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Julian
Velard, Ari Hest, Marianne Keith
Falstaff’s,
Thursday
It takes a real stand-up dude to reference Michael McDonald
as a major influence in this day and age, but that’s what
Julian Velard is all about: unabashed love for all things
saccharine. Late ’70s power-pop is what Velard does best,
but this need not be a guilty pleasure. Psst! He’s
kind of a big deal in London. Ari Hest, however, is done being
a big deal for all the right reasons, as his abandonment of
a major record deal sparked an independent project in which
he aims to release 52 original songs in 52 weeks over the
course of 2008. Needless to say, he’ll have a bit of material
to draw on tonight. California songsmith Marianne Keith will
throw in a few tunes, though, for safe measure. (Oct. 30,
8 PM, free, Skidmore College, 815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs,
580-5000)
Celtic
Thunder
Times
Union Center, Thursday
You’ve seen them on public television, now see them live!
Pledge-drive favorites Celtic Thunder are taking their show
on the road, and that road runs through downtown Albany this
evening. The group, brought together by producer Sharon Browne
and singer-songwriter Phil Coulter, teams five dynamic voices,
from 39-year-old George Donaldson down to wee lad Damian McGinty,
only 14. Backed up by a full orchestra and band, plus bagpipes
and other such cultural flavor, they turn out the hits, both
Celtic and popular (“I Want to Know What Love Is” apparently
has made the set list), in addition to songs from Coulter’s
own string of hits. If you can’t yet tell, it’s a really big
show. (Oct. 30, 8 PM, $37.50-$57.50, 51 S. Pearl St., Albany,
800-30-EVENT)
MAdM
Jason’s
Upstairs Bar, Friday
Over on the vaguely Celtic side of things, there’s this: Melissa
Auf der Maur, former bass minx for Hole and Smashing Pumpkins,
will debut her new project Friday night in her adopted hometown
(or so we hear) of Hudson. Out of Our Minds, the debut
album-film-comic-whatever from MAdM looks to be a real trip,
from the little taste we got at the Web site, xmadmx.com.
And that’s putting it mildly—imagine Vikings, witches, time
travel, sound and beauty all mashed together into one big
psychedelic . . . thing. The official rolling-out happens
Saturday in Montreal; this is really just a sneak peek. Aren’t
you a lucky bunch? Joining Auf der Maur and her madness on
Friday will be Hudson’s own (and this we’re sure of) Saber
Coup. (Oct. 31, 9 PM, call for prices, 521 Warren St.,
Hudson, 828-8787)
MV/EE
and the Golden Road, Wovoka
Saratoga
County Arts Council, Saturday
“Lunar
raga.” “Fingerstyle noise/ space.” “Lonesome frontier volk.”
“Post-psychedelic Appalachian blues.” A freaky couple of Brattleboro,
Vt., psychonauts, MV/EE have earned their music a lot of names
for the fine line it rides between hippie whimsy and no-wave
noise, but, see, the thing is, it’s not about what you call
it. It’s. All. About. The. Fuzz! The band have an album out
on Ecstatic Peace, so hey, if it’s good enough for Thurston
Moore, it’s good enough for us. Supposedly, Albany’s reclusive
psych-troubadour Wovoka will open. Who knew the guy (?) actually
existed? (Nov. 1, 8 PM, $5, 320 Broadway, Saratoga Springs,
584-4132)
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| David
Byrne |
David
Byrne
The
Egg, Wednesday
You
read it right: The legendary Talking Heads frontman is playing
the Egg this week. And as he’s supporting a brand-new collaboration
with producer and all-around genius of sound Brian Eno, Everything
That Happens Will Happen Today, Byrne will be performing
a set culled entirely from his work with Eno. Which means
not just new material, but songs from the three Heads records
that Eno produced. So, no “Psycho Killer,” but maybe “Life
During Wartime”—not a bad trade, we say. You may ask yourself,
“What’s the deal with My Life in the Bush of Ghosts?”
while you hang around the plaza, though, because this show
is very much sold out. (Nov. 5, 8 PM, sold out, Empire
State Plaza, Albany, 473-1845)
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| Also
Noted |
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Taj
Mahal |
Though
Rustic Overtones are back up and running, singer
Dave Gutter’s other band, Paranoid Social Club,
still pops up from time to time, and they’ll throw
down the Halloween grooves tonight (Thursday)
at Revolution Hall (8 PM, $10, 274-0553). . .
. Country-bluegrass troubadour Tim O’Brien
will spend his Halloween (tomorrow, Friday) night
at the Linda, and he’d like for you to join him
(8 PM, $23, 465-5233 ext. 4). . . . As we told
you last week, Friday brings another edition of
the Why Can’t I Be You series to Tess’ Lark Tavern;
among the numerous acts paying tribute to each
other will be Bryan Thomas, Michael
Eck, and Sense Offenders singer Tom McWatters
(9 PM, $5, 463-9779). . . . Halloween night at
Valentine’s promises a frightfully jam-packed
bill, including Alta Mira and Sgt. Dunbar
and the Hobo Banned among others (8 PM, $10,
432-6572). . . . The folks at Time and Space Limited
want—no, need—your help to keep their doors
open; they’ll hold a fund-raising bash this Saturday,
with music from all-women world-music act Paprika
(along with all kinds of food and other activities),
and we think it’s a very worthy cause (6:30 PM,
$5-$30, 822-8448). . . . Famed folk duo Magpie
are celebrating 35 years in the music (and activism)
business, and their (surely green) bus rolls into
the Eighth Step at Proctors on Saturday (7 PM,
$26, 434-1703). . . . Famed blues guitarist Taj
Mahal is celebrating 40 years in the music
business on his current tour; the party comes
to the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall on Saturday
(8 PM, $29-$34, 273-0038). . . . Steven Curtis
Chapman and Michael W. Smith are celebrating
2008 years of the Lord Jesus Christ, and they’ll
sing about it at the Palace Theatre on Saturday
(7:30 PM, $44-$54, 465-3334).
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