Metroland Online - Noteworthy

If standing around in the
cold and waiting for the fireworks to start doesn’t exactly sound like a good time, there are other options for New Year’s Eve, we promise. Take the show at Revolution Hall—the New Deal is coming all the way from Canada for this! According to their Web site, the New Deal “celebrate the seismic collision of live, improvised jamming with the energy and flow of contemporary dance music.” Helping out with the earth-shaking and such will be our region’s funkiest bald dude, Peter Prince, and his Moon Boot Loving band. Tickets for the show include a champagne toast at midnight (for those of drinking age, of course) and a 2 AM breakfast. We certainly couldn’t handle a plate of scrambled eggs and sausage after—during?—a night of dancing and drinking, so it might be worth turning out just to see who exactly has the fortitude to take it all in. (Dec. 31, 9 PM, $25, 425 River St., Troy, 273-2337)

Baby Macaroni

Iron Horse Music Hall, Friday

Don’t be fooled by the name. A rose is a rose is a rose, and this NRBQ project is, for tonight, a macaroni-shaped NRBQ. (No, we don’t know what that means either, but when riffing on Gertrude Stein, you got to keep it flowing.) The lineup includes Joey and Johnny Spampinato, Tom Ardolino, original NRBQ singer Frankie Galder, the Sun Ra Horns—ooh . . . that’s cool—and assorted, unnamed special guests. If you need a better testimonial than this, check out David Greenberger’s endorsements of NRBQ in the Best of 2004 Live section in this very issue. That dude knows what he’s talking about (except when it comes to flutes). (Dec. 31, 7 and 10 PM, $30, $35, 20 Center St., Northampton, Mass., 413-584-0610)

Thee New Year’s
Eve Night

Valentine’s, Friday

Valentine’s always offers up something fun to introduce the new year, and usually it involves some form of the word wiener. Things won’t be any different this time around, as the club will host a two-floor bash featuring the reclusive cover band known as the Pink Weeners. Word has it they perform only songs by—you guessed it—Pink Floyd and Ween. Joining them on the downstairs stage are the Tree Wizards, who reportedly dress in Gandalfian garb and perform only songs by the Tree Wizards. If that’s not your schtick, the upstairs stage will feature Shift, Pillowface, and Three Black Hats. One cover gains admission to both floors, and includes a champagne toast at midnight, plus free munchies—perhaps even wieners—from 8 to 9 PM. (Dec. 31, 8 PM, $8, 17 New Scotland Ave., Albany, 432-6572)

jazz player: olu dara

Olu Dara and his Band

Club Helsinki, Friday

Olu Dara has recently gotten some high-profile industry coverage (like in Rolling Stone) for the work of another performer altogether. Rapper Nas’ single “Bridging the Gap” pays homage to Dara, which is nice for a couple of reasons: First, because Dara’s blend of jazz, Delta blues and Afro-pop deserves props; secondly, because Dara happens to be Nas’ dad, and we here at Metroland are all about the family values. And apparently, Dara’s all about about the family—albeit ad hoc—values, as well. For the second year in a row, he’ll be celebrating New Year’s Eve with a performance at Club Helsinki, the stage of which he first commanded during the club’s opening five years ago. (9:30 PM, $50, 284 Main St., Great Barrington, Mass., 413-528-3394)

End of a Year,
Evixxion,
Madelines Demon, Cleveland

Hudson Duster, Sunday

Despite the seemingly logical connection of a band named End of a Year and the end of the year; and despite the fact the End of a Year are actually playing at the very beginning of the year, we fully support the scheduling of this bill. All the New Year’s Eve parties are gonna be nostalgic and sentimental and sappy—it’s tradition. Fine. We think it makes all the sense in the world, then, to kick start ’05 with some freaking momentum, some energy and some positivity. End of a Year are just the band for that: Drawing on the legacy of D.C.-style hardcore, but wedding it to a constructive (rather than just whiny) emotionality, End of a Year are intent, energetic and optimistic—which, coincidentally, sounds a lot like a handful of the resolutions we’re certain to break. Also on the bill, Evixxion, Madeline’s Demon, Cleveland, the Outcome and Trailer Park Moonlight. (3 PM, $5, 40 Third St., Troy, 687-2391)

Also Noted

erin mckeown

They had promised that their last show (in May) was their last show, but it appears that the members of Runna Muck felt they had something more to prove; the reunited group will appear at Valentine’s tonight (Thursday), along with Tacklebox (9 PM, $5, 432-6572). . . . Also tonight, funky folkstress Erin McKeown plays the Iron Horse Music Hall; Jeffrey Foucault opens (7 PM, $18, 413-584-0610). . . . Alt-roots-rockers Jackinany do the alt-roots-rock thing at Artie’s River Street Stage on Friday (9 PM, $5, 687-0064). . . . Multi-ethnic jam band John Brown’s Body will do the multi-ethnic jam thing at Pearl Street on Friday, along with Kudzu (8:30 PM, $20, 413-584-7771). . . . The first show of the new year at Northern Lights will be an all-ages event (meaning no alcohol will be served, drunky!) on Saturday night, featuring the Late Night Show, Death in Peru, Idiot Box, Hollywood Funeral, Music 4 Dummies, and By Autumn’s End (6 PM, $8, 371-0012). . . . Also on Saturday, have a skankariffic good time at the Van Dyck with Monkey Gone Mad and Fatter than Albert (7 PM, $5, 381-1111).

	Send A Letter to Our Editor
	Back Home