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Aretha
Franklin
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Aretha
Franklin
Proctors
Theatre, Thursday
The queen
of soul herself will appear at Proctors this evening. Aretha
Franklin, an enormous success, especially in the late ·60s
when she had a run of hits with Columbia Records (including
·Chain of Fools· and ·(You Make Me Feel
Like) A Natural Woman·), is considered by many to be
one of the best vocalists in the world. Whatever you do, though,
don·t consider Lady Soul a thing of the past; she·s
back with a new album, So Damn Happy (sample it at www.sodamnhappy.com).
Her Web site says that the album ·ensures Aretha·s
status as a timeless hitmaker, always in stride and right
on time.· We presume tonight·s audience will
be treated to Aretha classics like ·Respect,·
·The House That Jack Built,· and, of course,
songs from her new disc. (May 11, 8 PM, $19.75-$64.75, 432
State St., Schenectady, 346-6204)
Pearl
Jam, My Morning Jacket
Pepsi
Arena, Friday
Pearl
Jam are back again, and this time they·re worth paying
attention to. In fact, it·s more like they·re
demanding everyone·s attention with their terrific
new (self-titled) album and its single, ·World Wide
Suicide.· If you saw them on Late Night With David
Letterman last week, you know what we mean: They totally rocked
the Ed Sullivan Theater. This Pepsi Arena show is one of the
first on the tour, so you know they·ll be fresh. Reverb-loving,
sort-of Southern rockers My Morning Jacket are an appropriate
opening act. By the way, we·re still in shock over
the Pepsi becoming the Times Union Center. We think we speak
for all local media in stating that if Hearst thinks forcing
us to print their name every week will make us their bitch,
they·re wrong. We·ll probably refer to the place
as the TUC, or the Tuckus; watch this space. (May 12, 7:30
PM, $52, 51 S. Pearl St., Albany, 487-2000)
Tommie
Sunshine
Red Square,
Friday
House-music
fans have a good reason to get out of the, um, house this
weekend, as Tommie Sunshine is scheduled to perform at Red
Square tomorrow (Friday) night. Brought to you by Capital
Region electronic-music collectives Massive Audio, Rise Fridays
at Red Square have been gathering steam as a Friday-night
party spot in downtown Albany, and this week·s show
is expected to be particularly notable. Brooklyn-based Sunshine
is considered an international superstar on the DJ circuit,
counting collaborations with Felix Da Housecat and LCD Soundsystem·s
James Murphy among his studio credits, and having been chosen
specifically to spin at Bjork·s tour-wrap party in
2003. In addition to his featured set, Friday night·s
lineup also offers an array local and regional DJ talent,
including the Brothers Wheeler, Scooby Carolan, and Lodge
Johnson. (May 12, 9 PM, $8, 388 Broadway, Albany, 432-8584)
The Disco
Biscuits
Palace
Theatre, Saturday
This weekend,
the Palace Theatre will host the Disco Biscuits, who will
play one of their first shows with their new drummer. The
Biscuits have carved their niche in the groove scene with
their trance-fusion concoctions that are often played differently
at each live gig, making each show a different aural spectacle
to appeal to those fans who attend on multiple nights. The
group are touring in support of their new live double album,
The Wind at Four to Fly, which contains ·definitive·
versions of many of their songs. But don·t be fooled,
they have no qualms about reinventing themselves and their
music as often as possible. So, if you like improvisation,
you might want to check this out even if you think you·ve
seen it all before. (May 13, 8 PM, $25, 27, 19 Clinton Ave.,
Albany, 465-4663)
She Wants
Revenge, OK Go, the Lashes
Northern
Lights, Tuesday
Hailing
from California·s San Fer-nando Valley, She Wants Revenge
present a masterful exercise in how to jump the ·80s
bandwagon without being too obvious. Perfectly plotted and
executed, the duo·s debut release on Fred Durst·s
Flawless Records imprint plucks beats and basslines from early
Depeche Mode and New Order records, adding heavily processed
vocals that sound like Ian Curtis reincarnate and lyrics about
girls who want boys who like boys to be girls that could be
lifted straight out of Pretty Hate Machine. Joining She Wants
Revenge for their Tuesday-night show are OK Go, who will be
making their second area appearance in just four days, and
the Lashes, a Seattle-based band whose current single, ·Sometimes
the Sun,· is a welcome blast from the past·three
minutes of harmony-laden power pop that recalls Cheap Trick,
Weezer and the Posies. (May 16, 7 PM, $12, 1208 Route 146,
Clifton Park, 371-0012)
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Noted |
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Uncle
Earl
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Get
yer fix of old-time bluegrass tonight (Thursday)
when Uncle Earl performs at the Egg (7:30 PM,
$18, 473-1845). . . . Tomorrow (Friday), celebrate
the 40th anniversary of the events that inspired
the ·Alice·s Restaurant Massacre·
with Arlo Guthrie and friends at Proctor·s
Theatre (8 PM, $34.75-$14.75, 346-6204). . . .
Bluesman Albert Cummings takes the stage at the
newly reopened Revolution Hall on Friday (9 PM,
$15, 273-2337). . . . Theme-pop group the Mathematicians
will present a stripped-down take on their manic
sound at Caffe Lena this Saturday (8 PM, $10,
583-0022). . . . The Sense Offenders, winners
of the recent open-mic Battle of the Bands at
Cheer·s, return to that venue for a show
of their own on Saturday (10 PM, $5, 489-8066).
. . . The one and only Neil Sedaka croons at Proctor·s
on Saturday (8 PM, $45.75-$19.75, 346-6204). .
. . Fresh off an appearance at the Tulip Festival,
emo-poppers the Loyalty will hit the upstairs
stage at Valentine·s on Saturday night,
along with It·s Already Taken and the Renowned
Army (9 PM, $5, 432-6572). . . . Creativity is
key this Tuesday, when Texas-based improvisational
musicians David Dove and Chris Cogburn join local
luminaries Al Kash, Terry Plunkett, Steve Lynch,
Suzanne Thorpe, and Marshall Trammell for
an evening of made-up stuff at the Grand Street
Community Arts Space, located in the Howe Branch
of the Albany Public Library (8 PM, $5 suggested
donation, 472-9485).
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Classifieds
