(Thanks to bands for permission to post music!)
The 75s www.myspace.com/the75s Buoyed by Scott Lasser’s surf-rock-influenced drumming and sweet-and-sour vocal harmonies from Laurel Mydock and Morgan Nusbaum, the 75s channel the punkish early days of the Go-Go’s. Extra Fancy, the trio’s debut LP, is a quick-and-dirty affair highlighted by cutting bass lines and Mydock’s Liz Phair-esque vocal affectations. Thankfully, she doesn’t channel Phair’s flat boredom too; the 75s’ smoking live cover of the Buzzcocks’ “Orgasm Addict” keeps the original’s angst. -- Annie Zaleski Market in the Loop, 3 p.m.
MP3: The 75s, "Finders Keepers"The Livers www.myspace.com/dependsonthelivers Although most noted for its unprecedented stage set-up, the Livers isn’t just a band with a clever presentation. The duo plays in front of a pre-recorded video of the two members as the rhythm section, freeing up the real life Livers to sing and play guitar during the live shows. Word of mouth has done the band well, with uninitiated audience members attending the shows with the intention of watching the spectacle transpire -- and instead finding themselves staying for the friendly vibe, funny between-song videos and riffed-out singable tunes. -- Jaime Lees Blueberry Hill’s Duck Room, 1 p.m.
(The Livers)
Wooden Kites www.myspace.com/woodenkites At the Grammy Awards, bands nominated in the Best New Artist category don't make it though to the next awards cycle. But we suspect that Wooden Kites is in it for the long haul. Built with seasoned local musicians who all seem to excel at their own instrument, the band combines scream-along choruses and joyously clashing verses – think Bright Eyes or the Replacements -- to create a most audience-friendly experience. Look for the upcoming release The Orchard and an album release show at Vintage Vinyl on June 6. -- Jaime Lees Market in the Loop, 4 p.m.
MP3: The Wooden Kites, "You and Me and the Bottle Makes Three"(The Blind Eyes)
The Blind Eyes myspace.com/theblindeyes Like many “new” bands in town, the Blind Eyes should be familiar to regular show-goers, especially since its lineup is the Gentleman Callers minus guitarist Mike Virag. This respectable pedigree likely explains the fully formed nature of the trio’s first songs and recordings. “High Life” and “Find the Time” both conjure late-‘70s pub-rock by Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe -- while the band’s energetic concerts channel the ghosts of another legendary mod-punk trio, the Jam. -- Annie Zaleski Halo Bar, 9 p.m.
MP3: The Blind Eyes, "The High Life" (Museum Mutters)
Museum Mutters www.myspace.com/themuseummutters Fronted by singer and guitarist James Weber, Jr., the Museum Mutters is a rock trio that plays by instinct, not by design. Sometimes its passions lead the band to droning Pavement art-noise, sometimes into Replacementsy guitar brawls and sometimes into druggy Big Star power-pop. The band recently released, via free download, what appears to be an eleven-song, lo-fi rock album, but which may actually be a topographical map noting the secret locations of pissed-off and wild-at-heart rock nuggets. -- Roy Kasten Delmar Lounge, 10 p.m.
MP3: The Museum Mutters, "Gabriel with Gabriel"
