WEDNESDAY 11.10
Black Eyed Peas — The West Coast hip-hop outfit is funkier and more R&B oriented than the gangsta violence of their compatriots. Being socially conscious, as well as just plain fun, earns extra props. Read more about the Peas in our See & Do section. Belk Arena, Davidson College (Shukla)
The Mammals — The Mammals, featuring a grandson of Pete Seeger and daughter of Jay Ungar, take the timeless appeal of American music and instill a contemporary youthful fervor. The acoustic ensemble began as a trio and is now a full-fledged quintet. Call it modern folk, but this is still old-time jug/string-band music that harks back to an era when it was just called music and the word “genre” was still buried deep in the dictionary. The Evening Muse (Shukla)
THURSDAY 11.11
Paul Curreri — When Kelly Joe Phelps, no slouch himself at acoustic six-string, says that he’ll “do anything to expose” you to listeners, then offers you his personal studio and production skills, and even flies you around the country for gigs, well, you’ve probably got some serious guitar game. A spin of the resultant record, Songs for Devon Sproule, confirms it, Curreri sounding like a cross between Mississippi John Hurt and Nick Drake. With Paul Geremia and M.A. Holland. The Evening Muse (Schacht)
Raphael Saadiq — Saadiq appears as part of the new monthly soul showcase known as “Seasons of Soul.” Saadiq, aka Raphael Wiggins and formerly a third of the platinum R&B trio Tony, Toni, Tone, is an adept crooner. All the elements of contemporary and smooth R&B are there — you know, the svelte singer, super polished production and plenty of vocal modulations in between rhymes for lovers. Contemporary R&B can get a little too picture perfect at times, but it’s cool to see shows of this caliber in a club setting. Saadiq’s new album is Ray Ray. With Amp Fiddler. Amos’ Southend (Shukla)
FRIDAY 11.12
J Mascis and the Fog — If the thick, massive rock guitar riffs don’t get your attention, the sheer volume surely will. The former axeman of famed Dinosaur Jr. is as effective on an acoustic guitar, mind you. See our story in this issue. Amos’ Southend (Shukla)
Sever The Tie — The boys in STT have a new one in the can, which is being released by the A-OK North Carolina-friendly label Venge. Radio friendly, yet hard-hitting as hell, Sever The Tie would seem to be a natural for alt.rock radio, possessing all the requisite polish, meathook riffs, and emo/screamo angst to give the girls goose bumps and the guys an excuse to sweat out some post PBR/SAT angst. If early listens are any indication, you won’t want to be severing the tie with these guys any time soon. With A Day’s Change and The October Surprise. Milestone (Davis)
SATURDAY 11.13
Etheric — The Charlotte quartet is pulling out all the stops for this showcase gig — ushers in tuxes, red velvet curtains, costume changes and a top-notch light and sound show. The someone they’re trying to impress? Bill Aucoin, the man who put KISS in much-needed makeup and gave Billy Idol a mostly unwelcome second career after Generation X. The Room. (Schacht)
Captured! By Robots — Billed as “five robots, a horn section and one enslaved human,” Jay Vance’s C!BR is part comedy shtick, science fair exhibit, and rock & roll show. But a funny thing happened on the way to artistic freedom — the robots enslaved Vance, dragging his ass around the country and humiliating him nightly on stages across America. The Steeple Lounge (Schacht)
Chris Whitley — Whitley, the National steel-playing troubadour perhaps best known for his Daniel Lanois-produced record Living With the Law, plays an acoustic set tonight supporting his new twin releases, Weed and War Crime Blues. See our story in this issue. The Evening Muse (Davis)
Don Dixon/Arrogance — NC legend Don Dixon’s work as both producer (REM, Smithereens, Guadalcanal Diary) and musician (Dixon wields a mean bass guitar) sometimes overshadows the fact that the man has a way with a hook on the level with another hat-fond chap, Bill Dance. This show will also feature a reunion of Dixon’s famous/infamous band Arrogance, who released five albums to great critical and regional acclaim before signing to Warner Bros. and going the way of the do-do bird. That album was titled Suddenly, incidentally. Dixon has always had a sherry-dry wit, come to think of it. Double Door Inn (Davis)
John Hammond — Depending on your take, longtime road warrior John Hammond Jr. is either a vein in the still-beating heart of country/soul/blues, or else a mannered interpretive performer with a cultivated fieldhand voice but little of the instinctive drive that defined his famous father. Tom Waits liked him enough to produce a Hammond album of — you guessed it, Tom Waits songs — a few years back, which was a record that seemed to stir Hammond’s creative juices in a more current direction. Neighborhood Theatre (Davis)
SUNDAY 11.14
Talib Kweli — Since his days in Black Star with another rapper known for his streetwise-yet considered worldview, rapper/actor Mos Def, Qweli has matured into one of the few must-listen backpackrappers out there. See our See & Do section for more. Neighborhood Theatre (Davis)
TUESDAY 11.16
Sally Timms — A member in good standing of the long-running Brit pop-punk-cowboy outfit, The Mekons, Sally Timms is touring behind a universally praised solo disc, In the World of Him. See our story in this issue. The Evening Muse (Schacht)
WEDNESDAY 11.17
Medeski, Martin & Wood — There’s a streetwise urban element in the trio’s jam-jazz-funk that is now appreciated far and wide. MM&W honed their craft in the hollows of the downtown NYC jazz scene and each release in their multi-hued career is a trip down a different alley of jazz. The latest, End Of The World Party (Just In Case), is accessibly avant-garde. With Soulive. Tremont Music Hall (Shukla)
This article appears in Nov 10-16, 2004.
