Dido hopes show will have them dancing in the aislesPage 2 of 2 -- The album came out with a raw edge, but Perry had to work hard to keep it that way. "About three-fourths of the way through it, we had a fight over keeping it raw or not," he says. "There were times when I had to walk out of the room. But I'm like a freight train when I'm committed to something."
The band did a mini-blues set during last summer's tour and is now performing six to seven of the "Honkin' on Bobo" tracks each night, scattered throughout the set. "They're going over really well," says Perry. "Obviously, nothing goes over as well as `Dream On' or `Sweet Emotion,' but we were all surprised at how well everything is fitting together." Club-hopping capsule: Beulah at the Middle East Downstairs: Indie-rock darlings Beulah, who hail from the Left Coast, have toughened their sound, and it made for an exhilarating night at the Middle East. "I don't believe in anything but you, my friends," frontman Miles Kurosky said at one point, and that only heightened the bond with the band's fans. The band flashed a neopsychedelic style at times akin to that of Grandaddy but also suggesting traces of R.E.M. and Lou Reed. If there was one overriding theme, it's that Beulah has really gotten its act together. A great set. Blackjacks at the Abbey Lounge: Singer Johnny Angel said this was the only reunion that fans can expect of these '80s-era Boston garage-punk rockers. And that's a shame because the Blackjacks still played as if they meant every crashing note and runaway guitar riff. There have been few better Boston reunions than this. The group married streetwise imagery ("Baby's in the Bottle Again" was one standout track) with an exuberant flair that caused MC Springa (from the band SSD) to exclaim: "The Blackjacks could teach blink-182 a thing or two." He wasn't kidding.
Bits and pieces: Singer Slaid Cleaves, who argued with Johnny D's management last week after asking that the TVs in the bar be turned off during his set, ended his night by leaving the club and playing for an hour free of charge in Davis Square with his bassist and dobro player. . . . The outdoor summer concert series on Wednesdays in the courtyard of the Museum of Fine Arts includes Catie Curtis on June 30, the Wayfaring Strangers on July 7, Club D'Elf on July 14, and the reggae-flavored Pressure Cooker on July 21, with more to come. . . . The latest Inc. magazine has a business-oriented interview with Jon Bon Jovi, who talks about why some hot bands crash and burn. Says Bon Jovi: "When bands implode . . . the machine is revving so hot, no one is thinking what these kids are dealing with. They're thrust into being the heads of corporations, and they're just guys in a garage with a guitar. Just ask Guns N' Roses." . . . Tonight: Officer May at the Middle East Upstairs, Toshi Reagon at Club Passim, Cracktorch at the Abbey Lounge, the Doobie Brothers at the South Shore Music Circus. . . . Tomorrow: Skinny Puppy at Avalon; Scissorfight, the newly reunited Bags, and Malachite at the Middle East Downstairs; Bellevue Cadillac at Ryles; and new buzz act Katie Melua (who cites Eva Cassidy as one of her influences) at the Paradise. © Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company.
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