Thursday, July 7, 2011
Soundcheck: Weekend edition
Posted by Scott Shoger @scottshoger on Thu, Jul 7, 2011 at 11:00 AM
A few big-ticket shows number among this week's picks — Warped Tour, Sade and John Legend, Grace Potter, Indigo Girls — but Big Freedia's Big Bounce BBQ (also known as the Big Gay BBQ in one press release) is this week's most promising and unusual show, largely because we really don't get much in the way of genuine New Orleans bounce around these parts. Read more about the shindig under Thursday's picks.
Thursday
Warped Tour at Verizon Wireless Music Center
The annual punk rock festival rolls back into Noblesville. On the main stage: punk giants Against Me!, ska-punk vets Less than Jake, reggae rockers Pepper, pop-punk band A Day to Remember, alt-rockers D.R.U.G.S. and metalcore from The Devil Wears Prada, Asking Alexandria and Attack Attack! Add in about 60 other bands on stages tucked into every nook and cranny of VWMC. 11 a.m., $33.50 advance, $41.50 door (plus fees), all-ages.
Big Freedia’s Big Bounce BBQ at Russian Recording (Bloomington)
Big Freedia is the reigning queen of New Orleans bounce, a variety of party rap characterized by a fast beat, call-and-response vocals and a tendency to focus on either the virtues of New Orleans or, more often than not, sex. She’s scheduled to perform at 9 p.m., following a BBQ included in the ticket price. An after-party at The Farm Root Cellar with DJ Action Jackson will follow. 7 p.m., $15 (includes BBQ), all-ages.
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals at the Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
A B-3 organist and a soulful, sultry vocalist, Grace Potter leads a bare-boned, roots-rock outfit that's been working it for the better part of five years, at first spurning major label offers, then giving into Hollywood Records in 2007. This week on nuvo.net, she tells the story of how she kept her backing band together. 7:30 p.m., $22 advance, $25 door (plus fees), all-ages.
Friday
Sade, John Legend at Conseco Fieldhouse
A couple R&B giants. Headliner Sade impressed with last year's sophisticated and mostly-dark Soldier of Love, her first studio album in eight years. And Legend still finds time to seduce audiences when not working as an advocate for educational reform. Legend was also in a bit of fallow period, album-wise, until the release of last year’s Wake Up!, a ‘60s and ‘70s soul cover album made in collaboration with The Roots. 8 p.m., $49.50-$149.50 (plus fees), all-ages.
Friday and Saturday
Darrian Ford: The Cooke Book at The Cabaret at the Columbia Club
That’s Cooke as in Sam Cooke, who invented soul. The Chicago-based vocalist and actor Darrian Ford created his revue based on Cooke’s music in 2007. It’s since played at cabarets and theaters throughout the land, including a long run in North Carolina. Ford certainly has the voice for it, right in the wheelhouse of Cooke’s oh-so-smooth tenor. All the hits are on the setlist: “You Send Me,” “Only 16,” “Cupid,” etc. 8 p.m., $35-$55, all-ages.
Saturday
Comix Rock at Locals Only
A night of geekery hosted by The Indy Web Comics Group. Music provided by Five Year Mission, a power-pop group whose repertoire consists of songs based on Star Trek episodes; Shammers and Lefthand, a nerd-core duo whose hip-hop songs are based on Pokemon and roleplaying games; and new wave band God Made Robots. Plus Star Trek-themed burlesque by Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-School. Burlesque at 7 p.m.; music at 9:30 p.m. 7 p.m., $6, 21+.
Jennie DeVoe at West Park
A good chance to hear the time-tested folk-rock of Jennie DeVoe in the rolling hills and dales of Carmel — and also to give a little something to the Indiana Wildlife Federation, an organization devoted to conserving Indiana’s natural resources. The next best thing to hosting a carbon-neutral concert by DeVoe, accompanied by birdsong, in your own backyard habitat (certifed by the National Wildlife Federation, of course). 7 p.m., $20 IWF members, $30 non-members, all-ages.
Punk Rock Hardcore Night at the Melody Inn
Almost as it sounds: hardcore night at Punk Rock Night, with a nice selection of locals and fellow travelers — except for that one band on the bill that doesn’t really play hardcore, Cincinnati pop-punk act The Dopamines. Local all-star outfit Chaotic Neutral, which features former members of Critical Response Team, Bolth, Waxeater and What Lurks, headlines. With Pennsylvania’s Full of Hell, Fort Wayne’s Parasitic Twins and local biker crust band Photian Schism. 10 p.m., $5, 21+.
Sunday
Indigo Girls at The Palladium at the Center for Performing Arts
You can’t beat the Indigo Girls for passion, and that’s what’s kept their fans around through the thick and thin. It practically oozes from Staring Down the Brilliant Dream, the duo’s 2010 live recording, which collected a smattering of appearances from 2006 to 2009, all of them sparkling with energy regardless of the setting (both in front of a full rock band and with only accordionist Julie Wolf accompanying the two). 7 p.m., $15-$110 (plus fees), all-ages.
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I'm glad Chaotic Neutral is getting a decent amount of press--they're great! I really liked Micah Jenkins' previous group Critical Response Team, and this project is even better.
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