WEDNESDAY, OCT. 29
Tim Fite Brooklynite Fite has dropped much of the early-Beck hip-hop moves that made his blistering attack on consumer culture, Over the Counter Culture, so visceral. But the more hook-oriented Fair Ain’t Fair isn’t any less promiscuous in its use of styles and off-kilter instrumentation to recreate whatever the hell Fite’s hearing inside his head. And in this depressed economic environment, Fite’s sardonic take on greed and “free market” dysfunction adds some welcome levity. With his stage-mate Dr. Leisure and a bevy of backup singers – three Tim Fites projected onto a screen, singing in perfect harmony with the one on stage – this sucker promises to be a memorable night. Opening for Man Man. Visulite (John Schacht)
THURSDAY, OCT. 30
Kevin Montgomery Montgomery is on a daunting 50 states in 50 days tour. The Nashville native is doing gobs of shows, including many house concerts, pushing his new disc True. But breathless touring aside, the singer-songwriter has written and performed solid country, folk and rock songs for the better part of two decades. He tells fluid American tales coated with cozy roots music. Evening Muse (Samir Shukla)
Locksley The Brooklyn combo has a knack for writing songs blending Brit pop and garagey punk that’s damn catchy. Currently touring in support of their freshly released debut Don’t Make me Wait, Locksley can be radio stars with songs that sway between The Beatles and the Jam while the Ramones get in on the fun. The youngsters are still testing the musical waters but are already quite adept at creating infectious pop. With the Hymns. Visulite (Shukla)
Astronautalis Part folkie, part back-pack-rapper, Astronautalis’ work isn’t all that far removed from the best of a Subtle or Odd Nosdam – on Pomegranate, his latest, Astronautalis (nee Andy Bothwell) mixes beats, boasts and backing with a fluidity that befits his name: some Southern Gothic grit here, some desolate, desert-island-style shit there. His lyrics are equally proletariat: story-style songs seen through the peepers of white-collar criminals, mountain men, and moonshine runners. Recommended. With sBach, 2013 Wolves, Bluebird. Milestone (Timothy C. Davis)
JJ Grey & Mofro Deep-voiced, front-porch, swampy rock and blues make up the ammunition of the Florida band formerly known as Mofro. They’ve opened for the Allmans and played festivals and fit in just about anywhere. Grey’s got that old-school, deep blues-y voice that hits deep in your soul and makes you pay attention. It’s nothing flashy to watch, but damn if it won’t stir your feet and rock your socks off. With the Hill Country Revue. Neighborhood Theatre (Jeff Hahne)
SATURDAY, NOV. 1
Mike Relm It’s one thing to sample music and movies to a techno beat, but it’s a completely different animal when they’re matched up with the video clips they came from. When Relm scratches, the video shakes. Pure audio/visual stimulation worth checking out. With Bassnecter. Neighborhood Theatre (Hahne)
SUNDAY, NOV. 2
Sleeping in the Aviary Sonically residing somewhere between 16 Horsepower’s swamp noir, Violent Femmes snark and the Thermals high wattage, this Madison/Minneapolis quartet can go from slow-burn blues to feedback-freakout in a cardiac moment. Its new one, Expensive Vomit In a Cheap Hotel, is … well, you can’t really improve on that, can you? Rock ‘n’ roll, kids. With Saint Solitude. Snug Harbor (Schacht)
Dar Williams The hard-touring Williams has developed quite the loyal boomer (and boomer-to-be) fanbase over the years with her mix of Boston-style acoustic folk iced with a sugar-swabbed voice most radio-ready pop singers would kill for. She’s flirted with VH1-dom (back when they played videos) with The Green World, but has since settled back into an Internet-fueled, DIY, word-of-mouth music version of former Houston Astro Craig Biggio – she still doesn’t do anything that just pops out at you (her sleeve-hearted songwriting in particular can seem overly fey on repeated listens), but she routinely does all the little things well – melody, time, phrasing and the like. She’s still about 2,998 hits short of 3,000, however. Neighborhood Theatre (Davis)
TUESDAY, NOV. 4
Café Tacuba Arguably the Mexican quartet Café Tacuba led the rock en español movement beginning in the early ’90s. Its music has evolved into a signature mix of ambient tones, electronica, Latin rhythms and Mexican folk, jazz and, of course, plenty of rock. It’s the band’s ethos of multigenre approach to music, moody yet danceable, that’s endearing to their long-running fans as well as newer recruits. Amos’ Southend (Shukla)
This article appears in Oct 28 – Nov 4, 2008.
