Vaughan Penn -- She's a happy-go-lucky singer/songwriter quite comfortable in her pop music/orchestral folk realm. She has the knack for wordplay delivered with mature vocals and music that straddles fluffy pop to moody rock. With the newish Black Market Radio. Double Door Inn (Shukla)
THURSDAY 10.23
Rick Wakeman -- Half the crowd has already bought tickets while the other half is snickering and throwing darts at Wakeman's old solo LPs. You know the ones, with the loooong solo keyboard tracks? In all fairness, Wakeman has always had talent and helped create some pretty cool records with Yes during their early years. Even a snotty punk rocker will start tapping his toes when "Roundabout" comes on the boombox. That said, this show is apparently touted as "the other side of Rick Wakeman," with Rick playing sparse (is that possible?) keyboards and providing humorous banter for the audience. Spirit Square (Shukla)
Six Points Showcase -- Credit local musician and catalyst Jason Scavone with the idea of bringing together some cool bands and visual artists for an evening of music and art. Yes, it's been done before, but any attempt to create an "event" out of a gig is OK with me. This sporadic affair generally features Scavone and his band, The Noises Ten; this time, svelte pop-rockers Parklife and the Punk Jazz Project will help uphold the musical part of the commitment. Visulite Theatre (Shukla)
FRIDAY 10.24
Bellglide -- The early, unmixed demos from their upcoming record suggest the Charlotte band's imminent rise from Indie-land into something bigger with fanfare trumpets blaring. OK, so it's more like moody pop with even-keeled female vocals, but the finished record should tell the rest of the story. Opening for the producer of said recording, Mitch Easter and his band, the Fiendish Minstrels. Double Door Inn (Shukla)
Joel Harrison -- Country music and jazz have met before, but never quite like this. Bill Frisell and Cassandra Wilson, for instance, play more in the country and blues styles. It's not like Bela Fleck or David Grisman, either, where jazz elements are mere accents. Guitarist Harrison uses songs from country, blues, and even bluegrass, approaching them from a jazz standpoint and giving them highly creative arrangements. On his new CD, Free Country, Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" is the only song using a familiar rhythm, but Harrison quickly transforms the arrangement into something surprising. I think it's safe to say you've never heard "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" or "This Land Is Your Land" performed like this. Harrison's an impressive instrumentalist, too, as is saxophonist David Binney, who joins him on tour. The Evening Muse also brought Leni Stern to town earlier this month; let's hope they keep it up. The Evening Muse (Falk)
StarZero -- Dark glasses, a hip front man, leather, ladies and plenty of booze go into the nightly mix as Starzero go for the rock glory and, for the most part, manage to deliver. Glam and hard rock intimations abound, and the guitar sounds crisp while the mellower acoustic cuts work fairly well, too. The Venue on 5th (Shukla)
SATURDAY 10.25
Angie Aparo -- By now regional music followers should have a clue about the true gender of this musically adept dude. His crooning can bring the ladies to tears while playing moody and acoustic-laced pop. Aparo has obviously matured as a songwriter with each release, and the recent one, For Stars and Moon, kicks 11 tracks into a higher gear without sacrificing the harmony. Amos' Southend (Shukla)
Steve Kimock Band -- People who remember guitarist Kimock for his work with The Other Ones or Phil & Friends won't be completely surprised when they hear him with his own band. Some of that free-form style can be heard in Kimock's original music, but don't expect a typical jam band. His playing is sometimes reminiscent of Bill Frisell, Derek Trucks, or early Larry Coryell, but Kimock's his own man. He creates a lot of different sounds with his guitars and all of them sound personal. Fusion comes close to describing it because it starts with rock & roll and jazz. But it checks out blues, country, R&B and psychedelia along the way. Long instrumentals thunder forward behind a driving rhythm, wander along with a thoughtful guitar, or flesh out a pretty melody. His talented band, including Rodney Holmes on drums, easily follows wherever he wants to go. Visulite Theatre (Falk)
SUNDAY 10.26
Bob Schneider -- The good-looking, ex-Ugly American (and Sandra Bullock's beau, we hear) doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel on his latest, Lonelyland, but then again, the wheel being what it is, it doesn't need reinventing, right? As long as he steers clear of John Mayer supa-dupa-stardom, he's at least worth keeping a tab on. Smoke-cured voice? Check. A Springsteen-like balance of romancers and rockers? Check. Bits of Beat poetry in his cosmic balladry? Check please. Visulite Theatre (Davis)
TUESDAY 10.28
Junior Senior -- To paraphrase an old pitchforkme dia.com mention of the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, you are correct in thinking that this is the greatest thing ever. A young, slender straight man (Junior) and a burly, bearded gay man (Senior) have done the impossible over the last year or so: they've made the Indie nation get up and dance. A veritable antidote to yet another dose of four-track mope, Junior Senior do the whole Andrew W.K. thing rather nicely, except for the fact they have simpler rhymes, better beats, and less knucklehead metal guitar (all good things). Oh, and they don't wear old, nasty-ass white Levis. Shake it! With Electric Six. The Room (Davis)
Songwriter US Tour -- I'm game for solo performances by any of these fine female singer/songwriters: Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Colvin, Patty Griffin and Dar Williams. Here we have all four performing together, sharing the stage while swapping tales and songs on what should be a memorable evening of music. We've got country, bits of rockabilly, folk and acoustic-tinged songs that should touch on many social or relationship dilemmas, all told with wit, or a tear, or an affirmative chorus of "you got that right, honey." Ovens Auditorium (Shukla)