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The
Used Kids, the Bloodreds
Valentine’s,
Friday
The Used Kids, a poppy punk five-piece hailing from New York
City, view themselves as a sort of happy antidote for the
hipster disease. They are playing a trio of New York shows
before heading out on a two-week national tour. New Jersey-based
the Bloodreds are also on the bill, offering up their tried-and-true
punk-rock. And a murder of Capital Region punk bands are set
to open up for these two acts at Valentine’s tomorrow (Friday).
Spread ’Em, Outa Commission and Sugar Eater are on the bill,
the last of which one fan described as follows: “It was energetic
. . . like vomit. Like, a LOT of vomit. Enough vomit that
it could theoretically congeal itself into a human form, and
then if that human/vomit entity were to vomit up MORE vomit,
that would be your band.” We assume that those with an aversion
to vomit are also welcome. (Feb. 20, 8 PM, $8, 17 New Scotland
Ave., Albany. 432-6572.)
Giant
Panda Guerilla Dub Squad
Red
Square, Friday
It’s not quite Burlington or Ithaca, but Rochester can be
a pretty irie place. That is, if Giant Panda Guerilla
Dub Squad can be seen as any indication of it. The reggae
outfit have grown from their humble Rochester roots into a
six-piece international touring force, logging 180 tour dates
last year, including three weeks boosting their cred in Jamaica.
Rebellious enough for the “guerilla” and spacy enough for
the “dub” qualifiers, these guys (and girl) are most at home
with easy-skanking one-drop roots, full of sweet harmonies
and uncompromising positivity. It’s a fitting arrangement,
then, that they’ll be dropping by one of the more irie
spots in these parts. (Feb. 20, 9 PM, 388 Broadway, Albany,
465-0444)
Erin
McKeown
Club
Helsinki, Friday
The Philadelphia Weekly once said that “more singer-songwriters
should follow the lead of Erin McKeown,” and we’re in no position
to argue. McKeown has taken a most unusual and singular path
over her decade-long career. Her debut album, Monday Morning
Cold, found her practicing in the girl-with-guitar tradition
of her folky forbears; Distillation followed, expanding
her sound to include elements of jazz and pop and positioning
her as a kind of quirky third-cousin to Fiona Apple and Aimee
Mann. More recent releases have found her dabbling in rock
& roll (We Will Become Like Birds), jazz standards
(Sing You Sinners), and the all-important live album
(Lafayette). This all may sound a little scatterbrained,
but it makes a lot of sense when you take into account McKeown’s
degree in ethnomusicology. The artist will show you what she
knows Friday at Club Helsinki. (Feb. 20, 9 PM, $15, 284
Main St., Great Barrington, Mass., 413-528-3394)
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Kris
Kristofferson
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Kris
Kristofferson
The
Egg, Saturday
There are some artists who need no introduction. We’d submit
that Kris Kristofferson is one of that elite group. But then,
he’s playing the Egg rather than a larger theater, so it’s
entirely possible that some of our readers don’t know that
Kristofferson wrote the Johnny Cash hit “Sunday Morning Coming
Down,” probably the best beer-for-breakfast song we’ve ever
heard. And perhaps our readers don’t know that the one Janis
Joplin song they sing at all the karaoke bars—“Me and Bobby
McGee”—is a Kristofferson composition. Still even more readers
may not have seen the man in one of his dozens of film roles.
Or maybe our readers are just being coy, and they’ll pack
the Egg when Kristofferson comes to town Saturday night. (Feb.
21, 8 PM, $34.50, Empire State Plaza, Albany, 473-1845)
Blitzen
Trapper, Alela Diane
Pearl
Street, Wednesday
The Pacific Northwest is known for being a particularly woody
and mountainous region. So it’s no wonder that much of the
music exported from there in recent years has also had a woody
and mountainous quality. That whole psychedelic folk-pop thing
the kids are into these days—Fleet Foxes and Band of Horses
and all those animal bands—has strong roots in Seattle and
Portland, Ore. Portland band Blitzen Trapper are part of that
new tradition, and their latest release, Furr, is looking
to be their ticket to the big kids’ table. Joining the group
on tour is Alela Diane, a recent Rough Trade signee whose
voice and music harken back to vintage Greenwich Village folk
in the least annoying way possible. (Feb. 25, 8:30 PM,
$13, 10 Pearl St., Northampton, Mass., 413-586-8686)
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Noted |
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Janelle
Reichman
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If
you were planning to check out the CRUMBS Night
Out show and panel at the Linda tonight (Thursday),
turn around and go back: It’s been postponed to
next week (465-5233 ext. 4). . . . Or, if you’re
already three-quarters of the way to Albany and
in search of something else to do, check out some
great area talent tonight at Red Square with Sea
of Trees, Jared Funari, and Matt
Durfee and the Rattling Baddies (8 PM, $5,
465-0444). . . . At Gaffney’s in Saratoga tonight,
it’s the weekly songwriter night with Molly
Durnin, Rachel Matthews and Jesse
and Colin (9 PM, free, 587-7359). . . . The
Sanctuary for Independent Media presents another
multimedia mashup this Saturday: This week, New
York City saxophonist Rob Brown performs
alongside poet Amiri Bakara, who will read
from his new book Somebody Blew Up America
and Other Poems (8 PM, $10, 272-2390). . .
. Albany’s all right if you like saxophones: Sunday
at the College of Saint Rose’s Massry Center for
the Arts, DownBeat award-winning sax player
Janelle Reichman sits in with the college’s
Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Guitar Ensemble
(2 PM, $8, $4 students and seniors, free with
college ID, 454-5102). . . . Some guy on some
show once said “If it’s not Scottish, it’s crap”;
the Tannahill Weavers, performing at Caffe
Lena on Sunday, aren’t crap—follow? (7 PM, $25,
583-0022).
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