Monday - Nov 8
The Felice Brothers at the Social (more info)
The Felice Brothers hail from the Catskill Mountains, and sure enough, their music sounds very outdoorsy. Laidback, folky bluegrass is the order of the day, and it’ll be a nice, relaxing way to kick off your week. They toured with Dave Matthews Band over the summer, and have played most of America’s biggest festivals, so expect a well-honed live show with plenty of singalongs. The band itself described its 2009 album, ‘Yonder is the Clock’, as being songs about “love, death, betrayal, baseball, train stations, phantoms, pandemics, jail cells, rolling rivers and frozen winter nights.” All those ingredients would make for a terrific, if complicated, movie, whose score would be fantastic. As should this show.
Tuesday - Nov 9
Wolf Parade at the Social (more info)
Wolf Parade's latest album, 'Expo 86', begins with no intro, no set up, just the vocals and the drums starting straight away. It's the musical equivalent of kicking a ball with no back-lift, and it's really cool. The rest of the album, the Montreal band's third, is equally frantic and enjoyable. Since their last record, members of the band have released acclaimed albums as side projects like Sunset Rubdown and the Handsome Furs, so this feels like something of a reunion. Experimental but not in an annoying way, Wolf Parade write some catchy and complex songs that will sound lovely on a cool Tuesday night.
Wednesday - Nov 10
S.K.I.P. at Backbooth (more info)
We've written about S.K.I.P. a lot in the past, so by now you should know the drill. The kickstarter campaign you read about a few months ago was a raging success, and the album 'Until the Very End' is now ready to drop. This show is planned as a big ol' release party, so everyone will be in a good mood as S.K.I.P. unveils the entire new album, plus there's a live open mic to warm the crowd up. You've got no reason to miss this: tickets are only $6, and you get a free promo EP to boot. It's a win-win. See you there.
Thursday - Nov 11
Doug Stanhope at Backbooth
If you are easily offended by comedy, you should probably stop reading now. Doug Stanhope hates you, and you would probably hate him too. His topics of conversation may include abortion, religion, politics – all those fun little subjects that people always get mad about. And, man, is this guy angry! Like Hicks or Carlin before him, Stanhope has the attitude of not giving an eff. He’ll say it. Most of the time, even if it’s horrifying, it’s funny. This year, he appeared on one of my favorite British shows, Charlie Brooker’s Newswipe, offering a patently uncensored take on the nature of news shows here in the U.S. It’s well worth your time.
Paul Oakenfold at Firestone Live (buy tickets)
I remember in the late 90s, Oakenfold was the super-est of the superstar DJs. Everything he remixed turned to gold, and his DJ-ing performances all over the UK, and in Ibiza, were the stuff of legend. I was an indie kid, and even I had heard of him, thanks to a series of remixes of bands I liked at the time. Then he made the crossover from DJ to artist in 2002 with 'Bunkka', a rare record that brought together Ice Cube, Nelly Furtardo, Hunter S. Thompson and that one dude from Crazy Town. He's mates with Madonna and Britney Spears, is known worldwide, and this show will bring the roof down. You'll dance so much, you'll probably lose weight.
Saturday - Nov 13
Black Mountain / The Black Angels at the Social (more info)
Pedals. Lots and lots of pedals. That and beards. These two bands deal in heavy riffs, psychedelia, noisy guitar rock. Vancouver's Black Mountain have a badass album cover and a new album, 'Wilderness Heart', which is a lot more accessible than their previous output. I'm a sucker for dueling male and female vocals, so this band has me firmly in their corner. The Black Angels, meanwhile, are from Austin and have associated with Roky Erickson, so you have an idea of what to expect. Equally inspired by the Velvet Underground and Spiritualized, but with some heavier riffs, they'll serve as a great warm up for the main event.
The Felice Brothers at the Social (more info)
The Felice Brothers hail from the Catskill Mountains, and sure enough, their music sounds very outdoorsy. Laidback, folky bluegrass is the order of the day, and it’ll be a nice, relaxing way to kick off your week. They toured with Dave Matthews Band over the summer, and have played most of America’s biggest festivals, so expect a well-honed live show with plenty of singalongs. The band itself described its 2009 album, ‘Yonder is the Clock’, as being songs about “love, death, betrayal, baseball, train stations, phantoms, pandemics, jail cells, rolling rivers and frozen winter nights.” All those ingredients would make for a terrific, if complicated, movie, whose score would be fantastic. As should this show.
Tuesday - Nov 9
Wolf Parade at the Social (more info)
Wolf Parade's latest album, 'Expo 86', begins with no intro, no set up, just the vocals and the drums starting straight away. It's the musical equivalent of kicking a ball with no back-lift, and it's really cool. The rest of the album, the Montreal band's third, is equally frantic and enjoyable. Since their last record, members of the band have released acclaimed albums as side projects like Sunset Rubdown and the Handsome Furs, so this feels like something of a reunion. Experimental but not in an annoying way, Wolf Parade write some catchy and complex songs that will sound lovely on a cool Tuesday night.
Wednesday - Nov 10
S.K.I.P. at Backbooth (more info)
We've written about S.K.I.P. a lot in the past, so by now you should know the drill. The kickstarter campaign you read about a few months ago was a raging success, and the album 'Until the Very End' is now ready to drop. This show is planned as a big ol' release party, so everyone will be in a good mood as S.K.I.P. unveils the entire new album, plus there's a live open mic to warm the crowd up. You've got no reason to miss this: tickets are only $6, and you get a free promo EP to boot. It's a win-win. See you there.
Thursday - Nov 11
Doug Stanhope at Backbooth
If you are easily offended by comedy, you should probably stop reading now. Doug Stanhope hates you, and you would probably hate him too. His topics of conversation may include abortion, religion, politics – all those fun little subjects that people always get mad about. And, man, is this guy angry! Like Hicks or Carlin before him, Stanhope has the attitude of not giving an eff. He’ll say it. Most of the time, even if it’s horrifying, it’s funny. This year, he appeared on one of my favorite British shows, Charlie Brooker’s Newswipe, offering a patently uncensored take on the nature of news shows here in the U.S. It’s well worth your time.
Paul Oakenfold at Firestone Live (buy tickets)
I remember in the late 90s, Oakenfold was the super-est of the superstar DJs. Everything he remixed turned to gold, and his DJ-ing performances all over the UK, and in Ibiza, were the stuff of legend. I was an indie kid, and even I had heard of him, thanks to a series of remixes of bands I liked at the time. Then he made the crossover from DJ to artist in 2002 with 'Bunkka', a rare record that brought together Ice Cube, Nelly Furtardo, Hunter S. Thompson and that one dude from Crazy Town. He's mates with Madonna and Britney Spears, is known worldwide, and this show will bring the roof down. You'll dance so much, you'll probably lose weight.
Saturday - Nov 13
Black Mountain / The Black Angels at the Social (more info)
Pedals. Lots and lots of pedals. That and beards. These two bands deal in heavy riffs, psychedelia, noisy guitar rock. Vancouver's Black Mountain have a badass album cover and a new album, 'Wilderness Heart', which is a lot more accessible than their previous output. I'm a sucker for dueling male and female vocals, so this band has me firmly in their corner. The Black Angels, meanwhile, are from Austin and have associated with Roky Erickson, so you have an idea of what to expect. Equally inspired by the Velvet Underground and Spiritualized, but with some heavier riffs, they'll serve as a great warm up for the main event.
