The winners of last year’s Happy Valley Showdown, Bunny’s a Swine is a band that loves two things: long confusing titles and playing music. And maybe booze. They also may soon be your new favorite band. They’re definitely one of ours.

Song List:

Bunny’s a Swine on MySpace.

Download individual tracks here, or stream the whole thing.

Ambitious Tugboat has one last date (March 7) left in their untraditional residency at O’Brien’s pub in Allston. Instead of the usual weekday night schedule that most bands opt for, they have been playing on Sundays at 2:30, along with some excellent other locals. So go support this cool idea, would you?

Song List:

Ambitious Tugboat on the MySpaces.

Download individual tracks here, or stream the whole thing.

Brooklynites K.C. Quilty remind me of those heady days of the late 80s/early 90s, when MTV learned (or invented) the term “alternative music,” and it felt like music like Nirvana, The Breeders, Pavement, and so on would forever wipe away the scourge of hair metal and neo-disco. Ah, we were so innocent. K.C. Quilty shows that spirit isn’t dead by a long shot. As a bonus, this session features – hands down – the single worst saxophone performance we have ever witnessed.

Song List:

K.C. Quilty’s home on the nets

Download individual tracks here, or stream the whole thing.

Dan Shea has been putting out some great albums through his label, Bodies of Water Arts and Crafts for quite a while. Now he steps out from behind the microphone (is that a phrase?) to lead The Needy Visions. They’re what you might expect The Kingsmen to sound like if they formed today. Since they were between drummers at the time of their session, they decided to use the less-than-reliable drum machine built into our Hammond organ. That resulted in some interesting versions of their songs, which is fitting for a batch of songs that include references to Brian Wilson’s missing brain, Unsolved Mysteries, and Neil Young’s famous Last Waltz faux pas.

Go check them out at PA’s Lounge on Thursday, February 4th!

Song List:

The Needy Visions online

Download individual tracks here, or stream the whole thing.

They say that everyone’s a Beatles person or a Stones person. (For the record: Andy=Beatles, Jen=Stones.) Philadelphia’s The Day Life is clearly on the Beatles side of that demarcation, but not only due to their great cover of Don’t Let Me Down (and possibly band name reference?). From some of the smoothest harmonies we’ve had in the living room to the Jeff Lynne-esque nearly (electric light) orchestral musical hits, they remind us a bit of a less glammy Jellyfish. Honestly I had trouble not going crazy with trying out all of the Abbey Road tricks that every engineer dreams about. Definitely another band giving Philly a great name.

Song List:

The Day Life online.

Download individual tracks here, or stream the whole thing.

TAB the Band has a brand new album (Zoo Noises), and a CD release show this Saturday at the Middle East. Since their first visit to the Flophouse, their sound has really matured beyond the straight-out rock of their earlier offerings. For this session they went all acoustic and showed us a whole new side to the band – a side we really enjoy.

Side note: Doing the Flophouse Sessions frequently reminds me of the radio station scene in O Brother Where Art Thou: “There’s a feller in there that’ll pay you ten dollars if you sing into his can.” But minus the ten dollars. So it was nice to finally have a chance to record a Soggy Bottom Boys song on our collective cans.

Song List:

TAB the Band online

Download individual tracks here, or stream the entire thing.

We lose so many bands to NYC up hear, it’s good to see a great one go in the opposite direction. Dania and Zilpha play what they may have inadvertently labeled “folk music in space”. Sometimes a duo, sometimes, a trio, maybe occasionally a quartet, for this session they brought along sometimes-bass player Jerrick (confirming the “weird name” clause of being in their band) who treated us to a video and backing track accompaniment. They do an incredible job of mixing great songs, radio friendliness, and a general wealth of talent. It’s good to have you in town!

Song List:

Starnes & Shah online

Download individual songs here, or stream the whole thing.

From “North of Massachusetts” (Maine, to be more exact), Tiny Fires is a musical trip through a truly impressive range of influences. Featuring members of Tiger Saw, South China, Brown Bird, and a variety of other two-word-named bands, i pick up hints of The Velvet Underground, Pink Floyd, and, for some reason, My Bloody Valentine. But by no means are they come off as derivative. Even when they cover a traditional song like Sinner Man (popularized both by Nina Simone and The Wailers), they completely make it their own.

Song List:

Tiny Fires on MySpace

Download individual tracks here, or stream the whole thing:

For a bunch of Northerners (as far as we know), Dressing the Debutantes would be right at home on a rickety porch overlooking a swamp. With a vocal style reminiscent of John McCauley from Deer Tick, Chris Hutchison-Jones and company deliver a mix of southern-tinged ballads and boot-stomping testimonies. If these 11 songs aren’t enough for you, you can download 4 of their albums for free!

Song List:

Dressing the Debutantes online

Download individual songs here, or stream the whole thing:

Here’s how to make your band hard to pigeonhole: do a cover of a Zombies song and a Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass tune. Mix it with equal parts Elvis Costello, Squeeze, and throw in a pinch or two of Pavement, perhaps a little Built to Spill, and you’ve got yourself Boston’s own The Stereo Flys.

