Hospitality at Great Scott this past Sunday

It’s been a hell of a week, that’s for sure.

For starters, the big old 10th anniversary show at Great Scott was a week ago, a source of minor stress for me, like most shows, really. Clinton Degan (known ’round these parts as “Degan”) wrote a great piece on the evening over at Allston Pudding. The review is more eloquent and probably more accurate than anything I could ever write about it here beyond “I was mildly drunk and it was a particularly fun show to play”. And he seemed to remember things we may or may not have said on stage.

I’d also like to extend a big thank-you to Spirit Kid, Oranjuly, and The Wicked Tomorrow, not just for playing with us but for being generally awesome folks. Good tunes all around. And to Great Scott, too, for being a friend of Aloud all these years. (And for getting rid of that goddamned stage railing.)

All that aside, saw a bunch of shows this week, too. Apart from the immediate envy it evokes, it does recharge the batteries. Sometimes you get so tied up in the day to day of being in a band—”Shit! We need to write today,” or “We have to send out a bunch of emails this afternoon,” or “Why is the van on fire?”—that you have to remind yourself you actually like music.

Photo: Anne Cook -- Allston Pudding

Award-winning music blog Allston Pudding has just posted a review of the show at Great Scott. Reviewer Clinton Degan writes eloquently about the show itself, the band’s drive to keep going forward after a decade, and some of the “finer” moments of the evening.

Here’s a snippet from the piece:

And still, that’s no small thing either. It’s never easy to keep the dreams of a working band inflated, and for a band whose sole original members are also a married couple, it might be the most important thing imaginable. Seeing that tenacity and resolve unleashed in that little room was as disorienting as it was humbling.

You can read the whole thing over at Allston Pudding, which includes photos from the evening by photographer Anne Cook.

(And we would like to wish Degan’s broken toe a speedy recovery.)

The gang sat down with the folks at Local Music 101 this week for an interview ahead of the upcoming 10 year anniversary show.

Hanging out at the In House Cafe, Jen and Henry covered a breadth of topics including some of their favorite cities they’ve played on tour, why they call Boston home, recording Exile, and the importance of touring.

Listen to more on the Local Music 101 site and subscribe to their podcast!

Boston Band Crush has written up a piece on our upcoming 10th anniversary show at Great Scott.

Here’s an excerpt:

… [It’s] cliché to say it; but damn, time flies. Having seen them countless times over the years, we’re always struck by the level of energy and enthusiasm that they bring to their live performance. The songs are layered and carefully crafted to begin with, meticulously penned and practiced to perfection. When it’s time to play live, the quiet and unassuming duo of Henry Beguiristain and Jen de la Osa explode in a torrent of riffs and soaring vocals, playing off of each other in a way that only comes from being bandmates for such a long time.

Read the whole thing and watch some some videos past to present at Boston Band Crush!

Posted by Erin Genett -- Click to enlarge

We’re getting close! Aloud’s 10 year celebration at Great Scott is this week, and Foundwaves has the show among their picks of the week.

The lovely poster, designed by Erin Genett, was also featured on Foundwaves’ Poster Arcade this week.

Joining in the festivities are some fantastic bands: Spirit Kid, The Wicked Tomorrow (coming all the way from Brooklyn), and Oranjuly.

Will call tickets for the show (Thursday, April 26) may be purchased on Ticketweb. Great Scott is located at 1222 Commonwealth Ave. in Allston (Green Line/B-Line to Harvard Ave).

Summer Tour Dates

Jen and Henry are writing the follow-up to Exile and will be road testing some brand new songs this summer! Aloud’s got a few tour dates booked in the Northeast, with more to follow.

Here’s the latest schedule:

Don’t forget: This Saturday at The Rosebud in Somerville, Henry will be performing an acoustic set with The Luxury‘s Jason Dunn. The two will be opening the EP release for Brendan Boogie’s Songs From the Armory Vol. 2.

