You just gotta love these rare nights in Salt Lake City when there are more musical options than one music geek (okay, me) can handle. Not only are there plenty of great shows tonight; they are also wildly diverse in their sonic scope.
Take that fellow pictured right there. His name is Vic Chesnutt, and he's an Athens, Georgia, singer/songwriter who was paralyzed in a car accident at 18. He gained some fame when R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe produced his first two albums, and some more when the Sweet Relief Too album in the mid-'90s was dedicated to helping him pay his medical bills. As interesting as his personal story is, though, no one would care unless his music was worthwhile.
Chesnutt's latest, Dark Developments, is proof that he deserves any attention that comes his way. Recorded with fellow Georgians Elf Power and an ad hoc collective called The Amorphous Strums, the album is an instantly accessible set of roots-rock. Listen to a taste of his older music here. And here's some video of Chesnutt and Elf Power playing together:
Vic Chesnutt and Elf Power play together tonight at 7 p.m. at Kilby Court; tickets are $12 at the door.
Tonight at Bar Deluxe, it's an old Salt Lake City favorite making a return trip to Zion in lord knows how long. Fishbone (or simply "The 'Bone" to long-time fans) is celebrating its 30th anniversary soon--how crazy is that? I remember my sister seeing them when she was in college, and by the time I went to college eight years later, Fishbone was STILL kicking ass in the clubs with their brand of funky soul mayhem. One could argue that without Fishbone, there would be no Red Hot Chili Peppers, no 311, no regrettable "rap-rock" trend; they were THAT influential back in the day.
I'm not sure what The Bone's been up to lately, and I haven't seen the band in years. But I can still feel safe in saying their show will be a memorable one. They play at 10 p.m., with Heavy Mojo and Natives of the New Dawn opening.
At The Urban Lounge tonight, you can hear the oh-so-catchy indie-pop of Darker My Love, who just got off the road from a stint touring with the Dandy Warhols. Their publicity materials promise a "lava-lamp light show," which is really enough to get my attention. Thankfully, the band's tunes are an even better calling card; give 'em a listen here. They'll be joined at the 10 p.m. show by Eulogies, Laserfang and The Strange Boys.
Finally, it's the show I'll be going to, and the one you can catch a review of here tomorrow morning. Old Crow Medicine Show first joined forces in New York a decade ago, and after a few years traveling the country by van and busking on street corners for money, they eventually made their way to Nashville.
Blending folk, blues, bluegrass, gospel and rock, the all-acoustic quintet is far from mainstream country, but still found a large audience among country fans. They also picked up more than a few jam-band fans thanks to their festival sets, and appearances on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion introduced them to the NPR crowd. Put all those audiences together and you find a packed house pretty much anywhere Old Crow Medicine Show goes to play.
Tonight, OCMS headlines The Depot for a show starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 at the door.
Reader Comments:
Nov 19, 2008 02:21 am
Posted by
Anonymous
Dan,
Just got back from seeing Fishbone for my twenty-first time. Nothing can keep me from these guys -I even made it after a car hit me on my bike and broke two of my ribs on the way down to the Fishbone show! Fantastic as usual, they played all the stuff you would expect, namely Cholly, Give It Up, Ma & Pa, Alcoholic, Subliminal Fascism, Sunless Saturday and my favorite cover ever, Freddie's Dead. Of course the frat boys with backwards facing ball caps dug the sublime cover off of their latest album. Meh. They ended their set with Sunless Saturday and came back for an Everyday Sunshine encore. On a the bad side, I think the drummer was not having a good night, as he choked on the song Alcoholic at the beginning and they had to start over. It is good to see them as a seven piece with all the horns as they lose quite a bit as a five piece with only Angelo's sax and theremin.
Arts & Entertainment editor Dan Nailen spends many a late night on the town so that you don’t have to, but he will do his best to cajole you to join him for a meal, a martini or a Pabst Blue Ribbon. Whether he’s hitting a dive bar to hear a hot new band or playing with the pretty people at events far too classy to admit him if he didn’t work for Salt Lake magazine, you’ll read about it here. Check in regularly for tips on worthwhile nocturnal activities, concert reviews and one-of-a-kind commentary from our resident pop culture-obsessed music geek and social gadfly.
I'm not sure what The Bone's been up to lately, and I haven't seen the band in years. But I can still feel safe in saying their show will be a memorable one. They play at 10 p.m., with Heavy Mojo and Natives of the New Dawn opening.
Tonight, OCMS headlines 
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Reader Comments:
Dan,
Just got back from seeing Fishbone for my twenty-first time. Nothing can keep me from these guys -I even made it after a car hit me on my bike and broke two of my ribs on the way down to the Fishbone show! Fantastic as usual, they played all the stuff you would expect, namely Cholly, Give It Up, Ma & Pa, Alcoholic, Subliminal Fascism, Sunless Saturday and my favorite cover ever, Freddie's Dead. Of course the frat boys with backwards facing ball caps dug the sublime cover off of their latest album. Meh. They ended their set with Sunless Saturday and came back for an Everyday Sunshine encore. On a the bad side, I think the drummer was not having a good night, as he choked on the song Alcoholic at the beginning and they had to start over. It is good to see them as a seven piece with all the horns as they lose quite a bit as a five piece with only Angelo's sax and theremin.
And, uh, I missed the opening bands. Perfect.
Thought you would like to know how it was,
Brian