THUR 2/10: Jazz & Rock

Some may expect the upcoming weekend to be more romantic than the rest of the year because of V-Day. A cheap yet romantic gesture is reciting some poetry, and I thought this collection of suggestive verse would be a good start.

Again, I will attempt to claw back to relevance with some good, strong blogging later...

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THUR 2/10

7pm to 8:30pm
"Learning from Performers": Tierney Sutton
at New College Theater Studio, 10-12 Holyoke St, Cambridge
FREE

Although a 'master class' with a mix of discussion and performance isn't a full concert, it's a good deal when you consider Tierney and her band is playing at Sanders Theatre tomorrow night and tickets start at $36.

It's likely that she'll be joined by her group for some hardcore jazz where the vocals ride along as one of the instruments.

Events in the "Learning from Performers" are intended for Harvard students, but most are open to the public -- and this appears to be the case tonight.

THUR 2/10

8pm
MySecretBoston.com Anniversary Party
at Church, 69 Kilmarnock St, Boston (Fenway)
$8 advance / $10 door / 18+

Feat: Brothers McCann, TAB The Band, Banana Phonetic

The team at MySecretBoston have been covering -- and uncovering -- what's going on around Boston. While I don't visit the site as often as I should, I'm always impressed with strong, professional content.

There should be a good party vibe tonight. Narragansett is 'sponsoring', which often means the possibility of a free beer. Since getting anything for free is a pleasant surprise, I'll let you know there was a mention of a 'gift bag'.

The bands are primed for party vibes especially the Brothers McCann who've got the soulful/funky jam-groove thing nailed down that screams college party to me. Despite their band name, Tab The Band are solid rockers with some cool songs that straddle a classic-contemporary sound.

THUR 2/10

Rob Potylo (11:15pm), Walter Sickert & The Army Of Broken Toys (10:15pm), Casey Desmond (9:15pm), Second Day Venom (8:15pm)
at TT the Bear's Place, 10 Brookline St, Cambridge (Central Sq)
$8 / 18+

This is quite a menagerie of musical creatures prowling around the stage -- growling and chirping, leaping and clawing, a bit of slithering here and a bit of presenting there. The music is the main thing, but there's a lot of stage presence in this line-up.

They're also filming for the "Quiet Desperation" show which has made the leap from the Internet to regional TV. I watched the first 20 episodes (not in one sitting) on the web and thought it was a hilarious semi-autobiographical satire of the local comedy/music scene. It is a bit strange to see it again on TV.

Whatever the case, QD protagonist Rob Potylo still maintains a quirky bent to his music even as it sounds more serious on each new album. The theatricality of Walter Sickert & the Army Of Broken Toys is intertwined with the dark, arty rock in my mind, and it's a cool experience. Casey Desmond

Is Casey Desmond's hair red or pink or purple? It looks like it glows to me, and it fits her bright, colorful synthy pop. And kudos to Second Day Venom who put a 22-minute shoegaze odyssey as the first track on their MySpace player. What I listened to, I liked.