gIdE w E E’ - · PDF fileelectric bursts of nonsense that recalled Pavement; ......
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YES, PLEASE ... 10.09 TITUS ANDRONICUS @ LOCAL 506 Titus Andronicus is a despairing joyride in a stolen cop car, guitars blaring anguished distortion over singer Patrick Stickles’ existential yelp. While as loud and ragged as Times New Viking, Titus’ tunes are more classically constructed, like an anthemic rock band that’s decided “fuck it,” pieces flying loose as the chassis rattles on a final blazing rendezvous with a brick-lined cul-de-sac. Lyrics about art, urban despair and general feelings of frustration come off less as cries for help than imprecations to the igno- rant. The So So Glos’ grimy, ringing three-chord bash suggests New Bomb Turks reinventing the Buzzcocks. They open with Odessa Records’ Wild Wild Geese. $8-$10/ 9:30 pm. —Chris Parker 10.09 BLITZEN TRAPPER, WYE OAK @ CAT’S CRADLE Blitzen Trapper’s self-released popu- lar breakthrough, 2007’s Wild Mountain Nation, was a rugged Western landscape overrun by beasts of all kind—shambling, catchy Americana that suggested The Grateful Dead and The Band; wiry electric bursts of nonsense that recalled Pavement; and various blips excised at will from the indie rock timeline. Afterward, though, Blitzen Trapper signed to Sub Pop and pulled the reins, emphasizing its smart, rich style of backwoods balladry. Now, only as wily as Crazy Horse but as tender as the best of this decade’s folk revival, Blitzen Trapper’s wan- dered into a No Depression-sponsored tour. Good news for y’allternative. Merge duo Wye Oak opens: Their crisp, convoluted numbers float thanks to Jenn Wasner’s confident, relaxed delivery. $10-$12/ 9: 30 p.m. —Grayson Currin 10.10 DELTA MOON @ BERKELEY CAFE Time changes everything is as sweeping a declara- tion as “Money Changes Everything.” But in the 30 years since he wrote and, with the Brains, recorded the song of that title—a work whose profile increased considerably when Cyndi Lauper covered it on She’s So Unusual —Atlanta’s Tom Gray has left new wave deep in the rearview. These days, Gray traffics in the blues, his slide guitar holding court alongside the one slung by Delta Moon mate Mark Johnson. That twin attack recently powered the group to a win at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. Blues Challenge finalists Robin Rogers & the Hot Band open. $10/ 9 p.m. —Rick Cornell 10.11 ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND & WIDESPREAD PANIC @ WALNUT CREEK Perhaps best known for the four-sided live landmark At Fillmore East , The Allman Brothers embraced their live reputation and evolved from Southern rock pio- neers to kingpins of the jam band scene. The band’s current notoriety (and the reason to listen, even now) is due just as much to the guitars of young gun Derek Trucks and jam vet Warren Haynes as it is to its leg- endary past, espoused now by the husky vocals of organist Gregg Allman and dynamic percussive duo of Butch Trucks and Jaimoe Johanson. With fellow scene leader Widespread Panic opening, expect guest spots, all-night jams (well, until 11 p.m.) and a lawn shrouded in smoke. $30-40/ 6 p.m. —Spencer Griffith 10.11 PHOSPHORESCENT @ LOCAL 506 Matthew Houck, the founder and anchor of the revolving-door, astral-country band Phosphorescent, is often typecast as a Will Oldham acolyte. And it’s true: Houck often reverts to the tender, whimpering moan of the similarly hirsute Oldham, and he mines many of the same images—your body, those wolves, that water—that Oldham has stacked into his reputation as the poet laureate of beard folk. But Houck implodes Oldham’s mannered approach from within, whispering his songs like an insomniac poet before howling them like a drug-shaken soul singer. Whether on his own arching breakup anthem “Joe Tex, These Taming Blues” or his tottering, organ-groan, steel-sigh take on Willie Nelson’s kiss-off “Walkin’,” Houck gets swept into the spirit of the song. Unlike Oldham, who keeps his songs to himself, Houck wants you to come along—rejoice, repent