Cowboy Mouth w/Big Sky Former Dash Rip Rock drummer Fred LeBlanc and his New Orleans-reared crew continue their never-say-die assault on the Southeast. They've been hitless since the mid-'90s, and couldn't care less; their melodic, revved-up roots-rock has always been more suited to beer, sweat and volume than the radio, anyway. Expect a joyfully bleary good time. That, and a significant Bay-wide rise in Bloody Mary sales the following day, as everybody tries to even out for Friday night's DRR gig. A particularly cruel elementary-school kid might compare Big Sky to your mother, because they'll open for anybody. The very definition of a working band, Big Sky's unobtrusive, slightly granola-fied jangle-pop contains just enough of everything to make 'em compatible with whoever happens to come cruising down the circuit. (June 28, Frankie's Patio)
Dash Rip Rock The Southeastern United States' premier Mobile Party Unit returns. And they write great, three-minute bursts of shit-kicking fun too. If you want an engrossing, spectacular evening of tuneage that spans the emotional spectrum, stay home. But if you want sticky wooden floors, cowboy hats and rollicking songs about hangovers, broken hearts and bar sluts, well, here you go. Dash always puts on the kind of show where you never have to wonder whether or not the Jack Daniel's bottle at stage right is really full of tea. Highly recommended. (June 29, Skipper's Smokehouse)
Mandorico w/Saturn 5 Atlanta's Mandorico describe their style as afrocubanhiphopcaribbeanrock; almost everybody else will say that they're a party-ska band with a few Latin tendencies. Tight and entertaining, if a bit heavy on the crowd exhortations, the band can definitely provide an upbeat, ass-inspiring alternative to seeing your friend's mopey outfit again this weekend. But, to be fair, they also roll into the Bay area about, oh, every 15 minutes or so. Saturn 5 brings members of The Swingin' Mooks and The Hazies together in a decidedly cover-oriented context. (June 29, Club More)
Twiztid w/Blaze God help us. Costumed, gore-happy rappers Twiztid are proteges of that most confounding and disheartening of cult successes, Insane Clown Posse. That is to say, they're probably not quite as talented as ICP. Which might lead one to the conclusion that having a rusty icepick inserted, slowly, into each ear canal would probably be preferable to attending their set. Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, good; white guys in straitjackets and smeared King Diamond makeup, bad. The only thing I can tell you about Blaze is, well, that they're opening for Twiztid. (June 29, The State Theatre)
Paramount's Laser Spectacular We're goin' straight to the dark side/of the mooooooooon! — Fountains of Wayne. Billed as the world's largest touring laser show, Laser Spectacular is choreographed to Pink Floyd, naturally. It also features excerpts from Dark Side of The Rainbow, that tape-trader's classic which synchs Dark Side of The Moon with The Wizard of Oz. The show's images are appropriate for the entire family, says its press release, so feel free to dose the kids. (June 29, Mahaffey Theater)
Old 97's w/Josh Joplin Group Satellite Rides, the latest from Texas altcountry stalwarts Old 97's, finds the band incorporating a little more pop inspiration, from the likes of R.E.M. and Big Star, with great success. They don't sacrifice any of their twang or earnest expression, however, so it's still very much a jangly, heartfelt affair. Catch 'em before they move out of the more intimate venues. Josh Joplin Group also mines the R.E.M. influence, albeit more obviously, and from a much more commercial perspective. Maybe you caught their guilty-pleasure single, Camera One, during its few weeks in regular rotation on 97X. (June 30, The State Theatre)
Left Hand Black/TAO/Woven/D.B.D. Sarasota's Left Hand Black can purvey low-end chunkage with the best of them, and eschew the rap-core thing in favor of a genuinely disturbing onslaught of dark, jagged grooves and throat-shredding vocals that sit just this side of grindcore. The rumor mill has these guys drawing upwards of 200 people on their side of the Skyway. TAO have been compared to the likes of Godsmack and Alice In Chains. Sinister melody and all that. Woven are a little lighter, though not much. D.B.D. is the wild card here; if their acronym stands for Dead By Dawn (as in Evil Dead 2, ya know), then they may be considered a must-see on the basis of reference alone. (June 30, Brass Mug)
Neville Brothers Seriously, what's left to be said? Soulful, voodoo-fired jazz and R&B. For most fans, the Nevilles are more than worth the planning, the drive, the parking fiasco and even the four-dollar cans of Bud. The password is carpool. (July 1, House of Blues, Orlando)
Ithaca w/TBA Gainesville's latest avant/indie buzz make their second Bay area appearance. The complete bill has yet to be announced. (July 3, Orpheum)
—All entries by Scott Harrell.
This article appears in Jun 28 – Jul 4, 2001.
