December 9, 2013

Indie Rock Ranger Holiday Spectacular: Freezepop, Sidewalk Driver, Parks, Animal Talk, Harris Hawk | 14 Dec. | Middle East

Indie Rock Ranger Holiday Spectacular: Freezepop, Sidewalk Driver, Parks, Animal Talk, Harris Hawk | 14 Dec. | Middle East

Maybe, like us, you spend your commutes to and from work car-bound and following pre-schoolers' orders to dial between the two all-Christmas music stations presently on the FM spectrum in Boston, and the idea of more Christmas music makes you want to hit yourself in the head with a hammer. Fortunately, the ideas "holiday" and "music" can be separated, shaken up like a snow globe, and put back together in just a different enough way that you are no longer doomed to Karen Carpenter crooning on both 96.1 and 106.7 at once. Shake them right, wait for the faux snow to settle, and you just might find yourself at Indie Rock Ranger's Holiday Spectacular this Saturday at the Middle East Down. The evening is an auditory five-course meal of homegrown Boston rock and pop from the acts Animal Talk, Freezepop, Harris Hawk, Parks and Sidewalk Driver.

But wu-wu-wu-wait there's more. Did you miss your chance to get yourself down to Plymouth this past weekend for The Ash Gray Proclamation's Toys For Tots benefit show? If you did, and even if you didn't, Anngelle Wood's Holiday Toy Drive to benefit the DCF Kids Fund is happening during the Holiday Spectacular as well. If you've got a little extra scratch to spread around to help make the holiday better for a kid getting through a tough situation, pick up a new, unwrapped toy on the way to the show and toss it at host con most and exemplary human Richard Bouchard, who will surely wonder why people are throwing toys at him (SHHHHHH! let's let it be a surprise!). Ms. Wood wisely points out that toys are great, but there are older foster kids out there who might get a smile out of a gift card, electronics, games, art supplies, music, videos, books, clothing, hats, gloves, scarves, stuff like that. Cash is always good, too. Another way to get your money into the worthy hands of DCF is to buy a print of the awesome show poster situated atop this blog post. That'd look good all framed up in the rec room, right? Get one for $10 at the show, and that money goes to DCF courtesy of the good people behind Daykamp Creative.

So what about these rock and roll bands playing? Do they make good rock and roll music? They do! The line-up is tilted toward dance-rock acts that will surely have the joint jumping. But we're particularly interested in the openers, the relatively new hard rockers Harris Hawk, whose sound draws heavily from like-minded bands working between, say, '76 and '86. On their epic jam "Sweetness," Harris Hawk come across like mid-'70s Heart riffing on Zeppelin's "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You," which we think we can all agree is a good thing. But it's the song that leads into that one that first fired our imagination. "Intermissionary" is an atmospheric interlude that functions a lot like Van Halen's "Intruder" on 1982's Diver Down, building tension that is released with the commencement of the ensuing track. We'd be totally stoked if Harris Hawk jammed out on "Intermissionary" for 10 minutes during their set Saturday. Find out if they do just that: buy tickets, buy a gift for the toy drive, and get over to the club when doors open at 8PM Saturday. You can do this.



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