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Grant
Hart
Valentine’s,
Thursday
Nobody ever really appreciates the drummer. Bob Mould is out
making the rounds right now in celebration of 20 years as
a solo performer, but does that mean we should forget about
the rest of Hüsker Dü? Hell no. Thankfully, Grant Hart won’t
let us. The onetime Dü drummer-songwriter has been solo just
as long as his former bandmate, so where’s his parade? Hopefully
coming soon, as Hart has a long-gestating recording project
with the Godspeed! You Black Emperor gang that should see
the light of day sometime this year, which would mark the
release of his first solo set in a decade. Go find out what’s
taking so long when Hart plays Valentine’s tonight. (May
28, 9 PM, $10, 17 New Scotland Ave., Albany, 432-6572)
The
Bangles
Calvin
Theatre, Friday
We all agreed: “We’re not going to let our lingering crush
on Susanna Hoffs influence our decision making.” At the editorial
meeting last week, we decided that there are a lot of fine
events going on, and that we “needn’t preview a show in Northampton”
even if the act in question happens to be “one of the biggest
bands of the 1980s, and an all-time power-pop favorite, and
one of the great girl groups.” And then we listened to “Manic
Monday” and Googled some old band photos and realized we’d
be doing you, the reader, a disservice if we didn’t go publicly
bananas over the fact that the Bangles are playing the Calvin
tomorrow (Friday) night. This is gonna be so cool you guys!
(May 29, 8 PM, $28.50-$38.50, 19 King St., Northampton,
Mass., 413-586-8686)
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| Rachel
Price |
Rachael
Price Trio
Spa
Little Theater, friday
Being that she’s 23 and all, jazz singer Rachael Price isn’t
exactly a precocious whippersnapper anymore. But working in
a genre where age is directly proportional to experience,
suffering and, therefore, authenticity, 23 still seems mighty
green. Green is, however, the last way one might describe
Price’s voice. The youngest semifinalist in the Montreaux
International Jazz Vocal Competition and the Thelonious Monk
Internation Jazz Competition, Price already has three CDs
to her name and a stellar trio at her side. One reviewer has
gone so far as to describe her as “a more powerful Ella Fitzgerald.”
Hyperbole? You be the judge. (May 29, 8 PM, $25, Saratoga
Spa State Park, Saratoga Springs, 587-3330)
Steve
Earle
The
Egg, Saturday
The hardest working man in country-rock shines a light on
his friendship with late singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt
with the release of Townes. The album is a 15-song
tribute to the man Earle met as a heckler calling for the
folk staple “Wabash Cannonball” at a gig almost 40 years ago;
Van Zandt, who died in 1997, later became a mentor to Earle.
And as a legend in his own right, Earle can pack a bit of
a punch. His brand of well-endowed political roots-rock gives
an edge to the gentler, haunting sounds of Van Zandt’s music.
Earle’s son Justin Townes Earle, named for his father’s mentor
and hot off the release of Midnight at the Movies,
is set to open. Wonder if they’ll do “Wabash Cannonball.”
(May 30, 8 PM, $34.50, Empire State Plaza, Albany, 473-1845)
No
Use for a Name
Valentine’s,
Monday
San Jose, Calif. punk-rockers No Use for a Name probably thought
they were being clever when taking their moniker in 1987,
but the joke’s on them: 20 years and nine albums later, the
Fat Wreck Chords flagship band are still going strong. There
have been some lineup changes along the way—like, former guitarist
Chris Shifflett left the band to join some loser band called
Foo Fighters—but NUFAN have kept their Coke-and-Pop-Rocks-fueled
punk-pop energy going strong right on through last year’s
Feel Good Record of the Year. See what we mean when
they rock Valentine’s this week; Only Crime, Pour Habit, and
After the Fall are also on the bill. (June 1, 7:30 PM,
$14, 17 New Scotland Ave., Albany, 432-6572)
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| Also
Noted |
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| The
Greencards |
Some
great free options to start this week: It’s another
CRUMBS Night Out at the Linda tonight (Thursday),
with music from Railbird and a panel on
local labels and collectives (8 PM, free, 465-5233).
. . . Also tonight, Revolution Hall offers up
a free show with the Codes (7 PM, free,
274-0553). . . . Did someone say “free rap party”?
Thought so: Join Dezmatic, Benn Grim,
Timmy Wiggins, DJ Trumastr and a
bunch more of the region’s best and brightest
at the New Madison Grille in Albany tomorrow (Friday)
night (9 PM, free, 434-1938). . . . Blue Hand
Luke wrap up their Friday run at Revolution
Hall with a big night that also features Ramblin
Jug Stompers and Twisted String Band
(8 PM, free, 274-0553). . . Saturday at Valentine’s
finds B3nson Recording Army members We Are
Jeneric and Pinguinos sharing the weekend’s
biggest little indie-folk bill with El Duke
and Auld Lang Syne (8 PM, $5, 432-6572).
. . . At the Spa Little Theatre on Saturday, the
Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
play some decent dance music (8 PM, $25, 584-9330).
. . . Vegan straight-edge hardcore pioneers Earth
Crisis are reunited and at Northern Lights
on Sunday (6:30 PM, $17, 371-0012). . . . The
Greencards bring the music of their new
album Fascination to Caffe Lena Sunday
night (7 PM, $20, 583-0022). . . . Finally, it’s
an indie-rock humpday at 51 3rd Street in Troy
this Wednesday with Montana-via-Brooklyn act Cabinet
of Natural Curiosities and Son Cats
(8 PM).
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