Four Of A Kind (April. also May or June 2008)

 By Don  Allred

April

Darsombra
Sunday @Bernie’s Distillery
Darsombra is the one-man-band incarnation of progressive/doom metal veteran Brian Daniloski, whose baritone guitar builds dense, vivid atmospheres, secret passageways of counterpoint and harmonic accompaniment. Darsombra’s new album, Eternal Jewel, seems set in low-budget sound, but the centerpiece, “Night’s Black Agents,” evokes iron wasps, pressing against the window of a cathedral in which classified industrial, surgical and other activities are well underway. Later, the guitar achieves a droning, vocal intonation, and chants its way toward fugues of feedback, fuzz, and bell-like tones. Pedals and loops should animate the live experience too.

The Dodos
Tuesday @ Café Bourbon Street
The Dodos’ two-man versatility seems inspired by Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson,” where an initially bland folkie-pop sound gets its foot in the door, then slips through a number of little twists and turns. And, especially on their new album, Visiter,(sic), the Dodos add flecks of metal, blues, and African music studies, the last of which might remind you of Vampire Weekend, but with more straight-forward lyrics, about jobs and other relationships. Too many words sometimes, but the performers keep herding them through ripe tunefulness and dynamics.


 May or June:

Rick Ross
Friday @LC Pavilion 

Rick Ross’s early hit single, “Hustlin’ Rick Ross,”  proved the credibility of its title when Ross finished recording his gold-selling debut album, “Port of Miami, “ on a tour bus. He made his acting debut in Lawrence Fishburn’s “Days of Wrath, “ while producing “Mi-Yayo,” a documentary about Miami hustlers. His current album, Trilla, features, among others, R. Kelly, Lil’ Wayne, Young Jeezy, and Jay-Z, as Ross seeks Jay-Z’s balance of chilled confidence and creative self-assertion, schooled but not bound by  street smarts. (Late-breaking MTV News: he just escaped from a tiger!)

Saving Abel
Saturday @Al Rosa Villa

Saving Abel’s Jason Null aims high: “Our goals are always to concentrate on the song, not just make a kid bop his head.” Not that they’re against bopping heads. Saving Abel strive for the perfect combination of southern and alternative rock. Vocalist Scott Weeks wrote “Addicted” while working in a hospital, but managed to make it sexy and catchy enough to win the hearts of Virgin Records. Also, the contemplative “18 Days” was somehow inspired by the b-movie classic, “Walking Tall,” and such resourcefulness is essential, when plowing deliberately familiar ground.

Silver Mt. Zion
Tuesday @ Skully’s
 Silver Mt. Zion is sometimes billed as Thee Silver Mt Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, which might make them seem like lightheaded acid folkies, but they aren’t.  Their new album, 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons, is armed with two down-tuned, smoldering-to-roaring guitars, pushing through violins, cello, contra bass, tom-toms and kickdrums, over which lead guitarist Efrim chants, wails, leads the march towards the forest. (No wonder they’ve collaborated with Patti Smith: their sound is a natural for her outland visions.) A little too slow sometimes, but the fire always comes back.