Song List:

The Stereo Flys on the Myspace

Download individual tracks here or stream the whole thing:

We switched around our mic setup the day before The Accident That Led Me To The World came in, and what good timing it was. This may be the prettiest sounding thing we’ve ever put out, if I do say so myself. TATLMTTW call themselves a folk band, but we think that may be selling themselves short. They incorporate elements of country and rock, and seem to have the musical dexterity of a group of seasoned jazz performers. Go and see them on Wednesday, January 6th at the Middle East!

Song List:

TATLMTTW online

Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole thing:

Philly doesn’t seem to provide an overwhelming number of bands, or perhaps they’re protective of their local talent. But the ones we do hear of tend to be worth noting – Dr. Dog, The Teeth, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, to name just a few. Add to that list Drink Up Buttercup. They put on a truly engaging live show (their last gig at PA’s ended with an a capella in-the-crowd rendition of Lovers Play Dead, complete with mannequin-head-on-trash-can percussion), and have some of the most clever songs you’ll have stuck in your head for days. Observe.

Song List:

www.drinkupbuttercup.com

Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole thing:

Bird & Flower from Columbus Ohio is your basic three piece folk band – banjo, ukulele, harmonium, glockenspiel, keytar… Wait, keytar? Yup. Much like the occasional inclusion of an instrument you would never expect, their songs have a freshness and an honest-to-god groove that makes them a lot more than your typical folk group. They stopped in during their first visit to Boston.

Song List:

Bird and Flower online

Download individual tracks here or listen to the whole thing:

Boston’s own Antiques, back again!

Song list:

Antiques online

Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole thing:

Cambridge’s Thick as Thieves are a diverse pack of musicians. Actually, it’s a bit difficult to describe what they do, musically. Sometimes T. Rex, sometimes Television, but never boring. And they seem just as comfortable playing a song full-out on stage, or much more intimately, like here in our living room.

Song List:

Thick as Thieves online

Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole thing:

We had so much fun the first time our favorite Texans came in that we made sure they paid us another visit. Here’s another batch of wonderful tunes!

Song List:

The O’s on Myspace

Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole thing:

Israel Darling is another great badn from North Carolina – Greensboro, to be exact. Their songs tend to start with a folky melody, and then they add layer after layer of goodness. Today, Jacob takes it all back down to the bare bones.

Song List:

Israel Darling online

Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole thing:

When The Dead Trees did their first session (Mike solo), they were a Boston band. When they did their second session, they were a Portland (Oregon) band. These days, they are based out of LA, and in the intervening years have toured with Little Joy and Albert Hammond Jr.. They treated us to an all-too-short set, including what may be the most kick-ass Lennon cover we’ve heard.

Song List:

The Dead Trees online

Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole thing:

Even at the comparatively church-quiet volume levels that they were forced to play at in our living room, Thick Shakes manage to make a lot of noise wherever they play. A perfect soundtrack to a grindhouse flick about illegal car racing. This was also a fun one for me to mix. Hopefully my attempt to make my all-digital system sound like an analog system run by a 1950’s greaser worked out.

Song List:

Thick Shakes online

Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole thing:

The Mumlers are the perfect example of our ideal session. An incredibly talented 6-piece from San Jose, they mix big soulful sounds reminiscent of Otis Redding or Sam Cook (with a horn section to match – there are two more of them out of frame in the other room above) with a touch of that old fashioned Squirrel Nut Zippers or Dr. Dog kind of thing, but with a modern and fresh feel. They also put on a truly engaging live show, and are funny bastards to boot. They remind us of one of our other favorite bands, The Bees (or A Band of Bees as they’re known here in the US).

Despite a near complete collapse into hysterics during the first song, they recovered so beautifully that a second take was unnecessary.

Song List:

The Mumlers website

Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole thing:

The Jack Stafford Foundation is really just Jack Stafford, a man with no fixed address. Originally from the UK, he is now based out of Amsterdam, but one look at his tour schedule makes it clear that he is a man that doesn’t stand still for long. With an album devoted to ex-loves, an album devoted to love itself, an album devoted to the people of Amsterdam, and a few EPs for good measure, he can be heartbreaking, uplifting, or bitingly sarcastic. We largely got the latter when he stopped by, so be sure to check out his other songs as well to get a full feel for his range.

Song List:

Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole thing:

Young Mammals stopped in on Andy’s birthday, all the way from Houston. Angly, hard driving indie pop. Good stuff.

Song List:

Young Mammals on MySpace

Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole thing:

This marks Eldridge Rodrigues of The Beatings’  6th visit to the Flophouse: once before with The Beatings, three times with his “solo” project, and once with E Adams. We are told to keep him posted if anyone approaches his record. Speaking of records, The Beatings’ Late Season Kids is certainly one of our best albums of 2009, so go buy it!

Song List:

The Beatings online

Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole thing:

Heavy Hometown came to our hometown (their hometowns are spread between Louisville and Indianapolis) to treat us to 11 wonderful slices of hooky lo-fi cake. Wow, my metaphors are really getting strained. Just listen, you’re going to love it.