Apart from collaborations with Henry (“Younger Man’s Game”) and Jason (“Listen To Me”), the EP also features music written with Marc Pinansky of Township and Tad McKitterick of Sidewalk Driver (who will also be performing on Saturday).

You can download Songs From the Armory Vol. 2 for free for the rest of this month here.

Also joining the gang will be Oranjuly, who recently performed a brilliant set at Aloud’s homecoming show last month, and Brendan “Hollywood” Boogie & the Best Intentions.

Saturday, February 12, 2011 – 9pm
The Rosebud
381 Summer St, Somerville, MA 02144
w. Sidewalk Driver
Brendan Boogie & the Best Intentions
Oranjuly
Henry Beguiristain + Jason Dunn

Grrr.. ARRG..

Hello, friends.

Just wanted to drop a line to say thanks for coming out to Saturday’s show. It’s a testament to the awesomeness of this town when there are a zillion—or 2.5 metric shittons—of other shows going on at the same time and we still managed to sell the place out. The messages and comments we’ve gotten have been incredibly heartening, especially having been away this long. It’s been fantastic seeing our friends again, and seeing some acts like Oranjuly and One Happy Island I’d never seen before (mega kudos to Oranjuly for nailing “Holiday Road”).

Thank you thank you thank you. I love this town so much.

(Could do without the snow, though. Seriously: fuck the snow. If I hadn’t spent 20 minutes playing working out on the Wii Fit this morning, I might’ve been injured when I slipped on some ice.)

For those who are concerned, Charles’ gear is undergoing repairs and should be ready before the tour. However, his bass may need some therapy to work this all out.

Anyway, before I leave you, you should check out This Blue Heaven‘s music video for “Slow Dance Slow”, which they debuted at this past Saturday’s show. (Watch it below the jump.)

We’ll be hanging around town for a few more weeks before life finds us shacked up in a van for another couple of months, so if you see us around town, please: not in the face.

Henry

(PS: I’m also playing at this shindig on the 12th.. aka “The Other Night of a Million Shows”.)

Photo: Anna Mazurek

Henry and Jen speak with Time Out Boston

Henry and Jen spoke with Jessie Rogers at Time Out Boston. During the phone interview they covered the nuances of living in a minivan for a few months, working on Exile, a few road stories, and on a new-found sense of community with other touring acts:

Jen: There actually are some really awesome people out there, and a lot of them are in bands making good music and they’re trying to hit the road just like we are and make a living out of it. Why not support them? That’s kind of how it’s going to have to be. It’s not about the traditional record contract anymore….

You can read it in its entirety at the Time Out Boston site by clicking here: timeoutboston.com/music-nightlife/music/49113/interview-aloud

The homecoming show – don’t take our word for it

Poster by Erin Genett

For those of you still firmly entrenched in the “maybe” pile, we understand. Solely going on our word that this is going to be an amazing show would be totally irresponsible and negligent. It’s not enough that this is Aloud’s first show back from tour, nor that This Blue Heaven is releasing their long awaited video for “Slow Dance Slow”, nor that One Happy Island is releasing an EP.

You’re serious folks and there are a lot of good shows going on this Saturday (which will not be listed here because we’re a right bunch of jerks). In lieu of cloning technology destined to be mired in ethical and judicial conflicts for decades, you require due diligence on this matter. You want more sources, verification. We get it.

Below the jump are a bunch of other intelligent people—such as yourselves—telling you why you just need to come to this show. Aloud resumes the Exile tour shortly after this gig, and you may not see them around these parts till later this year (and to make it crazier, this show may sell out… grab tickets, you fools).

Exile makes moves in the New Year.

Photo: Jennifer Beguiristain

Exile has received some love in the New Year, beginning with WZLX’s Boston Emissions. Last week, Exile made the program’s top 10 Favorite Records of 2010. Last night on the show, the record and the band were at the receiving end of some really kind words from the show’s host Anngelle Wood, Weekly Dig‘s Arts and Entertainment Editor Hilary Hughes, and Ryan’s Smashing Life‘s own Ryan Spaulding during a pow-wow about the Beast of the Northeast CMJ showcase. Some excerpts:

Hilary: …They’ve also been pushing themselves with every single record that they’ve made. And Exile, recently, is a very kind of dark—it’s a great graduation for them in terms of the direction that they’re moving in with their songwriting.

