It’s that time of the week again. Scrambling to see what’s happening this weekend? Well, we don’t blame you for allowing yourself to check out of existence for the majority of the work week — attention spans are getting shorter and shorter as we hurtle toward holiday. Just kidding, we don’t get months off work to enjoy what little nice weather we’re blessed with each year, this isn’t freaking Europe. But at least you can pretend like something as blissful is on the horizon. We need something to keep us going and frequently lying to yourself works just as well as actual hope, for a brief time anyway. But you know what else helps to keep this awful world seem less so? live musical acts. So consider our weekly offerings after the jump.
Downtown Boys, In School, Homewreckers
It’s a record release get-down for the Downtown Boys (punk with a saxophone from Providence) at Palisades tonight. Full Communism is there first full-length record released by New Jersey-based label Don Giovanni and the title gives you an insight into their politics n such– anti-capitalist, anti-racism, anti-sexism, and a lot more antis. A lot of political punk can suffer from foregrounding politics in sacrifice of sound, but the Downtown Boys keep it fun even if the lyrics are about heavy stuff like injustice.
In School is all fast riffs, relentless hardcore drumming, and spittle-fueled vocal mayhem, with some strange cuteness that’s hard to place– is it the occasional sing-a-long bits? Or maybe it’s the minimal distortion. There’s no thick cloud of noise to wade through here, tis bare bones punk. Friday May 15th, 8 pm at Palisades: $10
Lightning Bolt, Oneida
The wacky noise rock dudes of Lightning Bolt have been around the block. The first time I saw them was seven years ago at a small all-ages club in Ann Arbor, Michigan– I walked in to find one of the loudest shows of its kind I’d ever been to, I was bowled over– and even then they were relative old timers. Their act may have changed little since their inception but, whatever, it works magic. The drummer is nothing short of a freak of nature and the bassist no less animalistic. They’re basically musical athletes, and if you’ve never been to a Lightning Bolt show, it’s high time you get there.
Joining them is the New York City-based pysch (and lately venturing into drone) outfit Oneida, a band that will launch listeners into sonic outer space with no guarantees of a trip home. Have patience, for their songs are not Lightning Bolt-worthy jolts of manic energy and percussive assault, rather they’re slowly building affairs. They start out minimal for sure, and eventually you’ll find yourself in a trance, but you’re bound to wake up inside a fully-fledged noise symphony of noise. Saturday May 16th, 7 pm at Le Poisson Rouge: $15
Chain & the Gang, Future Punx, OCDPP
These guys went from a rather ’60s-slanted West Coast desert rock sound (with notes of Brian Jonestown Massacre, though not afraid of pop beats and foot-tapping rhythms) to pulling back on the reigns a tad. Chain & the Gang‘s aesthetic move is the equivalent of taking off a cool jean jacket covered in patches and pins and throwing it in the dirt and just being naked for a minute. This is quality garage rock, something we’ve lost sight of in the past few years.
With OCDPP we get to preview a new super group featuring Dee Dee (Dum Dum Girls), Cassie Ramone (Vivian Girls), and OJ (X-Ray Eyeballs)– all poppy, super fun garage outfits. The band played their first show only last month at Elvis Guesthouse, but these are seasoned musicians here, so rather than be a sign of possible ineptitude, it’s indication that they haven’t gotten sick of their songs yet. Baby’s still fresh! Get it while it’s hot. Friday May 15th, 8 pm at Baby’s All Right: $10 in advance, $12 at the door
A Place to Bury Strangers, Sleepies, Pill, BAMBARA
Holy wow, Brooklyn Night Bazaar is getting kicked out of Brooklyn by a luxury car company that decided to get their dirty paws all over the big ol’ warehouse space. Welp. Times they are a changin’ as they say. A Place to Bury Strangers knows that better than anybody. If nothing else, consider this one of the last times you can see an awesome line up at this unique, fancy Dave & Buster’s but with more things to throw your hard-earned money at. With a new album out (Transfixiation) this year, even if you’ve seen these guys a million times like some of us, there’s a great excuse to drag your friends to another show right there. So take it.
Future Punx live show rules, ’nuff said. I really can’t get over how different they sound live from their recordings, which is a brilliant thing in my opinion. Pure charm on stage, really. Local rock n’ roll band Sleepies will also grace the stage and always make for a good time.BAMBARA offer a little dose of death and destruction to the line up, washed-out, blissed-out rock for the apocalypse or your next bender, same difference. Saturday May 16th, 7 pm at Brooklyn Night Bazaar: FREE, RSVP
Acheron Five Year Anniversary Party: The Spits, Pampers, CCR Headcleaner, Tournament
Somehow the Acheron’s Five Year Anniversary Party is confoundingly not being held at the Acheron, which last time we checked is also a music venue, but is instead going down at the Wick. Strange perhaps, but now that we think about it, the Wick is much larger than the Acheron and right around the corner, so perhaps the East Williamsburg birthday boy venue is thinking they can cram all of their loyal customers and staff and the whole raucous punk and hardcore scene that clogs up the outdoor seating on warm nights into the Wick and make a huge mess while they’re at it. And the best part is they don’t have to worry about cleaning up. Right on. And judging by the bands on the bill, there’s sure to be a big ol’ mess to mop up.
If the Wick is good for one thing, it’s that the space tends to inspire bands toward spectacle. I’ve seen a lot of amp climbing and the like as well as a memorable set Dawn of Humans played there. Frontman Emil Bognar-Nasdo emerged from a twisted pyramid of sorts, ripping it into pieces and tossing the remnants, giant sheaths of gold lamé, into the crowd where a host of other beach ball-like things were bouncing around from hand to unsuspecting skull. You can bet the wily bands chosen for the Acheron’s anniversary show will follow suit.
The Spits are an appropriate choice, glue-sniffing, mush-mouthed punk for the adolescents in all of us. Gotta love Pampers for similar reasons, though they’ve left behind the ’80s early punk vibes for a garage punk trip. There will be bouncing to these tuns. And if you ever considered Acheron’s line up and the hardcore punk and metal scenes in general to be a little too, oh I dunno, testosterone-fueled and somewhat fascist in their conservatism and conformity (meoowwwwwww, sorry not sorry), then don’t discount this particular show because CCR Headcleaner brings in the weirdness. A little bit wishy washy noise, a little bit punk, and a lotta bit psych. That last bit isn’t totally shocking, they are from San Francisco. Something, something hippies suck. But to this show we welcome them with arms wide open. Saturday May 16th, 8 pm at the Wick: $15