Song List:

Heavy Hometown on the web

Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole thing:

In homage to today’s sort-of-kind-of first snow of the winter, we present Boston’s The Points North. Their songs are the musical equivalent of a Robert Frost poem. Throw a log on the fire and contemplate life’s meaning with us.

Song List:

The Points North on Myspace

Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole thing:

There are certain bands that we will have stop by every time they’re in town. Low Red Land is just such a band. Check out their first two sessions as well!

Song List:

Low Red Land online

Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole thing:

Oops, we forgot to take photos when Sleeping in the Aviary visited from their home base somewhere near Minneapolis. We’ll just let that add to the mystique. And now that I’ve looked at their website, my brain has ceased functioning.

Song List:

Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole thing:

I don’t know where to start describing Quixote. They are the kind of band that made me fall in love with music so many years ago. Clever and witty (both musically and lyrically), dynamic, poppy. We love them. They also managed to piece their set together almost seamlessly, like an on-the-fly concept album.

Song List:

Quixote on the web

Download individual tracks here or listen to the whole thing:

St. Claire was originally named Forsythe, after the last name of brother/sister team Emily and Glenn. As the band expanded, they changed their name. They stripped it back down to the duo for us (and you!).

Go and see them on Sunday December 6 at Great Scott!

Song List:

St. Claire on Myspace

Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole thing:

Columbus, Ohio’s Flotation Walls list everyone from Leonard Cohen to Aphex Twin as influences, and it’s not just to be cute. Their anthemic songs come across as the soundtrack to a postmodern Wagnerian opera.

Song List:

1. Body 04:21
2. Sperm and Egg 03:28
3. Kids, Look at the Waves 03:55
4. Worms 03:19
5. Frozen Lake 04:28
6. I Have Seen Death and his Tremendous Pink Eyes 05:53
7. The Sky Ejaculates 04:32

flotationwalls.com

Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole thing:

On to day 2 of Session-A-Day December!
When a band is named after a Fermilab experiment to observe neutrinos, you never know what to expect. In the case of MiniBoone, you get a twisted mix that reminds us of a cross between The Press, The Talking Heads, Modest Mouse, and maybe a pinch of They Might Be Giants.

Song list:

MiniBoone on Myspace

Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole shebang:

Just now, as I pasted this photo of A Brief Smile (from NYC) into today’s post, I was surprised all over again at how young these guys are. Barely into their twenties, they already have an album and 4 EPs (3 of which you can – and should – download for free from their website), and they create some of the most room-filling shoegazey (but catchy!) rock that we’ve heard in quite some time.

Song List:

A Brief Smile on the interwebs.

Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole session:

From the Florida Everglades by way of Athens – their current home – Tim and Jenny are collectively Captain #1. They sing songs, about, as they say, “murders, about love, about angels and hydrogen balloons.” We couldn’t put it better ourselves.

Song List:

captainnumber1.com

Download individual tracks here. Or listen to the whole thing, complete with banter, below:

If you’re a fan of The New Black Magic Rainbow Quartet, you’re going to love Bell and the Bees. Featuring two of the same members, this time led by Sue Bell on guitar and vocals, they may have the distinction of being the quietest band we’ve ever recorded. The result is an incredibly intimate set of songs that would make a perfect relaxing soundtrack to, for example, a day of insane Christmas shopping.

Song List:

Bell and the Bees on MySpace

Download the individual tracks here. Or listen to the whole thing in one go:

I’m not even going to try to describe Dead Heart Bloom (from NYC), but I’m sure you’ll be downloading the tracks. Because, damn, this is one of our favorite sessions ever.

Song List:

Dead Heart Bloom’s home on the web (where you can download their EPs for free!)

Oftentimes, we’ll have bands come in with brand new songs that haven’t even been titled yet. That is when we get to randomly choose a phrase that one of us overhears someone using during the session. Such is the case with “Peanut Butter Finish”, a song that was so new that the vocals weren’t even done yet. We’ll be amazed if anyone in The Royalty remembers the meaning of that phrase. We won’t, however, be amazed if you remember to go and see them at PA’s on Saturday. Because if you’re a fan of Pavement-esque fuzz pop, boy is it your lucky day.

Song List:

The Royalty on MySpace

Download individual songs here.
Or listen to the whole thing, “studio” banter and all:

We’re back with a whole pile of great sessions in the next week or so. Those of you who creep around music.bandinbostonpodcast.com already found this gem, but here’s a proper release for the iTunes crowd. TonyBear stopped in with his sister GinaBear just in time to record some great tunes before she hit the road in pursuit of married life. Tony is known to have a rotating cast of bears joining him, so who knows what arrangement he’ll be in the next time he plays out.

Song List:

TonyBear on MySpace

I think we’ve made it clear how much we love Akudama. This is their third trip into the Flophouse, not counting when Cal and Blake stopped by as a duo. This time they brought along a few brand new tunes, and a couple of great covers. Be sure to check out their free EP of the Month series – this month features… well hey, a bunch of these songs!