Ryan: I think there’s a lesson to be learned there, they have a good time, but also are in this so that, in the [longrun] they can do this and be, y’know, happy, and they can do what they want to do. I think that’s a great lesson. That one band, in particular, they stand out for me for being pros.

To hear the whole thing (including a rundown of the 2010 Boston Music Awards) click here to head over to the streaming archive of last night’s show. You should listen to this town’s awesome music from the whole show, but if you’re in a rush, it’s the second part around the 12½ minute mark.

Both Exile and Fan The Fury were featured on one of CD Baby’s Featured Playlists (Franklin’s Funhouse). Check it out! Buy both! Twice!

Lizard Lounge tickets…

Saturday, Jan 29th

…are now available for Aloud’s homecoming show via Brown Paper Tickets. There have been murmurs that this show may sell out. Make sure you’re not left out in the cold for what promises to be an amazing show: not only is it Aloud’s only Boston area show for a while, not only is One Happy Island is releasing an EP, but This Blue Heaven is now debuting their long awaited music video for “Slow Dance Slow”. Oranjuly, presumably, has something up their sleeves as well.

Here’s the ticket link: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/144031

…and, hell, here’s the Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=149403048443406

Beware the Ides of March

Save the date, Dallas: Aloud will be returning to you on Tuesday, March 15. The band will be the featured performers at the Pass the Mic series at LaGrange. The night begins at 8pm and there is no cover! If you enjoyed watching Aloud at the Lakewood (and, since you’ve gotten this far in the text, we assume you did), bring along your friends!

Not in Dallas? Never fear: the next leg of the Exile US Tour starts at the end of February. Click here for details on all the shows.

This one's not to be missed! Saturday, Jan. 29th. (Poster: Erin Genett)

Home again.

It’s been a long journey and it feels like it’s been ages since the gang trekked out into the great wide open. They’ve logged close to 13,000 miles and 50 shows all over the US.

Next month, after being away from the stage for nearly five months, Aloud is finally coming home.

The Boston Phoenix is calling this one a stacked bill in their winter preview. Aloud’s friends This Blue Heaven, Oranjuly, and One Happy Island round out the evening with their respective sonic brands of awesome.

Aloud is hitting pavement again shortly after this show (more on this below), and their next Boston area show may not be for a good long while. Don’t miss this one!

Anything else you need to know about this show? How about…

Feed us your pictures.

Did you see Aloud on the 2010 Exile tour? Were you a little trigger happy with your camera? If so, we want to hear from you. The band is currently speaking to Performer Magazine about possibly publishing a tour diary piece early next year, and we need your photos!

The pictures could be anything, whether it’s Aloud performing, or of you hanging out with the band offstage.

Please send your full name and any high resolution photos you have to pics@allthingsaloud.com with the subject “Exile 2010 pics“.

Road again.

After a short holiday sabbatical, Aloud resumes the tail end of the Exile tour’s first leg with dates in North Carolina and Virginia. The Exile tour’s second leg begins at the end of February, and dates are already being posted! Aloud is returning to many cities they hit on the latest tour, a few new cities, and places they haven’t seen since the Fan The Fury tour.

Aloud will also be in Austin during everyone’s favorite March pastime (the one that doesn’t directly involve gambling on college basketball, anyway).

Below is a list of the latest to date:

As always, more details and the latest up-to-date info is available on the Performances page. Tweet buttons and links to the event pages on Facebook (where available) are easily accessible from there as well. Tell everyone you know about it!

…anything else?

Yes: whatever you’re up to, everyone here hopes you have a fantastic and mostly safe New Year. Thank you all for being rad and supporting Aloud. See you in 2011, everyone!