WEDNESDAY 10.15
The Mahavishnu Project — Yes, this is sort of a tribute show. Yes, I’m going to write about it anyway. TMP basically serve the same sort of function with John McLaughlin (no, not the “Issue Two!” guy) that Project/Object do with Frank Zappa — a sort of loving tribute that avoids the cover band mentality of note-for-note cribbing in favor of a jam band’s loving expansionism. For the uninitiated, Mahavishnu John McLaughlin was a forerunner of world/jazz/rock fusion in the 1970s, and managed to make most of it sound rather fresh. Good luck to the guy who has to mimic his million-notes-a-second soloing, however. Visulite Theatre (Davis)
Ware River Club / Twinemen — Just a damn good rock band here, the kind you don’t see a whole lot of anymore. The subject matter is small town gothic, but the music avoids becoming the aural equivalent of Raymond Carver thanks to the Westerbergian snarl the band summons on occasion. If the Replacements and the Jayhawks had a tobacco-fueled baby, it’d be Ware River Club. Incidentally, WRC’s third full length, Cathedral, will be released in January of next year by Spirithouse, an independent record label founded by music industry vet Danny Bernini. (Davis) / Calling all Morphine fans — and not fans of the actual narcotic but those who favored the dark, sultry sounding bass-sax-drums trio from a few years back. Following the untimely death of vocalist/bassist Mark Sandman, remaining Morphine members Dana Colley and Billy Conway teamed up with female vocalist Laurie Sargent, and this trio is now touring and recording as Twinemen. Sargent is similar to Margo Timmins of the Cowboy Junkies — she puts her own unique stamp on things but remains subtle enough not to overpower the music. Good stuff, particularly for those of us who need a (Morphine) fix. The Evening Muse (Farris)
THURSDAY 10.16
Dromedary — Andrew Reissiger and Rob McMaken, the duo known as Dromedary, evoke images of faraway lands using acoustic string instruments such as mandolin, classical guitar and Charango. It’s a trek through the rhythms of the world and you’ve probably heard bits of their flowing sound on NPR. Whether their muse is traversing through the Andes, North Africa or our own neck of the world in Appalachia with a dulcimer, the effect is hallucinatory. They also thicken the sound with occasional guest musicians to trio or quartet settings as showcased on the disc Live from the Make Believe. With Mike Strauss and Laura Blackley. The Evening Muse (Shukla)
The Kerosene Bros. — The Kerosene Brothers rock hard and temper the guitars with banjos and hillbilly shenanigans. They are essentially the rock & bluegrass alter ego of the boys who created the bluegrass versions of AC/DC and Kiss, Hayseed Dixie. The cast members will be pulling overtime as this is a double-bill with Hayseed Dixie headlining. Amos’ Southend (Shukla)
Kevin Gordon Band — A graduate of the University of Iowa (where he studied poetry at the prestigious Iowa Writers’ Workshop), Gordon never lost his first love, that of early rock & roll as purveyed by Lewis, Berry, Cochran and Co. Keb’ Go’ is one of the few songwriters around that understands the maxim that sometimes a writer can say more with what he leaves out than with what he puts in. Poetic stuff, but not in a sensitive songwriter kind of way. Rather, in a “saying what needs to be said in the best and fewest words possible” kind of way. Shit — that’s way too long to be a maxim. See how hard it is? With Rick Spreitzer. The Evening Muse (Davis)
Widespread Panic — Yes, they’re not the Grateful Dead, and sure, much of their “improvisation” you can usually predict long before it “happens.” However, they became jam band superstars by building a grass (ahem) roots following based on a road-warrior touring schedule, which I can certainly respect, and all the guys are certainly A+ musicians. The band hasn’t lost a step since the unfortunate death of guitarist Mikey Houser, and while I haven’t heard the new incarnation, I imagine it sounds much like it always has: the biggest-selling bar band in the world. Whether or not such a description appeals to you is another thing entirely. With Leftover Salmon. Cricket Arena (Davis)
SATURDAY 10.18
Allison Moorer — Moorer, best known to some as the sister of Shelby Lynne, definitely has the better temper of the two siblings, and she’s a better dresser (then again, besting someone never photographed wearing anything except underwear ain’t hard). The music, you say? Glad you asked. Her new one, Show, is a nice document of the live Moorer experience, so much so that even an iffy duet with the omnipresent Kid Rock even seems to work. She’s not necessarily Nashville country or alt.country, but don’t hold that against her. It’s just good country, for the most part, even if no one knows how to sell it. With Todd Huff. Sylvia Theater, York (Davis)
The Lackies — Spanning the chapters of rock history, The Lackies cover bases from Mersey Beat to grunge and southern boogie. There are nice pop tunes with warm jazz flourishes, amped-up rockers and a few forays in between. It works darn well in the end with the band coaxing pop music into a multi-pronged beast. The Lackies provide the fodder for those seeking unpretentious and melodic rock & roll. George Washington Bookstore & Tavern, Concord (Shukla)
Voodoo Organist / The Necro Tonz — Scott Wexton, aka Voodoo Organist, seems like the geek in high school who grew up to be the long lost cousin of Jim Morrison. Using organ as the main theme, he takes drum machines, theremin and other instrumentation to create a keyboards-induced cocktail. / At first look, the Necro Tonz may seem like a goth band doing Kiss covers or one of the masked rap-metal outfits. Well, peek into the boudoir and preconceptions go out the door when Las Vegas cocktail jazz permeates the air. It’s a tiki party as well as dinner jacket dancing while bits of nostalgia TV themes are strewn about the surroundings. The quintet happens to be from Vegas and, along with Voodoo, show promise as the hip, exotica lounge gig of the week. Fat City (Shukla)
WEDNESDAY 10.22
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 straddling fluffy pop to moody rock. With the newish Black Market Radio. Double Door Inn (Shukla)
This article appears in Oct 15-21, 2003.