Song List:

web: www.akudamamusic.com

Full session with banter and whatnot:

We first got wind of Brother George when The Dead Trees last came through town, and Tory was playing aux percussion.  Little did we know he had his own band that is going to knock your socks off presently. They are playing Monday, September 14th at Zuzu. And yes, that’s Zuzu, so it’s free! If that can’t get you out on a Monday night, nothing will. Give up, go watch your Charlie Sheen shows.

Song List:

Download all the songs here.

Brother George on Myspace

West Branch, Michigan’s The Valley Ghosts falls into that category of “too loud for the living room,” but we were able to get a couple of their quietest songs out of them, while causing minimum damage.

Song List:

Download All

The Valley Ghosts on the Myspace.

A lot of bands cite Bob Dylan and Van Morrison as influences. And a lot of those bands suck. Mount Peru proves that you don’t have to telegraph such things when you do it justice. Born from the ashes of Whiskey Giants, they take along the aforementioned Bob and The Man and mix in a helping of poppy wonderfulness.

Song list:

Mount Peru on the MySpaces

Paper and Sand join the unfortunate numbers of bands who stopped by, recorded a session, and broke up before it came out. I’m sure they’ll be forming new projects soon, so while this may be their last recording, let’s look at it as a new beginning.

Song List:

Paper and Sand on MySpace

The Pack A.D. is a couple of hard rockin’ ladies from Vancouver. Their usually ear-bleedingly loud garage rock could only be contained for 3 songs in the living room, so be sure to catch them the next time they roll through town.

Song List:

The Pack A.D. on the web

Choo Choo La Rouge has a brand spankin’ new CD called Black Clouds. They’re celebrating that fact this Friday at PA’s Lounge. I can’t quite figure out how to describe these guys. How about no-gimmick rock solid three piece indie rock? Yes, that will do nicely. Get yourself out to PA’s this Friday!

Song List:

www.choochoolarouge.com

I dare you to listen to “It’s No Joke” and not end up humming it for days. The Bynars consist almost entirely (or is it entirely?) of fellow Fitchburg Staters (go Falcons), and are living proof that the ‘Burg has some excellent no-bones-about-it pop rock to spread around. Add a health appreciation of the Lot Six, and you’ve got yourself a band worth checking out. They are currently winding their way around the country, so be sure to welcome them home when they play TT’s on August 28th!

Get the songs above, or listen to the whole shootin’ match below.

The Bynars MySpace page

Mean Creek has a CD release party TONIGHT at the Middle East downstairs – it’s also Drug Rug’s CD release. The New Black Magic Rainbow Quartet and The Needy Visions get things started, making for an unmissable evening. We’ve already got our tickets. The Mean Creek gang really stripped down their songs for this set, but managed to keep the energy level up, making for a pretty cool bunch of versions here. You can check them out in the more live state here, but be sure to get out to Central Square tonight.

Song List:

Download individual tracks for free, or name your own price for high quality versions here.

Or listen to the whole session, studio chatter and all, below!

Mean Creek online

We fell in love with Drug Rug when we first heard them almost 3 years ago. This marks their third session (#2 is here), and the occasion of their big big dual cd release show with Mean Creek (here, here, and a new one coming this week!) this Saturday. Make sure you put this on your calendar. Now.

Drug Rug online

Download individual tracks here, or listen to the whole thing, with studio chatter and all:

Hit Factory – some good home-cooked shoegazey rock that reminds us a bit of Aberdeen City or The Walkmen. Be sure to stop by their website and get their EP for free!

Download individual tracks (for FREE) or buy high quality versions (for CHEAP) here!

Hit Factory’s website

This is Clif’s first solo session for us, but his third visit. We first met him when he joined Dickie Haydon, and then a second time with (0ne of) his (many) band(s), In Endeavors. This time, he was traveling with Wes Meek, and he treated us to some of his songs at their most intimate.

Song List:

Well here we are, at just about 3 years into this crazy thing, and we’ve hit 200 Flophouse Sessions. To celebrate, we’re putting out a new session from The Teenage Prayers, who may very well be the most fun band that NYC has to offer. They’re playing at PA’s this Friday.

Session #200 also kicks off something that everyone has asked us for forever: individual tracks! Via our new store (powered by bandcamp.com, which every band should check out right now, and no we don’t get paid to tell you that), you can get each song, separately, as an mp3, aac, flac, ogg, or Apple lossless! Oooooooh. Now get back to your Teenage Prayers!

Song List:

Download the songs individually.

Teenage Prayers on the web.

Atlanta’s Winston Audio usually present their tunes with a bombast reminiscent of Mudhoney mixed Crazy Horse, but today, Daniel Dewitt came in to strip it all down to a single guitar and a voice.

Song List:

1. Smoke Signal
2. Troubles
3. On My Trail
4. Keeping it Down

Winston Audio on the web

Yankee Power is a relatively new band, but they quickly gaining fans, and for good reason. Their take on the 60’s/70’s rock quasi-genre is full of surprises, but the one consistent factor is fun. Go out and share the love at PA’s this Friday!

