Dorchester native and disco queen Donna Summer died this morning after her battle with cancer.

We’re told Summer was in Florida at the time of her death. She was 63-years-old.

Summer was a 5-time Grammy winner who shot to superstardom in the ’70s with iconic hits like “Last Dance,” “Hot Stuff” and “Bad Girls.”
She continued her dominance in the ’80s with “She Works Hard for the Money” and “This Time I Know It’s for Real.”

Summer and her producer defined the dance music era of the ’70s and influenced acts like Duran Duran and David Bowie to enter the genre.

Summer married Brooklyn Dreams singer Bruce Sudano back in 1980. They had two daughters together.

103.3 WODS Boston will be playing Summer’s hits throughout the day and taking requests, as well as featuring a full hour of her music at 7pm tonight.

…and it’s quite a tease. Because you have to unlock more footage. A brief 44 second clip of new protagonist Connor Kenway stalking a Redcoat cuts away to Ubisoft’s announcement that it’s up to you to unlock exclusive gameplay footage in a multifaceted social media event–by liking, posting, tweeting, etc., etc., etc.

Check out the teaser below. The game hits stores October 30.

Oftentimes, 80′s influence in music becomes a ham-fisted attempt to recreate what the artist THINKS the decade sounded like. Soaked in nostalgia and synth, the music becomes more about imitation than homage. On their sophomore effort Michigan Left, Ontario-based quintet Arkells falls back on catalogs of 80′s past to intertwine with their organic rock sound as musical nods without sticking to paint-by-numbers arrangements. One can hear Hall & Oates and Springsteen influences, but Arkells kicks it all up with anthemic choruses well suited for stirring live performances.

Opener “Book Club” is blue collar paean goods, with floaty chords taking the listener on a car ride with a local townie friend. The local theme continues with the  provincial ”Where U Goin,” going the Hall & Oates bouncy soul route, with Max Kerman taking  on John Oates’ deep hiccup on lines such as, “Nobody likes to t-t-talk about it.” There’s some Ben Folds-esque jaunt in there, hip syncopation marrying two decades of styles. Title track “Michigan Left” throws in Kerman’s love of baseball while concluding the three track hometown opening act in a scenic sweep, recalling the exubercance of “In a Big Country” with the song’s harmonies.

The second act hits on familiar relationship themes in the five tracks “Coffee,” “On Paper,” “Kiss Cam,” “One Foot Out the Door,” and “Bloodlines.” An endearing conversational song, “Coffee” is complete earworm and pitch perfect with lyrics like “No, no really, this one’s on me. I’ll let you get the next time we go out for coffee.” The following track “On Paper” makes for a darling companion piece. “Kiss Cam” takes a bittersweet, guitar heavy stroll through Hall & Oates type harmonies, adding a heavy dose of indie-rock hollers. “One Foot Out the Door” adds chilly synth in an airy, meditative Police-esque manner and has perhaps the most visceral set of lyrics within this section, striking a nerve with images like “This time she really tried – came home and the place was decorated. Put his pictures in frames, even ones of his friends that she hated.” Ending the act is the deceptively buoyant and colorful “Bloodlines.”

Closing the album are the rollicking “Whistleblower,” one last anthem that incorporates ghostly call-and-response, and the escalating “Agent Zero.” Both make for an introspective third act, a raw and vulnerable lyrical conclusion disguised by the strong instrumental arrangements. “Agent Zero” in particular catches one off guard, starting off icy and downtempo before opening up into a cheery rock hymn.

Arkells has quite an exciting time ahead of them following their Juno Award for 2012 Group of the Year. Touring alongside The Maine, you can catch them in on May 18th at the House of Blues.

Adam Yauch, one-third of the pioneering hip-hop group the Beastie Boys, has died at the age of 47. Yauch, also known as MCA, had been in treatment for cancer since 2009. The rapper was diagnosed in 2009 after discovering a tumor in his salivary gland.

Yauch sat out the Beastie Boys’ induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April, and his treatments delayed the release of the group’s most recent album, Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2. The Beastie Boys had not performed live since the summer of 2009, and Yauch’s illness prevented the group from appearing in music videos for Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2.

Yauch co-founded the Beastie Boys with Mike “Mike D” Diamond and Adam “Ad-Rock” Horowitz in 1979. The band started off as a hardcore punk group, but soon began experimenting with hip-hop. The band broke big with their first proper album, Licensed to Ill, in 1986, and further albums Paul’s Boutique, Check Your Head and Ill Communication cemented the band as a true superstar act.

