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The
Kamikaze Hearts CD-release show
Iron
Horse Music Hall, Friday
You’ve been waiting. You’ve seen the band’s newsletters, promising
the release of a new album for, what, three years now? Wait
no longer: The Kamikaze Hearts’ second full-length CD, Oneida
Road, is finally here. Really—we’ve heard it, and it is
good. Very good, in fact: The Hearts took a long-ass time
perfecting the recording, and it shows in the sound quality,
the arrangements, and in the dark country soul that hangs
in each of the album’s nine songs. Tomorrow (Friday) night,
the Hearts celebrate the release of Oneida Road with
a show right here in their hometown . . . waitaminute—it’s
in Massachusetts? What gives? Anyway, they’re making it special
for those wary of the road trip: A one-time-only expanded
Hearts lineup will perform the album in its entirety. (Sept.
29, 10 PM, $10, 20 Center St., Northampton, Mass., 413-584-0610)
Knotworking,
Slow Learner, French Press Marie
Valentine’s,
Saturday
Those of you who recall the Great Albany Americana Wars of
the early 2000s should enjoy this weekend’s live-music programming,
as heavyweight champions Kamikaze Hearts play Friday (see
above), followed on Saturday by a rare appearance from wiry
welterweights Knotworking. Frontman Ed Gorch moved off to
Brooklyn a few years back, and his old gang (including ax-slinger
and Metroland music scribe Mike Hotter) doesn’t get
much stage time these days, so this one’s a must for fans
of the group’s Will Oldham-style folk. Gorch is bringing along
Slow Learner, the band for whom he currently plays guitar.
The band, led by songwriter Michael Napolitano, frequent the
same dark musical terrain as Knotworking, and their debut
disc In This Time They Are Magnificent was called “a
brilliant and beautiful creation” by online music zine Revolt
Media. Catch the two bands, plus special guests French
Press Marie, this Saturday night. (Sept. 30, 9 PM, $5,
17 New Scotland Ave., Albany, 432-6572)
Wintergreen
Caffe
Lena, Saturday
Berkshires folk trio Evergreen recently released their new
album Old Songs and New. They’ll be coming to Caffe
Lena this Saturday with more than four decades of performance
experience under their belts, where they’ll share material
from their new disc. Their shows have been called “an enjoyment
for audiences ranging from pre-schoolers to senior citizens.”
Mixing traditional folk of the British Isles with contemporary
American folk, including some of their own compositions, Wintergreen
offer pristine three-part harmonies and song types including
ballads, gospel, waltzes, jigs and Celtic tunes. The trio’s
performance involves a variety of instruments including double
bass, autoharp, psaltery, guitar, hammered dulcimer, recorder,
banjo and percussion. The Berkshire Eagle has praised
them as being the “crystalline clarity of a chamber ensemble
. . . complex, downright acrobatic three-part harmonies.”
(Sept. 30, 8 PM, $12, Caffe Lena,47 Phila St., Saratoga
Springs, 583-0022)
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| Umphrey’s
McGee |
Umphrey’s
McGee
The
Egg, Monday
If ye are not of the jam-band tribe, it can be a confounding
surprise when a band like, say, Umphrey’s McGee come out of
nowhere with a huge and fervent following. Nay, but this is
not the case. A band like Umphrey’s McGee actually earn said
big following slowly, by a constant regimen of touring and
jamming, jamming and touring. Verily, they play what the jamsters
want to hear: “A seamless fusion of diverse musical influences,
from progressive rock to metal to funk to folk to jazz fusion
to classic song-based rock & roll, all woven together
with infectious melodies, thought-provoking lyrics, pristine
harmonies, blistering musicianship and rollicking grooves.”
Soundeth too good to be true? Heed the words of Variety
critic Jeff Miller on an April performance: “They don’t
always get there . . . but when they do . . . Umphrey’s almost
deserve the reverence their fans heap on them.” Verily. (Oct.
2, 8 PM, $25, Empire State Plaza, Albany, 473-1845)
Leo
Kottke
Colonial
Theatre, Wednesday
Guitarist-vocalist Leo Kottke will take the stage at Pittsfield’s
Colonial Theatre on Wednesday night. The solo guitarist explored
music early on, playing the violin and piano in his youth.
When he first took a guitar in his hands, however, he knew
he had found his instrument. Kottke, who began his career
focusing solely on his guitar playing, has gone in a distinctly
more vocal direction. His offbeat performances feature his
signature finger-picking style and vocals, as well as his
original (and sometimes bizarre) monologues. Kottke, who describes
his own unique baritone unsparingly as “geese farts on a muggy
day,” has a 29-album career under his belt. Emerging on the
music scene with his first album “12 String Blues” way back
in 1968, like a fine wine (or perhaps a whiskey), Kottke has
never staled or lost popularity, consistently producing successful
albums, including last year’s Sixty Six Steps. (Oct.
4, 8 PM, $25-$45, 111 South St., Pittsfield, Mass., 413-997-4444)
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