the stairs online

A Brief History Of Dedham - So this band's origins are all tied up with the town of Dedham, MA which is a real historical hotbed for those willing to be their own tour guide. First man made water way, first tax payer funded public school, oldest standing wooden frame house, and things to be not so proud about like the wrongful imprisonment and execution of Sacco & Vanzetti in 1920's.

Ho-Ag - The Stairs are practically begging you to go see this band live. Don't be foolish.

Machine Go Boom - The Stairs are practically begging you to get your hands on this band's debut album "Thank You Captain Obvious."

Water School - I think of this band as a cross between pop music archeologists and the simple thrill you get from taking a sip of bottled water before you have payed for it.

Soltero - Overheard advice Tim (Soltero's songwriter) gave to someone who asked "How does a band make it big?" Tim: "Write great choruses. Kill your heart."

Sean Spada - Sean once recorded a cover of a Leonard Cohen song that was better than the original. This is a hyperbole free zone so you know that's the truth.

Honeypump Board - This is all over the place but if you live in Boston you'll hear about good events and (sometimes) obscure shows and bands.

The Silver Jews - David Berman's songs force revelations upon the listener just like an interrogator with bamboo shoots gets information from a prisoner.

Okkervil River - It was a special moment for us when we got to open for Okkervil on the evening of the first day of legal gay marriage in Boston.

Reverse Shot Magazine - These kids are obsessed obsessed obsessed with movies. Ahem, I mean cinema, sorry guys.

Group Hug - Anonymous Confessions - Who knows how much of this is true. And if you found out most of it wasn't true would that make it any less worrisome?

Lester Bangs On Astral Weeks - Lester tries to argue that this album has no supernatural powers. But his essay itself is proof of the opposite.

A.Robins - Forgotten American Peculiarity - They don't make American entertainers quite like they used to.

The Woody Guthrie Foundation & Archives - I was already pretty enthralled with Woody when I realized he sang about my hometown in one of his Sacco & Vanzetti ballads. I just about lost it.

The Cotton Ponies - I would be remiss if I neglected to tell you about The Cotton Ponies. They're loud.

Ben Chappel - Web Wrangler - This website didn't build itself damn it. Ben, our beloved web master, dreamed of the design in his sleep and built it during his waking hours. Hire him to make something for you and we'll all sleep better.

XTC - XTC XTC XTC XTC

Polaris Mine/Big Bear - More music from Boston. Big Bear sounds like experiencing multiple heart attacks while sunbathing in the middle of active battlefield. I think we can all agree what that's like.

Choo Choo La Rouge - These guys are really good. I do not know what the band name means.

Shearwater - There are dozens of reasons to go see Shearwater live. For us, near the top of that list, is their Nordic God Of Thunder drummer appropriately named Thor.

Sun Burned Hand Of The Man - Imagine my shock, after enjoying this band for months, that one of its members had been pouring my coffee every day all along.

Roh Delikat - We love it when the Boston male dominated music scene gets taken aside and give a firm talking to by a spoon bendingly good female songwriter. But forget all that guys vs. girls BS and just enjoy this band.

Chris Brokaw - Bands Chris has played with: GG Allin, Come, Consonant, Evan Dando, Karate, Thalia Zadek. His solo material is excellent.

Mary Timony - Before I learned about her various excellent albums Mary was just the girl who was really really good at Karaoke in Jamaica Plain.

The Hold Steady - We saw this band tonight (5/24/05) in Providence, MA and Jesus H Christ was it good.

Spalding Gray - The greatest storyteller in the world. RIP.