or just sing. With the considerably less pensive Alberta Cross. $8-$10/ 9:30 p.m. —Grayson Currin 10.12 TV GHOST, WIZZARD SLEEVE, HARLEM @ THE PINHOOK Thanks to record label reputations and a shared tendency toward low fidelity or precision in production, all three of these out-of-towners get tagged as garage rock bands. But it’s hard to imagine a triumvirate that better communicates the diversity percolating just beneath indie rock’s increasingly shiny veneer these days. Alabama’s Wizzard Sleeve, for instance, sounds a little like psychedelic lords Hawkwind tak- ing a Black Flag LP the distance, sheets of bent tones smothering or supporting pure attitude. Austin’s Harlem, though, sound like bad kids in a pop candyland, turning less-than-veiled love of breasts and pills into tunes that stick like boiled confectioners sugar. Meanwhile, Indiana head- liners TV Ghost suggest a distillation of Faust IV and The Fall’s Hex Enduction Hour: It’s noisy, headstrong and full of unexpected twists, but traces of playfulness preside over all. $5/ 9 p.m. —Grayson Currin EH, WHATEVER ... 10.08 EVERCLEAR @ LINCOLN THEATRE Haven’t heard from Everclear in a while? Don’t worry, they’re just like you left them. Their latest, In a Different Light, features the classic Everclear songs rearranged and rerecorded, making the broadening gap between this band’s cash-in intentions and its creativity that much easier to spot. Frontman and sole constant Art Alexakis has refused to let his melodramatic post-grunge dream die with any shred of dignity, disposing of band members like dirty napkins for the third complete overhaul of Everclear’s lineup in six years. The original trio could never match second single “Heroin Girl,” a raging piece of poppy angst from the broken and defeated spirit of a recovering drug addict, anyway. Now approaching 50, Alexakis, a bleached-out career quasi-rock star, comes across as nothing more than a grumpy old man shaking his calloused fist at a world of more capable youngsters. With Paper Tongues and Tracy Lyons. $20-25/ 8 p.m. —Spencer Griffith SONG OF THE WEEK Visit www.indyweek.com to read our discussion of “Mr. Catfish” with folk archivist Wayne Martin and N.C. Heritage Award-winning banjo pick- er Marvin Gaster. Gaster performs with other players from North Carolina’s Piedmont at a pre-release show for an upcoming string-band compilation called Going Down to Raleigh (10.11, N.C. MUSEUM OF HISTORY). THE GUIDE TO THE WEEK’S CONCERTS hearing aid DRIVIN N CRYIN FROM: Atlanta, Ga. SINCE: 1985 CLAIM TO FAME: Flying courageously It was the perfect description: Writing in the Oxford American’s annual music issue, Chris Bachelder called Drivin N Cryin “the egg-laying mammal of Southern rock,” praising the band’s hybrid nature and its peculiar versatility. (Also memorable, his commentary on the quartet’s name: “talent show drama and convenience store punctuation.”) The new Great American Bubble Factory shows the guys are still up to their platypus-ian ways, with hard rock, social commentary, a near-bubblegum title track, a Dictators cover, and guitar hooks to make you weep with joy. The Jackets and Skullbuckle open. At THE POUR HOUSE for the first show of a two-night stand. $16-$20/ 9 p.m. COWBOY JUNKIES FROM: Toronto, Ontario SINCE: 1985 CLAIM TO FAME: Recording religiously It was the perfect depiction: During a Duke Coffeehouse show nearly 20 years ago, singer-songwriter Luka Bloom offered his impersonation of Cowboy Junkies by playing his guitar with fingers a couple of inches from the strings. Bloom’s air-strumming affectionately lampooned the Junkies’ stock-in-trade sound—hushed, hypnotic, somewhere between rural blues and REM (the sleep state, not the band). It was soft-focus music perfect for congregating around one mic in an empty church, which, of course, was the blueprint for The Trinity Session, the much-beloved and since-revisited landmark. Lee Harvey Osmond opens. At THE ARTSCENTER for the second show of a two-night stand. $32/ 8 p.m. —Rick Cornell FRIDAY, OCT. 9 THIRD EYE BLIND FROM: San Francisco SINCE: 