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Gin
Blossoms
Alive
at Five, Thursday
In this week’s article titled “Nation’s Boyfriends Dreading
‘Free Event in the Park’ Season,” The Onion—dateline,
Niskayuna—named some “cool-sounding cost-free events” that
the nation’s girlfriends are excited about, including “the
appearance of a modestly successful mid-’90s alternative band
at the Tulip Festival.” To that, we say this: They’re not
just at the Tulip Festival anymore! Tonight’s Alive at Five
takes us back to the early days of Alternative Nation, when
a Byrds-loving roots-rock band from Arizona broke through
the grungy film of rock radio and found mainstream success
with a series of terrific pop singles. Those singles have
aged really well, which means they should at least be good
for drinkin’ beer to. The Gin Blossoms currently are in the
second leg of their Alive at Five tour, having played a like-named
event last week in Connecticut. Ten Year Vamp will open. (July
1, 5 PM, free, Albany Riverfront Park, Corning Preserve, Albany,
434-2032)
Beat
Shot Music Festival
Red
Square, Friday-Saturday
Were we simply to list the names of all the performers on
this two-day bill, it would exceed the allotted word count—so
vast is this second annual celebration of independent music,
fashion and art. And the best part: no camping. Homeboy Sandman
and J-Live host a lineup of 50-plus performers on the hip-hop
side of the dime including locals Broadcast Live, Deep Children,
Mirk and the New Familiars, Taina Asili y la Banda Rebelde,
Midas, Oddy Gato, Sev Statik, and, like we said, the list
goes on and on. Other best part: It’s just $5 per day.
(July 2-3, 6 PM, $5, 388 Broadway, Albany, 465-0444)
Steve
Hackett, Renaissance
The
Egg, Saturday
It’s been a big year for guitarist Steve Hackett. For one,
he, you know, kinda got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame with his former band Genesis. But what he’d like to
tell you about is his new album Out of the Tunnel’s Mouth,
which is a return to his prog-rocking past, complete with
symphonic washes, Middle Eastern scales, and the tapping technique
he claims Eddie Van Halen stole from him. It’s a true return
to form, as is his tour, which goes all-in on the prog theme
by sharing a bill with British prog troubadours Renaissance.
(July 3, 8 PM, $29.50-$39.50, Empire State Plaza, Albany,
473-1845)
Carole
King and James Taylor
Tanglewood,
Saturday-Monday
The guest for this year’s Taylor at Tanglewood stand earns
above-the-star billing because she’s the composer of some
of the greatest songs in pop history—and because King and
Taylor are currently sitting high on the charts with a live
record celebrating the 40th anniversary of their first concert
date together (in 1970, at the Troubadour in Los Angeles).
Well, sort of: The current tour marks the anniversary, but
the album actually was taped in 2007 at a concert marking
the Troubadour’s 50th. Either way, it’s the first Top 10 record
with King’s name on it since the ’70s, and makes Taylor the
first to have a Top 10 album in each of the last four decades
(though Tom Petty quickly became the second). Early reports
suggest a no-fail crowd-pleaser. Best of luck to the ticketless—all
three gigs are sold out. (July 3-5, 7 PM, West Street,
Lenox, Mass., 888-266-1200)
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Ed
Kowalczyk
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Ed
Kowalczyk
Northern
Lights, Wednesday
Bringing the ’90s theme full circle, we have the estranged
lead singer of a band who scored one of the biggest alternative
albums of the Clinton years. The Pennsylvania band Live and
their Throwing Copper record were inescapable for about
two solid years—and its eight million in sales suggests people
are still paying money for it on a regular basis. Which makes
singer Ed Kowalczyk’s recent, messy separation from the band
all the more disheartening: Kowalczyk and the band’s former
business manager are currently being sued by the remaining
three band members over a heavily lopsided publishing agreement
and a bundle of unpaid royalties. Basically, the lead singer
is pulling a classic lead-singer move and fucking over dudes
he’s worked with for 20 years. The tyranny of tradition, indeed.
Anyway, Kowalczyk has a new solo record out and he’s playing
Northern Lights on Wednesday. (July 7, 7 PM, $22, 1208
Route 146, Clifton Park, 371-0012)
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Noted |
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Peter
Noone
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We’ve
been giving some thought to that Onion
article about boyfriends dreading free-event season,
and we thought we’d dedicate this one to the
ladies, if you get the drift: Get your dude
up early today (Thursday) and drag him to the
noontime Jazz on Jay show with Sketches of
Influence (noon, free, 382-3884). . . . Later,
groove to popular hits from New York Players
at the Guilderland Performing Arts Center’s Thursday
concert series (7:30 PM, free, 456-3150). . .
. You want culture, he wants to go to a club:
Meet in the middle Friday evening when the Brian
Patneaude Quartet bring nightclub jazz to
the roof of the Tang Museum at Skidmore (7 PM,
free, 580-8080). . . . Since Friday was an early
night, head to Salem Saturday morning and catch
fiddler Smokey Greene at Summer Sounds
of Salem (11 AM, free, 854-9339). . . . Then,
head for the beer: Pearl-Palooza is Saturday afternoon,
with free live music throughout the day at many
Pearl Street clubs (and more information in the
box on the next page). . . . If you prefer the
indoors at Skidmore, the Luis Bonilla Quintet
continue the Skidmore Jazz Institute concert series
Saturday night (8 PM, free, 580-5320). . . . Who
doesn’t like fireworks? Make him buy you cotton
candy at the Empire State Plaza on Sunday, where
Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits fame will
sing the hits of yester-yesteryear before the
big go-booms (3 PM, free, 473-0559). . . . Another
of the displaced “house” bands from Tess’ Lark
Tavern has found a meantime home: Jim Gaudet
and the Railroad Boys play a “Bring Your Own”
(as in food, drink, lawn chairs) concert at North
Albany Studio on Monday. Think of it as an indoor
picnic! (7 PM, free, 368-8485). . . . End his
week of terrible awful torture with a trip to
Shepard Park in Lake George, for music from local
legends Bobby Dick and the Sundowners (7:30
PM, free, 668-2616).
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