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Sister
Sledge, the Trammps
Albany
Riverfront Park, Thursday
Break out the disco ball and put on your bell-bottoms; tonight
we’re gonna party like it’s 1979. Sister Sledge first hit
the U.K. Singles Chart in 1975 with “Mama Never Told Me.”
After a steady decline in popularity, the group were revived
by Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards of Chic. The pair helped
produce Sister Sledge’s most recognizable song, “We Are Family,”
which went on to hit the top of almost every chart imaginable.
The Trammps kick off the Thursday-night fever with their disco
anthem “Disco Inferno.” Tonight’s Alive at Five show is sponsored
by Bud Light—and the actual Budweiser Clydesdales will be
there doin’ the hustle! (July 17, 5 PM, free, Albany Riverfront
Park, Corning Preserve, Albany, 434-2032)
Super
400, Speakeasy
Valentine’s,
Saturday
We already told you how great Super 400 are once in this issue.
Troy’s finest are smack in the middle of a monthlong tour
with Missouri-based rockers Speakeasy, a jaunt that takes
the two acts through most of the Deep South for remainder
of July. Speakeasy play a funky blend that incorporates “percussive
guitars, razor sharp harmonicas, pinpoint three-part harmonies,
and punchy rhythms.” While the sum of those parts might seem
anathema to fans of Super 400’s hard-driving, classic sound,
Speakeasy are, first and foremost, a rock & roll band,
and a fun one at that. Let them prove it to you Saturday night
when they share the stage with, that’s right, a national treasure.
(July 19, 9 PM, $5, 17 New Scotland Ave., Albany, 432-6572)
Dionne
Warwick
Proctors
Theatre, Saturday
Which female singer had the most charted Billboard
hits in the rock era? Yeah, that one’s easy: Aretha Franklin.
Who comes in second? Mariah? Cher? Madonna? Nope. It’s Dionne
Warwick. In collaboration with composer-arranger Burt Bacharach
(and lyricist Hal David), Warwick became the supple, musically
(and emotionally) nuanced voice of an indelible 1960s-’70s
pop sound: “Walk on By,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,”
“I’ll Never Fall in Love Again,” “Message to Michael,” “Alfie,”
“I Say a Little Prayer.” Admit it, you’re humming one of these
tunes right now. As far as we’re concerned, that immunizes
her from extended cracks about astrology 1-900 lines. Then
there are her collaborations with the Spinners, and that hit
she had with Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder.
In short, when Warwick takes the main stage at Proctors on
Saturday night, she will bring as rich and varied a songbook
as anyone you’re ever likely to see. (July 19, 8 PM, $40-$65,
432 State St., Schenectady, 346-6204)
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| Ed
Harcourt |
Ed
Harcourt, Jeff Klein
Bearsville
Theater, Sunday
Speaking of rich and varied songbooks, British singer-songwriter
Ed Harcourt makes a rare trip upstate this weekend. Since
being nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2001 (for Here
Be Monsters), the Londoner has released another handful
of great records, including this year’s The Beautiful Lie.
Unfortunately, his track record here in the States has been
spotty: Lie went unreleased for a full two years here
after Harcourt was dropped from his former label; beyond that,
the album’s title shares an unfortunate similarity to one
released by no-talent Leto-emo act 30 Seconds to Mars. This
may all work to the benefit of the fans, however—you’re lucky
to see this guy in such an intimate venue. Equally excellent
is show opener Jeff Klein; his own fine catalog notwithstanding,
Klein has spent the last few years backing Mark Lanegan and
Greg Dulli in the Twilight Singers, then the Gutter Twins.
Yeah, it’s a Sunday, but you weren’t planning on hitting the
sack early anyway, right? (July 20, 8 PM, $8, 291 Tinker
St., Woodstock, 845-679-4406)
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127,
Broadcast Live
Grand
Street Community Arts, Monday
Sure, you love to complain that cool stuff doesn’t happen
in Albany—but it does! Here’s a prime example: On Monday,
you have a rare opportunity to hear a live rock band from
a country that doesn’t much care for live rock bands. For
Iranian band 127, every show is a celebration of freedom:
In 2006, they became the first band from their native country
to tour the United States; now they’re back in support of
their third CD, Khal Punk. Meanwhile, the five-piece
band aren’t even allowed to release discs in their own country!
They were invited up to Albany by socially conscious hip-hop/rock
act Broadcast Live, who are preparing for the release of their
second disc, Semiautomatic, due this fall. So Monday’s
show will be the first time 127 bring their jazz-tinged alt-rock
to the Capital Region—don’t let it be the last. (July 21,
7 PM, $7, 64 Grand St., Albany, grandarts.org)
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| Also
Noted |
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| Sarah
Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion |
Tomorrow
(Friday), British rock legend Graham Parker
and Saratoga rock legend Mike Gent will
play together and separately at the Linda; they’ll
lead a songwriter’s workshop prior to the concert
at 5 PM (8 PM, $20, 465-5233 ext. 4). . . . There’s
nothing like playing at dad’s house: The harmonious
duo of Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion
pull a two-nighter at the Guthrie Center in Great
Barrington, Mass., this Friday and Saturday, with
sister Annie Guthrie in tow (8 PM, $20,
$18 members, 413-528-1955). . . . Also in Great
Barrington on Friday night, catch a solo performance
from ’80s Brit-pop semi-legend Lloyd Cole
at Club Helsinki (9 PM, $22, 413-528-3394).. .
. Make a day of it in Salem this Saturday, starting
with a performance by Irish folkster Connie
Moynihan as part of the Summer Sounds of Salem
series, at the Main Street Gazebo (11 AM, free,
935-3297). . . . Saturday also marks the annual
SAWfest at Salem Art Works; among the acts billed
are Jon athan Kane’s Feb ruary, Neptune,
Psychoneedles, and the Capital Region’s
own Gun Christmas (2 PM, $10, 854-7674).
. . . Poughkeepsie-based rock & rollers the
Greyhounds play Sunday’s Collar City Live
concert at Troy Riverfront Park on Sunday (6 PM,
free, 270-4624). . . . Here’s something else you
could do on Sunday, if you’re into that kind of
thing: Multi-platinum rockers 3 Doors Down
play the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, with
guests Hinder and Staind (6:30 PM,
$25-$45, 476-1000). . . . The Berkshire Fringe
festival kicks off their :30 Live! music series
this week at the Daniel Arts Center at Simon’s
Rock in Great Barrington, Mass.; on Monday catch
experimental duo ItsNotYouItsMe (7 PM,
free, 413-320-4175). . . . She needs no introduction,
and neither does she: Odetta headlines
this week’s Monday Nights in the Park concert
at Albany’s Washington Park; MotherJudge
opens (6 PM, free, 434-3861).
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