BO WHITE
This Wednesday marks the start of a month-long Snug Harbor residency for eccentric local treasure Bo White, and he may just need that long to squeeze in all the different sounds he’s capable of making. White’ latest full-length, Same Deal/New Patrones, is packed with skronking brass, quivering strings and vocals that gives nods to both David Byrne and Bill Callahan. His songs are full of richly realized characters, all part of a story set in late-day Mexico, but White avoids kitsch by dropping them into a musical world made up of a variety of styles — jazzy here, pop-rocky there — rather than saturating his music with mariachi influences. Considering his past stints in noise band Calabi Yau and Afrobeat group Black Congo, White’s versatility comes as no surprise, but it’s a pleasure nonetheless.
— Rachel Bailey