Vibes blog

Black Tusk Savannah’s Black Tusk are a three-piece thrash outfit, but don’t be surprised to hear a little Thin Lizzy, Hawkwind, or Skynyrd in its sound, especially as a bridge to the heavier stuff. There’s real melody here, even though it often gives way to hammer-of-the-gods detuned/D-beat power riffage come time for the “chorus.” Add in a little Master of Puppets-era gothic structure and a dab of Hatebreed-eque hardcore, and you have quite the intoxicating brew. With Boolow & Stronghold Crusader. Milestone (Timothy C. Davis)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Lucinda Black Bear This N.Y.C. act cites Sparklehorse and Elliot Smith as influences, and while Christian Gibbs’ songs don’t attain those lofty heights, they do fit the general mold: haunting minor-key melodies, lush arrangements where texture is king, and romantic narratives with a down-the-rabbit-hole bent. Cello and violin accents highlight last year’s ‘Capo My Heart’ and Other Bear Songs, which was voted Most Innovative by NPR’s All Songs Considered. Nothing against LBB, whose music is pleasant enough, but it must’ve been a slow year for innovation over at NPR. With Kaiser Cartel and locals The Side. Snug Harbor (John Schacht)

Rehab The Georgia-based group offers up a variety of styles on their latest release, Grafitti The World – from the Kid Rock-esque “Bartender Song” to the melodic “Last Tattoo” which could fit in 311’s repertoire. The band fuses hip-hop with rock, but not in that ’90s nu-metal way. There are hints of Sublime and Eminem in its sound, as well. No surprise that they’ll be hitting the road with Kid Rock after this solo tour. Amos’ Southend (Jeff Hahne)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Kenny Chesney It’s getting to the point where you could almost set your watch by a Kenny Chesney summer concert tour. He’s constantly winning the Entertainer of the Year Award, so you know he’ll put on a good show. This year, it’s the Poets & Pirates Tour, sponsored by Corona (do they even sell that at Verizon?). Bring your cowboy hat and boots. With LeAnn Rimes. Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (Jeff Hahne)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

The Crowntown Showdown kicks off it’s new format tonight at the Evening Muse.

Trouble Walkers Comprised of former Modern Don Juans (bassist Mark Lynch and drummer Robert Childers) as well as onetime Hot Rod Greased Lightning guitarists/singers Daylon Brumfield and Gabe Hinceman, country-punkers the Trouble Walkers’ newish Free Cowboy Hat is a healthy-dose of the hard stuff, a mad platter of hot-sauced subject matter that’d make even Harry Crews wince, but delivered with more than enough good cheer that you won’t feel the need to shower afterward. What’s more, they’re even better live. With Sex Tapes. Snug Harbor (Timothy C. Davis)

Gongzilla Musicianship and improvisation are key factors when the jammers Gongzilla plug in their instruments. They write songs that gently lean on politics and philosophy while jazz interludes, world music forays and spacey rock intermingle with the words and expand into the air. With tunes like “American Dream,” what lands on stage and bounces off into the crowd is quite intriguing. Double Door Inn (Samir Shukla)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

American Idols Live Can anyone name the contestants from this year’s show? Sure, there was, um, that creepy guy … and a country girl … and that young kid … oh, who cares? Idol winners from reality past are being dropped from their record labels left and right. Inaugural winner Kelly Clarkson seems to have fallen off the map and Daughtry is left alone as one of the sole flag bearers. I’d say it’s just about “jumped the shark.” It’s something hilarious, though, that the tour is sponsored by Pop-Tarts. That joke writes itself! Time Warner Cable Arena (Jeff Hahne)

Stone Temple Pilots For more on this show, check out Turn On, Tune In.

