ACL is over, and with it, the spillover has left. I guess it's back to a more typical slate of weekday shows tonight. Still an interesting collection of touring acts invading our area this evening, though. Something for everyone. Almost.
Accept, King's X and White Collar Ghetto at The House of Blues
Supposedly, Accept's 1983
hit "Balls to the Wall" was about slaves revolting against their
masters. Whether any '80s metalhead had a clue about this is unclear.
Whatever the case, the German band laughed all the way to the bank,
selling over two million copies of its Balls to the Wall album. This
current version of the band is fronted by Mark Tornillo, not original
vocalist Udo Dirkschneider, making this a sort of pseudo-Accept. Seeing
that many acts (Journey, Yes, Foreigner, etc.) are also performing with
non-original singers, this has (sadly) become common practice. Whether
or not aging headbangers will know the difference this evening is up for
debate. What's not up for discussion, though, is that King's X, another '80s
metal act, should be headlining this particular bill. The band's 1989
effort, Gretchen Goes to Nebraska, is one of the smartest metal albums
ever made. Believe it or not, there is competition for such an accolade. And don't forget to get there early to catch Machete "star" Billy Blair and his band White Collar Ghetto.
The Toasters at Trees
New
York's The Toasters is one of the most celebrated American ska bands, and rightfully so:
Singer Robert Hingley has kept some form of the band going for almost 30 years at this point, and, unlike most bands who peter out after a couple of good
records, The Toasters' 2007 effort, One More Bullet, was as solid as
anything the band had released prior. Fans may prefer 1997's Don't Let the
Bastards Get You Down, but Bullet's "Where's the Freedom?" and "You're
Gonna Pay" are perfect mixtures of the political and the poetic. Even
after three decades, Robert Hingley has a lot to say and an engaging way
of saying it.
40 oz, to Freedom and Rhymin' N Stealin' at The Granada
There
are several Sublime tribute bands out there, but San Diego's 40 oz. to
Freedom has taking the notion of testimonial to a whole other level.
Dane Scott and crew have been honing their, ahem, sublime skills since
2007 and have transcended the tribute band circuit. Ironically, 40 oz. to
Freedom may well represent the best chance to hear the authentic sound
of Sublime; as you surely know, Sublime's frontman Bradley Nowell died of a heroin overdose
in 1996 and the remaining members have toured under the (court-ordered)
name Sublime with Rome to lukewarm results since. In this case, some fans
might prefer a copy over the (almost) real deal. Local Beastie Boys
tribute act Rhymin' N Stealin' opens things up in what should be a
enjoyable evening of people playing other people's songs.