1993 CLAIM TO FAME: Disguising sordid lyrics with inno- cent pop hooks Despite years of delays and procrastination, Ursa Major—the first Third Eye Blind release since 2003—mostly follows in the footsteps of the alt-rock quartet’s previous three albums: shiny, guitar-driven pop sing-alongs anchored by huge, infectious choruses and dirty words. Apparently (and surprisingly), the hiatus did little to diminish demand for 3EB’s brand of radio rock: Ursa debuted at No. 3, the highest in the band’s history. Though his songwriting pace may have slowed, filthy-mouthed frontman Stephan Jenkins still knows how to work a crowd, but to call the capricious singer a prima donna would be understating his ego by a constellation. With Hot Chelle Rae. At LINCOLN THEATRE. $25-$28/ 8 p.m. THE REVIVAL TOUR FROM: Behind the mic of punk rock bands SINCE: 2008 CLAIM TO FAME: Traveling acoustic road show of punks gone folk The second annual Revival Tour gathers a gang of artists from the new wave of tatted-up punk rockers whose allegiance to Dylan rivals their love for The Descendents. Stripped down to acoustics, the like-minded crew will sit in on one another’s tunes and share the stories behind their songs. Chuck Ragan has three legitimate Americana records under his own name that find his vocal cords—shredded by years of abuse from fronting Hot Water Music— ragged and ready for rustic accompaniment. Former Sparta and At The Drive-In leader Jim Ward shows off his quiet side while Avail singer Tim Barry leans on his hard-nosed solo work. The Loved Ones’ Dave Hause and indie folk songstress Jenny Owen Youngs also appear. At CAT’S CRADLE. $13-15/ 8:30 p.m. —Spencer Griffith WEDNESDAY, OCT. 14
Transcript of gIdE w E E’ - · PDF fileelectric bursts of nonsense that recalled Pavement; ......
YES, PLEASE . . .10.09 TITUS ANDRONICUS
@ LOCAL 506 Titus Andronicus is a despairing joyride in a stolen cop car, guitars blaring anguished distortion over singer Patrick Stickles’ existential yelp. While as loud and ragged as Times New Viking, Titus’ tunes are more classically constructed, like an anthemic rock band that’s decided “fuck it,” pieces flying loose as the chassis rattles on a final blazing rendezvous with a brick-lined cul-de-sac. Lyrics about art, urban despair and general feelings of frustration come off less as cries for help than imprecations to the igno-rant. The So So Glos’ grimy, ringing three-chord bash suggests New Bomb Turks reinventing the Buzzcocks. They open with Odessa Records’ Wild Wild Geese. $8-$10/ 9:30 pm. —Chris Parker
10.09
BLITZEN
TRAPPER, WYE
OAK @ CAT’S CRADLE
Blitzen Trapper’s self-released popu-
lar breakthrough, 2007’s Wild Mountain Nation, was a rugged Western landscape overrun by beasts of all kind—shambling, catchy Americana that suggested The Grateful Dead and The Band; wiry electric bursts of nonsense that recalled Pavement; and various blips excised at will from the indie rock timeline. Afterward, though, Blitzen Trapper signed to Sub Pop and pulled the reins, emphasizing its smart, rich style of backwoods balladry. Now, only as wily as Crazy Horse but as tender as the best of this decade’s folk revival, Blitzen Trapper’s wan-dered into a No Depression-sponsored tour. Good news for y’allternative. Merge duo Wye Oak opens: Their crisp, convoluted numbers float thanks to Jenn Wasner’s confident, relaxed delivery. $10-$12/ 9: 30 p.m. —Grayson Currin
10.10 DELTA MOON
@ BERKELEY CAFETime changes everything is as sweeping a declara-tion as “Money Changes Everything.” But in the 30 years since he wrote and, with the Brains, recorded the song of that title—a work whose profile increased considerably when Cyndi Lauper covered it on She’s So Unusual—Atlanta’s Tom Gray has left new wave deep in the rearview. These days, Gray traffics in the blues, his slide guitar holding court alongside the one slung by Delta Moon mate Mark Johnson. That twin attack recently powered the group to a win at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. Blues Challenge finalists Robin Rogers & the Hot Band open. $10/ 9 p.m. —Rick Cornell
