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Diane
Schuur
The
Van Dyck, Thursday
Direct
from a gig at the Hotel Intercontinental Ballroom in Warsaw
(Poland), popular two-time Grammy-winning jazz songstress
Diane Schuur will settle in for two shows tonight (Friday)
at the Van Dyck in Schenectady (USA). You read correctly—Schuur
just finished seven shows in Spain, Austria and Poland, and
we’re lucky enough to have the jet-setting singer land in
our own backyard. Schuur brings her formidable songbook, which
includes much-loved jazz standards as well as a raft of tunes
composed just for her. For example, there are the numbers
on her latest disc, Midnight. For this, Barry Manilow
(yup, that Barry Manilow) teamed up with fellow composer
Eddie Arkin to write a set of moody, atmospheric “jazz nocturnes”
specifically crafted to fit Schuur’s formidable vocal prowess.
Can you dig it? (Dec. 4, 7 and 9:30 PM, $37.50, 381-1111)
The
Klezmatics
Berkshire
Museum, Pittsfield, Mass., Saturday
It
may seem an unusual venue for a live concert, the Berkshire
Museum; but, then, it’s an unusual act. According to Allmusic.com,
the Klezmatics have been described as “the planet’s only radical
Jewish roots band,” and we’re guessing no one else has even
laid claim to the designation—much less tried to wrestle it
away from the New York City-based outfit. As befits a band
who have made two albums with famed classical-violinist Itzhak
Perlman and whose name is a play on self-destructive punk-rock
semi- legends the Plasmatics, the Klezmatics dance to the
tune of a different clarinet. So, the Berkshire Museum? Why
not the Berkshire Museum? It’s all part of the museum’s holiday
festivities, after all, which later in the month will also
host the Trachtenburg Family Slide Show Players. (Dec.
6, 8 PM, $18, $21 at the door, 413-443-7171)
Crash
Test Dummies, the Waterboys, Rhett Miller
Bearsville
Theater, Woodstock, Saturday
Although
the Crash Test Dummies are going to be featured in an upcoming
episode of VH1’s One-Hit Wonders for their popular
monochrome ballad “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm,” they refuse to accept
the music channel’s one-hit-wonder designation. Since the
1993 album God Shuffled His Feet, on which the cut
was featured, the Dummies have released six additional albums.
The most recent, Puss ’N’ Boots, was released in October.
The band are currently on tour supporting their new LP, and
they’ll perform with the Waterboys and Rhett Miller at the
Bearsville Theater on Saturday. (Dec. 6, 9 PM, $25, 845-679-7303)
We’re
About 9, Danya River
The
Larkin, Sunday
Baltimore’s
hot folk trio We’re About 9 will make their way to our area
again, this time at the Larkin on Sunday. They stopped into
Caffe Lena roughly four months ago, and made quite an impression.
These Falcon Ridge Folk Festival alums have been compared
to Crosby, Stills and Nash in terms of their soaring harmonies,
and their songwriting strikes a Barenaked Ladies vein. We’re
guessing they’re also quite fun on stage, as their name is
a nod to the young age—and signifies a desired break with
traditional age roles. Take it from Acoustic Live!,
which claims, “Inside their songs were people whose lives
had broken free of their moorings, who were lost and haunted
. . .” Who isn’t? Danya River will open. (Dec. 7, 7 PM,
$10, 463-5225)
David
Lee Roth
Northern
Lights, Tuesday
Remember
those slow-mo Russian splits in the “Jump” video, or enjoying
Eat Em’ & Smile better in Spanish? Oh yes, it’s
Diamond Dave time. This fearless former Van Halen frontman
has the reputation for being an entertaining showman. And
he’s apparently as bubbly and blond as ever. Courtesy of his
perpetual martial-arts training, he can still wear tight pants
and his shirts open, thank you very much. He survived the
Sam and Dave tour, an ambitious adventure sans Halen in 2002,
but in October, Roth had to cancel a bunch of tour dates after
an onstage accident requiring 21 stitches. Now that he’s recovered
he’s out rocking to support his new album, Diamond Dave,
and will blow through Northern Lights on Tuesday. (Dec.
9, 7:30 PM, $25, $27 at the door, 371-0012)
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| also
noted |
 Hipster
retro-pop bigshots Hot Hot Heat will burn
through town tomorrow (Friday), with pop-rock quartet
the French Kicks, performing at Northern
Lights; the Unicorns open the show (7:30
PM, $10, $12 at the door, 371-0012). . . . Check
out Changing Spaces this weekend for a couple of
interesting shows uniting prose and music. First,
tomorrow, Berkshire-based artist Laura Siersema
will perform at the cozy Center Square venue,
providing a heady mix of poetry and riffage (8 PM,
$5, 433-1537). . . . On Saturday, the gallery will
feature author and poet Simone Felice [see
Art Murmur, page 40], reading from his latest work,
Goodbye Amelia. Joining Felice will be avant-rocker
Tom Burre, sans his Bone Oil bretheren, and
soul-rock singer-songwriter Bryan Thomas,
throwing down acoustic versions of songs and spoken
word from his upcoming release, Babylon (7
PM, free, 433-1537). . . . Come Sunday, it’s time
once again for Jorma Kaukonen and Jack
Casady, from the olden days of Hot Tuna,
to visit the Egg—they sold out the venue last year,
so get your tickets pronto. Mandolinist Barry
Mitterhoff will accompany the legends, and guitarist
Paul Curreri opens the show (7:30 PM, $24,
473-1845). . . . Modern chamber ensemble Jupiter
Circle will play an afternoon show at the Troy
Savings Bank Music Hall on Tuesday, performing original
compositions and arrangements from their acclaimed
2002 release, Shade Songs (noon, free, 273-0038).
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