Arts and Culture Calendar
Wednesday July14
Braid, Recover, Moneen, Limbeck
Meow Meow
7:30 p.m.
$12
I saw Limbeck a while ago and was impressed with theirgood-times vibe and sunshiny music. Although they?re not thegreatest band ever, I kind of like them in the same embarrassingway that I like Kiss. Also, Braid is supposed to be famous, andthey?re having a reunion. See them if you want to hear somethinglike The Pixies, only a lot less clever, much less rocking andwhinier.
The Walkmen, The Swords Project, The Volumes
Berbati?s Pan
8:30 p.m.
$10, 21+
Live, the Walkmen rock harder and louder than the spaciousnessof their albums might suggest. The Swords Project expel more energyduring one of their songs than most bands do in a whole set,creating a vaguely orgasmic climax at the end of every intenselyorchestrated number. They alone are worth the price ofadmission.
Eric Lovre?s Surf Guitar Extravaganza
Boon?s Treasury
8 p.m
Free, 21+
Don?t go to this show because Eric Lovre was in the DharmaBums. Just go to see some surf guitar, which is by defaultthe music playing in your head whenever you do anything ?slick? or?smooth.? It also lends itself well to monster and zombie themes,and is especially great in the summertime.
Thursday July 15
Sonic Youth
Crystal Ballroom
8 p.m.
$20, $25 door
Wow! 25 bucks? What?s up with that, guys? I don?t have that muchmoney to spend! But for those with more capital than me, this isclearly the only place to be tonight. Sonic Youth?s new album is alot easier on the uninitiated ears than the classics and builds alot on the more mellow explorations of Murray Street, but whatreally makes it is Thurston Moore screaming ?Kill Yr Idols?SonicDeath!? over cacophonous and howling guitar. In any case, though, ashow riddled with songs from Sonic Nurse is pretty exciting, too.
Sonic Youth After Party with Gorge Trio, Cheval De Frise, LeTon Mite
Berbati?s Pan
After SY Concert
$5, Free w/SY ticket stub
Are there any reasons not to go to this? It?s free, it?s aperfect way of continuing the party you started at the Crystal,and, even if you don?t have a stub, it?s a paltry $5.
Reverend Horton Heat, The Detroit Cobras, TheForty-Fives
Roseland Theater
8 p.m.
$17.50
Reverend Horton Heat is one of the few who could give SonicYouth a run for my money. This show with garagey fiends the DetroitCobras is going to be straight up, maximum rock ?n? roll. Knowingthe Roseland, it?ll probably be changed to 21+ at the last minute.So, kids, be prepared for disappointment. At least there?ll be SYto console you.
Friday July 16
Short Eyes, Marked Men, The Minds, Electric Eye
Twilight Cafe
July 16
Big surprise, there?s a raucous rock show at the Twilighttonight. This lineup is especially interesting, though, with theMinds providing heavy doses of ass-moving punk rock with keyboards.
Mecca Normal
Disjecta
9 p.m.
Mecca Normal is here, but not just to play. They want to talk toyou, do workshops and show off their art as well. Don?t miss yourchance to see the indie legends in all kinds of action.
Camera Obscura, The Owls
Dante?s
10 p.m.
21+
Camera Obscura look like they belong in the cutout bin at somecorner record store in the late ?70s, as they wanly hold an oldcamera and wear interesting knit hats on the cover of their latestLP, Underachievers Please Try Harder. As one could expect, insideis contained delicate and lush indie pop vaguely in the Belle andSebastian vein. Tender arrangements of chamber strings andheart-on-sleeve acoustic numbers poke up here and there. Live,bands like this can be a mixed bag, since they often don?t put onmuch of a show, but usually are worth seeing anyway as a respitefrom the mindless whining and the bludgeoning of my musicalsensibilities that seems to take place a lot these days.
Nocturnal
8 p.m.
$10
Rootsy blues-punk from before the bogus rootsy blues punkrevival, The Gossip does it right with touches of sixties soul andthe swaggering voice of Beth Ditto. Although she pretty much holdsthe whole thing together, the band has enough chops to make a goodtime for everyone involved.
Pop Tarts Present American Idols Live!
Rose Garden
7 p.m.
$42.25-$52.75
Let Pop Tarts and television show you what real music is, andfor only $43! I guess that?s a pretty good value considering howmany performers there are. But ugh, who needs to see these hackslive? Seeing them from the television and every magazine in theworld is enough for me.
Saturday July 17
Ken Stringfellow, Viva Voce, Bridget St. John
Crystal Ballroom
8 p.m.
$8, 21+
Ken Stringfellow of the Posies hits up Lola?s tonight, armedwith songs from his new release Soft Commands. His Big Star-esquestylings please, but minus Jon Auer, inevitably cannot live up tothe Posies? mastery of dense and somewhat upbeat power pop. VivaVoce?s gritty boy-girl pop confection please deliciously, too, soit?s a deal as long as you don?t factor in the cost ofdrinks.
Suicide Girls Live Burlesque Tour
Dante?s
9 p.m.
$10, 21+
The Suicide Girls finally do something to justify the 13 bucks Ipaid to join their site. My friend caught this tour in New York andsaid that it was kind of boring but I would take the chance thatthe hometown show would be a little more entertaining.
Gomez, The Thrills, Polyphonic Spree
Roseland Theater
7:30 p.m.
The Thrills are the highlights here, since they sound like abunch of Brian Wilsons if he had been a lot lazier and more intositting on the beach and doing mellow and psychedelic drugs. But doyou really want to sit through the cloying, overenthusiastic horrorthat is the Polyphonic Spree? It?s your call.
Sunday July 18
The Psyche Ward, Doctor Blotter, the Black Flower
Ringlers Pub
10 p.m.
Free, 21+
Rave up tonight at Ringlers, or maybe not if these bands don?tlive up to their LSD-25 soaked names. In any case, mining late ?60srock usually ends well, so this one is probably more of a hit thana miss.
Monday July 19
Your house
All ages, free
Am I the only one on this planet that remembers ?Rad,? the BMXsuperfilm of 1986? It was similar to teen classic ?The Karate Kid,?only this time everyone rode bikes. It even had the same villain,Brad, the blonde, rich and successful hooligan. The moment ouryoung protagonist does a super, well, rad, backflip to win the bigrace the BMX announcer, shocked and awed, yells ?Eat your heartout, Hulk Hogan!? In 80?s-speak this means someone has donesomething extraordinary, something profound. Today is your day todo something profound. Like rubbing your man down or getting drunkon pruno at the neighborhood T-Ball game. Do something tonight and,for God?s sake, do it Rad.
Tuesday July 20
Editor?s Pick
Chromeo, Panther
Berbati?s Pan
9:30pm
$6, 21+
Imagine if you will the best band of all time. Chromeo.See it or never show your face around the compound again.
