|
Blues
Traveler
Alive
at Five, Thursday
It seems the hook does, indeed, bring you back. How else to
comprehend the idea that Blues Traveler still are a consistent
draw 20 years down the line? The band broke out of the great
New York Wetlands scene of the early 1990s alongside fellow
jam-poppers Spin Doctors; and, despite some disparity in their
levels of success (the Docs sold 10 million copies of their
first album while Blues Traveler’s career took a longer arc),
we’d argue that John Popper and company provided the more
lasting contributions to the pop canon. That is to say, we’re
a little slower to turn off “Hook” than “Little Miss Can’t
Be Wrong.” Whether you agree or not, the dude can play the
hell out of a harmonica. The band will open the Alive At Five
season tonight, with guests Jim Weider’s Project Percolator
(June 4, 5 PM, free, Albany Riverfront Park, Corning Preserve,
Albany, 434-2032)
 |
| The
Stolen Minks |
The
Stolen Minks
51
3rd Street, Thursday
“Halifax’s
answer to the Gossip and the Detroit Cobras” (according to
The Montreal Mirror) make a window-rattling appearance
in downtown Troy this evening. The Stolen Minks are a three-piece,
all-girl garage-rock band—if that description excites you
in the least, you’ll be more than pleased by what they have
to offer. They channel the raw electricity of the early Kill
Rock Stars bands, paired with the pop sensibilities of Nova
Scotians like Jale and Thrush Hermit. The band will share
tonight’s bill with Baltimore act Hollywood, Portland, Ore.’s
the Mean Jeans, and Troy garage-pop upstarts the Cave Weddings.
(June 4, 9 PM, $5, 51 3rd St., Troy, 573-7947)
Bjorn
Again
Mahaiwe
Performing Arts Center, Friday
The sound of their smashing hammers and the look of their
fearsome bloody swords has been replaced in the Scandinavian—nay,
the world’s—imagination by pretty melodies and neon-bright
spandex. In anguish, the Vikings look down from Valhalla and
cry, “Will no one stop this ABBA madness?” The answer, in
a word, is “no.” ABBA are the new Scandinavian immortals.
Consider this: Bjorn Again, who bill themselves as the “world’s
greatest ABBA tribute band,” and in fact consist of five separate
touring bands, have now been around longer than the original
group. With the perfect combination of musical fidelity and
good-natured self-parody, Bjorn Again have charmed audiences
with faithful versions of “SOS,” “Does Your Mother Know,”
“Fernando,” and, of course, “Dancing Queen.” A modest proposal:
You know, Thor, the hammer of the gods would have more flair
with a sparkly handle. (June 5, 8 PM, $30-$45, 14 Castle
St., Great Barrington, Mass., 413-528-0100)
Grand
Opening Party with the Erotics
Bogie’s,
Friday
OK, we’ll get our hopes up now: After a dozen years out of
the live-music business (save for a few one-offs and special
events), onetime Ontario Street mainstay Bogie’s is back in
action thanks to a few local promoters, and a hardcore and
punk scene seeking a new place to put down roots. The venue
has operated, on and off, as a dance club since closing at
the end of ’97; Bogie’s figurehead Howard Glassman went on
to practically re-create the old haunt’s live space in the
downstairs room at Valentine’s. So we don’t really know what
to promise, besides a fun night of rock & roll with local
rockers the Erotics (who, coincidentally, formed the year
Bogie’s closed), Horror Business, Hijinx, and Pistol Shot
Gypsy. (June 5, 8 PM, $10, 297 Ontario St., Albany, 482-4393)
Ballyhoo!
Red
Square, Wednesday
“A
clamorous and vigorous at tempt to win customers or advance
any cause.” That’s what dictionary.com has to say about this
Maryland band’s name, but, you know, that’s what everyone
in the entertainment business is practicing anyway, so let’s
give these guys a couple points for bringing the straight
talk. More importantly, the band bring a Long Beach surf-punk
sound that all you Sublimers will skank nicely on. Be ye warned,
though: The exclamation point suggests they’re liable to skank
at a number of velocities, clamorous and vigorous included.
SoCal surf rockers B Foundation and local ska act Smittix
open. (June 10, 8 PM, $8, 388 Broadway, Albany, 465-0444)
 |
| Also
Noted |
 |
| Isis |
Hey
Schenectady, you out of bed yet? Good: Jazz on
Jay kicks off today (Thursday) at the Circle on
State Street, with music from vocalist Colleen
Pratt (noon, free, 382-3884). . . . Isis
plays tonight at Pearl Street in Northampton,
Mass.; for the uninitiated, they’re like a listenable
Tool. They’re joined by Pelican and the
Tombs (8:30 PM, $18, 413-586-8686). . .
. Jason’s Upstairs Bar in Hudson hosts an evening
of “apocalyptic indie rock” tomorrow (Friday)
night with Dead Unicorn, Disposable
Rocket Band, Ben Carlin and the Rockbottoms,
plus a few DJs—sounds like a pretty good way to
see the planet off (8 PM, $, ). . . . Charlton’s
Brookside Museum will hold their 15th anniversary
benefit concert on Friday, with music from Celtic-rock
stalwarts Hair of the Dog (7 PM, $18, 885-4000).
. . . Your call: You could wait a year and half
and see Michael Jackson in London, or you could
go to Revolution Hall on Friday and see Jacko
tribute Who’s Bad? Plane fare to Troy is
pretty cheap! (8 PM, $18, 274-0553). . . . The
eighth annual Sick Shit Fest returns to Valentine’s
on Saturday with more than 150 bands including
the “legendary” Anal Cunt; we may be exaggerating
on the number, but it’s no exaggeration to say
that the shit will indeed be sick (1 PM, $20,
432-6572). . . . Also Saturday, MotherJudge
and Mitch Elrod do their duo thang at the
Lark Tavern, along with Hot Lead (10 PM, $5, 463-9779).
|
|
|
Site
Search 
