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Schenectady
Pipe Band CD release
Ancient
Order of Hibernians Hall, Friday
One of the oldest bagpipe groups in the United States, the
Schenectady Pipe Band have a history that goes back almost
100 years. These folks are the real deal, a competitive pipe
band dedicated not only to preserving the music of their homeland
but the culture as well (they’re the sponsors of the annual
Capital District Scottish Games). It’s not just an excuse
to dress up and drink Scotch. The group have been seen and
heard at events all over the Capital Region, but they’ve never
before been properly recorded—until now. Tomorrow (Friday),
the Schenectady Pipe Band give us a look behind the kilt with
the release of their first CD, which they’ll celebrate with
a live bash in their home city. Erin Harkes and the Rebound
open the show, and cost of admission includes refreshments
and a copy of the new CD. (Feb. 26, 7 PM, $25, 1750 State
St., Schenectady, 438-4297)
Brian
Dewan
Spotty
Dog Books and Ale, Friday
All kinds of mad geniuses reside here in the wilds of upstate
New York. Brian Dewan is all kinds of mad geniuses. Dewan
is a visual artist, who has turned the classroom culture of
his youth into an ongoing series of quasi-satirical installation
and projection pieces; he’s also produced a series of wood-and-detritus
“shrines,” one of which can be seen on the cover of his longtime
pals They Might Be Giants’ second LP, Lincoln. Dewan
is an inventor, who, with his cousin Leon and under the name
Dewanatron, has developed a series of one-of-a-kind synthesizers.
And Dewan is a musician: As Dewanatron, he and Leon Dewan
make a modern experimental racket; under his own name, he
integrates the sounds of early 20th-century folk music into
rock and popular formats for a style that is, naturally, all
his own. It is, presumably, this last pursuit that brings
him to the Spotty Dog tomorrow (Friday). (Feb. 26, 8 PM,
$5, 440 Warren St., Hudson, 671-6006)
Dala
The
Eighth Step, Saturday
It was in high school music class that Amanda Walther and
Sheila Carabine first met, penning their first song together
and combining the last syllable of their first names to come
up with a title for their band. It could have been the fleeting
stuff of Trapper Keeper notes and cafeteria show and tell,
but just a few years later the duo have become darlings of
the Canadian music scene. There’s nothing earth- shattering
about what the two strive for—mostly retreading the folk stylings
of Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Bob Dylan—but, wow, the two
can sing. Trust us, these are the sort of harmonies that seep
into your ears and linger in your hair. (Feb. 27, 7:30
PM, $20, GE Theatre at Proctors, 432 State St., Schenectady,
346-6204)
Sarah
McQuaid
Old
Songs, Saturday
How’s this for folky cosmopolitanism? Singer-songwriter and
accomplished guitarist Sarah McQuaid was born in Madrid; raised
in Chicago; and holds duel Irish and American citizenship.
Over the years she’s performed Irish traditionals, Appalachian
folk, songs in Old French, Old Occitan, Italian, Middle High
German and Latin, and stuff that sounds like a pagan goddess
channeling the ghost of Jim Morrison. On top of all this,
she’s worked as a folk-music columnist and authored an instructional
Irish-guitar book. On Saturday she’ll bring plenty of new
songs and traditionals to a crowd that wears its preference
in its title. (Feb. 27, 8 PM, $20, 37 S. Main St., Voorheesville,
765-2815)
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| Pierced
Arrows |
Pierced
Arrows
Valentine’s,
Tuesday
Valentine’s poobah Howard Glassman showed some genuine excitement
in issuing the announcement of this Tuesday’s performance
by Oregon band Pierced Arrows. And while we find his instincts
to be generally right-on, we had a few moments of head-scratching
when we saw the Vice magazine logo on the band’s homepage—it
didn’t seem like Howard to go to bat with such fervor over
any old mustachoied hipster outfit. Ah, and we were right:
Pierced Arrows are the new band (a continuation, really) from
Fred and Toody Cole, the husband-and-wife team behind garage
greats Dead Moon. This is indeed something to get excited
about. This should be a visceral, memorable experience from
some true rock & roll soldiers. Mudlark, Nuclear Family,
and Secret Service are also on Tuesday’s bill. (March 2,
8 PM, $8, 17 New Scotland Ave., Albany, 432-6572)
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| Also
Noted |
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| Carbon
Leaf |
Tonight
(Thursday), the Celtic influenced roots-rock of
Virginia’s Carbon Leaf comes to the Egg;
soulful singer- songwriter Susanna Choffel
opens (7:30 PM, $24, 473-1845). . . . Also tonight,
the Klezmatics play a sold-out show at
Skidmore College’s Zankel Music Center (8 PM,
580-5320). . . . Tomorrow (Friday), celebrate
the late Johnny Cash’s birthday with a roots-rock
bash at the Van Dyck; performers include MotherJudge,
Ramblin Jug Stompers, Ashley Pond,
Tom McWatters, Jim Gaudet, and 9-year-old
Cristo Lewis, whose Cash covers are both
rousing and deeply disturbing (8 PM, $10, 348-7999).
. . . Sharp-dressed young men Young and Divine
are special guests at the Break contest at Northern
Lights on Saturday; it’s a multi-city band battle,
of which the winner gets to play the Bamboozle
emo-fest in New Jersey this spring (noon, $14,
371-0012). . . . At the Linda on Saturday, it’s
a benefit concert for Capital District Keys for
Kids, a program that provides free music lessons
to inner-city children in Albany; performers include
the Tern Rounders, 4ever1, and KJ Denhert (7 PM,
$20, 465-5233 ext. 4). . . . Self-described “realist
pop-punk” band the Wonder Years play Bogie’s
on Sunday with Therefore I Am and Man
Overboard (5:30 PM, $10, 482-4393). . . .
The Winter Olympics will be over, but if you haven’t
quite had your fill of Canada, you can catch Vancouver’s
Po’ Girl at the Iron Horse in Northampton,
Mass., on Monday (7 PM, $13, 413-586-8686).
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