A Social Occasion
Depending on who's counting, Canadian band/musical collective Broken Social Scene is made up of anywhere from seven to 11 people, several of whom are from other well-regarded bands such as Stars, Metric, The Dears and this show's opener, Do Make Say Think. Almost everybody agrees that the cadre's atmospheric, original indie-rock is top-notch, however; that's why the group won a Juno (the Canadian Grammy) back in '03 for You Forgot It People, before most American hipsters had even heard of the now-ubiquitous outfit. This great ensemble's style is colored by shades of everything from early Athens college-rock to the poetic prairie sounds of fellow Canucks The Weakerthans.
Broken Social Scene w/Do Make Say Think, , 7 p.m. Thurs., Nov. 2 @ Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg; $20. —Scott Harrell
A Good Ol' Boy
Over the last 40 years, bluegrass legend Del McCoury has played with more bands whose names ended in "Boys" (Blue Grass Boys, Golden State Boys, Shady Valley Boys, etc.) than we can count, and along the way has helped shaped the changing face of the style for which he's long been a beloved ambassador. He's had his Del McCoury Band — which most hiply backed Steve Earle for his '99 album The Mountain — since '87; the group released its most gospel-inspired album to date, Promised Land, this year.
The Del McCoury Band, 8 p.m. Sat., Nov. 4 @ State Theatre, St. Petersburg; $20 adv./$25 d.o.s. —SH
Watch Out, They Might Bite
I don't know if Rachel Nagy, lead singer for the Detroit Cobras, is embarrassed by, amused by, still angry at or has totally forgotten her Bay area debut last year at the Orpheum. But man, it was a doozy. The self-professed hard-partyin' rocker got her drink on early and often, and was pretty well snockered by the time she hit the stage with her band, a few of whom appeared equally inebriated. The monitors were fucked, Rachel got pissed, drank even harder and launched into one of those visceral, train-wreck sets that was an absolute mess, but one that I loved and will never forget. The Detroit Cobras specialize in doing punked-up versions of obscure R&B tunes, and they do it extremely well. Nagy, hammered or not, is an extremely watchable performer with a powerhouse voice. Show up. There's no telling what might happen.
The Detroit Cobras w/King Khan & BBQ Show/Taylor Hollingsworth & the Spidereaters, 7 p.m. Mon., Nov. 6 @ the Orpheum, Ybor City; $12. —Eric Snider
