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The
Bravery
Iron
Horse Music Hall, Thursday
New
York rockers the Bravery have followed in the footsteps of
hometown boys the Strokes by releasing and promoting an EP
across the pond before attempting to crack the U.S. market.
The strategy seems to be working, too: They were recently
picked as the most promising new act in a BBC News poll, Rolling
Stone picked them as one of 2005’s Artists to Watch, and
their single “Unconditional” made a killing on the U.K. charts,
which bodes well for their stateside debut. So has all this
acclaim gone to their heads? You betcha. In a recent issue
of NME, bandleader Sam Endicott was quoted as saying,
“Have you ever seen that movie Twins? Well, you know
all those other bands we’re compared to? The Strokes, the
Killers, all those bands? They’re Danny DeVito. The Bravery
are Arnold Schwarzenegger.” Alright, then. Apollo Sunshine
and Lincoln Conspiracy will open tonight’s show at the Iron
Horse. (Jan. 27, 10 PM, $10, 10 Center St., Northampton,
Mass., 413-584-0610)
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Michael
Century
Chapel
+ Cultural Center, Friday
Pianist
Michael Century, an RPI music prof, is teaming up with video
artist Kurt Ralske for a special performance of the late Morton
Feldman’s Triadic Memories. Feldman, one of the more
intriguing modern composers who fell under the influence of
John Cage, came to take an exclusively intuitive approach
to composing. His expansive compositions were known for their
imagination and wide-ranging qualities. Triadic Memories
is, according to the good folks at the Chapel + Cultural Center
(where it will be performed tomorrow night), “quiet throughout
and eccentrically repetitive.” While Century plays the piece,
Ralske will project a video that parallels and “complements”
the music. Please note: While the doors open at 7:30 PM, the
performance is scheduled to begin precisely at 8 PM. (Jan.
28, 8 PM, free, 2125 Burdett Ave., Troy, 274-7793)
 Melissa
Ferrick, the Navigators
Revolution
Hall, Saturday
Singer-songwriter
Melissa Ferrick delivers emotional, folk-pop tunes with an
indie-driven style. On her last album, The Other Side,
Ferrick not only did the songwriting and singing, but all
of the instrumentals, the production and the recording. How
many college-dropouts do you know who can do all that? She’s
gone from singing in coffee shops to regular touring since
she began to build a strong following. They probably won’t
be serving coffee at Revolution Hall, but they do serve beer—so
get a cold one and relax to the sound of Ferrick’s guitar.
(Jan. 29, 8 PM, $12, 425 River St., Troy, 273-2337)
Dough
Valentine’s,
Saturday
Power-poppers
Dough cut their teeth in the tastemaking club circuit of Manhattan’s
Lower East Side, punching their way up through the ranks of
bands trying to, you know, make it big. Along the way,
they released a slickly recorded debut CD that, thanks to
the now-defunct Web site garageband.com, caught the ear of
U2 producer Steve Lillywhite. The group cite Squeeze, Weezer,
and Elvis Costello as major influences; their sound doesn’t
fall so far from the alt-rock sounds of Eve 6 or Fountains
of Wayne. But why Valentine’s, you ask, when the city—heck,
the world—is seemingly at their fingertips? Well, bassist
Tony Maceli just so happens to be of familial relation to
Paul Maceli, who just so happens to be lead singer of area
prog-rockers Acoustic Trauma, a band who just so happen to
also be on Saturday’s bill. (Jan. 29, 8 PM, $8, 17 New
Scotland Ave., Albany, 432-6572)
Peter
Lang
Caffe
Lena, Sunday
Along
with John Fahey and Leo Kottke, Peter Lang is regarded as
one of America’s preeminent finger-style guitarists. In fact,
in 1974 a compilation featuring the three topped the Billboard
charts. Since then, Lang has kept a comparatively low profile,
working in film and animation, and spending time with family.
But with the release of his new disc, Dharma Blues,
Lang’s back in the public eye and back on the road. It might
be wise to catch this master of American primitive guitar
style before he disappears again. (Jan. 30, 7 PM, 47 Phila
St., Saratoga Springs, $12, 583-0022)
Alabama
Thunderpussy
Hudson
Duster, Tuesday
Their
name alone makes us think of a warm bottle of Old Grand-Dad
and a spliff the size of Popeye’s forearm. In fact, so does
their music: Richmond-based miscreants Alabama Thunderpussy
do that Southern-spiced metal thing as good as, if not better
than, contemporaries like Queens of the Stone Age, Clutch,
and Monster Magnet. It’s a dirty, lively beast, oh yes; it’s
the kind of rock that makes you want to paint up the old Rambler
like the General Lee and crash it into your neighbor’s front
porch. They’re taking a night off from opening the current
GWAR tour to unleash their dark forces on Troy, so join in
the hard and heavy fun . . . but leave the fake bodily fluids
at home, OK? Also on the bill: Small Axe, Great Day for Up,
Xibala, and To Hell and Back. (Feb. 1, 8 PM, $3, 40 Third
St., Troy, 687-2391)
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Noted |
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Michael
Tolcher
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We’ll
break our tradition of listing these things chronologically,
and start with Saturday, which is when Channel
103.1 will present a tsunami-relief benefit show
over at Northern Lights; all proceeds will be
donated to the Red Cross Relief Fund. Bands scheduled
to appear include the Sofa Kingz, Shift,
Pile of Heads, North Allen,
the Erotics, and several more (6 PM, $12,
371-0012). . . . Jumping back a day to tomorrow
(Friday), it looks like there will be live music
just about everywhere: Valentine’s will handle
the heavy stuff, as Endicott and Lucia
Lie bring the ruckus (8 PM, $10, 432-6572);
try the Lark Tavern for something on the somewhat-lighter
side, as the Capital Region’s own Paddy Kilrain
will perform with a full band, along
with hard-touring folk-rocker Pamela Means
(9:30 PM, $5, 463-9779); the Flywheel (Easthampton,
Mass.) will be the place for the, um, weird stuff,
as Ace-Fu recording artists Man Man—a “junk
shop jazz punk quartet from Philly”—will do their
thing, along with (F)-Thndr, Minivan,
Aren’t, and our pick for Band Name of the
Week, Dude Law (7:30 PM, $5, 413-527-9800);
and at King’s Tavern, the irreverent (at least
in name) Supercunt and the Big Red Chunks
will do, well, whatever they do, with help from
shtick-rockers Five Alpha Beatdown and
two-piece Dungeons & Dragons-obsessed death-metal
band (read: shtick-rockers) Clam of God
(9 PM, $5, 581-7090). . . . Back at Northern Lights,
Michael Tolcher will round out the weekend
on Sunday, along with Faith Prescott, Nate
Rice, and Mike Grosshandler (of the
Velmas) (7 PM, $10, 371-0012).
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