Nachos?

An Tua Nua!

835 Beacon St
(between Munson St & Arundel St)
Boston, MA 02215
Neighborhood: Fenway

Their nachos are amazing. Like, incredible.
By day, An Tua Nua is quiet, with few groups and fast service. By night, though...

Stella's

Sorry for the lack of posts.
Anyways, ever tried Stella's, in the South End? Try it! Even though the bartenders look like something out of Jersey Shore, this is the BEST Italian food in all of Boston.

LOCAL ACT: Big D and the Kids' Table; Brighton Music Hall; June 18th

We walked into Brighton Music Hall at about 6:40. It was pretty empty, but there were some skaters smoking outside. We strolled to the store room. I got a t-shirt and their new CD to pass the time. After a while of observing the amps and claiming space, the first opening band, Great Lakes, went on. They kind of sucked, except for when they played J.A.R. by Green Day. It was louder than we expected, so we went to the corner store to look for ear plugs. We didn't find any. A few times, Sirae Richardson or Hayley Jane (backup singers for Big D and the Kids' Table) would look down from the band room's window or walk past us to get a drink from the bar. Hayley looked nice, but with an attitude, whereas Sirae seemed quite friendly.

After a few more songs, the second opening band, Rough Francis, came on. They were much better. The singer looked really nervous, his back was hunched and he was sweating. After a while, he got used to being on stage. After some billiards and a Coke in the back room, I heard screams and cheers. I ran back to the main room to see David McWane grinning to himself on the stage and unplugging something. He hastily waved to the audience, had a quick chat with some crew guys, and went back upstairs. My family and I stayed in the back room a little longer before going back to our spot next to the stage. I was welcomed into the room with a strong aroma of spilled beer and sweat.

About five minutes past, and at 9:00 sharp, the band started walking onto the stage. Naturally, David was drinking a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon. He mentions it a lot in their songs. The first two songs they played I didn't recognize, but I now know that they were Walls and Rotten. Then they broke into Modern American Gypsy, probably the best song on their new album. I only knew the lyrics to the chorus, but a lot of the audience was singing along. Next there was another song I didn't recognize, probably on the new album. I can't remember what it was now, though. Finally they played a song I knew, their best song, in fact. Steady Riot. That was when the skanking mosh pits started. The song is quite "skankable." Then they played Shining On, probably their most popular song. Everyone was singing along here.

I noticed a weird effect on David and the Doped Up Dollies' voices that made them sound high pitched. We decided to move to the center-back to get the best sound. Often times there would be a fan crowd surfing for a few seconds, until the giant security guard would get up on stage, grab the fan, throw him over his shoulders, and push him back into the crowd aggressively. (By the end of the concert, people were throwing themselves on top of the crowd every second. There were about 30 total people by the end.) After we moved to the back the concert went by in a flash. David McWane paused to tell a bunch of gruesome stories about the band throwing up in random places on tour.

"I think one of us threw up in a pizza box one time," David said with a laugh.

"Yeah, that was me," Steve Foote, their bassist, said, triggering a laugh from the audience.

I remember them playing Bender. Everyone was singing along; it's a fun song. The last two words, which the audience screamed, are, "SHAG CARPET!" Sometime after that was Little B***h, a cover of the Specials. In between verses, the audience would scream, "1, 2!" Another audience interactive song was Noise Complaint. In this, the audience screamed, "NOISE COMPLAINT!" after every line.

Then came the encore. Again, the chant was "BIG F***ING D! BIG F***ING D!" They came back on and played three songs. The first one I didn't recognize. The second was Checklist. I was surprised it was in the encore, seeing as it's not one of their all-time bests. But the last song was. LA.X. The mosh pits returned, with the 26 f-bombs of the song being shouted along with David. Everyone was hyped-up by now. The music was incredible. Then it was over. The cheers were loud, but subsided after the band went offstage. Everyone was leaving. The night had ended. So memorable, I had to type it up. So here it is. The best night of my life.

Boston vs. New York City

We're just as good. Or better.
They have Central Park, we've got the Common.
They have the Empire State Building, we have the Hancock Towers, and the Pru.
Manhattan and Long Island; Back Bay and MV.
MoMa, Met; MFA, MOS.

What don't we have?

Yawkey

http://ptatlarge.typepad.com/ptatlarge/2010/06/fenway-park-who-but-wbmason.

Quite a nice summary of Yawkey before a Sox game. Also, good examples of the Bostonian language. ;)

Knights of Bostonia - State Radio

State Radio is a Boston-based rock/reggae band. One song by them, Knights of Bostonia, is where we get the name, and URL.

Knights of Bostonia lyrics:

Caught the sun down at Castle Island
Summer spinning its finest gold
They were selling and we were buying
Just looking for someone to hold

I know the feeling of the fight I never saw you blink
We been up against the crab apple sling shot sting
I got my trash can lid on my wing
We're the Knights of the Round Table all

I was working on the straight and narrow
You came at me like a cannonball
I saw you sleeping at the city stables
You made me feel all of ten feet tall

The coming on coming for all the
Rules and the cops and the cold and all
All together and together we fall
Through the cracks in the city street
Through the cracks in the city street

That's right sit straight
And listen up
We are the Knights Of Bostonia
We'll tell the court you tell the king
That we ain't listening to you no more
We are the knights of Bostonia
Only you can set you free

I would follow you out of the city
Up Dot Ave to Savin Hill
Dock man says the water gonna kill me
Better that than sitting still

Coming on coming for all the
Rules and the cops and the cold and all
All together and together we fall
Through the cracks in the city street
[ Knights Of Bostonia lyrics from
http://www.lyricsyoulove.com/s/state_radio/knights_of_bostonia/ ] Through the cracks in the city street

That's right sit straight
And listen up
We are the knights of Bostonia
We'll tell the court you tell the king
That we ain't listening to you no more
We are the knights of Bostonia
Only you can set you free

I know the feeling of the fight I never saw you blink
We been up against the crabapple sling shot sting
I got my trash can lid on my wing
We're the Knights of the Round Table all
And we'll fight the coming fall

So sit straight
And listen up
We are the knights of Bostonia
We'll tell the court to tell the king
We ain't listening to you no more
We are the knights of Bostonia
Only you can set you free

Restless nights, the innocent street
A fist to fight, a summer to keep
We are the knights of junkyard raid
The trusty steed and a summer to save

We are the knights of all Bostonia
Together we are the knights
Of all Bostonia
Together we are the knights
Of all Bostonia
Together we are the knights
Of all Bostonia

Daddy's Music Store

Great selection, from Fenders to Schecters.

Hi!

Hey visitors! Welcome to Bostonia, my new blog. This blog is about Bostonian food, culture, music, and architecture.