This week, Jason Mraz and Brad Paisley head up our list of 33 new shows. But Lair of the Minotaur and EPMD at the Legends of Hip-Hop Tour are what really have us pumped. —D.X. Ferris
CANCELED
Zee Avi : Sun., June 7. Grog Shop.
THIS JUST IN
Backseat Goodbye/Mansions/Breathe Electric/October Nites: Tue., June 16, 6 p.m., $8. Pirate’s Cove.
Pat Bianchi/BobFerrazza/Carmen Intorre Organ Trio: Fri., June 19, 8 p.m., $20. Nighttown.
The Black Crowes: Mon., July 13, 8:30 p.m., $42.50 ADV/$45. House of Blues.
Brave Combo: Ballroom, Fri., Aug. 7, 8 p.m., $15. Beachland.
Briggs/Left Alone: Sat., July 18, 7 p.m., $10 ADV/$12 DOS. Pirate’s Cove.
The Donnas: Fri., Aug. 14, 7 p.m., $15 ADV/$18 DOS. Peabody’s.
Hilario Duran Trio: Thu., June 18, 8 p.m., $20. Nighttown.
Emery/Maylene & the Sons of Disaster/Closure in Moscow/Ivory Line/Kiros: Mon., Aug. 17, 5:30 p.m., $15 ADV/$17 DOS. Peabody’s.
Every Avenue/Cash Cash/Valencia/the Morning Light/Sparks the Rescue: Sun., July 19, 6 p.m., $12 ADV/$14 DOS. Peabody’s.
Expecting Rain/Mike St. Jude & the Valentines (dual record release show): New date, Ballroom, Sat., May 30, 7:30 p.m., no cover. Beachland.
This article appears in May 6-12, 2009.
The Church
Untitled #23
The band have deftly kept their key elements of their trademark sound constant, allowing them to try all manner of experiments around the edges without ever alienating or confusing their die-hard fans like myself. Untitled #23 is their best cd in years but they always are solid efforts. Marty Willson-Piper and Peter Koppes’s guitars bubble, scrape and swirl in layers so dense that it takes multiple listens to appreciate the complexity of the arrangements. Amazingly, Steve Kilbey’s instantly recognisable voice and off-kilter phrasing cuts through even the most murky passages, showing studio-smarts that are seldom seen these days. Steve Kilbey has an art show on in Pittsburgh this month only.The Church know that even the most sonically extreme psychedelia needs to be anchored with a solid melodic idea, and this is where Kilbey earns his stripes as one of the AUSTRALIA’S most underrated songwriters. You have to admire the Church’s stubborn refusal to cash in on their early success and do the whole nostalgia rock circuit thing. By hanging everything on the faith that their best work is still ahead of them, the Church sound every bit as relevant now as they did way back in 1987. Their new songs sound emotional, raw and at times even scarily angry, without ever sounding like they’re trying to conjure up demons-long banished by years of comfortable living. The best news is we can all see this amazing band at Beachland Ballroom this June the day after Van Der Graaf Generator. Go see this band and the music will knock your socks off! Buy the cd!