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Black
Moth Super Rainbow
Iron
Horse Music Hall, Thursday
Remember how the Yippies and the Diggers were always talking
about putting acid in the water source back in the ’60s? If
only they’d known the psychedelic benefits of living in proximity
to steel industry. This is, we’re assuming, how Pittsburgh
experimental rock band Black Moth Super Rainbow got so beautifully
fucked-up. Analog synthesizers, trippy projections, and mysterious
pseudonyms (like Tobacco, Power Pill Fist, and the Seven Fields
of Aphelion) have always been their game, but this year, with
the alchemical help of Flaming Lips producer Dave Fridmann,
they scultped one hairy beast of a record, Eating Us. No—really—the
album came packaged in hair. If this doesn’t give you an idea
of how they sound, we don’t know what will. NYC space-rockers
Soundpool open. (Aug. 27, 10 PM, $14, 20 Center St., Northampton,
Mass., 413-586-8686)
Dennis
Most and the Instigators
Valentine’s,
Friday
Indiana-born singer Dennis Most inadvertently kicked off the
punk-rock movement by naming his 1972 “trippy blues/garage-rock
combo” Punk. In ’76, his band AudioLove released the thunderous
proto-punk semi-classic “I Can’t Control Myself.” And in 1979,
he formed the first incarnation of his now-longtime band,
the Instigators. Then, after one early-’80s songwriter-driven
release, nearly 20 years of silence followed. These last 10
years have seen a relative flurry of activity from the would-be
legend, however, including the release of a pair of new studio
albums and several classic reissues, and the unearthing of
a ’76 AudioLove live record that best delineates Most’s primary
directive: His punk is the Troggs, not the Pistols. Friday’s
show should be a walk down memory lane for some, a much-needed
kick in the arse for others. Fellow would-be legends Small
Axe are also on the bill. (Aug. 28, 8 PM, $8, 17 New Scotland
Ave., Albany, 432-6572)
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| Slum
Village |
Rock
the Bells Club Tour
Northern
Lights, Saturday
As anyone who’s attended more than one such event can attest,
live hip-hop can be a pretty tricky proposition. Shows often
come strapped with long waits, short sets, and big disappointments.
But why? Rap began as a live medium; dudes were rhyming over
boomboxes on city playgrounds long before Grandmaster Flash
started cutting hit records. The organizers of Rock the Bells
know this, and they’re out to restore live hip-hop’s good
name by presenting some of the best live acts the genre has
to offer. No Diddy shit here: Hosted by Pete Rock, Saturday’s
bill features Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek),
new Joe Budden group Slaughterhouse, Wu-Tang Clan’s Raekwon,
Supernatural, and Detroit’s Slum Village, who will pay tribute
to recently passed member Baatin, and to the late Jay Dee
(aka J Dilla). See if you can throw your hands in the air
and pour some liquor. (Aug. 29, 8:30 PM, $25, 1208
Route 146, Clifton Park, 371-0012)
Kevin
Seconds
Valentine’s,
Saturday
While Northern Lights continues to deliver the old-school
hip-hop, Valentine’s is serving, these days, as a key tour
stop for classic punk and hardcore acts. The latest hero to
come our way is Kevin Seconds, lead singer for the seminal
hardcore band 7 Seconds. While he might like to shake the
association, Seconds is largely responsible for the rise of
straight-edge culture in the ’80s, and continues to live the
lifestyle (minus the label) today. One thing that has changed
is Seconds’ approach to musicmaking: The once-livid singer
seems to have found a bit of peace and so has turned over
a new, folky leaf. We might get drop-kicked for saying so,
but his voice actually sounds a little sweet. (Aug. 29,
8 PM, $10, 17 New Scotland Ave., Albany, 432-6572)
Crüe
Fest II
Saratoga
Performing Arts Center, Tuesday
What did your daddy tell you? That’s right: You play with
fire, you’re liable to get burned. So pardon us if we chuckle
a bit at the fact that Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee was recently
replaced on tour when the drummer accidentally burned his
hand—on a sparkler. Take a moment to enjoy the irony
here: Dude spends almost 30 years in one of the world’s most
legendarily pyrotechnic bands, and he hurts himself fucking
around with something they put on wedding cakes. Sevendust’s
Morgan Taylor has filled the gap while Lee recovers—and Lee’s
still turning up to provide personality, and play piano. (He’s
a legendary pianist, after all.) Joining the Crüe for the
penultimate date of this year’s rock & roll circus are
Godsmack, Drowning Pool, Theory of a Deadman, and Charm City
Devils. (Sept. 1, 5 PM, $34.50-$106, Saratoga Spa State
Park, Saratoga Springs, 587-3330)
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| Also
Noted |
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| Amanda
Rogers |
Some
people just can’t get enough James Taylor.
This week, Tanglewood will test the limits of
those devoted followers with four JT concerts
over four days, including a “conversations” program
tonight (Thursday), two shows featuring guests
Sheryl Crow and Yo-Yo Ma (Friday
and Saturday), and a season-finale concert with
John Williams and the Boston Pops
Sunday afternoon (times and prices vary, 888-266-1200).
. . . Tonight also brings the debut of the Lost
Radio Rounders, the duo formerly known as
the Gospel Train; they’ll play a set of Pete Seeger
songs at the Linda (7 PM, free, 465-5233 ext.
4). . . . Albany native and world-traveling blues-rocker
Christine Santelli brings it back (close
to) home at the Van Dyck on Friday (7 PM, $7,
348-7999). . . . It’s a big weekend for music
at Bread and Jam Café in Cohoes: Friday, get a
sneak peak of the forthcoming album from too-little-seen
singer-songwriter Laura Boggs; she’ll share
the bill with Krysta Dennis (8 PM, free,
326-2275). . . . Saturday at Bread and Jam, it’s
the venue’s one-year anniversary, which will be
celebrated with an all-day concert featuring Matt
Durfee, Amanda Rogers, the Energy,
and a whole lot more—including barbecue! (2 PM,
$10, 326-2275). . . . The last big rock show of
the Saratoga Performing Arts Center summer season
might cause déjà vu for some concertgoers: Journey
and Heart return to SPAC on Wednesday,
just over a year after their last appearance (7:30
PM, $20-$95, 587-3330).
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