|
 The
Kingston Trio, the Brothers Four
Troy
Savings Bank Music Hall, Thursday
Ask
your roots- and Americana-loving friends to name a spiritual
forefather: From the youngsters you may get Jay Farrar, while
from the oldsters you can expect Dylan, or maybe Gram Parsons.
You will likely not get the Kingston Trio—but if it weren’t
for the huge financial success of this pop-folk trio, Dylan
might never have been signed, and it’s worth noting that Parsons’
first band, the harmony-heavy Shilos, were heavily indebted
to the men famous for “Tom Dooley.” Though these self-taught
musicians banded together primarily to get chicks while in
college in the late ’50s, the massive success of their records
(the “Tom Dooley” single alone sold three million copies)
paved the way for the signing of folk acts like Peter, Paul
and Mary, the Mamas and Papas—and the artist formerly known
as Bobby Zimmerman. Now, as it happens, none of the founding
members of this pioneering group are in the current incarnation,
but, honestly, would you have even known if we didn’t tell
you? Opening will be the Brothers Four. (April 7, 7:30
PM, 7 State Street, Troy, $29, $32, 273-0038)
 |
Mindless
Self Indulgence CD release
Saratoga
Winners, Friday
The
last time Mindless Self In dulgence came through these parts,
their show ended with lead, um, “singer” Little Jimmy Urine
(short for Euringer) perched precariously atop the drum kit,
his pasty white ass facing the audience, for a full five minutes.
Of silence. It was a fitting end to a show that also featured
guitarist Steve, Righ? pulling out his own little jimmy and
urinating on a guitar . . . or something like that. They’re
kinda like an electroclash version of G.G. Allin, but without
the cutting. (Actually, if you ever had a chance to hear the
band’s goth-influenced early material, you might want to leave
the cutting in.) Friday night’s show doubles as a CD-release
party for the new MSI record You’ll Rebel to Anything,
which hits stores on Tuesday. (April 8, 8 PM, $15, $18,
Route 9, Latham, 783-1010)
Bowling
for Soup
Northern
Lights, Saturday
We
were poking through the press materials for this Bowling For
Soup band, and it was all pretty much run-of-the-mill stuff.
You know, they formed in Texas in 1994; band members have
previously held jobs as housepainters, construction workers,
and bartenders; their single “1985” was a huge hit last year
at radio and MTV; they were nominated for a Grammy in 2003;
they have a shrine on their tour bus to . . . waitaminute—what
was that? A Grammy Grammy? Is there a category for
Best Pop-Punk for Mallrats Who Think Blink-182 Are Too Serious?
Well, no. They actually got the nod in the Best Pop Performance
by a Duo or Group category, but were smote by the mighty hand
of Gwen Stefani. Heck, it could have been worse—they were
up against N*Sync, Bon Jovi, and Dave Matthews. Anyway, we’ll
do their bidding: The Grammy-nominated Bowling for Soup will
play Northern Lights this weekend, along with American Hi-Fi,
Riddlin’ Kids, and MC Lars. (April 9, 7 PM, $15, 1208 Route
146, Clifton Park, 371-0012)
|
Jeffrey
Gaines
Valentine’s,
Saturday
He’s
baaaack! There was a time when the name Jeffrey Gaines immediately
conjured images of trampled flower beds, 19-year-old kids
drunk on malt liquor, overpriced commemorative drink cups,
and fried dough from a vending truck. See, back about a decade
ago, Gaines was a perennial performer at Albany’s annual Tulip
Festival. He must have played the dang thing five or 10 times.
