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Travis
Morrison
Iron
Horse Music Hall, Northampton, Mass., Thursday
Ex-lead
singer of Washington indie heroes Dismemberment Plan, Travis
Morrison has returned with his solo album that functions as
his own personal continent of musical experimentation called
Travistan. While the Dismemberment Plan added samplers and
hiphop to their musical repertoire to produce a fresh equation,
Travis lets his influences explode all over his musical canvas.
From electroclash and punk anger to full-on orchestral arrangement
and acoustic soundscapes, Travis treats them all like a piece
of himself rather than a gimmick. That’s what makes reviews
that say his album “rocks like Prince, Ludacris and Elliot
Smith” so absurd. So why not head out to the Iron Horse tonight
(Thursday) and hear Travis Morrison rock like Travis Morrison?
(Oct. 7, 10 PM, $10, 20 Center St., Northampton, Mass.,
413-584-0610)
Bette
Midler
Pepsi
Arena, Thursday
Did
Bette ever know she was our hero? She’s certainly everything
we wish we could be: bold, funny, and talented as hell. Well,
we might skip that whole Jinxed fiasco, but that’s
just us. The Divine Miss M returns to the stage after a four-year
absence with the Kiss My Brass! tour, a reference to
both her backing band and her brassy stage persona. Her campy,
lavish stage show promises big numbers, bawdy jokes, and,
of course, mermaids, mermaids, mermaids. Barry Manilow, eat
your heart out. (Oct. 7, 8 PM, $151.50-$41.50, 51 S. Pearl
St., Albany, 476-1000)
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wilco
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Wilco
Skidmore
College, Friday
Touring
in support of their new album, A Ghost Is Born—and
their upcoming new book—Wilco will stop in Saratoga for a
special performance at Skidmore College. According to the
Skidmore Web site, A Ghost is Born, which was coproduced
by the band and Jim O’Rourke, “forgoes the electronic experimentation
of its celebrated predecessor in favor of a naturalistic sonic
template rooted in performance and minimalist production.”
Wilco are also set to release a 160-page hardcover book written
by the band, with additional text by Henry Miller (in the
form of an essay favored by singer Jeff Tweedy) and by novelist
Rick Moody. Included with the book (which will be released
on Nov. 15) is a 40-minute CD of never-before-released tracks—mostly
A Ghost Is Born outtakes. (Oct. 8, 8 PM, $20, $12
students, 815 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs, 580-5000)
Putumayo
Latinas: Women of Latin America
Proctor’s,
Saturday
The
good folks at Putumayo (who have been in the world-music business
for more than a decade now—where did the time go?) are bringing
three renowned singers to Proctor’s Saturday night for a concert
“celebrating the the soulful and inspirational music” of Latin
America. Colombian singer-dancer Toto La Momposina will perform
the traditional sounds of her homeland; Brazillian performer
Belo Velloso will celebrate the African-influenced music of
Brazil’s Bahia region; and Chilean Mariana Montalvo—a longtime
exile who was forced to leave Chile at the time of the Pinochet
coup—will sing music in the nueva canción tradition
of the 1960s. For those who want a bit of cultural background,
Proctor’s will host a Theatre Talk about the history of Latin
music at 6:30 PM. (Oct. 9, 8 PM, 432 State St., Schenectady,
$29.50-$19.50, 346-6204)
Karate,
Chris Brokaw
Valentine’s,
Tuesday
Boston’s
Karate formed as an indie-emo band in the early ’90s, back
when such bands weren’t quite so thick on the ground. But
as they toured—and they toured like mofos, here and abroad—their
sound took a turn toward the jazzier, emphasizing an improvisational
style (while still staying just this side of the dangerous
noodle zone). Chris Brokaw, too, has done his share of genre
hopping, but that’s mostly because the guitarist-drummer has
played with something like 200 bands: Come, Codeine, the Willard
Grant Conspiracy, Steve Wynn . . . not a loser in the bunch.
And as those of you who saw Brokaw supporting Steve Wynn during
his free show at the Empire State Plaza a few years back can
attest, what Brokaw can do live on guitar has just got to
be seen to be believed. After that performance, dozens of
local guitarists abandoned hope of rock supremecy and took
up knitting. (Oct. 12 , 7 PM, $10, 17 New Scotland Ave.,
432-6572)
Usher,
Kanye West
Pepsi
Arena, Tuesday
Yeah,
yeah! Usher, the artist responsible for creating Confessions,
an album that took the country by storm this year, is bringing
his infectious R&B (and his rock-hard abs) to the
Pepsi Arena this week. Confessions, easily the year’s
best-selling album (according to the Associated Press), has
helped the young artist win all sorts of awards this year,
including Best Male Artist, Best Male Pop Artist and Best
R&B Artist at the 2004 World Music Awards, and a whole
bunch of awards at the VMAs as well. Not to mention that he’s
leading the American Music Award and the Vibe Award nominations.
Quite the overachiever. Kanye West, who shared the spotlight
at the World Music Awards when he won the World’s Best New
Artist award, will open. West released his album College
Dropout in February of this year to critical acclaim,
and his reputation (along with his impressive catalogue of
collaborators) has been ascending rapidly. (Oct. 12, 7
PM, $58.50-$46.50, 51 S. Pearl St., Albany, 476-1000)
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Noted |
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Rachael
Sage
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Tonight
(Thursday), trot on down to Valentine’s to see
the genre-defying Asylum Street Spankers—Rolling
Stone’s Richard Skanse says that during their
live performance, “the Spankers pull it off like
vaudevillian pros and back it up with serious
musical talent” (8 PM, $10, 432-6572). . . . Alright,
y’all know that Northern Lights has been a nightclub
for quite some time, so some of you may be asking
yourselves, “Why would there be a grand opening
party for a venue that’s been a staple in the
Capital Region since the late ’90s?” Well, they
are officially unveiling their newly remodeled
club with a customer-appreciation night featuring
Cryin’ Out Loud, Wylder and Hypnotica,
so go check out the club’s facelift tomorrow (Friday)
night (7 PM, 21+ free, under 21 $5, 371-0012).
. . . Also on Friday, in Troy, manic-folk one-man
army Hamell on Trial and anti-folk sweetheart
Ember Swift will take the stage at Revolution
Hall (8 PM, $12, 273-2337). . . . Lucky Ngema,
one of the primary musicians behind Broadway’s
The Lion King, plays a “high-energy blend
of traditional South African music and afropop”
at MASS MoCA on Saturday (8 PM, $16, 413-662-2111).
. . . On Tuesday, celebrate Phil Ochs’ catalogue
of songs with a tribute song night featuring Sonia,
Magpie, Sharon Katz, Kim and
Reggie Harris, Greg Greenway, Landfill
Mountain Boys, Annie and the Hedonists
and more at the Chapel + Cultural Center—this
show is a benefit for WRPI (7 PM, $10, 274-7793).
. . . Rachael Sage will make a stop at
the Van Dyck on Wednesday during her Burlesque
Tour in support of her new, just-released album
called Ballads and Burlesque; Boston’s
Mieka Pauley will open (7 PM, $5, 381-1111).
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Columns
& Opinions
