BEYOND BEATS: BOSTON’S LIVE ELECTRONIC SCENE AT TOGETHER

International electronic music superstars (Trentemoller, Mary Anne Hobbs, Switch) may be headlining, but hometown representation is the name of the game for some of the most talked about DJs, producers playing Together in 2011.  Below, an introduction to six live acts that represent an electronic element that’s more than just beats.

BEARSTRONAUT

With the exception of a set at Great Scott in February, Bearstronaut haven’t hit the stage since October and are chomping at the bit to drop some new material and one marathon of a live show the likes of which fans have never seen. “In the past, we were more relaxed on stage and we focused much more on our playing,” says David Martineau, guitarist and vocalist. “We feel more comfortable than we’ve felt in awhile, and we’re going to keep that going as long as possible with no interruptions between our songs.”

CAMDEN

With an undoubtedly rock-heavy live show, it may come as a surprise to folks familiar with Camden that the Boston-based quartet is now under the electronic umbrella. For Jason Sibilia (guitars, keys, vocals), this is just plain silly.

“I’m pumped because [our] new record has a lot of the live band stuff, but we also still use a lot of synthesizer and some heavy 808 sounds,” he says. “Electronic, minimalistic compositions and sampling are what inspired me a lot to start doing Camden in the first place.”

AVOXBLUE

Jimmy Rossi Jr.—aka AVOXBLUE—is a one-man army of gossamer airwaves that take flight from his keyboards. One of the best things about his Together set is that he’s not even sure what to expect from it: “I have few songs that I’m just gonna be doing alternate versions of … Some of the stuff I perform I’m able to sort of remix live and play with, which is something I’ve always wanted to do. It gives me the freedom to change things up each time I play and play with different arrangements.”

BONFIRE BANDIT

“If you’re into a nice big rock show, we’ve got some good stuff going with our electro,” says Houston Bernard of Bonfire Bandit. Bryan Murphy, bass for BB, agrees: “We get dance energy going through what we’re playing on our guitars as much as through any sample or synth parts. Our drummer pounds the shit out of his drums and plays really great dance beats, but we’re still a guitar band.”

The bottom line is Bonfire Bandit know what they like—good ol’ fashioned guitar rock—and know how to seamlessly merge it with fantastic electronics.

STEREO TELESCOPE

Nikki Dessingue and Kurt Schneider are no strangers to the Boston music scene—they’ve got a handful of notable noisemaking projects behind them (Where the Land Meets the Sea, This Car Up, Campaign for Real Time) and a gem of an electro-duo in Stereo Telescope. “We’ve both been involved in different genres and different styles,” says Dessingue.

“We’ve been in bands where there was a singer/songwriter; we’ve been in bands where you literally walk into the practice space and you just start ripping on guitars and drums. Now, we’re in this collaborative duo where we finish ideas and deconstruct them and we never know where we’re going to get a song from.”

SPF 5000

“We’ll be lighting chickens on fire, perhaps.” Amy of SPF-5000 cackles when asked about her upcoming set. They won’t really, but what they will be doing is exploring the fault line where technology and music collide and then reverberate—which is exactly what Together’s all about. “We don’t only want our music on your dancefloor, we want it in your life,” she says. “You could be at a record sales booth in the back; you could be in the bathroom. If you hear the beat, and it moves you, then just dance.”

Latest tracks by SPF 5000

NICKYDIGITAL PRESENTS
CAMDEN AND BEARSTRONAUT
WITH DJ SETS FROM
BODEGA GIRLS AND MYSTERY ROAR
THURSDAY 4.21.11
GREAT SCOTT
1222 COMM. AVE.
ALLSTON
617.566.9014
9PM/18+/$5
GREATSCOTTBOSTON.COM

GALAXIES
WITH BONFIRE BANDIT
AVOXBLUE, LENKADU AND
THE VISTAS
THURSDAY 4.21.11
MILKY WAY
284 AMORY ST.
JAMAICA PLAIN
617.524.3740
9PM/21+/$7
MILKYWAYJP.COM

BOSTON HERALD LOUNGE

PRESENTED BY LIVE @ BESTBUY.COM
360 NEWBURY ST.
BOSTON
MON-FRI/5PM-8PM
STEREO TELESCOPE
WEDNESDAY 4.20.11
7PM/FREE
LIVE AT BESTBUY.COM

THE GET TOGETHER
RECORD FAIR AND EXPO

FEATURING SPF-5000
SATURDAY 4.23.11
MASSART
POZEN CENTER
621 HUNTINGTON AVE.
BOSTON
NOON-6PM/FREE
MASSART.EDU

TOGETHERBOSTON.COM