Not a bad selection of shows for the evening before the gluttony begins.
The Posies, Aqueduct and Salim Nourallah at The Granada Theater Back in the 80's, Seattle's The Posies were always on the verge of major success. When the band signed to Geffen Records in 1989, it looked as if main Posies Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer were going to actually succeed in their vision of bringing the power pop of Big Star to the beleaguered masses. Well, like with so many other bands, mainstream success eluded The Posies and the band is playing the same size venues they did twenty years ago. And even though Blood/Candy, The Posies just released new album, isn't up to the band's old standards, Stringfellow and Auer can still rely on an impressive back catalogue that includes such gems as "Grant Hart," "Dream All Day" and "Golden Blunders."
The Expendables, John Brown's Body and C-Money at the House of Blues Santa Cruz's The Expendables play a killer combination of ska, reggae, surf music and punk rock that doesn't dilute the power of any of the band's influences. The rather unattractive quartet have been doing its thing for well over a decade, moshing it up on stage with like-minded cohorts such as Slightly Stoopid, 311 and Less Than Jake. Certainly this is music not meant to be thought about too much, but songs such as "Bowl for Two" and "Sacrifice" are great for skanking. Adding interest to this nice triple bill is John Brown's Body, a progressive reggae act hailing from Boston and New York. Adding elements of electronic music and hip-hop to the fray, this nine piece ensemble finds a killer groove and proceeds in all sorts of interesting directions.
Atreyu, Blessthefall, Chiodos, Architects UK and Endless Hallway at South Side Music Hall Need some metal prior to pigging out on that turkey? Well, this crowded quadruple bill could be just the thing for you. Orange County's Atreyu may have mellowed a bit over the band's decade long tenure, but Alex Varkatzas and crew can still bring out the metalcore thunder. Add in the dynamics of Arizona's Blessthefall and Michigan's Chiodos and you have yourself a downright heavy metal hoedown. California's Endless Hallway (terrible name) begin what should be a long and loud evening of head banging.