In addition to his career with the Beastie Boys, Yauch was heavily involved in the movement to free Tibet and co-organized the Tibetan Freedom Concerts of the late Nineties. In 2002, he launched the film production company Oscilloscope Laboratories.

Also, one of our favorite:

Five months following the Moroder-esque/house hybrid single “Shake,” Little Boots follows up with “Every Night I Say a Prayer,” a chilly and hypnotic track that keeps running with the soulful club sounds reminiscent of Snap! and Ce Ce Pennington in early 90′s house.

This is a fruitful collaboration with Andy Butler of Hercules & Love Affair, at first lulling you in with Little Boots’ chilly synth. But the pair are not straddling Hands territory anymore. “Every Night I Say a Prayer” is a tasty throwback, right down to the circular hooks and the energetic, looping piano that kicks in right around the minute and a half mark. From the sum of the parts thus far, Little Boots appears to be gearing up for a sparkling and loving appreciation of early 90′s ambiance, not soaked in so much nostalgia that the productions are indicipherable from the sounds that influence her.

The single is free to download off of Little Boots’ own SoundCloud page, also host to a glorious, dreamy mix of the track courtesy of Tensnake.
Latest tracks by LittleBoots

This Thursday, December 1st, the first annual Massachusetts Independent Film Festival will be held at The Regent Theatre in Arlington, MA. The festival looks to bring actual independent filmmakers into the spotlight, showcasing some really talented local filmmakers. The night will conclude with the premiere of Christopher Di Nunzio’s latest film, Her Heart Still Beats, (Di Nunzio, a local Bostonian, created some buzz with his film “Livestock” in 2009.). There will be a Q & A session immediately following the screening.

For those of you who want to catch some serious film talent from the New England area, you can purchase tickets online at RegentTheatreOnlineBoxOffice, or go right to the box office at 7 Medford St., Arlington, MA. For more information on the Massachusetts Independent Film Festival, visit their site at MassIndieFilm.com

Screening at:

The Regent Theatre

7 Medford Street

Arlington, Massachusetts

Thursday Dec. 1, 7:30PM

Buy tickets here:

http://regenttheatre.com/details/mass_indie_film_festival

Films playing at the Mass Independent Film Festival:

“Her Heart Still Beats”

When Ed’s wife comes home early from work one day he becomes overtaken

by a strange feeling when he looks into her eyes. Disturbed or

possibly just paranoid, Ed becomes possessed with his wife’s eyes and

struggles to understand these feelings. Is she evil or is he insane?

They may not have enough time to find out.

Dir: Christopher Di Nunzio

“Microcinema”

Peter Martell is a highly educated well-to-do young man with a lot of

free time on his hands. He spends this time watching snuff films. One

day he makes the bold decision to cross the line from observer to

participant, aspiring to bring a philosophical element to his own kind

of snuff films. Ready to go to work, he tracks his first victim into a

haunted New England woods, where the line between participant and

observer takes a different turn.

Dir: Skip Shea

“Strangers”

Karen, a happily married woman in a bar meets a charming man. She

thinks she found a new friend until he tells her something about her

private life that he is not supposed to know. the phrase “don’t talk

to strangers” proves more dangerous than she could possibly imagine.

Dir: David Trodella

“Duet”

An amateur musician is forced to complete the writing of a romantic

song for a goth band without his partner.

Dir: Christian De Rezendes

“Video Diary: Last Entry”

After a five year obsession of making video tapes to a lost loved one,

a lonely man finds he has nothing left to say.

Dir: Skip Shea

“Last Bet, Last Mistake”

A lone gunman parked outside a apartment complex is waiting for the

right moment. Inside, his target is clueless to the fate that awaits

him. The two men started out in the same crime operation, but now

business, and jealousy have ended old ties. The tension builds until

there is no way out for either of them.

Dir; Christopher Di Nunzio

“The Loudest Sound” (Preview)

Be the first to see a extended preview of the upcoming feature

starring Michael Reardon and Johanna Gorton. Michael and Alice are a

twenty something couple in Boston. Everything seems to be perfect

until lies, betrayal, and addiction tear them apart. While Alice is

away in rehab Michael must reconsider the limits of love and desire.

Dir: Jason Miller

Help support Independent Film!

