WEDNESDAY 4.24
Dismemberment Plan — Washington, DC quartet Dismemberment Plan nicely segue working class post-punk with post-class college angst better than most anyone around. The band lurches and burps beautifully with jagged icicles of guitar, bouncy bass and Travis Morrison’s inimitable, turn-on-a-dime vocals. With Paris TX and local Justin Williams’ intriguing new post-pop project The Talk. Highly recommended. Tremont Music Hall (Davis)
Independence Project — A sort of artist cooperative of New York City singer-songwriters, the Indy Project features Rebecca Martin, who started the whole thing, Eric Metzgar, and Goats In Trees, a sort of Calexico-like blend of atmospheric country and folk. For more info, check out www.independenceproject.com. The Evening Muse (Davis)
THURSDAY 4.25
4th Ward / Jill Austin Band — Songwriter Mike Shannon leads this Charlotte quintet of power-pop rockers who’ve been pumping their bubbly recent release Wonderland. The record is a nice set of tunes served up with memorable hooks, keyboards that enhance rather than annoy, and a refreshingly original take on harmony-filled melodic rock. Shannon trades off vocal duties with other members to give the whole thing a broader range. The mature musical camaraderie of the band is obvious, and the happy-go-lucky vocals only add to the flavor. // Jill Austin Band is a Charlotte-based quartet of females fronted by Jill on the 12-string guitar playing a blend of searing blues, rock & roll, and folk music. Think an earthier Melissa Etheridge or a more gospel-influenced Ani. Double Door Inn (Shukla)
Nappy Roots — A buzz band par excellence, Nappy Roots is a collective of a goodly number of native Kentuckians who eschew bling-bling for the most part, in favor of a more “salt of the earth” vibe. Not always uplifting — or preachy, as one might expect from past acts like Arrested Development. They have a new disc coming out, Watermelon, Chicken and Gritz, an examination of all things nappy (the band’s adopted term for really keeping it real), and not hiding behind Cadillac Escalades, iced-out jewelry, empty sexual boasts and, not least, guns and violence, either real or imagined. Most MTV rap is the aesthetic equivalent of an episode of Entertainment Tonight. The Napsters are more like an episode of WBTV’s old Carolina Calling: an interesting look at normal, slice-of-life folks, each with their own stories to tell. Part of RapFest 2002 w/ N2 Abyss, Dirty 130, Infamous, and The Free Agentz. Grady Cole Center (Davis)
FRIDAY 4.26
Chris Shinn Project — Since the disbanding of Shinn’s likable Unified Theory, which featured former members of Blind Melon and Pearl Jam, Shinn’s been working with a new lineup, which still contains drummer Dave Krusen (who played on Pearl Jam’s Ten album), as well as new bass player Cody Davis, moonlighting from local avant-bangers The Flyweb. With The Talk and The Limit. The Chris Shinn Project will also play Tuesday at the Double Door. Fat City (Davis)
New Dixie Pharaohs — Homegrown quartet add shades of swing and Americana twang to traditional bluegrass. Kick your feet back and soak in the sound, as the several tracks available on their website are about as tasty as anything out there in the burgeoning world of bluegrass music in the good old US of A. The evening should be a right good hoedown. Puckett’s Farm Equipment (Shukla)
SATURDAY 4.27
The American Plague — Trio of punkers by way of Knoxville, TN, rake in many elements, including glam, hard rock and “in the garage” free-for-alls, and put them into the blender of adrenaline-charged rock & roll. It’s simple, rocking and frightfully fresh, as the crunch and munch of guitar/bass/drums digs in and stays in. Their self-titled E.P. from last fall answers all queries as the spirits of the Stooges and Motorhead live on. Also on the bill are Gonzales and Gollum. Fat City (Shukla)
J.J. Cale / Darden Smith — One of the benchmarks of the songwriting textbook and gurus of American music is J.J. Cale. He speaks softly but carries the proverbial big stick of influence. “Call Me The Breeze” (covered by Lynyrd Skynyrd), “Cocaine” and “After Midnight,” (both made into rock standards by Clapton) are just the tip of the iceberg of Cale’s output of songs. Bloody shame, when it comes to airplay and shows, that Cale is still mostly appreciated in the hipper cliques. Open the textbook, younguns; the lesson begins with the first sigh and twang of the mighty guitar. Darden Smith has been moving toward more polished soft rock since his folk-country debut back in the late 80s. The tunesmith is out on the road pushing his upcoming record, Sunflower. Visulite Theatre (Shukla)
Lou Ford — The band’s looking at a possible upcoming tour of the Northeast with Alejandro Escovedo, which ought to deservedly bring them some new fans. As tight as ever with the addition of bassist Jeff Larish, Lou Ford continue to bring the noise as they always have — a glowing haze of feedback and regret tempered with a halo of self-searching redemption. With The Avett Brothers. Puckett’s Farm Equipment (Davis)
TUESDAY 4.30
Soulive — When this band played in Charlotte last year, they were on a tour for Blue Note records, opening for label mates Charlie Hunter and Jazz Mandolin Project. Even though Soulive wasn’t as well known as the other two, they should have been the closing band, because they blew the others away. Back then, they were an organ/guitar/drums trio playing a funky brand of jazz with great rhythms and a lot of energy. Now they’re a quartet with alto saxophone, and it’s a great addition. Sam Kininger matches the aggressiveness of drummer Alan Evans and gives the band another strong lead player, sometimes in the vein of James Brown’s great saxophonist Maceo Parker. At their best, the band sounds a lot like a jazzier version of Brown’s 1970’s funk machine. Visulite Theatre (Falk)
WEDNESDAY 5.1Badly Drawn Boy — Indie wunderkind Damon Gough, aka Badly Drawn Boy, has been snaring much attention for his brand of distracted, noisy lo-fi pop music. Gough creates tickly prickly guitar pop while indulging his muse with releasing single takes as final versions. His latest work is the music backdrop for the new Hugh Grant flick About A Boy; the soundtrack should be on the streets by the time you read this. Manifest Discs & Tapes (Shukla)
This article appears in Apr 24-30, 2002.