Song List:

1. She’s Got a Fu Manchu
2. State of Mind
3. 56th Between 8th and 9th
4. Topsfield Affair
5. They Called Hymn a Drifter
6. I’ve Got Rain
7. Circles

Yankee Power on the web

The Lumineers (formerly Wesley Jeremiah) consists of Brooklynites Wesley, Jeremiah, and in this instance, Jay, and they completely floored us with their ability to engage the infamously stationary Boston crowd when we saw them live. They went on to impress us further in the living room with an amazing range of songs.

Song List:

1. Morning Song
2. Don’t Wanna Go
3. Darlene
4. Flowers in Your Hair
5. Life in the City
6. Gun Song
7. Scotland
8. When the Ship Comes In (by Bob Dylan)
9. Naive Melody (This Must Be The Place) (by Talking Heads)
10. Classy Girls Don’t Kiss in Bars
11. Red Hands

The Lumineers on MySpace

The walk-away winners of our “sweatiest band in Boston” award, Pariah Beat came into our living room like a combination traveling carnival and revival meeting caught in in a tornado. Don’t let the traditional Americana roots of their music lead you astray – they performed in our living room with more energy than almost any band we’ve seen live in quite some time. Ranging from old Shaker hymns to Squirrel Nut Zippers-style mishmash jazz to a version of The Beverly Hillbillies theme that I didn’t even recognize at the time, Pariah Beat definitely has the cure for what ails you.

Song List:

1. I’ve Seen the Light
2. Hymn #2
3. Front Porch
4. City Far Away
5. Tipperary
6. The Beverly Hillbillies
7. Elvis in Jerusalem
8. Sinners and Saints
9. Babylon is Fallen
10. Waltz

I suppose you’d call Brooklyn’s (The) Slowest Runner (In All The World) a progressive rock/experimental/classical…. uhh… Well forget that, I’d call them the perfect soundtrack to an epic film. Consisting of guitar, bass, drums, piano, violin, cello, tape loops, vocals that are barely recognizable as human, and samples, they craft sweeping textures that will give you goosebumps. I found myself expecting to hear the wave of applause that normally follows a performance at the symphony. And the sounds of creaking floorboards should give you an idea of how delicately they approached their session!

Song List:

1. Intro >
2. Sea Swells
3. 5 Violinsk
4. Classical Slave >
5. Interlude >
6. Hares Hares
7. This is Water
   

http://www.myspace.com/slowestrunnerinalltheworld

Saint Solitude is one Dup Crosson from North Carolina, a guitar, a keyboard, and some pedals. Keep in mind that none of his loops are pre-recorded. He performs, records, and loops them as the song evolves. While most musicians who use that technique have trouble keeping the result from running away from them, Dup’s layering builds cohesive and thought-out songs that never veer too far into experiment-ville. Dig it.

Song List:

1. Give It A Name
2. Soft Contact
3. Let’s Try It
4. Flocking Disaster
5. The Afterlife is a Slideshow
6. Domino Destroy

saintsolitude.com

Josh Kaufman (who is also a member of Rocketship Park) came in several months earlier with Higgins, so we knew we were going to to like his solo stuff. When he came back, he brought a few friends that he was touring with: Mike Kinsella, who goes by Owen; Caithlin De Marrais; and Lara Meyerratken, better known as El May. While during the tour they largely played seperately, they decided to learn a few of each others songs just for us. And you. Of course.

Murder Mystery is from Detroit, and they have that gnarly vibe that only Detroit bands can seem to muster. But, you know, fun.

Song List:

1. Brick Patio
2. Join Together
3. Vacuum Cleaner Salesman
4. Bears
5. Lordy
6. Rock n Roll

Murder MySpacetery

On the web:
http://thedevilmypocket.com/
http://www.myspace.com/thedevilmypocket

Song List:

1. Waiting for My Man (by The Velvet Underground)
2. The Only Living Boy in New York (by Paul Simon)
3. Walk on By (by Dionne Warwick)
4. People

BoomSnake is officially two guys from San Diego, but for their just-completed tour, they expanded to a 5-piece. They also inadvertantly found out which of our air mattresses had holes in them.

Song List:

1. Busy
2. Sticks Stones & Animal Bones
3. My Way
4. Totem Tale Blues
5. Sample Demolition
6. Excuses

BoomSnake on MySpace

Wes hails from Lexington Kentucky, and stopped by with his pal Clifton Keller (who is starting to make our living room his second home after coming in with In Endeavors and Dickie Haydon, as well as his own forthcoming session). His incredible dynamic range lent itself to finally trying out the infamous (to recording nerds, at least) David Bowie Heroes mic technique – we put Wes on the couch and placed mics at 1 foot, 12 feet, and 20-odd feet away. It proved to be the perfect way to capture this incredible performance.