Monday, November 28

Jordan Hall – The Borromeo String Quartet @ 8pm
Club Passim – Common Rotation @ 8pm
Middle East Upstairs – CGS Power Trio @ 8pm

Tuesday, November 29

Orpheum Theater – Allman Brothers @ 8pm
Scullers Jazz Club – Joe Lovano & Dave Douglas @ 8pm
Club Passim – Tribourough Trio @ 8pm
Johnny D’s: Will Dailey, Jay Psaros/Tim Gearan @ 8pm
Great Scott – Crystal Stilts / Tanks Amigo / Girlfriends / Leisure @ 9pm

Wednesday, November 30

Middle East Downstairs – A Loss For Words (CD Release): Hit The Lights with The Dangerous Summer @ 6:30pm
House of Blues – Miracle on Lansdowne Street: Two Door Cinema @ 7pm
Paradise Rock Club – The Dean’s List, Oncue, 5 & A Dime @ 7pm
Orpheum Theater – Allman Brothers @ 7:30pm
Royale – Savoy with The Timeflies and Jesse Marco @ 8pm
Brighton Music Hall – Max Bemis @ 8pm
Johnny D’s – Bombino @ 8pm
Club Passim – Kara Kulpa CD Release Show with Beth Colegrove & Dan Blakeslee @ 8pm
Great Scott – Hey Rosetta! / Ivan and Alyosha @ 9pm

Thursday, December 1

House of Blues – The B52′s @ 6:30pm
Brighton Music Hall – Honor Society @ 7pm
Club Passim – Simon And Garfunkel Retrospective Performed By AJ Swearingen & Jonathan Beedle @ 7pm
Middle East Downstairs – Anamanaguchi w/ Baths @ 7pm
Middle East Upstairs – Spirit Kid, The Russians & The Famous Winters @ 8pm
Cafe 939 – The Barr Brothers with Jocie Adams @ 8pm
Scullers Jazz Club – The Juanito Pascual New Flamenco Trio @ 8pm
Paradise Rock Club – Digitalism @ 9pm
Great Scott – 28 Degrees Taurus / Gospel Gossip / Ghost Box Orchestra / Guillermo Sexo @ 9pm

Friday, December 2

Club Passim – Winterbloom @ 7pm/9:30pm
House of Blues – City and Colour @ 7pm
Johnny D’s – Cheryl Aruda @ 7:30pm
Orpheum Theater – Allman Brothers @ 7pm
Royale – Martin Solveig @ 8pm
Middle East Downstairs – Barrence Whitfield and the Savages, The Nervous Eaters @ 8pm
Middle East Upstairs – Dirty Names @ 8pm
Brighton Music Hall – Pat McGee Band @ 8:30pm
Paradise Rock Club – John Brown @ 9pm

Saturday, December 3

Club Passim – Heartacre CD release @ 3:30pm
Middle East Upstairs – Alex Lambert @ 6pm
House of Blues – Mac Miller @ 7pm
Club Passim – Edie Carey, Patrick Fitzsimmons @ 7pm
Middle East Downstairs – Goosepimp Orchestra, Viral Sound, Insigniya @ 8pm
Great Scott – Cropduster / Motherboar / The Brought Low / King Orchid @ 9pm
Brighton Music Hall – Dear Leader @ 9pm
Paradise Rock Club – Ryan Montbleau Band @ 9pm

Sunday, December 4

Middle East Downstairs – A Capella Armageddon @ 1pm
Club Passim – Dave Wilcox @ 4:30pm
Paradise Rock Club – VNV Nation, Straftanz @ 7pm
Club Passim – 4 Toads in a Basket @ 8pm
Middle East Upstairs – Food Will Win The War, With Tallahassee & Kelly McFarling @ 8pm
Great Scott – Owen @ 9pm

On their way to The Fest in Gainseville, Florida, The Menzingers joined with The Flatliners and Broadway Calls for a week-long tour down the east coast. After seeing that lineup, I knew that I had to head to The Middle East Upstairs to check it out.

The night began with a pair of young acts from the United Kingdom: Leagues Apart, a four-piece from Manchester, and The Arteries, a five-piece from Swansea. Both played the fast brand of pop punk that fit nicely on the bill – but they didn’t do much to stand out.

Broadway Calls, the lone power trio of the evening, was up next, and they immediately got the crowd going with “Call It Off.” Despite having fewer instruments to work with, they managed to sound plenty loud and full. New bassist Adam Willis seemed very comfortable, moving around the stage and singing backup vocals like he’d been with them from the beginning. He performed admirably on “Life Is In The Air,” a song he said he’d never played before. They played a few other hits, including single “Be All That You Can’t Be” and my personal favorite “Suffer The Kids,” which finally saw the tame circle pit explode. They also played a few songs from their upcoming “Toxic Kids” EP before ending with “Save Our Ship” and “Back To Oregon,” which featured guest vocals from Flatliners singer Chris Cresswell.

