Rocktober, week 2. Pretty awesome. A few living legends, a few surprises, and a lot of awesome October live music for your pleasure.
Thursday, October 7th
Land Of Talk, Besnard Lakes, Suuns at The Independent
Land Of Talk: Female fronted, energized folk music from Canada. And they are on Saddle Creek. There is nothing not to love about this band. The addition of The Besnard Lakes to the bill only makes it better!
Ferocious Few, Oona at Cafe du Nord
Friday, October 8th
Tom Tom Club, Paul Ryder (Happy Mondays), Motion Potion at Great American Music Hall
I find it kind of painful that Tom Tom Club is made up of one of the most inventive and influential rhythm sections in the history of music, and while David Byrne is playing large venues for large somes of money, Tom Tom Club are still playing the clubs. The benefit? You get to see Talking Heads’ Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz up close without breaking the bank.
Fool’s Gold, The Bitter Honeys, The Soft White Sixties at Rickshaw Stop
Saturday, October 9th
Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers do Duke Ellington at Cafe du Nord
She’s kind of the last woman standing from the big swing revival of the late 90’s, but her determination to preserve as well as re-invent classic sounds has kept her performing. And, with Cafe du Nord being one of the classic speakeasys in this town, what better place to hear music by one of the most influential musicians of the 20’s?
Chapterhouse, Ulrich Schnauss, A Shoreline Dream at Mezzanine
Sunday, October 10th
Liz Phair, Loquat at The Independent
The great Liz Phair has spent most of the last decade doing one of two things, depending on who you talk to.
Either a.) She’s been selling out left and right by doing glossy, overproduced pop records and offensive, vaguely racist singles like this one:
or b.) She has been following her muse, and doing exactly what she wants to do without regard for what critics & fans of her early work think. She’s one of the bravest performers in history, and is willing to take risks that nobody else would.
Mark Sultan (BBQ), Hunx & His Punx, Shannon & The Clams at Rickshaw Stop
Monday, October 11th
The Corin Tucker Band, The Golden Bears at Great American Music Hall
As we bide our time before the inevitable reunion, we get to enjoy the 1/3 of my favorite band playing her wildly entertaining and diverse solo record. Everybody needs to hear this record, even people that don’t like Sleater-Kinney. This album is amazing, and pure, and will be on everyone’s top 10 list this year.
Alice In Chains, Deftones, Mastodon at Event Center at San Jose State
Tuesday, October 12th
MIA, Rye Rye at The Fox Theater – Oakland
Did you read what I said about Liz Phair? All the same could be said about MIA, but in a much shorter time period. So what if we don’t really know what she actually stands for? So what if she knows nothing about politics? Her beats are crazy and her live show is like nobody else’s out there.
Bettie Seervert, Foxtail Somersault at Cafe du Nord
Wednesday, October 13th
Macy Gray at Bimbo’s 365 Club
Floater, Trophy Fire, Apopka Darkroom at Bottom Of The Hill
