Los Straitjackets
Thursday @Little Brother’s
Mexican-wrestling-masked Los Straitjackets specialize in mad-to-mellow surfabilly instrumentals, but their new Rock En Espaňol, Volume One sports several vivacious guest vocalists on reborn 60s Spanish-language radio versions of contemporaneous Top 40 hits, dance pop all the way Los Lobos’ Cesar Rosas gets “Dizzy Miss Lizzy” into (and out of) the polka dots and sunspots of “El Microscopico Bikini”; Thee Midnighters’ Little Willie G. lilts and tilts “Dame Una Sena”(“Gimme Little Sign”); and “Calor” (AKA “Slow Down”) is cool rocked by Big Sandy, special guest on Los Straitjackets’ current tour.
We Are The Fury
Thursday @ the Basement
Toledo’s own We Are The Fury are glammed-out veterans of the Vans Warped Tour, and their current album, Venus, is one rocking jewel box, ’bout to fall off the dresser. Frontman Jeremy Lublin is more uncut earnest than cocky, and he just has to speak his mind, whether it gets him into/kicked out of the boudoir or not. But the music adapts to his every mood, with a saxophone here, a piano there, and “Close Your Eyes” is a power ballad of rare flair.
Dropkick Murphys
Wednesday @Newport Music Hall
What’s the difference between a stereotype and an archetype? If you don’t know, ask your professor, while you’re both swaying and bellowing along with the Dropkick Murphys’ “Kiss Me, I’m Sh**faced, “ which dropkicks cliché Irish rowdies way over the top. Since 1996, the Boston-based, punk-folk Murphys have had a way with a yarn and a yowl and a testimony. “It’s about not taking your friends and family for granted, and it’s about living in the moment,” says the Murphys’ Al Barr. You want noise with that? You got it!
Matt Pond PA
Thursday @The Basement
Singer-songwriter-bandleader Matt Pond is indeed from PA, with a knack for UK-associated, glum but fervent, rainy day rock-soul-pop, in the tradition of the Kinks and the Zombies, Pulp and the Cure. Pond’s new album, Last Light, the first he’s produced, is concise and varied, building moody momentum. Guests include Neko Case, Kelly Hogan, Bardo Pond’s Isobelle Sollenberger, Beck/Elliot Smith henchman Rob Schnapf, and chamber rock arranger/multi-instrumentalist Brian Pearl. Pond’s basic combo is also tight and adaptable, but can they cut it live, without the reinforcements? We’ll see.
Vains of Jenna
Friday @ Lifestyles Communities Pavilion
If he ever dies, Lizzy Devine’s voice will have to be disposed of as carefully as your medications. His lemon squall is like young Billy Corgan’s, if the head Pumpkin had been caught by Swedish hair metal bandits Vains of Jenna, and taught to project like young Axl Rose. VOJ’s Lift Up/Let Down thrives without too many 80s production excesses, or the jokiness of The Darkness, although they’re funny. And warmed up by 45 summer shows with Poison. Let the Vains bleed on you, man!
Earl Greyhound
Thursday @ the Ravari Room
Earl Greyhound are x-ray vision scholars of the Beatles, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Mother’s Finest, Led Zeppelin, Queen, and Prince’s Black Album: they know how to combine humor and excitement, tunes and thunder. Also, on their current Soft Targets, they trust their power trio setup, without too many overdubs, and they don’t squeeze their harmonies too much (helps that one of them is a girl). Earl Greyhound sound like grownups who still know how to ride bicycles down the back stairs (because sometimes you really gotta). Don Allred
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