Once The Flatliners came on, the stench of punk sweat combined with the room shaking bass was starting to take its toll on me – I was starting to feel old. Still, I held on to hear their darker brand of pop punk along with the occasional reggae tune. They played plenty of songs from 2010′s “Cavalcade,” including “Liver Alone” and “Count Your Bruises.”

After ten minutes of set up time, The Menzingers started playing. Any fatigue I felt was quickly forgotten. The crowd parted in two as some of the more energetic punks pressed up against the stage, and they wouldn’t let up for the rest of the evening. Even though they brought more energy than any of the previous bands, after opening with the first three tracks from “Chamberlain Waits,” I was worried that there was nowhere for the show to go but downhill. They kept a great pace though, packing in other favorites from that album such as “So It Goes,” “Time Tables,” and “Deep Sleep,” and they sounded even better with the crowd singing along. After 45 minutes, which is probably long for a headlining pop punk band, they closed with a faster, less pretty version of EP opener “Sunday Morning,” letting the microphone drop into the crowd so they could shout the final lines. The band walked off stage and the house lights abruptly came on – the lack of encore being expected and yet still feeling anti-climactic.

On the walk back to my car, I imagined I’d have a hard time handling The Fest, which is basically this show stretched over three days. Even though the repetitiveness wore on me more than I was expecting, it was still the fast-paced, fun evening I was hoping for. I’ll be sure to see The Menzingers next time they come around, regardless of how eclectic the bill is.

Monday Nov. 14

Boston Public Library: Jeff Davis and the Music of the Civil War @ 6:30pm

The Brattle Theater: Mary Gauthier, Catie Curtis, Antje Duvekot @ 7:30pm

Royale: Reckless Kelly @ 7pm

Club Passim: BCM Fest Celtic Music Monday @ 8pm

Brighton Music Hall: Butterfly Boucher, Katie Herzig @ 9pm

Great Scott: Endangered Speeches Official CD and Video Release Party @ 9pm

Tuesday Nov. 15

Wilbur Theater: Todd Rundgren @ 8pm

Paradise Rock Club: Mike Doughty @ 8pm

Great Scott: Joe Lally, Helen Money @8pm

Club Passim: Porch Party Mamas, Liz Cook @ 8pm

Middle East Upstairs: Maria Taylor @ 8pm

Wednesday Nov. 16

TD Garden: Foo Fighters @ 7pm

Great Scott: Mustard Plug @ 7pm

Wilbur Theater: The Musical Box @ 8pm

Royale: The Indobox @ 8pm

Paradise Rock Club: Trampled by Turtles, Johnny Dawg @ 8pm

Club Passim: Chris O’Brien, Chelsea Lee Opens @ 8pm

Scullers Jazz Club: Stanley Jordan @ 10pm

Thursday Nov. 17

Wilbur Theater: Dark Star Orchestra: Fly Through the Night Tour @ 8pm

Royale: Architecture in Helsinki @ 7pm

House of Blues: Drive-By Truckers @ 7pm

Middle East Upstairs: Curtis Peoples with Amory Sivertson @ 7pm

Club Passim: Seth Glier & Liz Longley @ 7pm

Scullers Jazz Club: Yoko Miwa @ 8pm

Middle East Downstairs: Peter Murphy, She Wants Revenge, Hussle Club, DJ Chris Ewen @ 8pm

Great Scott: Mystery Roar / Stereo Telescope / Bodega Girls @ 9pm

Friday Nov. 18

Wang Theater: Straight No Chaser @8pm

Royale: Deer Tick and The Felice Brothers @ 6pm

Middle East Downstairs: Supersuckers and Nashville Pussy @ 8pm

Club Passim: David Maxwell @ 8pm

Middle East Upstairs: Muy Cansado/John Powhida International Airport/Brendan Boogie and The Best Intentions @ 8pm

Paradise Rock Club: Sophie Hunger @ 8:30pm

Brighton Music Hall: Sam Roberts Band with Zeus @ 9pm

Palladium: Hank 3 @ 8pm

Saturday Nov. 19

Club Passim: Wayne Potash & The Music Fun Band Family Show @ 10:30am

Royale: Phantogram @ 5:30pm

House of Blues: The Kooks with The Postelles @ 6pm

Orpheum Theater: The Airborne Toxic Event @ 7:30pm

Johnny D’s: The Great Unknowns @ 7pm

Café 939: Bear Language, Against Atlas, and Runjumpfly @ 8pm

Middle East Upstairs: Guillermo Sexo with Black Taxi, The Dirty Dishes & My Pet Dragon @8pm

