Metroland Online - Noteworthy

“Candiria is the bomb!,” according to L.A. Weekly, and they certainly may be. Incorporating hiphop and jazz into a metal and hardcore context, drummer Kenneth Schalk, guitarists Eric Matthews and John LaMacchia, bassist Michael MacIvor and vocalist Carley Coma have been recognized by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the 10 best metal bands for their efforts. Candiria’s first two albums—Surrealistic Madness in 1995 and Beyond Reasonable Doubt in 1997—were released on Too Damn Hype. The latter disc earned a national-radio-chart position without a promotional campaign. In the summer of 2001, the band was profiled in a three-minute piece on MTV News entitled “You Hear It First.” Clearly these guys are making a mark in the metal/hardcore scene. Tonight’s show at Valentine’s will be all-ages and also includes Killswitch Engage, Burnt by the Sun and Devil May Care. (April 11, 8 PM, $10 advance, $12 door, 432-6572)

The b-sides, SNMNMNM, the Last Year, Modified Slightly
Valentine’s, Friday

Most of the young fellas that make up the b-sides come to us (at Valentine’s on Friday for an 18-and-older show) from the North Carolina School of the Arts. Their oldest member, at 32, is Ken Mosher, former sax and guitar player with the Squirrel Nut Zippers. You remember the Zippers and their tongue-near-cheek salute to ’20s and ’30s jazz. Well, in the afterlife Mosher headed on over to the b-sides and swapped his sax for a bass. The self-proclaimed geek-rockers have released one EP and one longplayer, Yes Indeed, The B-Sides Quite!, a straight-up power-pop album with a nod toward early Beach Boys. SNMNMNM, the Last Year and Modified Slightly share the bill. (April 12,8 PM, $8, 432-6572)

Kittie, Flaw, Skinlab, 3rd Strike
Northern Lights, Saturday

If you ask around to get the critical buzz on Kittie, as we did, this is likely what you’ll hear: “Kittie fucking rock!” And, if you further check into their tour history, you’ll find ample evidence to that effect. They toured with Slipknot, co-headlined the SnoCore Tour, co-headlined the second stage of Ozzfest 2000 with Soulfly, and were handpicked by Pantera to join their Reinventing the Steel tour. These three heavy-metal girls hail from London, Ontario, and have come a long way since their start as a garage band. The band members are sisters Morgan and Mercedes Lander (Morgan on guitar and vocals, Mercedes on drums) and Talena Atfield on bass. This is evident on their second release, Oracle, which they recorded in their hometown. “With all of the variables of touring and playing with a lot of crazy bands, it wasn’t necessarily an influence, but it was a life-changing experience, being on the road like that,” Morgan has said. “Once we got off the road and I started to write stuff, it just came out this way, it was a natural evolution of the band.” Kittie come back to the area to play a 16-and-older show Saturday at Northern Lights with Flaw, Skinlab and 3rd Strike. (April 13, 7:30 PM, $16 advance, $14 door, 371-0012)

The Moody Blues
Proctor’s Theatre, Saturday

Although the original Moody Blues were formed and fronted by Denny Laine (later of Paul McCartney’s Wings), the core Moodies who dazzled their fans with orchestral art-pop and fantastical imagery from 1966 to 1973 were Justin Hayward, John Lodge, Ray Thomas, Graeme Edge and Mike Pinder—and of these, only Pinder is not in the lineup that will take the stage Saturday evening at Proctor’s. The 1966 concept album Days of Future Passed, and the dreamy single “Nights in White Satin,” catapulted the Moodies to fame and paved the way for subsequent successful albums such as In Search of the Lost Chord, On the Threshold of a Dream and A Question of Balance. The band went on hiatus during the mid-’70s and pursued side projects with mixed results, but found their chord again in 1978 when they reunited to record Octave, which ignited a second career that kept them on the charts well into the ‘80s with singles like “The Voice” and “Your Wildest Dreams.” Although the Moodies have released a studio album as recently as 1999 (Strange Times), you can be sure they’ll ride their cosmic see-saw back in time for a healthy blast of nostalgia on Saturday. (April 13, 8 PM, $39-$45,346-6204)