Then he all but dropped off the radar. Where’d he go? Nowhere,
really. He’s continued to play 150 shows (give or take) every
year, and his sixth release—the obviously titled Jeffrey
Gaines Live—recently hit shelves. It’s just that he didn’t
play here for a while. These things happen. Show him
you won’t hold that against him when he plays Valentine’s
on Saturday with special guests the Pony in the Pancake. (April
9, 7:30 PM, $12, 17 New Scotland Ave., Albany, 432-6572)
Of
Montreal, St. Thomas
The
Iron Horse Music Hall, Wednesday
For
a while it seemed that a handful of loosely affiliated musicians
in Athens, Ga., and a couple of other scattered communities
had a lock on indie-pop: The Elephant 6 collective—comprising
Of Montreal, Neutral Milk Hotel, Olivia Tremor Control, Elf
Power and a few others—had both the indie-rock and the perfect-pop
crowds all a-twitter for their blend of Brian Wilson-esque
orchestral grandeur and art-school quirk. With the folding
of Kindercore records, the movement, such as it was, decentralized
a bit (though the cohesiveness of this group of gypsies, bandhoppers
and oddballs was always mostly illusory), but Of Montreal
have kept on. We’ve yet to hear the band’s newest, The
Sunlandic Twins, but the previous, Satanic Panic in
the Attic, matched the Beach Boys and ’60s psychedelia
flavors with influences as diverse as Belle and Sebastian
and Queen, throwing in a danceable beat for good measure.
(April 13, 8:30 PM, 20 Center St., Northampton, Mass.,
$10, 413-584-0610)
|
Agnostic
Front CD-release
Saratoga
Winners, Wednesday
Remember
when the Agnostic Front CD-release show for their new album,
Another Voice, was canceled a couple of months back?
You chilled. You told yourself, “They’ll be back, after their
European tour.” Well, their European tour of fun places like
Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Greece and Germany just ended.
And what’s their first stop gonna be? Saratoga Winners, right
here in the Capital Region. AF’s video “So Pure to Me” is
being featured on MTV2’s Headbanger’s Ball, and their
album, Another Voice, is available for your purchasing
convenience. Agnostic Front have always been about what they’ve
been about, and they still are. Also on the bill: Madball,
Murderer’s Row and After the Fall. (April 13, 7:30 PM,
$14, Route 9, Latham, 783-1010)
|
| Also
Noted |
 |
|
joseph
arthur
|
Catch
22 will
take the stage at Saratoga Winners tonight (Thursday);
Don’t Look Down, Liars Academy,
Whole Wheat Bread, and Kicking Sicily
also will perform (7 PM, $12, 783-1010).
. . Tonight at Valentine’s, it’s a one-two punch
of fun band names: Judo for Japan and Happy
Endings. Will Japan have a happy ending and
get its long-awaited judo? Tune in and find out!
(9 PM, $5, 432-6572). . . . Hard-touring pop guy
Gavin DeGraw heads up a heavy-on-the-WB
bill on Friday with Michael Tolcher and
Welsh songstress Jem (7:30 PM, $20, $8
students, 580-5733). . . . What’s this? Live music
at the Fuze Box—on a Friday? Get it while
the getting’s good: The long-dormant Glitter
of Cohoes will rock the Box’s roundish stage
tomorrow night, along with K. Sonin & Catacomb
Gypsy Vagina and the Friendly Bears (9
PM, $5, 432-4472). . . . Local guitar marvel Mike
Campese will celebrate the release of his
new CD conveniently called The New on Saturday
night at Saratoga Winners; Chase and the
Canal Street Band will open (10 PM, $10,
783-1010). . . . Bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley
& the Clinch Mountain Boys perform at
the Egg on Sunday night, with special guest Ramblin’
Jack Elliott (7 PM, $24, 473-1845). . . .
Nutty pop guy Joseph Arthur plays the Iron
Horse Music Hall on Sunday; songwriter and Arthur
protégé Tara Angell opens (7 PM,
$15, 413-584-0610). . . . More goodies from the
Fuze Box: Boston-based noisemaker Jessica Rylan
will perform there with her band Can’t,
which is really just her, on Monday night. Sorry
to ruin the surprise (9 PM, $5, 432-4472). . .
. On Wednesday, Brent Gorton and the Tender
Breasts and Chris Blackwell will turn
their amps up to 1 at Caffe Lena. Word has it
Gorton’s been working on a new album; if it’s
even half as good as his last one, it should be
pretty darn good (7 PM, 583-0022).
|
|
|
Columns
& Opinions
