Here it is folks, better late than never, right?…
I’ve finally come down off my US National Team high after watching them take it to Guatemala for 90 minutes at LIVESTRONG Tuesday.
Speaking of soccer, Sporting has a huge away game this Saturday at the NY Red Bulls. SKC is hosting a big watch party for the 6:00 game in the Member’s Club with a bunch of cheap food and drink specials. If you haven’t checked the club out yet, you should.
To the pickmobile!
Friday, October 19th
Hospital Ships at the Bottleneck in Lawrence
Front man Jordan Geiger’s last Hospital Ships release was 2011’s Lonely Twin, an album that received its fair share of critical praise from all over the country, including douche tastemakers Pitchfork, which gave the album a respectable 7.0 rating. But the album also garnered the super-douchey label of “Worst Album of the Month” from Vice Magazine. So there’s that. But honestly, has anyone even read Vice in the last, oh I don’t know, 10 years?
Anyway, Geiger’s songs are always well-crafted, almost to a fault some would say. But it’s his attention to detail that sets Hospital Ships apart from some of the other new-wave-emo-indie-rock bands around town these days.
Sunday, October 21st
Dr. John and the Blind Boys of Alabama at JCCC
This New Orleans legend recently cut a new album entitled Locked Down, and he enlisted Black Keys’ guitarist and singer Dan Auerback as producer. Auerback also contributed some vocals and guitar to the project, and the result was a pretty decent, funky, R&B- soaked effort with the trademark horns and organs that the good doctor is so known for. And even at the age of 71, not much of the vocal elasticity has been sapped just yet. Rolling Stone’s Will Hermes had this to say:
“Full of muscled, vintage R&B grooves, fevered soloing, psychedelic arrangements and oracular mumbo jumbo, it’s the wildest record [Dr. John] has made in many years. And it announces Auerbach’s arrival alongside Danger Mouse as an A-list retro-modern studio scientist.”
Steve Kimock at the Granada in Lawrence 
This noodling guitar legend has played with nearly every Grateful Dead members’ side project, like Rat Dog, Phil & Friends, and the Other Ones. He’s coming to town with Melvin Seals, Andy Hess, and Wally Ingram, so dig those fairy wings out of storage, grab your patchwork cords and get your ass out to the Granada for what is always an unpredictable show filled with improvisational, instrumental jams circa 2004.
Tuesday, October 23rd
Sleigh Bells and Araabmuzik at the Granada in Lawrence
I’m calling this one a hipster’s delight. It features a couple bands that rely heavily on electronic sounds. Headliner Sleigh Bells features a lot of over the top midi distortion guitars and blasting back beats with mostly female vocals. They had a hit with their first ever record back in 2010, and their first single, Tell ‘Em, caught on big time. From there they played some big shows like Coachella and Pitchfork before releasing their second album recently, to a less enthusiastic reception.
Araabmuzik is a little more interesting in my book. He’s a young dude that combines elements of hip-hop with electronic sounds and synthesizers. Lots of mellow grooves, the kind of stuff you’d flip on all nonchalant right before dimming the lights a bit.
This show should be packed, even for a Tuesday night.
