JOHN BROWN'S BODY - 2.5 @ House of Blues

Speaking of former JBB bandmembers in Rubblebucket, John Brown's Body wasn't half-bad.

Probably the longest show I've ever been to, the performance by John Brown's Body re-energized the crowd around midnight after four hours of opening acts Mighty Mystic and Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad. JBB is one of the few modern reggae acts that can hold even the highest of potheads' attentions. Current-lead vocalist Elliot Martin impresses not so much with his range in pitch, but his range in texture. His soft and sultry voice can change into a deep, hoarse timbre in an instant.

With dreadlocks down to the back of his knees, Martin is certainly a presence. But bassist Nate Edgar subtly chills in the background and once he catches your eye you can't look away. Besides the constant gulping of beer, Edgar has the most provoking facial expressions as he grooves out in his own world on his bass, bopping to the beat and blowing out the audience's ears with his bass-extension pedal that turns his sound into a physical force, hitting you in the gut.

RUBBLEBUCKET - 2.20 @ The Middle East, Upstairs

Broken Social Scene is a rarity in these parts, but Rubblebucket is an unexpected substitution. "Unexpected," I say, only because of their lack of fame -- for now. But this 8 to 9 member group easily matches the energy and communication of BSS the moment they walk on stage.

Members consist of percussionists, horns, guitarists, bassists, keyboardists and vocalists -- two were formerly part of reggae group John Brown's Body but a far cry from the sound. Kalma Traver (vocals) compares to Feist in her presence but Zooey Deschanel in her textured voice; Alex Toth (Trumpet/Vocals/Whatever he feels like) compares to Kevin Drew but still has his own thing going on (and may be the only person I've seen pull off a mullet).

A Rubblebucket show is an experience. It's not the crowd enjoying a band, it's the crowd and band enjoying each other in a unified moment that many compare to a religious experience, especially when some of the members decided to dance join the crowd below the completely shatter the Berlin Wall of performer/audience.




There's so much dancing and power happening at the show that you don't even pay attention to the lyrics, although you can still I.D. a lovesong hidden within the busy, yet somehow totally comprehensible, indie funk experience. Listen to Kalma sing "We all hold hands/And sing and dance/And it sounds like this" in the song Phillips Van on their self-titled and you'll know what I mean.

EDITORS - 2.18 @ House of Blues

I'm a fan of the radio, don't get me wrong, but sometimes you want the same sound that everyone happens to love without the hassle of a popular, impossible-to-get-overpriced-tickets band.

That's where Editors kicks in. With the sound of The Killers, The Strokes, The Hives, Editors fit right in (without the 'The'), yet haven't shamelessly promoted themselves on MTV in the States (yet).

The British indie band is lead by Tom Smith, who has the most badass mutton chops, but the band as a whole has a strong connection with each other to deliver punchy tunes with catchy guitar riffs. Their syncopated and fluid compo- sitions are spot-on, especially with the occasional measure-long silences strategically placed in the middle of a track.

Also note-worthy is The Dig (seen below), the band's first opening act who also fit nicely within the indie sound, though a bit more sweet.

ORCHARD LOUNGE - 2.11 @ The Middle East, Downstairs

Boston took a chance in hosting its first-ever Electronic Music Festival. It's not exactly the rave scene of Canada or Europe, let's be honest. But the city proved its danceparty potential, and Orchard Lounge at the Middle East really kept that party going.

Accompanied with openers BioDiesel (who consists of former world's-fastest drummer Johnny Rabb bassist Clay Parnell) and Auto Body, Orchard Lounge uses heart-heavy bass and scratches old-school style on vinyl.

The trio, made up of family relatives, has recently made a name for itself with downtempo house beats. Most intriguing is Bethany Lokken, the "Queen B" of the group who loves to fade the bass out then pump it back in to get everyone on their feet.

I know nothing about electronica, and the festival was not exactly the place to be sober, but an amazing performance just the same (even for those not too familiar with the genre).

THE INDOBOX - 2.6 @ Harper's Ferry

Harper's isn't exactly the first place to go for a mesmerizing music performance. But this particular Saturday the emo-teen Paper Thursdays crowd was absent and the bar-latchers upped from their stools for The Indobox, an electro-rock band with boppy upbeats and fierce drumbeats. You can't help but hear hints of the exploding Passion Pit (though a bit more subtle on the pop), a sound that seems to be getting more familiar and trendy by the day.

Two types of people made up the crowd that night: those who felt the music and let it out to make the show a dance party, and those who internalized the music, entranced by the small-scale lightshow (yeah, a lightshow at Harper's, I know) that inevitably pairs with any electronica performance.

Their newest release, Adventure Rock, is their first studio album and doesn't fail to impress, but if you really want to get a taste of their sound I suggest their first two albums, which were recorded live.