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

The Whigs I haven’t yet drank the Kool-Aid when it comes to this Athens trio; the Replacements and Guided By Voices touchstones seem awfully obvious, suggesting the band has yet to evolve into their own skin. The over-reliance on riffs vs. hooks also separates them from their progenitors. Still, there’s no denying the high wattage, and last year’s Mission Control had enough promise to merit keeping them on your radar. Plus, you know, they were on Letterman, so they must be great, right? With the Old Ceremony. Visulite (John Schacht)

Jeff Clayton and the Mongrels You’ve prolly heard of (or heard tell of) Jeff Clayton, the legendary frontman of Antiseen. If not, you look my man up. A kindly Jekyll who goes all Mr. Hyde when the amps start buzzing, the man lives and breathes rawk, as Unknown Hinson might put it, and has earned more than enough stripes (most of them scars on his frequently bleeding, glass-gashed forehead) to pop the buttons off a Hot Topic shirt from 20 paces. His band, The Mongrels, despite their muttly name, are some of the creme de la creme of Q.C. rockers – dig: Mike Hendrix of the Belmont Playboys, Russ “Mad Brother” Ward, Jimmy King of Drat and the Aqualads, and Jeremy Holcomb, ex- of the Talk and the Poontanglers. With Babyshaker. Snug Harbor (Timothy C. Davis)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Great Lakes Another band with six degrees of Elephant 6 separation, the now N.Y.C.-based duo of Dan Donahue and Ben Crum craft handsome minor-key pop melodies that resonate with more rock ‘oomph’ – and less overt psychedelia – than many of their old Athens brethren. The band also features members of Mice Parade, the Ladybug Transistor and Storm & Stress, another barometer for the general indie rock-friendly vibe. With Bullship. Snug Harbor (John Schacht)

The Coal Men This Nashville quintet sways between alt-country and roots-rock with comfort and ease. It helps that the lyrics are more from a longing heart then an alcohol-maxed liver. What you get are fine crafted songs delivered by an emotive vocalist and backed by a scrap band of promising young musicians. Travel far, young coal men (and woman). Evening Muse (Samir Shukla)

Millionaires Fueled by dime store keyboard and synthesizers, these gals can be a hoot. The trio is obviously having good times making disjointed dance music with over the top and obvious songs like “I Like Money” and “In My Bed.” These not quite yet millionaires get as much kick out of getting dolled up as pounding high heels into boys’ nether regions. Plenty of crude and loud lyrics pumped up with electro beats keep the party humping and delightfully cheesy. With Hypercrush, Brokencyde, and the Arrival. Tremont (Shukla)

Smashing Pumpkins Sure, D’arcy and James Iha aren’t there anymore, and you could easily look at it as “Billy Corgan and the Other Guys,” but Corgan’s voice still leads the way. The band’s latest, Zeitgeist, wasn’t bad, but I’d certainly hope they’d revisit stuff from Gish first. They played a heavy mix from all albums during their shows in Asheville around this time last year. And, after all, even Zeitgeist is much better than Corgan’s solo stuff. Ovens Auditorium (Jeff Hahne)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

River City Rebels A punk and ska-tinged rock band with more lineup changes than the current administration’s war department, RCR began life as The SKAtenders before signing to Victory Records changing members some more, recording with the likes of Jesse Malin, Duane Peters and Sylvain Sylvain, giving themselves nicknames, fighting through a few drug habits, considering a name change, losing more members and, finally, getting dropped. What about the music, you may ask? Fair-to-middlin’, as you might expect from all the turnover. Give ’em credit for hangin’ in there, though. With Southside Punx and Fast Boys. The Milestone (Timothy C. Davis)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Unit Six Keep it simple. Crank it up. Punk rock likes it that way. This South Florida punk trio thrives on old-school punk chords and riffs, lathered and soaking in good times. Hell, it’s hot and there’s nothing better for younguns on a mid-summer, mid-week night than a good ole multiband punk rock show. Also on the bill are South Side Punx, the Not Likelys, and When it Hits. Tremont Music Hall (Samir Shukla)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

Neil Hamburger The comedic (but just slightly) alter ego of Gregg Turkington, Hamburger is perhaps best described as something of an anti-comedian, a hip Tony Clifton for the Secretly Canadian set. His act? Mostly some grumbling and coughing and clearing of his throat, a bad comb-over, and some audience heckling, combined with just enough desert-dry, straight-outta-leftfield (some might say completely and utterly random) references to grease the wheels of his humor hooptie. Check out his “Poolside Chats” series on tomgreen.com (where our man interviews Buzz Osborne of the Melvins, Will Oldham and others) for a taste. With Daiquiri & Randy Burke. The Milestone (Timothy C. Davis)

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites