It's a fairly packed Thursday evening of music tonight -- one that features local, national and even international talent.
British Sea Power, A Classic Education and Colormusic at The Loft
Everything
about British Sea Power screams '80s new wave: The band's members are gaunt
and pale; their songs recycle themes and riffs from The Cure, The
Psychedelic Furs and Joy Division; and their lyrics are a pretentious,
romantic mess. That said, British Sea Power is pretty awesome. For
nearly a decade, brothers Yan and Hamilton Wilkinson have led this
impressive unit into interesting and uncharted waters. Known for their
elaborate and sometimes chaotic live shows, British Sea Power may sound
like they came from the '80s, but the attitude is definitely post-modern.
Emmitt-Nershi Band and Big Smith at the Granada Theater
Drew
Emmitt once led the progressive bluegrass band Leftover Salmon, and
Bill Nershi is a founding member of the String Cheese Incident.
Together, these two pickers and grinners will take listeners to jam
heaven. If only Jerry Garcia were alive today. Captain Trips would
certainly enjoy this show.
Collin Herring and Hare on the Mountain at Lochrann's Irish Pub
A
native of Fort Worth, but now a resident of Austin, Collin Herring does
not do enough driving up I-35 to play his old stomping grounds. Perhaps
Herring thought the locals were rather indifferent to his lively and
emotional brand of alt-country? Lord knows that I caught Herring a
couple of times in front of a small crowd and wondered why more folks
weren't in attendance. Herring has made three albums and all have been
excellent. His last effort, 2009's Ocho, was produced by Will Johnson
and found Herring in a much darker frame of mind than on previous
efforts. Hopefully, Herring is working on a follow-up. And let's hope his
worldview has lightened considerably. Hare on the Mountain, the latest collaboration between RTB2's Ryan Thomas Becker and The Slow Burners' George Neal, opens.
One Red Martian, The Kinetix, Wolf at the Door and We Throw Cake at the Prophet Bar
Originally
from upstate New York, but now a local act, One Red Martian are three
brothers and a childhood friend who like to call their music "intensely
lyrical ballad rock." I don't know what the hell that is, but I can
say that songs such as "Terror," "Sly Dreamer" and "Demondroid" are
catchy, pop ditties that showcase a band that is unafraid of being
nothing more than what they are. Nothing indie or cerebral going on
here; just pop rock played cleanly and clearly without much fuss.