Song List:

1. Sea Monster
2. Home
3. Untitled #1
5. Conversation of Eve and Satan

Wes on MySpace

Dallas, Texas’ The O’s are sort of a two-man one-man-band. Taylor sings and plays guitar and bass drum, John sings and plays banjo, tambourine (on a drum pedal), and occasionally switches to steel guitar. Throw a harmonica into the mix, as well as the chops they gained through being in 8 other bands (most notably to us Northern folk, The Polyphonic Spree), and you’ll understand why there’s a mighty buzz brewing about these guys. Also, I think they had more fun recording their session than just about any other band we’ve had stop by.

Song List:

1. You’ve Got Your Heart
2. Finding It Hard
3. We’ve Had Everything
4. California
5. Diamonds
6. Together

The O’s on Myspace

No relation to the indescribable concoction available in food courts across this great nation, Oranjuly left their drummer at home and brought along their lush brand of pop to the living room. Reminds me of Matt Mahaffey (Self) at times, Jason Falkner at others. Which can only be a good thing.

Oj on the MySpace

When I came across this session in our “unreleased” drawer, I felt like we had done a disservice to the world for making you wait so long. Carter is the lead dude in Tulsa, and his songs are just as hauntingly beautiful solo as with the full band. Just look at Stella. She’s approves wholeheartedly.

Song List:

1. (new song)
2. (yesterday)
3. Horrorscope
4. Tops of Trees
5. I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight (by Richard and Linda Thompson)
6. I Feel Great

Here’s a posthumus release from a band that was simply Cherryaxe when they came in. Then they went the way of the dinosaur. Dame shame too. Kind of a Velvet Underground with a sense of humor and without all that pesky heroin.

Cherryaxe’s semi-extinct myspace page.

Song list:

1. Fuck My Ghost
2. Real Man
3. Feel It
4. Danger Everywhere You Turn
6. Stubborn Woman
7. Recyclin’ Bin
8. Hoogabooga

Song List:

1. Slow Dogs
2. Stranded/Poor
3. Rick Danko (Was an Honest Man)
4. Mountain Smashing Song of Joy
5. Blah Blah Blah
6. Mother Sun

A nice mellow set to ease you into this beautiful weekend we have coming up. Ash hails from San Francisco, and came in while on tour with Beatbeat Whisper.

Song List:

1. Pelicans
2. Blankets
3. This Old House
4. On The Radio
5. Ex-Favorite One
6. The Rambler
7. I’m Here
8. Amnesia

Land Mammal hails from Providence, but we’ll claim them as our own.

Land Mammal on the myspaces.

Here’s something Boston needs more of: clever and intelligent, yet interminably catchy and danceable pop music. They’ve got a CD release at the Paradise on Friday, 4/17! Yes!!! Be there!!!

Song List:

1. 5:30 AM
2. Smoke
3. Aim
4. Drive
5. Reckless
6. Water
7. Notes
8. Vampires

(note: I think these may be the “internal” band abbreviated titles. I’ll check them at home tonight.)

MEandJOANCOLLINSonMYSPACE

Song List:

1. Big Bucks
2. Ain’t No Sayin’
3. Heartland
4. John Smith
5. I Don’t Know
6. Wish Well
7. Sunny Afternoon (by The Kinks)
8. Out In The Woods

Coyote Kolb on the myspaces

Bloomington, Indiana’s (yes, confusing, I know) Kentucky Nightmare put up with more wrong turns on their way to the flophouse than any other band we’ve had stop by. On top of that, Tyler lost a tooth. Which was actually pretty cool. It looks like they’re sticking to the home turf for the next few weeks, but be sure to check them out when they’re near you!

Song List:

1. Moving Pictures
2. The Bird That Would Not Call
3. Caroline and I
4. Rose Hill
5. Going Back to Lucy
6. Let’s Get In Love

Kentucky Nightmare on the web

While you’re at it, watch the Space Ghost Coast to Coast episode that is also their namesake.

Chris Wilhelm has a pretty kickass album called This Train’s Not Going Slow, and is the co-star of Faster Than A Fax Machine, a quasi-factual movie about the trials and tribulations of playing music for a living. I think. I haven’t seen it yet. But let’s let the songs have their say.

Chris Wilhelm on the web

But it’s worth the wait! They are looking for a new drummer, so hook ‘em up!

Song List:

1. Several Hours
2. Don’t Trust White Men
3. Drama Queens
4. Trim True
5. A Thousand Numbers
6. Parsnip
7. Semper Fi
8. Check This Box
9. His Way
10. Ghosts and Demons
11. Weekends in Maine
12. Bachelors

Drama Queens on Myspace

When we last saw the Blastroanuts, it was two guys.  It appears their numbers have since doubled. Be sure to check out their larger configuration this tuesday at Harper’s Ferry, as well as their live appearance on WERS that same day.

Song list:

1. How Could it Be So Wrong
2. Sooner or Later
3. A Moment’s Peace
4. Easy 2 Pretend
5. Supermarket
6. We Don’t Need to Live Like This
7. Never Say I’m Sorry

The Press came in many many moons ago for their first session, and took their sweet time getting back to town. Luckily for us, they didn’t make us wait nearly as long to put out their latest.

We’re pretty sure Jen’s coffee cake convinced them not to be strangers.

They are at TT the Bear’s TONIGHT!

