MC Chris and House of Fools - April 27, 2007

I went to my first show at the Station Friday night to see MC Chris and what a change of pace! The experience was very different from the Guster concert last weekend. There were four artists performing Friday night, and I went to the show for MC Chris.

Now who is MC Chris? He's a nerdcore rapper from Brooklyn with an attitude larger than himself. Despite his small size, you don't want to mess with his ninja skills and zombie-battling abilities. He has given voice talent to the popular Adult Swim show Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and he has a new song featured on the Aqua Teen movie's soundtrack called "I Want Candy".

Guster in Boston - April 21, 2007

The melodic pop-rock band Guster put on an amazing home show last weekend in Boston at the Opera House. The concert was a part of their Campus Consciousness Tour, a tour aimed to raise awareness about environmental issues and how to take action. The organization behind the tour, Reverb, was created by Guster guitarist/vocalist Adam and his wife in an effort to connect musicians and fans through the support of the environment. In the lobby of the Opera Hall, there were various environmental groups handing out pamphlets, creating mailing lists, and distributing free coupons for eco-friendly products. At Guster's merch table, there was a carbon-neutral Guster tee that I absolutely had to get (it had a cool lion on it). Guster also asked attendees to bring in canned goods for the Greater Boston Food Bank. I brought some in with my mom and brother, and we got signed up for a chance to meet the band (unfortunately didn't happen, though).

The Format opened up for the Guster, and they put on a pretty good set. Their first song called "Dog Problems" was amazingly catchy, but most of the songs following it didn't meet the greatness of that one song. The Format had a pretty good stage presence. It was fun to watch them perform. I just couldn't get into them too much. There were a lot of people who came for them, so perhaps I just have to get used to their music.

When the Guster set was ready, I was ecstatic! I saw them last year when they came to Portland, and I loved their performance...

Greetings from sectors unknown!

My name is Dylan Martin, and I'm a senior at South Portland High School. I will be attending USM next year for Media Studies. I'm an aspiring music journalist, and I'm proud to be a part of the MaineToday.com Blogger family!

Music is more than just a hobby for me; it's a lifestyle. I listen to music everyday, and I always try to purchase new albums whenever I get the chance. I love going to concerts. My favorite artists include They Might Be Giants, Of Montreal, Ben Folds, Frank Zappa, My Morning Jacket, and Belle & Sebastian. No matter how satisfied with the music I have, I'm always trying to expand my musical tastes, hence the title "musical astronaut."

In this musical blog of mine, you can expect to read about bands, albums, concerts, and promotions for the latter. I'm in a band, so you can expect to read about that as well.

For my first real entry, I will be writing a review of a Guster show I attended a few days ago. It was an amazing show, so I can't wait to write about it!