FRIDAY/SEPTEMBER/10
FREESTYLE FELLOWSHIP AT THE ROXY
Bosson buddies: The Running Kind
Shonen Knives, out
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An L.A. underground rap supergroup in reverse, Leimert Park crew Freestyle Fellowship was, for its time — the early '90s — the gold standard in hard-yet-thoughtful, genre-blending hip-hop. The group's rise coincided with a Left Coast renaissance that included Hieroglyphics in the Bay Area and South Central's Pharcyde, but what set these guys apart was their jazz-steeped, open-mic roots. Each rapper — Aceyalone, Myka 9, P.E.A.C.E. and Self Jupiter — arrived at the party with at least five distinct rhyme styles in his bag, and all were adept at a melodic, elastic flow that bordered on sing-song. Each has also gone on to establish himself in his own right (Acey's released 10 solo albums to date), so a proper reunion — the first we're aware of since they split in 2001 — is a rare treat. Here's hoping they dig deep, to their '93 cult classic, Inner City Griots, a stellar album featuring both the swaggering banger "Bullies on the Block" and the thoughtful meditation on homelessness "Park Bench People." (Chris Martins)
BEAK>, FOOT VILLAGE AT THE TROUBADOUR
Considering its constituent parts, Bristol's Beak> has remained surprisingly overlooked. The trio is Geoff Barrow, founder and chief aural architect of Portishead, alongside two area up-and-comers, Matt Williams of Team Brick and Billy Fuller of Fuzz Against Junk, and came into existence in early 2009. As legend goes, the band was born during a Christmas party at Invada Records, the label owned by Barrow, when a jam session struck up between the future members. Perhaps that's why the group's on-album chemistry is so palpable — immaculate conception? — even as the music itself is so simultaneously challenging and rewarding. The group's pieces range from the absolutely epic, Mogwai-styled post-rock of "Battery Point" to the darkly throbbing Krautrock of "Wulfstan." Their self-titled debut is full of pleasant surprises, all the more so considering Beak> has completely outlawed overdubbing. Raucous opener Foot Village should be a good warmer-upper, as their show typically involves several drum kits, one or two bullhorns and a whole lot of barefoot stomping. (Chris Martins)
PINK MARTINI AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL
Ladies and germs, to cap off the Hollywood Bowl's summer season, please welcome the return of Pink Martini, that faboo mini-ork led by pianist Thomas M. Lauderdale and multi-multilingual chanteuse China Forbes. Specialists in cosmopolitan, witty, stylish '40s- and '50s-inspired pop, the Pinks issued their superfun fourth album, Splendor in the Grass (Heinz), last year to typically wild acclaim. See what all the huzzahs are about when they meet the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra led by Thomas Wilkins for three nights (September 10-12), with special guests Rufus Wainwright, Jane Powell, Ari Shapiro and — yes! — the cast of Sesame Street. Did we mention the Bowl's signature spectacular fireworks finale? Showtimes are 8:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m. on Sunday. (John Payne)
SHERYL CROW, COLBIE CAILLAT AT THE GREEK THEATRE
On her recently released 100 Miles From Memphis, Sheryl Crow pays tribute to the music she heard growing up two hours north of that great music town, in Kennett, Missouri: One track, a cover of Terence Trent D'Arby's "Sign Your Name" (with creamy backing vocals by Justin Timberlake), is a painstakingly accurate re-creation of the slow-burning soul sides Al Green cut with producer Willie Mitchell for Memphis' Hi Records label. (Another cover, of the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back," is no less precise.) Crow is likely to focus on 100 Miles tonight, but given the depth of her hit-stuffed songbook, even those left cold by the new disc's openly retro vibe should come away satisfied. Local folk-pop lady Colbie Caillat gets little respect from critics suspicious of simplicity, which should tell you she's doing something right. (Mikael Wood)
Also playing Friday: COLISEUM at 6th St. Warehouse; TREY SONGZ, MONICA at Club Nokia; THE WATSON TWINS, MINI MANSIONS at Bootleg Theater; THE BUSINESS at the Key Club; CALAVERA, DROP DEAD BEATS at Alex's Bar; DREAD ZEPPELIN at Brixton South Bay; THE VANDALS at the Glass House; MICK FARREN (reading) at La Luz de Jesus; REGAL BEAGLE, THE MORMONS, MUTINY at LaBrie's; THE DITTY BOPS at McCabe's; CAPTAIN AHAB at the Smell; DAX RIGGS at Spaceland; LES MCCANN at LACMA; SI SE at the Conga Room; ANNUAL CAMPOUT MUSIC FESTIVAL (CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN, et al.) at Pappy & Harriet's.
SATURDAY/SEPTEMBER/11
THE CLIENTELE AT THE ECHOPLEX
The Clientele's August release, Minotaur, is a mini-album featuring eight pleasant dreams with the odd angle of peril. It's an approach the London band perfected on last year's Bonfires on the Heath, a winsome though vaguely troubling affair in the "thinking/feeling" mode, sketched across the halcyon days of trad English folk, the band's bossa nova leanings and some of the most serenely Donovan-like '60s pop in recent memory. Draped in tremolo guitars and a provocatively heady surrealism courtesy of poet/composer/singer Alasdair MacLean, these songs are classic jewels, resolutely unfashionable in their emphasis on mood and melody, aided by the exquisite ornamentations of pianist/violinist Mel Draisey. Just in time for the fall season — watch the leaves slowly drift to the ground. (John Payne)
THE VIBRATORS AT THE BLUE CAFÉ