10.11 ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
& WIDESPREAD PANIC @ WALNUT CREEK
Perhaps best known for the four-sided live landmark At Fillmore East, The Allman Brothers embraced their live reputation and evolved from Southern rock pio-neers to kingpins of the jam band scene. The band’s current notoriety (and the reason to listen, even now) is due just as much to the guitars of young gun Derek Trucks and jam vet Warren Haynes as it is to its leg-endary past, espoused now by the husky vocals of organist Gregg Allman and dynamic percussive duo of Butch Trucks and Jaimoe Johanson. With fellow scene leader Widespread Panic opening, expect guest spots, all-night jams (well, until 11 p.m.) and a lawn shrouded in smoke. $30-40/ 6 p.m. —Spencer Griffith
10.11 PHOSPHORESCENT @ LOCAL 506Matthew Houck, the founder and anchor of the revolving-door, astral-country band Phosphorescent, is often typecast as a Will Oldham acolyte. And it’s true: Houck often reverts to the tender, whimpering moan of the similarly hirsute Oldham, and he mines many of the same images—your body, those wolves, that water—that Oldham has stacked into his reputation as the poet laureate of beard folk. But
Houck implodes Oldham’s mannered approach from within, whispering his songs like an insomniac poet before howling them like a drug-shaken soul singer. Whether on his own arching breakup anthem “Joe Tex, These Taming Blues” or his tottering, organ-groan, steel-sigh take on Willie Nelson’s kiss-off “Walkin’,” Houck gets swept into the spirit of the song. Unlike Oldham, who keeps his songs to himself, Houck wants you to come along—rejoice, repent or just sing. With the considerably less pensive Alberta Cross. $8-$10/ 9:30 p.m. —Grayson Currin
10.12 TV GHOST, WIZZARD SLEEVE,
HARLEM @ THE PINHOOKThanks to record label reputations and a shared tendency toward low fidelity or precision in production, all three of these out-of-towners get tagged as garage rock bands. But it’s hard to imagine a triumvirate that better communicates the diversity percolating just beneath indie rock’s increasingly shiny veneer these days. Alabama’s Wizzard Sleeve, for instance, sounds a little like psychedelic lords Hawkwind tak-ing a Black Flag LP the distance, sheets of bent tones smothering or supporting pure attitude. Austin’s Harlem, though, sound like bad kids in a pop candyland, turning less-than-veiled love of breasts and pills into tunes that stick like boiled confectioners sugar. Meanwhile, Indiana head-liners TV Ghost suggest a distillation of Faust IV and The Fall’s Hex Enduction Hour: It’s noisy, headstrong and full of unexpected twists, but traces of playfulness preside over all. $5/ 9 p.m. —Grayson Currin
EH, WHATEVER . . .10.08 EVERCLEAR @ LINCOLN THEATRE
Haven’t heard from Everclear in a while? Don’t worry, they’re just like you left them. Their latest, In a Different Light, features the classic Everclear songs rearranged and rerecorded, making the broadening gap between this band’s cash-in intentions and its creativity that much easier to spot. Frontman and sole constant Art Alexakis has refused to let his melodramatic post-grunge dream die with any shred of dignity, disposing of band members like dirty napkins for the third complete overhaul of Everclear’s lineup in six years. The original trio could never match second single “Heroin Girl,” a raging piece of poppy angst from the broken and defeated spirit of a recovering drug addict, anyway. Now approaching 50, Alexakis, a bleached-out career quasi-rock star, comes across as nothing more than a grumpy old man shaking his calloused fist at a world of more capable youngsters. With Paper Tongues and Tracy Lyons. $20-25/ 8 p.m. —Spencer Griffith
SONG OF THE WEEKVisit www.indyweek.com to read our
discussion of “Mr. Catfish” with folk archivist Wayne Martin and N.C. Heritage Award-winning banjo pick-er Marvin Gaster. Gaster performs with other players from North Carolina’s Piedmont at a pre-release show for an upcoming string-band compilation called Going Down to Raleigh (10.11, N.C. MUSEUM OF HISTORY).
