METRONOME MAGAZINE
FEBRUARY 2010
Hearings: Top 5 for February 2010
MASCARA
FOUNTAIN OF TEARS 12-SONG CD
• DRAGONFLIES • LESTER • B261 • LISTERINE• CARRY ME• DEEP IN PALM BEACH • AINADAMAR• RETARDED• HIGH SCHOOL• BARS IN CAMBRIDGE• TEXT2VOICE• TULSAGIRL
Chris Mascara is nothing if not completely original and unpredictable. Growing up as a "child prodigy" on organ, in Florida, Mascara found his way to New England to study religion at Tufts University. Since then, his appearances in the Boston theater productions of Jesus Christ Superstar, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Aqualung, along with fronting his own band and more recently being hired by Harmonix [creators of Guitar Hero] to shoot motion capture of his image for animation of the frontman characters in their popular "Rock Band" game, have established him as a creative force in the Boston music community .
With new band members, Bo Barringer on bass & [...]
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SILVER CIRCLE REVIEWS FEBRUARY 2010
MASCARA Mr. Fibuli’s Records Fountain of Tears 12-song CD
Well, many of us have been waiting a long time for Chris Mascara to make his power move, and this is it. Of course, being something of a mystic, he tells the truth, but tells it slant, right from the get-go. “Dragonflies” is a seesawing and powerful opening incantation. “Retarded” is a lovely, lost, mildly unsettling song. “B261” is a rocking, Bowie-variety anthem about Jackie Wilson, late of the Brunswick label, who tangled with mobsters and lived to meet a truly ghastly denouement. The coldly, brilliantly anthemic “Carry Me” is both majestic and inspired—the one song I keep coming back to again and again. Other selections offer a variegated soundscape. A few are more than mildly unsettling: the ghoulish “Lester”; the eerie and astonishing “Listerine”; the spooky “Deep in Palm Beach.” And at least two [...]
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PGB Weekend Picks: January 29 – 31
Posted by Bryan on Jan 29, 2010 »
Friday, January 29th @ Middle East Upstairs
Mascara might be the closest thing Boston has to a local rock Supergroup (You know, now that the Holidad All-Stars are no more) Chris Mascara is the lead-singer avatar for the Rock Band games, and is doing work with Blue Man Group this year. He’s recruited two of the best and most recognizable musicians in town to help out on his original material, Bo Barringer of MEandJOANCOLLINS, and Matt Graber, one of Sarah Rabdau’s Self-Employed Assassins. Should be a great show, it’ll be the CD Release for the new album Fountain of Tears, as well as a tour kickoff. Also playing are Ho-Ag, Super 400, and Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling.
CHEAP THRILLS BOSTON
FRI 1/29 9:30pm Ho-Ag, Mascara, Super 400, Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling at Middle East - Upstairs, 472 Mass Ave, Cambridge (Central Sq) $10 / 18+ There is a serious amount of rock that could figuratively cut your head off. The Ho-Ag guys unleash wild, scuzzy angular rock with plenty of riffs to hook you in. Mascara* is all over the map in a progressive yet potent way deserves the power-trio handle. Even though many pints were involved, I think Super 400 were mainly responsible for blowing my mind at the Abbey Lounge one night; they're another power-trio that gets a little jammy in the best possible manner. The band size will probably increase as the night unfolds, because the arty, spy-punk duo of Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling should get the awesomeness rolling. * If you think Chris Mascara isn't a charismatic performer, then you're wrong. It's that simple, because he was the model for the lead singers in the first two versions of the "Rock Band" video game. [...]
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BOSTON BAND CRUSH
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Show/Contest Crush: Mascara (CD release) / Ho-Ag / Super 400 / Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling at the Middle East this Friday / win a pair of tickets!
If this one has somehow slipped under your radar you might want to get it checked out. The buzz is at chainsaw levels for Mascara's new album, Fountain of Tears, and the bill for this Friday night's CD-release show at the Middle East upstairs is guaranteed to pack, and rawwwwk, the joint: Mascara Ho-Ag Super 400 Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling (say, we know them!) Friday, January 29th The Middle East Upstairs 480 Massachusetts Ave // Boston, MA 18+ // $9 adv & $10 dos // 8pm doors PLUS! We've got a pair of tickets and Mascara's new CD (Fountain of Tears) to give away to one lucky winner! To enter, just leave a comment on this post (say anything you like!). We'll pick a winner Friday morning by random drawing. DON'T FORGET TO CHECK BACK FRIDAY MORNING TO SEE IF YOU WON!!
We even [...]
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