Fri. March 9

Saw Doctors, who play the House of Blues Friday March 9, are nothing if not Ireland's folk-rock-Celtic feelgood band of the era. "We didn’t start out and say ‘Let’s make a band that makes people feel good when they leave’ the show,’’ says Saw Doctors guitarist Leo Moran. “I think we’re just lucky. Not all of our lyrics are completely upbeat, but the way we deliver them seem to be upbeat. They’re a strange mixture of light and dark.” They broke through in Ireland back in the late 1980s, with people singing along boisterously to a breakup song “I Useta Lover.” They’ve toured the US steadily over the years – five times in 2006 -and have built a strong base here.
     The quartet’s latest studio album is called “The Cure.” If that’s the case, what’s the disease? “I suppose the answer to that a bit of music is what you need now in then to get in a positive state of mind,” says Moran, on the phone from Galway.  “There are little diseases on the album about relationships and in the way the country’s changing around us … little things you’re being philosophical about.” Indeed, the new album starts with “Out for a Smoke,” where singer-guitarist Davy Carton finds “The darkest clouds were on to me."

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."

 Wed. March 14 - Fri. March 16

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Here's the backstory of it all. It's a St. Paddy's Day tradition: Dropkick Murphys play to packed houses on Lansdowne Street, once at Avalon now House of Blues, this year Wednesday March 14 - Friday March 16..  Maybe a dozen or so years ago, there was some skepticism about Dropkick Murphys. Ok, hometown Celtic/punk modeled on the Pogues, but concerning issues not of England or Ireland, but the local environs. Could work. But, derivative, you know. Well, any thoughts like that have been blown away partially because the Murphys have become huge locally and internationally and they so credit the Pogues. For their part, the Pogues return the favor by saying the Murphys constant name-dropping helped revive their band and helped them develop a new audience. Also: the Murphys are more of a punk band with a Celtic flavor and the Pogues tip the scales the other way. Plus the Pogues Shane MacGowan has sung with the Murphys on a record.

 I did an interview with Ken Casey for the Boston Phoenix and amended and added to it here. Review of 2010's show for the Herald: If Dennis Lehane has a rock ‘n’ roll equivalent, it’s Dropkick Murphys. And just as Lehane, author of “Mystic River” and “The Given Day.” deserves his props. Has there ever been a more parochial rock entity? Fronted by singer Al Barr and singer-bassist Ken Casey, the septet comes across both as an Irish-flavored Ramones and a more sledgehammer-like Pogues. They are, at the core, a punk band, one steeped in the sound and values of the late-‘70s, with fist-pumpers like “Do or Die” and “Time to Go.” But they’re a punk band that makes room for Scruffy Wallace’s bagpipes and tin whistle; Jeff DaRosa’s mandolin and Tim Brennan’s accordion. They’re a punk band that dedicates a touching ballad, “Forever,” to their families. And, if you listen close enough, you’ll find them staunchly pro-union.

 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.