Rock Picks: Daedelus, Peanut Butter Wolf, Femi Kuti, Isis

Also playing Tuesday:

Nouvelle Vague

Martin Bisi

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More About

• Blondie (Band)
• Grizzly Bear (Band)
• Martin Bisi
• Amanda Palmer
• Punk Rock

YANNI at the Nokia Theatre; WILCO at the Wiltern; VERONICAS, PRETTY WRECKLESS, CARNEY FLUFF’S Z’NUFF at the Henry Fonda Theater, CRYPTACIZE, WOUNDED LION, MISSINCINATTI at Echo Curio.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24

The Choke at Boardner’s
The Choke are a classic New York band with a classic New York sound. They aren’t trying to come up with anything new, but they’re a persuasively charming group, smashing the Ramones’ punk rock intensity together with Blondie’s sassiness. Singer Cameron Eve has much of Debbie Harry’s winsome appeal, but her deceptively tough backup band crank things out much harder than Blondie ever did. The 11 tracks on their upcoming full-length CD clock in at just over 26 minutes, giving bubblegum hooks like “Street Gang” just enough time to sink into your brain before you can get tired of them. Eve’s new melodies are more winningly tuneful than her brassier delivery on the band’s early demos. Of course, it’s not all about Eve, as she’s supported by a strong, quintessentially Noo Yawk band of thugs, including guitarist Hot Deth (probably not his real name), bassist Knuckles (ditto) and drummer Johnny Napalm (ex-Honeyburst). You should have plenty of time to get acquainted: The Choke are finally making their L.A. debut tonight, followed by a week’s worth of shows in Southern California. Also at Juanita’s, Thurs.; and American Legion Hall in Highland Park, Fri., June 26. (Falling James)

Isis at House of Blues
For over 12 years, L.A. (via Boston) based Isis has slowly built up their avante-garde brand of post-rock music over the past dozen years by creating a brand of metal that resists traditional structures like choruses, verses and fast riffs. Often compared to such bands as Neurosis and the Swans, the band has managed to transcend influences and keep their sound growing. On 2006’s In The Absence of Truth, the band expanded to include ambient stuff, and it easily became one of their most commercially successful releases, earning Revolver Magazine’s Golden Gods Best Underground Metal Band award. Their latest is called Wavering Radiant, and features Tool guitarist Adam Jones on the opener “Hall of the Dead.” (He plays keyboards on the title track, as well.) “Ghost Key” fills up with a ’70s-ish progressive instrumentation, with Turner’s angsty but melodic tone offering the perfect foil. (Rei Nishimoto)

Also playing Wednesday:

EMMYLOU HARRIS, SHAWN COLVIN, PATTY GRIFFIN, BUDDY MILLER at the Greek Theatre; THE HEPTONES at the Echoplex; TROUBLE & BASS CREW, DROP THE LIME, AC SLATER, STAR EYES, THE CAPTAIN, DJ SKEET SKEET at the Echo.

THURSDAY, JUNE 25

Daedelus, Peanut Butter Wolf at the Echoplex
The always delightful and surprising Alfred “Daedelus” Darlington weaves his compositions together by pure instinct, knowing the uncanny connections between found sound, cinematic samples and his own instruments, combining them via a God-given sense of timing and spectacular segues. Peanut Butter Wolf, on the other hand, loots the mausoleum of rock’s cadavers to build a funky Frankenstein monster that becomes as much about guessing what comes next, as it is a project that comes from his pure love and obsession for music. PWF is doing his choppy video editing set here, burning up DVD players like turntables and mixing visuals into a contorted social history of MTV. The two DJs are together tonight launching “Friends of Friends,” a chain-letter label of sorts in which an artist is invited to join by signing on to do a split EP; they in turn invite another musician to complete the release or to commission a designer to create the EP’s artwork or maybe a limited-edition T-Shirt. Interesting, no? Ecstatic joy awaits. (Wendy Gilmartin)

Amanda Palmer at the Troubadour
Even with the Dresden Dolls on hiatus, singer-pianist Amanda Palmer has found plenty of ways of getting into trouble. The video for her song “Oasis,” from her 2008 solo-album debut, Who Killed Amanda Palmer?, was banned on British television, apparently because the powers that be were disturbed by its references to rape and religion. Another video, for “Leeds United,” caused a fuss when Palmer claimed that her own label, Roadrunner Records, wanted to delete certain shots because it determined that she looked fat. This led to a grass-roots campaign of fan-made, belly-centric videos sent to Roadrunner in the hopes that the label would release Palmer from her contract. She’s always at the center of a whirlwind of activity, whether hammering out her alternately magnificent pop opuses or reveling in her doomy, moody balladry. And20don’t forget about her ongoing work as a performance artist, posing as a “living statue” in public places and organizing a crew of carny-minded allies. There’s even a new book version of Who Killed Amanda Palmer?, with photographs by Kyle Cassidy and accompanying text by the English graphic novelist/writer Neil Gaiman, who’s reportedly dating Palmer. (Falling James)

Also playing Thursday:

WILCO, OKKERVIL RIVER at the Wiltern; MITCH RYDER & THE DETROIT WHEELS at the Canyon; THE BIRD AND THE BEE at Descano Gardens; THIRD EYE BLIND at the Palladium.