Menacing clouds and intermittent downpours in Boston last night (July 2) brought Beth Orton’s pair of originally planned outdoor shows to the soft lights and comfy seats of the Museum of Fine Art’s Remis Auditorium.

Last night, at the 10-day Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, Brooklyn's avant-indie rock outfit TV on the Radio introduced an audience of smarty-pants fans and curious festival-goers to their white hot energy and brilliant noise. (Sadly, the large Metropolis venue was about half full, maybe because local heads Bran Van 3000 were playing a free outdoor show down the street.)

A steamy night in the nation's capital was the scene for a sold-out show at Black Cat's backstage last night, June 30. Glasgow's Frightened Rabbit were headliners, but the opening bands demonstrated how exciting music can be on this side of the Atlantic. Takka Takka and Oxford Collapse more than took over the stage, albeit in very different ways.