Alison Brown Quartet
Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Saturday

First off, don’t get Alison Brown confused with that other Alison. Sure, both play rootsy instruments and earned their reputations by playing bluegrass music—but whereas fiddle player Alison Krauss turned her bluegrass cachet into country-pop stardom, banjo player Alison Brown used her early success as the foundation for a career as a bandleader, entrepreneur and musical adventurer. And if you still need more proof that there’s a difference between these two players, we can prove they’ve been seen in the same place at the same time: From 1989 to 1991, Alison Brown was a member of Alison Krauss’ band. Alison Brown, who will bring her quartet to the Troy Music Hall on Saturday, actually began her professional life as an investment banker, after earning degrees from Harvard and UCLA. In 1988, she ditched the business route and returned to the stringed instruments she loved playing as a child. Today, Brown has to her credit both a Grammy nomination and nearly a decade of running indie label Compass Records. As for what she plays, consider USA Today’s description: “a jazz-classical-pop-folk-Latin mix.” So there! (April 13, 8 PM, $23, 273-0038)

Jefferson Starship Acoustic Explorer
The Van Dyck, Sunday

Here’s a bit of trivia that may have eluded you: There was an album credited to Jefferson Starship (actually Paul Kantner and the Jefferson Starship) four years before Jefferson Airplane officially changed their name to that more futuristic moniker. Originally, Jefferson Starship was a Paul Kantner side project, and it seems the starship in question was better suited than an airplane to the theme Kantner wanted to explore on his solo debut. Blows Against the Empire was a concept album telling the tale of a band of hippies who seize a government spacecraft and blast off to create a utopia among the stars. Yes, we hear you groaning, but you should know that the album is the only one ever to have been nominated for the prestigious Hugo award, normally bestowed on science-fiction novels. Kantner and a new crew—including Slick Aguilar, Diane Mangano and Prairie Prince—are now touring an acoustic version of the album in its entirety, so you can travel both back in time and way, way, way out into the reaches of Kantner’s imagination in one shot. (April 14, 7 and 9:30 PM, $20, 381-1111)

also noted

The Kickovers, who play Northern Lights tomorrow (Friday), are packed with talent; Nate Albert (ex-Mighty Mighty Bosstones guitarist) has gathered Mikey Welsh, Johnny Rioux (ex-Mike Ness) and Joe Sirois (Bosstones drummer) as his band. Also on the bill is Local H and Chevelle ($10 advance, $12 door, 371-0012). . . . Tin Can Telephone, Chris Blackwell and the Whitey’s and Cableknit Cowboy play downstairs at Valentine’s Friday (9 PM, $5, 432-6572). . . . The Larkin Lounge celebrates its one-year anniversary this weekend, and the celebration kicks off Friday with the funkmasters Jocamo; the fun continues on Saturday, with Kamikaze Hearts and the Bryan Thomas Trio (both shows: 10 PM, $5, 463-5225). . . . Jazz-fusion pioneer Billy Cobham stops by the Van Dyck on Saturday as part of his tour in support of the Rhino Records reissue of his 1973 debut, Spectrum (7 and 9:30 PM, $40, 381-1111). . . . Brian Patneaude, saxophonist for the Adrian Cohen Quartet, Alex Torres y Los Reyes Latinos, the Refrigerators and the Empire Jazz Orchestra, will perform with his quartet every Sunday night at Justin’s, beginning this Sunday (9 PM, free, 436-7008). . . . Rock drummer Kenny Aronoff, who spent 17 years with John Mellencamp and is preparing to tour with Melissa Etheridge this summer, will perform a clinic at Daddy’s Junky Music on Monday (7 PM, $10, 452-9431). . . . Acoustic-rock ensemble Maggie, Pierce and EJ will play Valentine’s on Tuesday (8 PM, $5, 432-6572). . . . The MTV II Tour, with Apex Theory and Andrew W.K., will roll into Northern Lights on Tuesday ($10 advance, $12 door, 371-0012). . . . Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Pete Seeger, will perform “The Tao of Tao” at the WAMC Performing Arts Studio on Wednesday (9 PM, $12, 453-5233, ext. 192).

	Send A Letter to Our Editor
	Back Home