What a great hump-day musical lineup we have this evening. Definitely something for everyone in this list of goodies...
David Crosby and Graham Nash at the Verizon Theatre
Hey, check it out! It's the worst half of CSNY!
Danielson, Binary Sunrise and Fishboy at The Loft
There aren't too many bands out there who play indie, gospel-influenced pop music, but New Jersey's
Danielson is certainly one band in that limited genre to look out for.
Fronted by one Daniel Smith, Danielson can be cloying and annoying, but
also charming. Not sure if all the nurse or tree costumes really add too
much to the overall effect, but there's something endearingly childlike
about Danielson's music. Best of Gloucester County, the band's recently
released eighth effort, is just as weird as anything else Smith has been
involved with. Songs like "Complementary Dismemberment Insurance" and
"But I Don't Wanna Sing About Guitars" just begin to scratch the surface
of this guy's odd persona.
Volbeat, Hourcast and The Dammed Things at the House of Blues
Danish
metal band Volbeat may not be well known around these parts, but,
overseas, they're big enough to share stages with Metallica, Slayer and
other heavy metal big boys. Led by Michael Poulson, the band mixes in
the greaser-punk spirit of Social Distortion into its solid, classic
metal roar. 2010's Beyond Hell/Above Heaven received some of the best
reviews of the band's decade-long career. The album featured guest
appearances from members of Napalm Death, Merciful Fate and Kreator.
There's absolutely no reason why any respectable area metalhead should
not be a fan of Volbeat. Perhaps the band's quirky name and lack of
pretentiousness keeps them away from major success here in the States.
Marina & The Diamonds and Ishi at the Granada Theater
Although
the music of Marina & The Diamonds is often described as indie and
sometimes as new wave, this stuff is really just classic dance fodder
with some hip influences. Marina Lambrini Diamandis looks great, sings
OK and probably wouldn't feel too bad if she ended up being the next Britney
Spears, sans the drama. Certainly Diamandis (who writes and records most
of her music and only uses a backing band for touring) can venture out
into areas many major pop stars would avoid, but there's something amiss
in the look-how-odd-I-can-be vibe the gal projects. Like a mutant
fusion of Bjork and Kate Bush, Diamandis is an acquired taste trying to
(successfully) straddle the line between indie and big time.
Tartufi, Curvette and Achtone at Hailey's
After starting out as a power-pop trio out of San Franscico, Tartufi has slowly evolved
into one wild and weird indie experimental duo. These days, Lynne Angel
and Brian Gorman are just as content to release a single 26-minute song
as an EP (as they did with The Butterless Man in 2009) as do anything
resembling the conciseness of previous releases. Tape loops and various
percussion instruments hold sway as the pair sing along manically like
the offspring of Syd Barrett and Sid Vicious. Sounding like the
Decemberists on some really mind-altering drugs, Tartufi is interesting
as hell, but a challenge to take on for lengthy sessions. Perhaps you
can walk in and out of Hailey's as to not be overexposed to the "charms"
of Tartufi.