes, had a bright idea. "We’d been touring for five or six solid years," said Rich Robinson, on the phone from a studio in Woodstock, NY, "and we decided instead of constantly touring and getting to the point where we can’t stand each other and want to split up, let’s take a break for an indefinite amount of time. And then when we feel like we want to get back together, we’ll do it."

All those brotherly rock ‘n’ roll spats? "I think they were inevitable, a part of the process," Robinson said. The Crowes went out with a bang, with last year’s "Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys" tour. Lead singer Chris then put together the Chris Robinson Brotherhood and opened up for the J. Geils Band this summer. Guitarist-Rich, 42, just released his second solo disc, "Through a Crooked Sun," and plays T.T. the Bear’s Place Thursday March 15 with his trio.

Robinson feels much better about this tour than he did in 2004, when he first undertook a solo jaunt. He was just getting his chops together as a lead singer. And at that point, it seemed the Black Crowes, which disbanded in 2002, were dead and gone.

"The first tour, I felt more frantic," Robinson said. "With the band split up, I didn’t know where my place was in the universe. I tried all these things and nothing was working. It was stressful. I feel like this time around I’m much calmer and more prepared. The band is excited and I’m excited, but it’s a much more mellow, cooler vibe."

 ongoing 

   As Apple launched its iPad 2 in San Francisco, Blue Man Group unveiled its GiPad in Boston. Let’s hope Steve Jobs is not in litigation mode, or at least has developed a sense of humor.
    We were at press preview of the new show in early March. At the start, three GiPads – eight-by-five-foot electronic screens that resemble iPads – descended from the rafters at the Charles Playhouse, The three black-clad men in cobalt blue body-paint and skullcaps looked at them with curiosity.  
    Blue Man Group – which has been up at the Charles since 1995 - presented a 45-minute press performance, showcasing new or retooled material in their 105-minute show.
    The gigantic faux iPads made perfect sense. Blue Man Group has always done a lot with technology and communication. We live in an age of information overload and are awash in smart phones, tablets and apps. And so now are the Men.
   After the GiPads were lowered, the quizzical Blue Men touched the screens. A GiPad announced it would “do for reading what texting has done for driving.” It was time for “Synopsize Me!” (or “Twit Lit”) with Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Twain and Melville  rendered in Twitter-ese.
    “Moby-Dick” in `140 characters: “Where is that damn whale? Here whaley whaley! There he is! I think I've got him! Actually, no I don't That's off: He's coming towards the ship! I've got a bad feeling about”
     There was also on-screen give and take about texting and face-to-face communication. “Don’t you ever want to have a real conversation?” read one screen. “What do you mean by ‘real’?” read another. And, of course, there was yet another of modern life’s major online distractions, the cute cat video.

My niece, Deborah Yarchun, me, Amos Lee, my wife Roza Yarchun. At Lowell Summer Music Series, Boarding House Park, July 9

Roza Yarchun, me, Chef/host Daniel Bruce at the Boston Harbor Hotel's Wine Festival 2010

 Wed. Feb. 33

Words I never thought I'd be writing in 2011: The  Del Fuegos playied two reunion dates at the Paradise Friday in June and there they are again Wednesday Feb. 22 . But they are. All four original members, who once looked like they did in this photo. Well, Ok, the Fueogs were initially a trio, had a drummer before Woody Giessmann (Steve Morrell), but Woody's the guy we know and Woody's the guy whose Right Turn addiction recovery center is benefiting from this show. The Del Fuegos - known for “Don’t Run Wild,” “Backseat Nothing,” and “I Still Want You” - were in the forefront of the roots-rock/garage scene in Boston during the '80s. I first saw 'em at a private house party, then all over town at Rat, the Inn-Square Men's Bar, the Channel, Jonathan Swift's, the Orpheum. That latter gig was when the Del Fuegos - who recorded for the prestigious L.A.-based punk/roots label Slash - had hit the pinnacle. But the brothers Zanes - lead singer-guitarist-writer Dan and younger bro Warren - were at odds and Warren split. Adam Roth came in for Warren; Joe Donnelly took over Woody's seat. Warren and bassist Tom Lloyd tried to keep it together, but the moment had passed. The band folded. End of story? Hardly.

No second acts in Amercian lives? Uh-uh. After disbanding in the late 1980s, the various members of the Del Fuegos have gone on to do some pretty cool things.