Ash is playing Radio Radio on Friday. Let that sink in.
Live music lovers of Indianapolis may be sleeping on this one, but that’s flat-out foolish. For 20+ years, these guys have been cranking out incredible tunes. It’s been about that long since I last saw them play in support of the great 1977. I never thought I’d have the chance to watch them tear it up again. Girl From Mars, Shining Light, Burn Baby Burn, A Life Less Ordinary, Orpheus, Joy Kicks Darkness, the list goes on.
This is an MOKB Presents gift. Accept it graciously, Indy. Go.
The 2013 Indianapolis concert calendar has thus far been a collection of baby steps. But that all changes this week as the event listings explode. Some highlights of the next two weeks:
February 28 — Imagine Dragons w/ Atlas Genius at Old National Centre is sold out. You can try your luck out front with scalpers but a great alternative is to head over to the Melody Inn for the In-Store’s show featuring Hotfox, The Kickback, and Rodeo Ruby Love.
March 1 — First Friday, so head down to the Do317 Lounge for a free show featuring The Pass and Bailiff.
March 2 — Gaslight Anthem is back in Indy for the first time in 3 years. Tix still available for what is guaranteed to be a rocking show at ONC.
March 4 — Two great options: The Hives with local legends The Zero Boys at the Vogue or head down to the Do317 Lounge for the Seedy Seeds.
March 5 — Back to the lounge you go for Helado Negro’s album release show.
March 6 — This one is big. Buzz-band The Orwells make their way to the Hooser Dome for an all ages RAWK show. Go.
March 8 — A road trip to Bloomington is in order. The Bluebird has Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Foxygen, and Wampire. No question this one will be amazing.
For additional info on these shows and more, check Do317.com.
Enough to choose from? Get out there, Indy!
Indy Rock Live, along with Do317, are thrilled to present the legendary Ken Stringfellow on Monday, February 11 at the Do317 lounge. Laura K. Balke will open. Doors 7:30, Show 8:30 // $12 Advance, $14 Day of Show // 21+. Limited tix still available here.
This is a rare opportunity for Indy residents to see one of the greatest indie songwriters of the past 20 years. Ken co-founded the Posies — full disclosure, my favorite band ever — and has played with the reformed Big Star and R.E.M.
His latest, Danzig in the Moonlight, was recently hailed by the Huffington Post as, “One of the most impressive, opulent records of the year.” I ranked it my #1 album of the year — it’s a thrilling piece of work. It has moments of fearsome menace, balanced with some intensely intimate fragility. The new record is multi-national, genre-defying, challenging and deeply musical.
His shows are legendary, pushing minimalism to its core definition, often performing without using the house PA, Ken’s voice soars, cries, leaps from barely audible to room-filling anguish, joy, sorrow and humor. Ken’s live show has been raved about in packed audiences from Lithuania to Lima, from Taipei to Tasmania, from Johannesburg to Trinidad.
Ken’s released three solo albums over the last two decades (1997’s This Sounds Like Goodbye, 2001’s Touched, and 2004’s Soft Commands), all garnering high praise in Pitchfork, Mojo, NME and elsewhere, mixing Ken’s deeply expressed, emotional singing with delicate elements of acoustic, electric, electronic, and chamber. Touched, in particular, is one of my all-time favorite albums.
Check out the video for Superwise below:
Guaranteed to be a show highlight, Ken will duet with Laura Balke on Doesn’t It Remind Your of Something. You can hear the original here.
Monday’s performance is going to be one of those rare, memorable shows that stick with you long after it’s over.
IndyRockLive.com and Do317.com Present:
Who: Communist Daughter w/ Dan Snodgrass and Broken Light
Where: Do317 Lounge, Murphy Arts Building
When: Wednesday, December 12
Tix: $10
Doors: 7 PM, Show at 8
Tickets available now!
Check out these videos from Communist Daughter.
A number of great concerts on the calendar this week, including legendary power popper Paul Collins on Tuesday at Radio Radio, John Fullbright at the White Rabbit the same night, and the fantastic Kathleen Edwards at Radio Radio on Thursday. But the show of the week is Jason Isbell‘s date at the Vogue on Thursday, his first appearance in Indianapolis since 2009.
The former DBT-er has carved out an exceptional catalog since busting out on his own, recently winning an Americana Award. Here We Rest, his 2011 album, was one of my top 10 of the year. Thursday’s show is in support of the upcoming release of his first live album, Live from Alabama, out November 19. Titled the “Stop Fucking Around and Play Outfit” tour, Isbell and his band the 400 Unit are guaranteed to make a righteous ruckus, pulling songs from his three albums as well as those written during his Trucker days. Below is his mean cover of Patterson Hood’s The Assassin.
What shows are on your radar?
Central Indiana has no shortage of great shows hitting the area in the next 5 days. White Rabbits tonight at Radio Radio, John Spencer Blues Explosion with Crushed Out at White Rabbit Cab on Sunday, and Dinosaur Jr. at the Bluebird in Bloomington on Monday are all top-notch options. But the show that is guaranteed to make your heart swell with rock ‘n’ roll love and your brain explode with cathartic euphoria is the great return of the Drive-By Truckers.
Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley, the everlovin’ EZB, and company are set to hit the Bluebird stage in Bloomington Sunday night with openers, Glossary, and you can put your money down that you’ll witness one of the best live experiences on the planet. No set list; just guitars, sweat, passion, and whiskey that combined will make you realize once again the true power of the ROCK show.
I’ve seen the Truckers about a half a dozen times now, and each show has been a glorious blast. One show in particular, from back in 2005, is one of my all-time favorite concerts. In a nutshell, it was the first show I attended after the birth of my daughter. As much joy as she brought me, I still struggled with all the new responsibilities of being a father. That night, the Drive-By Truckers pulled me out of my funk and renewed my soul like only the best rock can do.
Looking for that spiritual infusion? The place to be Sunday isn’t church — it’s the Bluebird in Bloomington for the amazing Drive-By Truckers. Details here.
Hard to believe but Diamond Dave is 57 today. The drama of his relationship with the boys in Van Halen is well documented — the guys tend to fall in and out of love with each other every few years or so. As of their most recent tour, which hit Indianapolis in February, life was good. That show at Bankers Life Fieldhouse was a nostalgic blast.
Happy Birthday, David Lee Roth! Stay frosty.
Try and resist Bat Out of Hell. You can’t. The 1977 album is a perfect piece of over-the-top bombast, humor, and hooks. And despite the derision that Bat Out of Hell II sometimes receives, it gets pretty close to the spirit of the original. Say what you will about the rest of Meat Loaf’s musical oeuvre, but those two records are very enjoyable slices of cheese. Marvin Lee Aday, aka Meat Loaf, and songwriter Jim Steinman created a pair of records that continue to endure.
Happy Birthday, Meat Loaf. You may be another year older but you’re responsible for a classic record and you get some decent acting gigs. Don’t be sad, two out of three ain’t bad.