Middle East Downstairs: The Green @ 8pm

Club Passim: Alastair Moock’s Pastures of Plenty @ 8pm

Brighton Music Hall: Bell X1 @ 9pm

Paradise Rock Club: The Radio Dept @ 9pm

Great Scott: Pretty & Nice/Miniboone/earthquake party!/Clippers @ 9pm

Sunday Nov. 20

House of Blues: M83 @ 7pm

Royale: New Mastersounds @ 7pm

Middle East Downstairs: Hot Rod Circuit, Cartel, The Appreciation Post, Smoke Signals @ 7pm

Club Passim: Billy Novick & Guy Van Duser @ 7pm

Paradise Rock Club: Dashboard Confessional @ 7:30pm

Woefully underappreciated Tennessean band The Features have been around for quite a while, valiantly trudging through the finicky music landscape—they found some solid ground following the alt-rock advent of 2008 when Some Kind of Salvation quietly appeared the subsequent summer. The waves may have been small, but demonstrated a deft balance of alt-country, rock, and psychedelia. Back for their recent release Wilderness, The Features played at Allston’s Great Scott Thursday night, supported by acts Around the World and Back and Township.

Around the World and Back proved a capable supplement to the night’s sound, invoking dreamy ambiance that recalled U2’s early collaborations with Brian Eno, while still wholly rock and a sound of their own. The foursome from Albany—Bryan Shortell, Marco Testa, Matt Ippolito, and Jared Bashant, carried out their vocals and instrumentals effectively, tracks from their album Big Beat. Opening with the astral and catchy “Old Man,” Around the World and Back had every member play to their strengths, highlighting the roaring percussion, atmospheric finger picking and ambient keyboard and vocals. Showing off their range with the sinister and foreboding “Slave,” the anthemic “Alone,” the meditative “Underneath the Sun,” and “Eighteen,” Around the World and Back nailed their set.

Boston based group Township followed, all members bearded and decked out in plaid. Starting off with “Pushing Metal to the Bone,” Township brought to mind Heart with a hurtling “Barracuda”-esque riff that sailed right into Foo Fighters territory. Their influences proved to move beyond grudge elements and 80’s hair metal; capable guitar work served as tribute to Kansas, Ace Frehley, Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy and early Aerosmith. “All Your Stuff” was a toe tapping Zeppelin-type track, incorporating Plant’s mewling and feverish guitar. “Golden Light” rollicked from a SoCal rock with retro elements that, when live, was vocally reminiscent of Chris Cornell’s husky wails. Township seemed more in their element with the classic rock sound despite hopping from genre to genre.

Even if their present following isn’t huge, the patrons of Great Scott squished onto the floor space to watch The Features do their thing. Willing to cull from their vast catalogue, The Features treated the audience to the ferocious “That’s The Way It’s Meant To Be” as Matt Pelham raspy-belted and remarkably shifted to the gentle and playful lilt for “Whatever Gets You By” (which is too brief a song). Pelham, along with Roger Dabbs, Rollum Haas, and Mark Bond, jammed to the distinctive alt-rock sound with dashes of forceful western/folk resonance, spacey and new wave. Excellent harmonies on the bouncy “The Temporary Blues” and earnest cries in “The Drawing Board” got the audience to go along in the rousing howls. “Big Mama Gonna Whip Us Good” (“it’s about a big mama,” said Pelham) had a crackling and jarring guitar that exploded into a deceivingly jolly and psychedelic warning about the environment.

The night couldn’t go on without “Lions,” and the crowd was thrilled to hear it; “Lions” got the room to chant along as the blue, orange, yellow and green lights flickered over them and sparkled like candy colored confetti. The lighting became subdued for “Thursday,” the rollicking song from the Lake Fever Sessions that sweetened with quirky beep-boops from the keyboard. The crowd engaged once more in the call and response “La da da das.” The lights darkened completely for an a capella before igniting back into the instrumentals.

The Features departed. Someone yelled out “More! One more time!” The wait was such that an encore almost seemed uncertain, but sure enough, the band members hopped back on to the stage with “Exhibit A.” As they played, The Features performed without any stage lights—then a back spotlight appeared, casting playful shadows on the dark curtain behind them.

The Features managed to display skilled variety across two major releases, and their future looks bright.