Previews:
Deer Tick, Dawes, Kentucky Nightmare
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Locals Only
2449 E. 56th Street
317-255-4013
9:00, 21+
When I saw Dawes play at Locals Only a few months ago I was blown away by two things. One, they were amazing good. Two, there was nobody there. The San Fernando Valley band plays soulful pop. Brothers Taylor (guitar) and Griffith Goldsmith (drums) harmonizing beautifully with Wylie Gelber's bass guitar. They played as a trio the last time they were in town. I can’t wait to hear what the addition of keyboards does to the mix. I’ve really been enjoying their self titled CD. They’ve got it all – great songs, tight sound, good looks and boyish charm.
www.dawestheband.com
www.localsonlyindy.com
Steve Smith and Vital Information
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Jazz Kitchen
5377 N. College Ave, 317-253-4900
7:00/9:00, $20. 21+, non-smoking
The all-star Soul/Jazz/Funk/Fusion super-group is celebrating their 25th year and the celebrating release of their new album, Vitalization. I’m always fascinated by groups that have drummers as bandleaders. Not because of any drummer stereotypes, but because I think that the whole process of being a drummer would consume every ounce of energy that I had. Just the thought of keeping time makes me sweat.
Steve is no ordinary drummer. He was named Modern Drummer’s "#1 All Around Drummer" five years in a row and was voted one of the "Top 25 Drummers of All Time" in a recent reader’s poll and was named to the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2002. I hope all of these awards mean that he does not need to carry and set up his own kit anymore.
www.vitalinformation.com
www.thejazzkitchen.com
A concert to celebrate the life of Mark Garback
Friday, July 17, 2009
Radio Radio
1119 E. Prospect Street (Fountain Square)
9 pm, $5 donation, 21+, non-smoking
I first met Mark Garback as a volunteer for the Tonic Ball. He had the formidable job of helping hustle 15 bands on stage for 10 minute changeovers, keep the path to the stage and the equipment clear and the path to the exit open at Radio Radio. And he managed to pull all of that off with good-humor, grace and charm.
Mark was an ABATE motorcycle safety instructor and had a part-time gig as a motorcycle funeral escort. He was hit by a car while leading a funeral procession in May and died a few days later of his injuries. He would have turned 48 on July 21. His friends are throwing a memorial concert/birthday party/fundraiser (for SCI Hope fund – helping people with spinal cord injuries), and they encourage everyone to come.
The emcee for the evening will be Mark's good friend, Steve "Papaw" Pyatte and there is a stellar lineup of bands playing - Shelby Kelley, Big Betty and The Common. I’ll see you there – right after the Neko Case show, of course.
www.papawinc.com
www.scihope.org
www.myspace.com/shelbykelleymusic
www.myspace.com/commonrock
Josh Hoge
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Birdy’s Bar and Grill
2131 E. 71st St.
31- 254-8971
8:30, $8, 21+
Nashville’s Josh Hoge is one of the guys that I’ve been meaning to see for a long time. I keep reading great stuff about him and I like what I’ve heard of his music. I’ll let Ryan Tedder of One Republic tell you about him. "Josh Hoge is one of the most talented vocalists I have ever worked with. In a world filled with copycats, he doesn't sound like anybody but himself. I've known him for almost a decade and have watched him go from talented singer to talented singer, writer and performer; he is a recording 'artist' in every sense of the word."
www.birdyslive.com
www.joshhoge.com
Reviews:
The good news: I’m back in the groove of seeing shows. The bad news: I’m back in the groove of seeing shows, coupled with jet lag, Second Helpings fiscal end of year and the Independence Day holiday I’m shockingly far behind on writing up the reviews. So you’ll have to wait until the next issue to hear about the punk-rock Salzburg tour guide and my turn on the ‘do ri me’ steps and running in to someone I know while naked at the baths in Baden Baden – and getting ‘shushed for talking about our love of Yat’s. In the mean time…
Blythe Hager – Dry Rot
Healing Arts Indy
805 S. Meridian Street (across from Shapiro’s Deli)
317-955-7811
I first met Blythe at CATH Inc, back in the days when it was in the storefront space across from Hit City Recording. We passed the manager baton and she went off to bigger and better things. I knew that she wildly talented and creative. I love when I get a piece of mail from her and she always brings delightful things to parties. I still have a bouquet of doll’s heads from a Saint Valentine’s Day party years ago.
I am surrounded by such talented folks, that I tend to forget how amazing they are. I was smacked in the eyes with it when I walked in to the Healing Arts Indy gallery. Blythe came up with the concept of the show while contemplating the house she’s lived in for years and the repairs it needed. As she says, “Dry rot is defined, in part, as decay from within caused especially by resistance to new forces.” Her series looks at that through the eyes of contemplating the American dream of home ownership.
The official word on Blythe: Hager is a fine artist and scenic painter from Indianapolis and Herron School of Art graduate. For over 10 years, Hager’s work as a scenic and decorative painter has taken her throughout the U.S. and even to Japan. She has worked on a wide variety of murals, backdrops, stage and television sets, exhibits, and props. As a fine artist, Hager has exhibited her paintings in local galleries. Working in acrylic and oil, she paints narratives of mundane life suspended in mysterious moments.
The unofficial word: She’s a kick-ass artist and all-around cool chick.
www.healingartsindy.com
