Eastern Seaboard/Calabi Yau - An excellent cross-genre double bill here, with the touring acoustic avante-garde threesome (ES) and angular electric trio (CY) each pushing envelopes (manila, bubble-wrap, you name 'em, they're pushin' 'em) in their own diistinct fashions. For more info, see our See & Do section. The Room (Schacht)
Martha Wainwright - Are there better musical genes than those shared by Loudon Wainwright III, Kate McGarrigle and their children Rufus and Martha? This talented singer/songwriter has a confessional folk style similar to her dad and brother, but where Rufus' sound is full of elegance, Martha's music is more sparse, with an earthy fierceness and sometimes aggressively acerbic lyrics (for example, see her Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole EP). Dean Fields opens. The Evening Muse (Parker)
THURSDAY 5.26
Unsane/Blackfire Revelation - The East Coast answer to the Melvins, Unsane epitomize the raw, metal-scraping, industrial heart of darkness at the center of America (around the corner from McDonalds, just past the Old Navy, and they do NOT validate parking). Their bleak sludge of de-tuned guitars is among the dankest in noise rock./Fat Possum blues duo Blackfire Revelation are Pussy Galore channeling Einsturzende Neubauten after mistakenly taking the brown acid. Tremont (Parker)
FRIDAY 5.27
Bellglide/Mar/ Red Letter Agent - The different musical styles of this talented triple bill trace a seasonal wake: The spare, wintry sonics of Mar, back from Iceland where they recorded in Sigur Ros' studio with The Album Leaf's Jimmy LaValle; the burgeoning textures and blooming baroque pop warmth of Bellglide, capturing in their swirl and shimmer the sensory overload of Spring; and the summery, rootsy pop-rock of Atlanta's Red Letter Agent. Visulite (Parker)
Danielle Howle - There's a tense nerve just below the surface of Danielle Howle's chugging folk, investing it with an explosiveness reminiscent of fellow Southerner Shannon Wright. If Wright's wrought chamber elegies are fearfully claustrophobic, then Howle's approach is the opposite, with soul-baring forthrightness, a neighborly alto-lilt, and crisp, energetic playing. Rodi, Gastonia (Parker)
Marky Ramone - The lone surviving member of the legendary Ramones is on the road with a promised "night of Ramones music." The drummer for the late 3-chord kings has plenty of original material and will likely pepper some into the evening's agenda. For more on this show, see our story in this issue. Mad Brother Monk will open. Amos' Southend (Shukla)
Tyre Fyre - John Morris' power pop enthusiasts dust off their polyester shirts, flared jeans and pointy boots for a night of 60s/70s/80s-influenced guitar riffage that spans that spectrum, from The Faces' raunch & roll to Matthew Sweet's lollipop pop. It's arguably impossible to not enjoy a Tyre Fyre show, if for no other reason than the band is having such a great time on stage you'd be a plumb idiot not to knock back a few and join the par-tay. Double Door Inn (Schacht)
SATURDAY 5.28
Dynasty Electric Duo/Gold Streets - Harnessing the same erotic energy as another duo, The Kills, New York's Dynasty Electric Duo get there via a much more intricate sonic approach, creating an elaborate tapestry of synthetic textures and beats, then weaving in melodies with a dark, Eastern feel and the occasional blast of lo-rock sax to seduce. Their debut, 2004's Black Box, has earned them the dreaded "critical buzz," but judging by this record, it's largely warranted./Gold Streets, another male/female duo out of NYC, get beaucoup shimmer from their guitar-centric sound, recalling the golden era of both the Cure and the Cocteau Twins, depending on who's at the mic; when they're harmonizing, you'll swear Low was in the house. Pleasing, if not revelatory, which isn't always a bad thing, you know? Also appearing on a packed bill is Reindeer, Tiger Team and Vinyl Are My Pants. Milestone (Schacht)
Michael Tolcher - He's got a rubbery roots rock approach and the kind of inviting vocal style that seems to be on every A&R hack's radar thanks to the success of 'Next Generation' John Mayers such as Gavin DeGraw, Jason Mraz and Josh Kelley. To his credit, the former track star has been touring the country and honing his chops for more than a decade, long before releasing last year's buzz-worthy debut I Am. Visulite Theatre (Parker)
SUNDAY 5.29
The Blood Brothers - The Seattle quintet spew post-punk with dual vocalists and the added tangents of trumpets and keyboards. The result is music that's angular and not easily pegged. It's one of the more intriguing gigs in town this week. For more information, see our story in this issue. Openers are Plot to Blow up the Eiffel Tower and Big Business. Tremont Music Hall (Shukla)
Lowry/Ian Thomas - Lowry the band is fronted by Alex the man, who's lent his surname to the six-piece entourage he's touring with as he promotes a strong debut, Awful Joy, out on OddMob. Lowry's ostensibly part of the neo-folk revival over-running the East Village, but this disc is all over the rock timeline, from Ziggy-era Bowie to Yoshimi-Lips, with twangy intervals, chamber pop stops and even a prog-rock touch or two along the journey./Thomas is more indicative of the neo-folkers, a solo acoustic guitar slinger with enough songwriting skill to weather the lazy Dylan comparisons; he's more Mississippi John Hurt guitarist with Donovan's voice anyway. The Bowmans and local Deep Elm artist Second Hand Stories are also on the bill. Milestone (Schacht)
TUESDAY 5.31
The Higher/Sunday Driver - With an earnest croon, tinkling minor-chord melodies and explosive, hook-driven choruss, The Higher are your prototypical emo band. The Las Vegas quintet writes catchy, if often pedestrian, pop-punk somewhere between early Get Up Kids and late Promise Ring./Sunday Driver is much more adventurous sonically, delivering music that ranges from richly imagined, nearly baroque pop to bustling, angularly-pitched indie rock. Tremont Music Hall (Parker)