The Harbor Loop @ Fitz Hugh Lane Park
August 26, 2010 6:00pm to 9:00pm
Dented School Bus is a local all-star group with members from Garfish, Scarlett, Megan McKenzie Band, Phat Maxx and other Gloucester bands.
The following folks might wander onto “the Bus” over the course of the evening:
John Silviera, Walter Piscitello, Frank Bernadini, Doug Comeau, Kevin Lopes, Theresa Gray, John Donlon, Frank Hawks, Brian Madey and Thad Bernard.
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Opening band:
Josh Caress & The Glasnost Gang team up with members of Magnolia:
Josh Caress (formerly of Gloucester favorites The Troubadours): guitar & vocals, Jud Abts: guitar, AAron Butt: guitar, Ken MacLeod: drums, Dan Hayward: Bass, Dan Kaplan: piano & vocals, Eleanor Halgren: vocals.
Josh Caress & The Glasnost Gang team up with members of Magnolia:
Josh Caress (formerly of Gloucester favorites The Troubadours): guitar & vocals, Jud Abts: guitar, AAron Butt: guitar, Ken MacLeod: drums, Dan Hayward: Bass, Dan Kaplan: piano & vocals, Eleanor Halgren: vocals.
About Josh Caress & The Glasnost Gang
While he doesn’t always admit it up front, Josh Caress is old enough to remember the Cold War, having grown up in that last generation of American kids who lived under safety net of “assured mutual destruction” that prevented the two most powerful nations on earth from destroying each other because of their diametrically opposed ideologies.
But for a kid growing up in suburban Illinois in the 1980’s, these things were in the background. For Josh anyway, life was good – his parents loved each other, there was a street to ride your bike, a yard to play baseball, and an older brother to pick on you. Josh used these experiences as the starting point for his 2007 breakthrough album, “The Rockford Files,” called “a lovingly crafted and heartfelt work of the highest order” by independentclauses.com.
But he left Illinois when he was ten, moving around the country from L.A. to Michigan, to New England. And now Josh Caress is a grown-up, with a family of his own, and things are much more complicated. And “Perestroika” is a complicated record. The imagery of the title track, “Perestroika On My Mind,” evokes political struggles and spiritual warfare, while other tracks like “Deconstruct,” “Lies” and “Problem/Solution” bring indictments against the darker side of the current cultural climate. But at the heart of “Perestroika,” there is still a little kid from Rockford, Illinois, struggling to resist cynicism, rescue innocence, and kindle the lanterns of hope in all of us.
“Perestroika” is Josh’s sixth self-released record since 2005. He has played all over the United States, from Boston’s Club Passim to Chicago’s Uncommon Ground. He also opened for Rosie Thomas in Grand Rapids, MI, where he was named a finalist in at the FFM festival at Calvin College in 2007. His music has been heard in the film Still On Her Keel by Halfway Rock Media, and has earned consistently positive reviews at independentclauses.com. Josh and his band, The Glasnost Gang, are currently performing in the Boston area and looking to add more dates to the schedule. Josh lives in Massachusetts with his wife and their son, Noah.
About Magnolia
After a chance meeting between singer songwriter Dan Kaplan and drummer Ken Macleod, Magnolia quickly added longtime friend and guitarist Judson Abts to the lineup. After several months of writing and developing new material, the lineup was filled out with bassist Santiago Saenz, violinist Tina Muzzi, and vocalist Eleanor Halgren.
With myriad influences ranging from traditional folk music and Americana to more contemporary indie and pop, Magnolia combines to form a sound that is at once familiar, but altogether their own. Abts’ guitar playing is both soaring and untamed, but can also be reserved and ethereal – he brings a keen ear for pop hooks and an impeccable ability to provide the perfect textural backdrop to Macleod’s rhythmic foundation.
All the while, Kaplan explores recognizable themes of love and loss, emotional insecurity and mortality, but manages to survey the landscape of twentysomething trials by fire without sounding derivative. Coupled with a delivery that is both heartfelt and honest, Kaplan’s tales of longing, youth, and world-weariness defy categorization into any one genre.
“I’ve always been drawn to the idea of not being constrained by any preconceived ideas of what music has to be…the goal has always been to figure out how to break the patterns that are so easy [for me] to fall into – to constantly challenge myself to write better melodies, better songs.”
And with an extensive back catalogue already, including 3 solo EPs and a new full length album due out this spring, it’s clear that there’s no end in sight to his creative potential.
Now equipped with a full time practice space and studio in the coastal town of Gloucester, MA, Magnolia will continue to bring their unmistakable style and sound to Boston and throughout the surrounding area.
This is when the magic begins. I would not miss this for the world.
Joanne
Good Morning Gloucester 