My Hotel Year/Pilots vs. Aeroplanes/ Closure Two of O-Town's finest (and most frequent visitors to the Bay area) join up with some Brandon veterans for an evening of melodic posthardcore. Beyond Records just recently released My Hotel Year's originally self-produced The Composition of Ending and Phrasing, an excellent disc that easily holds its own alongside more heavily buzzed Florida spawn like Further Seems Forever (see Music column). Dude, they rock. Pilots vs. Aeroplanes have left most of their Superchunk-tinged origins behind in favor of a more insinuating, nuanced approach; they're not as loud, but just as good. Rumors of the about-to-be-signed variety continue to surround earnest, hook-laden locals Closure, whose style ably bridges the gap between pop writing and punk execution. (Aug. 10, Orpheum)
Attica/Lo/SimpleKill/Spun Attica is the undisputed king of our region's burgeoning groovecore scene. Heavier, scarier and more original than just about anybody else around here, Attica incorporates the now-ubiquitous hip-hop influence without resorting to cliche and has been plying its creepy and crushing sound since long before the current crop of locals decided to down-tune and find a DJ. Recent reports have up-and-comers Lo moving away from rip-hop in favor of more melodic fare, without sacrificing too much of the heavy stuff. Out-of-towners SimpleKill and Spun make their State Theatre debuts; one might suspect that they don't get compared to Weezer that often. (Aug. 10, State Theatre)
Against All Authority w/Glasseater/ Nevertheless /The Fizz/The Culprits Yes, Miami's politically oriented blitzkrieg Against All Authority includes a horn or two, but AAA's got about as much in common with ska as AC/DC does with reggae. Their sinewy, careening hardcore knows no genre, actually, content to deliver literate blasts peppered with various influences. Oh, how the kids love 'em. This event will be one of Club More's rare all-ages forays. Support will be provided by four bands that collectively span the punk spectrum, from garage-fuzz to speed-pop to blistering crossover. (Aug. 10, Club More)
Red Elvises w/The Gita They're Russian, but they play surf-rockabilly! That's crazy! They use funny-looking foreign instruments, and dress like Sammy Hagar at a zoot-suit riot! It's zany! Actually, those who might be put off by a combination of gimmick and image that borders on the seizure-inducing would do well to give their live show a go, because the band is talented and adept at providing a jumping good time. An extremely cheesy, jumping good time, but fun nonetheless. Omnipresent locals The Gita, themselves no slouches in the unpretentious-spectacle department, provide support in the form of pop-laced white funk. (Aug. 10, Skipper's Smokehouse)
Mary Chapin Carpenter/Steve Earle Five-time Grammy winner Mary Chapin Carpenter makes a Clearwater stop in support of her latest album of pop/country/folk, Time*Sex*Love*. Country-rock legend, nay, icon, Steve Earle: the man who took on Nashville's faceless hit-machine, walked away, and lived to tell the tale, opens. (Aug. 10, Ruth Eckerd Hall)
Vince Neil/Ratt/Slaughter Be honest. If you had to pick three '80s rock frontmen whose voices most precariously toed (or perhaps erased) the line between inimitable and irritating, Neil, Pearcy and Slaughter might well be the ones. But shit, they were pretty, weren't they? Vince and Stephen embodied the Sunset Strip's appearance-over-ability aesthetic, and Mark proved that perfect pitch and technical prowess won't keep you from sounding like a cat in heat if a cat in heat is, in fact, what you sound like. Yet most of us bought at least a couple of their records, because they had that attitude — we either wanted to be 'em or wanted to screw 'em. How fortunate for us, then, that they return these many years later, making the former seem possible, the latter probable and both ill-advised. (Aug. 10, Jannus Landing)
Every Mother's Nightmare/MindCrank/ Hangtown Speaking of attitude, Southern sleaze-rockers EMN had it in spades. The odds of four guys who looked so much like Sebastian Bach finding each other are beyond calculation — they must have been drawn together by some rock-vibe Geiger counter or something. It's tough to ascertain the bigger attraction to this gig, hearing their cover of Long-Haired Country Boy one last time, or finding out what their hair looks like now. Local rockers Mind Crank and superlative insurgent country outfit Hangtown (whose lineup now features former Leonard Croon Band guitarist/vocalist Dave Korman) are also on board. (Aug. 10, Brass Mug)
HarryDash/Blameit on George/ Conduit/ Leroy Driver Kudos to Bourbon Street for keeping some stage time allotted for original locals. This Friday, it's Pasco heroes Harry Dash, who recently licensed a bunch of tuneage to MTV for use in some of those programs, such as Road Rules, that fill up the space where videos used to go. The Dashers are also reputed to be closing in on The Deal; they've certainly put in the time. Relative newcomers Blame it on George and Conduit will be on hand, as well. (Aug. 10, Bourbon Street)
Los Mocosos w/Gumbi Ortiz & The Latino Projekt San Francisco's self-proclaimed barrio rock band Los Mocosos ply muscular, sweaty, ska-inflected funk, and have drawn comparisons to Santana and that greatest of Latin block-party ass-motivators, War. Aw, yeah. Locally based and world-renowned Afro-Cuban percussionist Gumbi, who's been drumming for guitar god Al DiMeola since the '80s, has a new groove afoot: The Latino Projekt melds sizzling Latin grooves and energetic, jazz-influenced improvisation. (Aug. 11, Skipper's Smokehouse)
Nutrajet w/Bite Size The newly rejuvenated Nutrajet; i.e. Greg and Woody, is the loudest two-man team this side of the WCW. It seems rumors of the band's demise were premature, and after a brief hiatus following a wildly successful U.K. tour, the 'jet is once again tearing down local venues with a straight-up mix of punk and vintage heavy pop. We're starting a pool concerning the next time drummer Jeff will decide that he's too old to be doing this shit; I've got the week of Halloween. Also back after a break, Chris Lunceford, Jason Hinders and Ed Swain, a.k.a. Bite Size, close the show with their infectious pop ditties. (Aug. 11, Brass Mug)
Thaddeus Crumb w/Bob Anthony Thaddeus Crumb, from Orlando, purvey a lush and intricate folk-tinged brand of power pop with sweeeet four-part harmonies, according to local songwriter Bob Anthony, who shares this bill with them. As a walking encyclopedia of obscure pop knowledge, he's eminently qualified to say so. (Aug. 11, Yeoman's Road)
Charlie Robison Gifted storyteller Charlie Robison enlisted hot Nashville producer Blake Chancey (Dixie Chicks, David Ball, Mary Chapin Carpenter) to make his latest, and most decidedly un-Nashville, disc, Step Right Up. The music might be familiar, engaging C&W, but the characters that populate Robison's wry, sardonic vignettes would probably be more comfortable hanging out with Tom Waits or John Hiatt than they would on Publisher's Row. A perennial critic's favorite, the songwriter's iconoclastic, Western-Gothic lyrical style conveys a depth rarely represented on country radio. (Aug. 10, Joyland, Bradenton; Aug. 11, The Roundup, Tampa)