Song List:

1. Pattern Mill
2. Master
3. Fine China
4. Jellyfish Wrangler
5. Panther Beach
6. Roc, Wraith, Heartbeat

Their new album, Et Tu, Fluffy? Comes out soon on Midriff Records. They’re at PA’s on march 14th, River Gods on April 28, and Great Scott on April 30th for their big record release party. Go see them every time!

Song List:

1. Throw Me From the Bridge of Flowers
2. Hot Little Item
3. Sitting at the Piano Disappearing (1st time ever played!)
4. You Got Pop, You Got Style
5. You’re Getting Harder of Me, I’m Getting Softer on You
6. Do You Look at Everybody That Way?
7. Midnight in the Applefield
8. Pop That Thang (by Missy Elliot)
9. Shove it Up Your Heart
10. You Thought it Make You Feel Better
11. Do You Really Need a Drummer?

Higgins on the myspace

Mel and company dropped by and cranked out the perfect soundtrack to a freezing cold month. In one of his tunes, he promises to start writing happier songs, but for January in Boston, this is about as chipper as it gets!

Song List:

1. After the Night is Through
2. Driving West
3. Amsterdam Day
4. Like the Ocean
5. Morning in Madrid
6. Codes
7. Laurel Mountains
8. Longfellow Bridge

According to this photo, Low Red Land have the ability to shift time and space. Which might be true. Their songs always take us on mystical voyage through the dustbowl midwest of our minds. Or something. They came in quite a while ago, so it was nice to do another session with our improved gear. Although they now call San Francisco home, they were in a Boston band at one time, but had the brains to move to a warmer climate. Last time they were here, we inadvertantly renamed Hawks Die to Hogstyle, which we hope sticks. Either way, we won’t make that mistake this time. Although we did ruin it by forgetting to shut off the ringers on the phone.

Song List:

1. Hawks Die Hogstyle
2. Battles
3. Dog’s Hymn
4. Weight of Nations
5. That’s When I Reach For My Revolver (Mission of Burma)
6. Gunfighter’s Afternoon/The Duke
7. Queen Esther

Apollo Sunshine frontman Jesse Gallagher doesn’t stray away from a weird idea, whether it’s freeform-electronic-noise-something in the form of Electric Santa or pulling together an upright bass, violin, accordian, and trumpet (and a bit of drums at the end) and letting things flow.  And bringing a little class into the Flophouse with a Bach cover.

Song List:

1. Air on the G String (J.S. Bach)
2. Molly (by Biff Rose)
3. Which Way is Home
4. When Will I Rise
5. Everyone

Usually, a Flophouse Session takes weeks or months of constant twiddling, tweaking, etc., just to make up for all the mistakes I made when we recorded it. Every once in a while, we get a band that’s just so crazy good (and good for the room) that it all comes together in a few passes, and I feel like Phil Spector (you know, pre-gun toting, afro wig-wearing).  Local Natives are just that kinda band.

Hailing from the greater LA area, they brought along some of the finest three part harmonies and catchy melodies we’ve ever heard. I highly suggest you crank this one as loud as you can. Singing along is optional, but nearly involuntary. We can’t wait until they come back to Boston.

Song List:

1. Airplanes
2. Only Son
3. World News
4. Who Knows, Who Cares?
5. Warning Sign (by The Talking Heads)
6. Camera Talk

Local Natives website

Song List:

1. Early Hours
2. Fall-in-Love-to-Song
3. Punishing Good Deeds
4. It Begins Well
5. (Not) Not a Friend (Sebadoh paraphrase)
6. Red Jacket Orchards
7. Sugarcube (Yo La Tengo cover)

Justin comes from the Woody Guthrie school of folk – catchy, emotionally charged, but with tongue planted in cheek enough to keep it from getting maudlin. Check him out at the Middle Easy (Upstairs) on January 30th.

With two direct decendents of the Boston Rock Royalty bloodline (yes, there are two Perry’s in the band), it might be more surprising if TAB wasn’t a great band. We forced them to quiet down a bit, and I think it worked out juuuuust fine.

Annie came in with our good pal Eric Wolfson and sang some mighty pretty songs.

Song List:

1. Squid Hunt
2. All I Know
3. French Song
5. God Song
6. Over Your Heart
7. Dr. Claw
8. Washington or Bust

The Faintest Ideas were our first visitors from across the pond – Sweden, to be exact. The latest we’ve heard is that they either broke up or went on hiatus right at the end of the tour, so this may be the last thing you hear from them for a while. Here’s to hoping they pick up the pieces. They fit 10 songs into just over 22 minutes – now THAT is efficiency!

Ayla and Davyd are a brother and sister from Oakland who share not only the letter Y in their names, but also a sense of songwriting and harmony that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Song List:

1. Hollow’s Cove
2. Up the Long Tracks
3. Mismanaged Skies
4. Swell and Still
5. How’s Your Dad?
6. Old River

Beatbeat Website

Happy 2009 everyone!

We actually made it – 31 episodes in 31 days. You know what? We had so much fun, let’s do it THIS month too!

We still have a lot of great music to put out, so we’re going to keep it going.

