As seems to be the norm in these parts, Tuesday is quite a bit more musically active than Monday was. Whatever the reasons, there are several shows of interest hitting town this evening--and two of them are in the same building.
Ratatat, Dom and Bobby Birdman at The Palladium Ballroom
Sartaj Chowdhury had an interesting
Q&A session with Ratatat's Evan Mast that ran yesterday on DC9. In
that interview, Mast talked about playing bigger venues on this tour as
the result of the instrumental duo gathering new fans. Such is not
surprising seeing how Mast and partner Mike Shroud are constantly
widening their musical horizons. Incorporating Middle Eastern
instrumentation along with a string quartet is certainly not common
among acts in the trance/dance genre, but Ratatat makes it work. Two other interesting acts will also
appear on tonight's bill: Massachusetts' electro-rock band Dom and
California's Bobby Birdman, a purveyor of psychedelic mood music.
Street Dogs, Devil's Brigade, Flatfoot 56, Continental and Dog Company at The Loft
Wow,
talk about a crowded bill. And on a Tuesday night? For those who prefer
their sounds more conventionally loud, this quintet of punkish bands
ought to strike your fancy. Street Dogs is a classic Celtic punk band
fronted by former Dropkick Murphys singer Johnny Rioux. Devil's Brigade
is something of a punk rock supergroup featuring Matt Freeman and Tim
Armstrong (of Rancid) on guitar and bass and DJ Bonebrake (of X) on
drums. Flatfoot 56 is a Celtic/Christian punk band hailing from Chicago, and Continental is a more traditional outfit also from Massachusetts.
And finally, adding to the evening's canine theme is Dallas' own Dog
Company.
Atari Teenage Riot at Trees
Back in the 90's,
Germany's Atari Teenage Riot created quite the stir in the fatherland by
releasing songs such as "Hetzjagd Auf Nazis!"/"Hunt Down the Nazis!"
The band attracted enough attention to warrant a European tour, and the
resulting financial wherewithal allowed ATR to start its own record
label. The phrase "digital hardcore" is often used in association with
the band, and ATR leader Alec Empire has gone out of his way to live up
to said description. ATR's music is a mish-mash of Industrial noise,
punk theatrics and a decent amount of dance floor thud. The band is
coming back from a decade long hiatus for this tour, so expect the unexpected and
bring your earplugs.
Jenny and Johnny at the Granada Theater
Pete mentioned this show earlier today, explaining Jenny Lewis' and Johnathan Rice's prior works before joining forces as they did for this year's collaborative release, I'm Having Fun Now. But he didn't mention that, on the tour in support of this record, the band's had friend Kirsten Dunst (yes, that Kirsten Dunst) joining them for a set-closing song. So there you go, Spider-Man fans.
