Metroland Online - Noteworthy

Hey cool kid! If you’ve been searching for the next Black Kids, for some reason, look no further: 19-year-old Dylan Baldi, the mastermind behind Cleveland band Cloud Nothings, makes the kind of juiced-up, lo-fi indie-pop that’s made semi-stars out of Wavves and Girls in recent years. (Imagine, if you will, the Apples in Stereo on a case of Four Loko.) Expect to hear a lot more from Cloud Nothings as Baldi prepares to release his first proper full-length this year. In the meantime, catch the band at Valentine’s along with two of our favorite indie-pop minds, Aaron Smith and Brent Gorton, with their respective band projects, Scientific Maps and Better Pills. (Jan. 20, 8 PM, $8, 17 New Scotland Ave., Albany, 432-6572)

Michael Franti and Spearhead, Fitz and the Tantrums

Northern Lights, Friday

We had a feeling this would be popular. Friday night’s show at Northern Lights is a rescheduled date for Michael Franti and Spearhead, who had to postpone a previously scheduled show a few months back. The change in calendar date also meant a change in support band, and Clifton Park lucked out: Fitz and the Tantrums, perhaps the least cloying of the myriad soul-revival bands making the rounds, is booked to kick things off. Led by singers Michael “Fitz” Fitzpatrick and Noelle Scaggs, the six-piece band create a guitar-free version of throwback soul that thrives on tunefulness over gimmickry. And people seem to be getting it: Friday’s show is sold out. (Jan. 21, 7 PM, 1208 Route 146, Clifton Park, 371-0012)

Disturbed, Korn

Glens Falls Civic Center, Sunday

This whole Four Loko ban is really a shame on a number of levels. But what bothers us is all the missed opportunities for caffeine-and-(lotsa)- alcohol-fueled rock and roll promotions. While it’s proper that this weekend’s Music As a Weapon double bill of Disturbed and Korn is being put on by Monster Energy, can you imagine the type of brainless debauchery that would ensue with Four Loko in the mix? We’re talking Gathering of the Juggalos- caliber self-destruction. So, it’s some consolation that Sevendust and In This Moment have been added to the mix. (Jan. 23, 7 PM, $39.75, 1 Civic Center Plaza, Glens Falls, 798-0366)

Esperanza Spalding

The Egg, Sunday

Look over there, behind the up right bass. Look closer . . . there she is! Esperanza Spalding, the little gal with the big instrument and bigger chops (and hair), comes to the Egg this week on her hottest year yet, which is saying a lot for a high-school dropout who was hired by Patti Austin for an international tour after one semester at Berklee. But indeed, in the last few months her stock has risen significantly: Last month, she was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist; she followed that by opening for and performing onstage with the one and only Prince at a rare run of New York shows. On Sunday she’ll perform music from her album Chamber Music Society, which fuses a variety of musical styles to her already established jazz-fusion sound. (Jan. 23, 7:30 PM, $29.50, Empire State Plaza, Albany, 473-1845)

Jesse Malin and the St. Mark’s Social

Jillian’s, Tuesday

Maybe it’s on account of Jesse Malin’s early start (at age 13) in the music industry, fronting New York City Hardcore band Heart Attack, or maybe it’s because he owns two bars in the East Village that his rockstar Rolodex is so thick. Malin’s bio includes collaborations with Ryan Adams, a duet with Bruce Springstein and a side project with members of Green Day, but this year he’s been touring hard on the merits of Love it to Life, the debut by his new band the St. Mark’s Social. The title comes from a Joe Strummer quote, and that should give you an idea for what Malin deals in. (Jan. 25, 9 PM, $12, 59 N. Pearl St., Albany, 432-1997)

Also Noted

Barefoot Truth

Tonight (Thursday) at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, L.A. pop group the Malibooz teams up with one of New Jersey’s finest classic-garage acts, the Doughboys (8 PM, $15, 845-679-4406). . . . The Egg’s mega-busy music week is not dark on Friday, as jazz vocalist Tierney Sutton and her band bring the smooth to your weekend (8 PM, $28, 473-1845). . . . New York trio the Wiyos are back in the Capital Region again on Friday, this time at Caffe Lena (8 PM, $20, 583-0022). . . . At Jillian’s on Saturday, catch rootsy jam band Barefoot Truth along with Saratoga’s own Heddy Brothers (8 PM, $12, 432-1997). . . . The great acoustic quartet known as Red Hen bring their take on Americana to the Eighth Step at Proctors on Saturday (7:30 PM, $16, 434-1703). . . . Valentine’s brings the noise on Saturday, with the Michigan-based, SST-style punk act Lenin/McCarthy, plus four (four!) of Albany’s best rock acts: Charmboy, the Slaughterhouse Chorus, Complicated Shirt, and the Killerados (8 PM, $5, 432-6572). . . . Teamwork: The inimitable Lyle Lovett and the just-as-inimitable John Hiatt team up for a sold-out evening of songs and stories at the Egg on Tuesday (7:30 PM, sold out, 473-1845). . . . Quite the opposite: Cali-based pop-punkers This Time Next Year team up with Transit and Daytrader for an ear-shredder at Bogie’s on Tuesday (7 PM, 482-4393).

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