TH E g U I d E TO TH E w E E k ’ S C O N C E RT S
hearing aid
DRIVIN N CRYIN
FROM: Atlanta, Ga.SINCE: 1985CLAIM TO FAME: Flying courageously
It was the perfect description: Writing in the Oxford American’s annual music issue, Chris Bachelder called Drivin N Cryin “the egg-laying mammal of Southern rock,” praising the band’s hybrid nature and its peculiar versatility. (Also memorable,
his commentary on the quartet’s name: “talent show drama and convenience store punctuation.”) The new Great American Bubble Factory shows the guys are still up to their platypus-ian ways, with hard rock, social commentary, a near-bubblegum title track, a Dictators cover, and guitar hooks to make you weep with joy. The Jackets and Skullbuckle open. At THE POUR HOUSE for the first show of a two-night stand. $16-$20/ 9 p.m.
COWBOY JUNKIES
FROM: Toronto, OntarioSINCE: 1985CLAIM TO FAME: Recording religiously
It was the perfect depiction: During a Duke Coffeehouse show nearly 20 years ago, singer-songwriter Luka Bloom offered his impersonation of Cowboy
Junkies by playing his guitar with fingers a couple of inches from the strings. Bloom’s air-strumming affectionately lampooned the Junkies’ stock-in-trade sound—hushed, hypnotic, somewhere between rural blues and REM (the sleep state, not the band). It was soft-focus music perfect for congregating around one mic in an empty church, which, of course, was the blueprint for The Trinity Session, the much-beloved and since-revisited landmark. Lee Harvey Osmond opens. At THE ARTSCENTER for the second show of a two-night stand. $32/ 8 p.m. —Rick Cornell
FRIDAY,
OCT. 9
THIRD EYE BLIND
FROM: San FranciscoSINCE: 1993CLAIM TO FAME: Disguising sordid lyrics with inno-cent pop hooks
Despite years of delays and procrastination, Ursa Major—the first Third Eye Blind release since 2003—mostly follows in the footsteps of the alt-rock quartet’s previous three albums: shiny, guitar-driven pop sing-alongs anchored by huge, infectious choruses and dirty words. Apparently (and surprisingly), the hiatus did little to diminish demand for 3EB’s brand of radio rock: Ursa debuted at No. 3, the highest in the band’s history. Though his songwriting pace may have slowed, filthy-mouthed frontman Stephan Jenkins still knows how to work a crowd, but to call the capricious singer a prima donna would be understating his ego by a constellation. With Hot Chelle Rae. At LINCOLN THEATRE. $25-$28/ 8 p.m.
THE REVIVAL TOUR
FROM: Behind the mic of punk rock bandsSINCE: 2008CLAIM TO FAME: Traveling acoustic road show of punks gone folk
The second annual Revival Tour gathers a gang of artists from the new wave of tatted-up punk rockers whose allegiance to Dylan
rivals their love for The Descendents. Stripped down to acoustics, the like-minded crew will sit in on one another’s tunes and share the stories behind their songs. Chuck Ragan has three legitimate Americana records under his own name that find his vocal cords—shredded by years of abuse from fronting Hot Water Music—ragged and ready for rustic accompaniment. Former Sparta and At The Drive-In leader Jim Ward shows off his quiet side while Avail singer Tim Barry leans on his hard-nosed solo work. The Loved Ones’ Dave Hause and indie folk songstress Jenny Owen Youngs also appear. At CAT’S CRAdLE. $13-15/ 8:30 p.m. —Spencer Griffith
WEDNESDAY,
OCT. 14
