• Suffice it to say, the remaining dates of the CLASH OF THE TITANS season have been moved to the Empire. It's an interesting development for sure, but there's a lot of mud on the lens right now, and it's hard to get a clear picture of what really went down. Our gut tells us that the move is best for all parties involved. This week's Clash (Motley Crue vs Guns n' Roses) has been canceled for unrelated reasons, and we think the Muppets vs. Sesame Street event (on December 21, from which all proceeds benefit Toys For Tots) will play better in a tighter space anyway. Until we hear some substantiated takes, consider this more of a grapevine story than anything else.
• In other local news . . . PETE TOWNSHEND! Dude's ongoing Lifehouse project (originally conceived as the Who's 1971 rock opera about some futuristic dystopia that more or less came true, and later curbed in favor of the Who's Next) gets its first official documentation since 2008, the year Townshend's "Lifehouse Method" website, which allowed users to write songs built from algorithmic music portraits generated from nonmusical information they provided, officially shut down. (I know, we're confused too.) Anyway, the Lifehouse project has become a sort of white whale for the legendary guitarist; this winter, he finishes a double album of material built from this process, which he produced with Portsmouth musician (and Dreadnaught bassist, there's the local connection) BOB LORD. The album, titled Method Music, will be released as a double album in January under the name of English composer and harmonic mathematician Lawrence Ball, who wrote the program and helped Townshend build the website, and released on Lord's Seacoast-based Navona Records. Sort of a bizarre finish to a 40-year effort, over which Townshend's role shifted from sociocultural soothsayer to mere conceptual producer, but should be of plenty of interest to Who fans and rock completists alike.
• Since this edition of WaxTabs seems to center around rock fantasy, we may as well go for it. The unrelentingly unclassifiable group HOBOE have for months now been deep in preparations for their upcoming show at Slainte on 12/17 (otherwise known as Beethoven's 241st birthday, obv). The four-piece will perform movements 2, 4, and 1 of the deaf one's 5th Symphony. Though frontman Zen Ben's got the oboe parts down, no word yet on who's on contrabassoon duty. They're also slated to play originals, and no, there's no room for anyone else on the bill. Sure, Hoboe's not for everyone, but really, what musical outfit worth its salt is? We wish them the best in celebrating Ludwig's big day, and wish that all Portland bands were this ambitious.
