Another Wednesday rolls around, and there are a number of intriguing musical options with it...
Michelle Shocked at AllGood Café
Having renowned singer/songwriter
Michelle Shocked at a venue like AllGood Café offers a few lucky
individuals the chance for a very intimate concert experience. And
Shocked, a native of East, Texas, is still capable of dazzling a crowd
with her clever wordplay and engaging demeanor. Beginning in 1986 with
the release of her roughhewed debut, The Texas Campfire Tapes, Shocked
has confounded fans and critics at every turn. In 2007, Shocked released
ToHeavenURide, a straight-up gospel effort that revealed the singer's
strong Christian beliefs. 2009's Soul of My Soul proved that Shocked's
spiritual renewal was no fluke. With or without that old-time religion,
Shocked's grace and humor has produced a bevy of fine songs in a variety
of Americana styles.
Paste Tour with Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter, Seryn and Mimicking Birds at Hailey's
Wow,
what a crowded bill for a Wednesday. But packaged tours like this
one just keep rolling along. One-time Drive-By Trucker Jason Isbell
headlines this nice collection of alt-country acts; Jason Isbell and The
400 Unit, Isbell's 2009 sophomore effort, was produced by
Centro-matic's Matt Pence and features some of the similar (and
beautiful) idiosyncrasies associated with that band. Seattle's Jesse
Sykes adds her intriguing brand of Americana to this hefty bill. Sykes
hasn't released a record since 2007's Like, Love, Lust & the Open
Halls of the Soul, but her impressive songwriter chops and road-weary
voice should provide ample ear candy for fans of Emmylou Harris and
Jenny Lewis.
Serena-Maneesh, Wovenhand at The Loft
Norway's
Serena-Maneesh is sort of a Scandinavian version of The Velvet
Underground. Dark and dense, the music of Emil Nikolaisen and crew can
sometimes be a bit overwhelming. The title of the band's second effort,
Abyss in B Minor, tells a good deal of the story. For fans of My Bloody
Valentine and Stereolab, the music of Serena-Maneesh will certainly be
gothic manna. Wovenhand is an alternative country outfit from Denver
that features former 16 Horsepower frontman David Eugene Edwards. An odd
but thought-provoking double bill.
The Independents, Sawed Off Sick, Ten Can Riot at the Double Wide
For
almost 20 years, South Carolina's Independents has been spreading the
horror ska gospel. Mixing the classic, sing-a-long punk of The Misfits
with a hard-edged version of rockabilly, The Independents live in a
fucked up work all its own. Songs like "Vampires from Outer Space" and
"Necrophiliac" are tongue-in-cheek, but still rather disturbing. Like
all good punk, the music of The Independents is confrontational and
relatively stupid. Two local acts, Sawed Off Sick and Ten Can Riot,
will add some Texas heft to the pyschobilly blare.
