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Last
Call 10th Anniversary Show
Northern
Lights, Thursday
Last
Call, among the last remnants of the ’90s Troycore revolution,
have been pounding out workingman hardcore for 10 years, and
with recent successes and props from national hardcore legends
such as Agnostic Front, it is unlikely they will be stopping
anytime soon. While frontman Ralph Renna’s legendary mouth
has kept his band at the center of attention of the local
hardcore scene, it has also done wonders in promoting other
local bands and keeping the scene strong in general. The strength
of Last Call’s bond with other scene heavyweights will be
on display; the bill also features hardcore Dyin ta’ Live
and metallic goremasters Wasteform. (Jan. 13, 7 PM, $10,
1208 Route 146, Clifton Park, 371-0012)
Curtis
Stigers
WAMC
Performing Arts Studio, Saturday
Curtis
Stigers had a brief-but-spectacular encounter with pop-star
fame early in his career; as he remembered in a recent interview,
it “was pretty amazing for a 24-year-old to go from riding
subways in New York City and surviving on pizza, to opening
for Elton John and Eric Clapton at Wembley Stadium.” Pop stardom
wasn’t something Stigers was particularly interested in, however,
and the saxophonist-singer-songwriter has done a good job
of reinventing himself as a jazz guy in the years since his
15 minutes ended. His most recent album, I Think It’s Going
to Rain Today, finds him turning his R&B- influenced
jazz vocal style loose on songs by Willie Nelson, Mose Allison,
Tom Waits, Sting and Randy Newman (the evocative title tune).
Stigers is a repeat fave at WAMC’s “The Linda,” so you probably
should make reservations. (Jan. 14, 8 PM, $20, 339 Central
Ave., Albany, 465-5233 ext. 4)
Danny
Kalb
Caffe
Lena, Saturday
A
protégé of the late Dave Van Ronk, Danny Kalb has been playing
his distinctive style of blues on-and-off for four decades.
In addition to cofounding seminal ’60s combo Blues Project
with Al Kooper, Kalb has played on albums by Judy Collins,
Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs. In recent years, the Brooklynite
has become very active again, having released a series of
albums (produced at Silver Streak Studio in Ballston Lake)
including All Together, Now, Live in Brooklyn
and the upcoming two-disc “authorized bootleg,” Live at
Princeton. A Dirty Linen critic called All Together,
Now, his first album in 30 years, a “textbook of six-string
wizardry.” So, if you want to dig on the wizardry, head on
over to Caffe Lena on Saturday night. (Jan. 14, 8 PM, $15,
47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, 583-0022)
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| sarah
borges |
Sarah
Borges Band
Club
Helsinki, Saturday
Boston-based
Sarah Borges is riding high and touring tirelessly on the
critical acclaim of her debut album, Silver City, produced
by Paul Q. Kolderie (Radiohead, Uncle Tupelo, Hole). Her Americana
roots rock has made her Boston’s new musical sweetheart: Silver
City was recently awarded the 2005 Boston Music Award
for Best Local Debut Album. Don’t let her small presence fool
you: Hollywood Reporter’s Chris Morris writes about
the 27-year-old, “Los Angeles-based Sin City Marketing was
throwing a show at the Exit Inn during the Americana Music
Assn. conference. During the company’s all-hands-on-deck affair,
a slip of a girl named Sarah Borges took the stage, plugged
in her guitar for a few numbers, uncorked a wall-rattling
wail and blew everybody’s head off.” Check her out at Club
Helsinki this weekend. (Jan. 14, 9 PM, $10, 284 Main St.,
Great Barrington, Mass., 413-528-3394)
Benefit
for Will Burger
The
Ale House, Saturday
Six-year-old
Will Burger has had a rough holiday season. On Thanksgiving,
he woke up with a headache that turned out to be caused by
a malignant brian tumor called an anaplastic ependymona. Will
went to NYU for surgery, and doctors there were able to remove
the entire tumor, but now Will has to undergo a very expensive
six-and-a-half week treatment in Boston. In order to help
out with the ballooning medical bills, a benefit concert has
been arranged at the Ale House this weekend. The event will
be referred to as the Ale House Winter Party so young Will
won’t feel like the focus and reason for the event is his
illness. Lending their talent to this cause will be Kevin
Maul, Hayseed, Leigh Gibson, knotworking, and Lucky 57. Children
are invited to this event, too—entertainment will be provided
for them in the way of magic by Brisky. If you can’t make
it to this event, but would still like to contribute, you
can mail checks to the Ale House. (Jan. 14, noon, $10,
680 River St., Troy, 272-9740)
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Morello,
Distant by Design
Valentine’s,
Sunday
Ireland-based
Morello are a five-piece band whom Hot Press Magazine
(Ireland) call “an unholy racket of a band” who “kick serious
ass.” The band are in the middle of an all-out tour of the
United States to spread their Irish gospel. And no, they are
sure to point out on their Web site, they are not like
U2. Albany-based Distant by Design call themselves a “hard-rock
phenomenom” who have overcome “addictions, rejection, band
fights, bad blood, and mind-numbing line-up changes.” Quite
a lot of band drama in a few short years, we’d say. Anyhoo,
here are the other bands on this loaded bill: Sunday Girl,
Idols Never Die, Lost on Liftoff, and Grey Sky Sunday. (Jan.
15, 7 PM, $5, 17 New Scotland Ave., Albany, 432-6572)
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| Also
Noted |
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twenty-twos
|
At
Valentine’s tomorrow (Friday), it’s “Bad Luck
Friday” (there’s a reason for that title; do the
math) with Brent Gorton and the Tender Breasts,
Reports, and a solo turn from Brevator
and Complicated Shirt bassist Jason Jette
(9 PM, $5, 432-6572). . . . The Churchills
will play an afternoon set at FYE in Crossgates
on Saturday afternoon (2 PM, free, 464-0199).
. . . At Northern Lights on Saturday night, catch
Epic recording artists the Twenty-Twos,
along with the Loyalty; the Twenty-Twos’
single “Another Day” is currently featured on
the soundtrack for the Adam Sandler- produced
laugh-fest Grandma’s Boy (7:30 PM, $8,
371-0012). . . . On Sunday, at Mahoney’s Pub in
North Troy, a benefit will be held for the Zachary
Chirico Cancer Fund, featuring the talents of
Frank Jaklitsch, Jim Owen, the Girl,
Sean Rowe and the Acoustic Lawn Sausages
Catastrophe (4 PM, $10, 238-1760). . . . On
Tuesday eve, Canadian blues/world fusion artist
Harry Manx will make a stop at the
Middleburgh Public Library, of all places (7 PM,
$10, 827-4953).
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Columns
& Opinions