We can think of no better way to kick off the last of the oughts than with our good pals Akudama. Somehow, they managed to blow away their first session. Please to enjoy.

Song List:

1. Everywhere At Once
2. People
3. Sun
4. Thumbelina

We first heard of George when he was lead singer (maybe “vocalist” is a better term) for Mad Man Films, one of the few insanely loud angry bands that we can tolerate. And in this case, tolerate means love. That was why we were so blown away when we heard his solo stuff, which is some of the most soulful, heartfelt music you’ll hear for a long time. We were more than happy to pass along our trusty old Jukebox to him!

Song List (I’m going by memory, corrected list soon!):

1. The Man In Me (by Bob Dylan, with a hint of When I Paint My Masterpiece)
2. Yellow Bird/Blue Snake
3. Bedtime Song
4. The Tennessee Waltz (by Mary Ford)
5. Ava
6. Let Rrr Go
7. Kaliga (by Hank Williams)

Song List:

1. Mover and Shaker
2. City Scape
3. Shape I’m In
4. 100 Creatures

If you’re a fan of 100 Creatures (and you’re a total jerk if you aren’t), check out an excellent cover of it from Dickie Haydon’s session.

Flophouse Session #150 brings us a new title format. Hopefully it makes it a bit easier to scroll through sessions on your portable music-playing device.

Okay Thursday splintered off into two factions a while back – one kept the original name, and one became One Happy Island. This is the latter, and author or perhaps my favorite locally-themed line: “I could scale the stairs at Porter Station, ’cause I’m so full of pure elation.” You will be too. They certainly turned the Suck Knob all the way down for this one.

Song List:

1. Boy In a Circle
2. Anita
3. Potential
4. Laser Show
5. Happiest In History
6. Florida

They’ll be kicking off the new year at the Middle East on January 1.

One Happy Myspace Page

Song List:

1. Mexico
2. Mono
3. Cactus Flower
4. Castle the Queen
5. Deserter
6. Mr. Deedle
7. Quintin

Song List:

1. Banana Gorgin
2. Jules Rules
3. Muscle Chalet
4. Do the Physical

Song List:

1. City Boy
2. Hit & Miss
3. The Bomb
4. Get it Right
5. Washboard
6. Dig
7. Come On

Song List:

1. Taller Children
2. Race You Back Home
3. Waiting for the Kill
4. So Serious
5. Apathy
6. Just In Time
7. The Wishing Well

Song list:

1. Peppered Asaulted and Blue
2. Lucy’s Hands
3. Happy
4. Oh Jane
5. Number 13 and Counting
6. Here
7. Lay Me Down
8. Henderson the Rain King

When you think of a power trio, the first thing that comes to mind usually isn’t saxophone. Bottle Up and Go are ready to change that. Guitar, drums, and sax come together to lay down some kickass rock and roll. They stopped by the same day as Abigail Warchild, and our advice remains the same for this session. Except, if it’s your car, feel free to do step #4 as well.

Song List:

1. All My Trials
2. Deep in the Woods (by Nick Cave)
3. Train
4. Low
5. (No Known Title)
6. Have You Seen My Baby

This is just some full-on, high energy rock and roll as god intended. Our recommendation: steal a car, turn on this session at full volume, drive as fast as possible until you run out of gas, set the car on fire, then ride a lion/dragon hybrid into the land of Hades.* I think you get the idea.

Song List:

1. Being Soothed
2. Dogs of War
3. Brittle Life
4. The Dive
5. Get On Board
6. Trash Can Fire

Abigail Warchild on the Myspace

(*Disclaimer: Don’t do that. Except steps 2, 3, and 5.)

Song List:

1. Manhattan
2. Nectar
3. Day 7 (by Notwist)
4. The Innovator
5. Into the Bright Light
6. Apollo
7. Set the World Alight
8. I Am an Invention

Song List:

1. Love Barge
2. The Reverend Blues Band
3. Caruto’s Last Stand
4. Computer Era

Paper Thin Stages on the infratubes

Here’s a great band from San Francisco. They will normally implode your eardrums in a flurry of volume and musical talent. In our living room, they showed just how big of a soul lies at the root of their songs.

Song List:

1. Run Everywhere
2. The Shores are Hardly Safe
3. Mexican Disco
4. Fun Crusher
5. Shoot the Pass
6. Mussels & Clams

Sky Pilots on the web

We don’t have any photos because we streamed video of this one live, and then the recording crashed. Argh.

EPO on the web

No one’s going to accuse Pretty and Nice of being long-winded. Here they fit 6 songs into 12 and a half minutes. And no one’s going to accuse them of being quiet either. They singlehandedly inspired me to build the drum baffle system we now have, as well as implementing the “no vocal monitors” rule.

And no one’s going to accuse them of sucking either. Because if you do, guess what? YOU suck.

Their latest album, Get Young, came out in October.

Song List:

1. Up in a Balloon
2. Lazy Lazy Bumblebee
3. Fortress
4. Tokyo
5. Grab Your Nets

Pretty and Nice on the interwebs