The Monday after Independence Day weekend is one most brutal. After a full weekend of barbecue and beer and illegal fireworks, going to work seems all the more objectionable. I'm too damned hungover on Freedom to be productive, personally. My "word of the day" today is "aliquant," which even my spell check objects to, and I'll be damned if I'm going to shoehorn that stupid word into this post after all that our Founding Fathers fought and died for.
On to this week's shows: The Pageant has two days of back-to-back picks early this week -- Porter Robinson on Tuesday and Beach House on Wednesday. A stacked line-up of locals will wish Woody Guthrie a happy hundredth birthday on Saturday at Off Broadway while Fiona Apple plays the Peabody across town, and on Sunday Lemmon's will play host to the Even Chance Pit Bull benefit with performances by Everything Went Black, Ruka Puff and more -- and adoptable dogs! The rest of our picks follow.
The Orbz Mon., 8:30 p.m. July 9 @ El Lenador - $5 By Bob McMahon From this 2010 Under Cover Weekend review: The Orbz vocalist, Jason Robinson, took the night's crown for commitment to character in his depiction of Iggy Pop. Donning ripped jeans, shoes, silver gloves, a Pop wig and nothing else, Robinson did everything short of cutting himself and smearing peanut butter in his embodiment of the world's forgotten boy. This included writhing on the floor, screaming his head off and cursing up a storm in between songs. Likewise, the rest of the Orbz did a great Stooges impression. If the band played it faster, their run-through of "I Wanna Be Your Dog" would have been perfect. "No Fun" amped up the energy and "Search and Destroy" had the entire venue rocking out.
Porter Robinson Tues., 8:00 p.m. July 10 @ The Pageant - $25-$27.50 By Josh Levi From this 2011 review: With the surreal effects of the strobe, the crowd writhed in what looked like hyper reality. To the Pageant's credit, the minimal effects brought an encompassing feeling using the intimacy of smoke to bridge the gap between sterile club and performer, ultimately relying on the enthusiasm of the crowd. It was good to see a lack of cameras and a floor full of people enjoying the evening's festivities. There was no regard for saving energy in this crowd. Barreling through the set, Robinson eagerly set the dance floor on fire with Bombs Away's "Swagger into Deadmau5' "I Remember" with bits and pieces of Diddy Dirty Money's "Coming Home." Beckoning the crowd to "Put your fucking weapons in the air, people" Robinson dropped Deadmau5' classic "Raise Your Weapon" annihilating brain cells everywhere. Exhibiting his effortless exercise in sonic weight, Robinson yelled out to the crowd saying "The build-up is super long and the drop is super heavy" before unleashing hyper magnetic bass.
Beach House Wed., 8:00 p.m. July 11 @ The Pageant - $20-$22.50 By Jamie Lees After the break-through success of 2010's Teen Dream, Beach House is back and touring behind a new album. Released in May, Bloom is less sparse than its predecessor. It's happier, with more twinkling and even a little bit of a down-tempo disco vibe. There is a balance here that wasn't common before -- the band seems to be finding the space between being serious and being taken too seriously. Singer-songwriter and vocalist Victoria Legrand works her sexy little aloof French thing hard, and this album proves that she has one of the most distinctive voices in modern music. Think Nico but more refined and without the masculinity or tragedy. Avoid If: You've recently dealt with death or a divorce or any other bad life-altering event. Beach House has a way of amplifying your sadness
Lower Dens Thurs., 7:30 p.m. July 12 @ Luminary Center for the Arts - $10-$12 w/ No Joy, Alan Resnic By Joseph Hess Jana Hunter boasts quite the pedigree, from her split LP with Devendra Banhart to collaborations with the likes of CocoRosie and Indian Jewelry. Hunter fronts the Baltimore-based Lower Dens, whose latest album Nootropics forms a union of chilling vocals with space-rock guitar. Lower Dens manages to funnel Woodstock-era psychedelia into a pure drone of lovely pop music. The percussion stays pointed and firm, merging the understated bass with repetitive drive. Hunter works in a minimalist approach to the benefit of permeable songs that sound shiny and accessible. First to Show, Last to Go: For all the ink we can spill Lower Dens is a sure bet, but opener No Joy brings a more jagged edge to the femme-fronted psych rock you're already there for. Show up on time.
The Gaslight Anthem Fri., 8:00 p.m. July 13 @ The Firebird -$20 By Christian Schaeffer Musical coronations seem to happen more quickly these days. It took Tom Petty ten years to become a Traveling Wilbury and share the stage with his heroes, but the Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon only had to wait a few years to get the blessing of his patron saint, Bruce Springsteen. It was hard to miss the Boss-isms on the band's breakthrough The '59 Sound, but the New Jersey-based quartet brings determined punk rock energy to its triumphant songs loaded with Big American Themes. Handwritten will be released later this month, but the lucky hundreds packed into the Firebird for a sold-out show will no doubt get a sneak peak. People still wait for release dates to hear new music, right? Revolutions Per Minute: The new record may not be out yet, but lead single "45" gives a taste of what's to come -- big, bright paeans to rock & roll romance.
