Red Stick Ramblers Sharp-dressed and spiffy, the quintet formed in the sweltering heat of Baton Rouge in 1999. Call it the Louisiana state-of-mind, as the Red Stick Ramblers fold acoustic instrumentation around old-school jazz, Cajun, western swing and healthy dose of the blues. Their pastiche of American sounds is not only meant to be listened to sittin’ on the porch, there’s much promise of dancing in the air. Evening Muse (Shukla)
Raul Malo When he’s not with his band The Mavericks, lobbing alley-oops to Dirk Nowitzki and Erick Dampier (okay, not those Mavericks), Raul Malo does the solo thing better than most. Frankly, he does it so well, he may well be better known for the all-by-his-high-lonesome work than the band-backed material. Malo plays a mixture of reinterpreted chestnuts, old and new Spanish songs (in Spanish and English), and even the occasional Mavs standard. Recommended. The Visulite Theatre (Davis)
The Police Let’s begin with an airtight premise we can all agree on: Sting is a wanker. But what of La Policia, who during the late ’70s/early ’80s went from hip unknowns to ubiquitous superstars in an eye-blink? Drummer Stuart Copeland was a whirling polyrhythmic dervish, guitarist Andy Summers was well-suited to the British infatuation with Jamaican riddims and ol’ Gordie played the stand-up and sang about hookers and walking on the moon. The early releases were at least fun, but as record sales increased, and the venues grew and stage-sets bloated, the black hole that is Sting’s ego — Youtube his “Brand New Day” video to see its frightening mass — vaporized most everything the band ever did. With early Police-soundalikes the Fiction Plane, whose leader is Joe Sumner (where have we heard that name?). Bobcats Arena (Schacht)
FRIDAY, NOV. 16
Jason Ricci and New Blood Harp player Ricci takes more of a what’s ahead then what has passed approach to the blues. He’s not averse to delivering a blend of multi-genres and his band rolls right along to keep Ricci from slacking off. Jazz, rock jams and loads requisite blues overflow from their newest recording Rocket Number 9. Double Door Inn (Shukla)
Melt-Banana Able to clear out a venue faster than a speeding guitar riff, these Japanese noise-rockers unleash wailing, screeching and careening guitars and vocals within confines of songs that clock in under two minutes. The foundation is vocalist Yasuko O’s shrieks and hisses and guitarist Agata’s effects-laden compositions. Melt-Banana’s recent recording, Bambi’s Dilemma, begins with several cuts loosely definable as accessible before careening into righteous noise. With Hex Machine and PPR. Milestone (Shukla)
Chiodos There’s emo, post-punk, metal riffage and even electronica wrapped up in this young Michigan band’s arsenal. The boys have obviously found their bearing on the newest disc, Bone Palace Ballet, which falls just shy of brilliant for these ears. Also on the bill: Emery, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, The Devil Wears Prada and Pierce the Weil. Tremont Music Hall (Shukla)
Café Tacuba Rock and roll sung in Spanish, rock en español, has been Café Tacuba’s modus operandi since the early ’90s. Although the Mexico City-based gents are tops in that genre, they are quite versatile with tropical rock ‘n’ roll where the quartet also fuses traditional Mexican music into electronica, R&B and silky crooning. With Dorian Gris and Baco. Neighborhood Theatre (Shukla)
SATURDAY, NOV. 17
Scott Miller Last year’s Citation was recorded in the Fort Sanders area of Knoxville — where Miller rented an apartment to write songs for the album — and Memphis, where Miller worked with legendary musician and producer Jim Dickinson. Recorded with his band The Commonwealth, the album has the usual burn-at-high-heat Miller originals, lovely ballads (see “Long Goodnight”) and even a spot-on cover of “Hawks & Doves,” the title track of the 1980 album of the same name by Neil Young. In a genre that too often talks “authenticity” and walks a marketing plan, Miller’s the real deal — and has been for years. The Evening Muse (Davis)
TUESDAY, NOV. 20
Illicitizen A two-piece featuring guitarist/singer Eric Cavanaugh (ex-The Blots) and bassist Maria Zaccaro, Illicitizen’s demos for their upcoming full-length include promising touchstones from throughout the punk/post-punk era: the Jam’s spiky beats, the Clash’s agit-prop, early Elvis Costello snark, etc. Befitting the demo stage, the sound is a bit rough around the edges and should benefit from non-programmed beats. In other words, stay tuned. This is an item-donations Homeless Benefit, with Kimosabe and Holster also on the bill. Evening Muse (Schacht)