ITP: Freelance Whales @ Fenway Sessions '10

Repost from today's Hotline blog post about some upcoming Fenway Sessions: Fenway Recordings brought the new and tested indie rock to Great Scott in droves in 2009, from Temper Trap to Echo & the Bunnymen to Girls. Now, Fenway owner Mark Kates & crew kick off the New Year with a fresh slate of shows led by Brooklyn’s Freelance Whales on Jan. 19. Also on the bill is Boston rock beacon Faces on Film and Miami's Animal Tropical.

Freelance Whales, one of Stereogum’s “Bands to Watch,” brought their critically-acclaimed folksy dream-pop hug to T.T.’s in Cambridge last week at a sold-out gig with the UK’s Fanfarlo. People are watching, people are curious, people love glockenspiels (it's so true).

Looking past the Whale, Future Fenway sessions in early 2010 include Wild Beasts and Still Life Still (Feb. 24) and Justin Townes Earle and Joe Pug (March 5).

All Fenway shows are at Great Scott in Allston Rock City. Here’s some presser deets and background on the Freelance Whales gig...

Jan. 19: Freelance Whales, Faces on Film and Animal Tropical
Freelance Whales, from Williamsburg, made a huge impression in their first Boston appearance on Sessions 90 supporting The Temper Trap in late October… The band is currently touring in support of its self-released LP, “Weathervanes.” Freelance Whales has earned praise for its rich, layered vocals and unique instrumentation from NME, RCRDLBL and NPR among others. The five-member group uses such varied instruments as glockenspiels, banjos, and harmoniums to produce songs with big group vocals and dynamic rhythms, and is as likely to be spotted playing its fusion orchestra on a New York City street corner or subway stop as in a proper club.

Advance tickets for all Fenway shows are available through Ticketweb or the Great Scott bar box office.

And hey, that press bio wasn’t kidding about the subway-stop performances… Hotline figures these YouTube clips will give you a pretty clear idea whether or not you want to check these cats out (VANYALAND EDIT: We only need to see one of these...)