Twice monthly, my 30 Days Out column spotlights upcoming music shows and events of note, shining a light into some less well-lit corners, where some fascinating artists schedule performances. I do my best to give ample advance notice so that you can adjust your budget and calendar in a way that lets you get to the show.
Three nationally-touring acts (indie rock, soul and pop-punk) and a local country-rocking favorite are highlighted in this edition. If you can scrape up a total of $40, you can take in all four shows; even better, all of these performances have relatively early start times.
Artist: Kurt Vile and the Violators
Venue: The Orange Peel
Date: Thursday, July 12, 9 p.m.
Door: $24
“Kurt Vile” reads like a punning stage name, but that’s the real name of the Pennsylvania-born singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Formerly a founding member of The War on Drugs, starting in 2003 Vile released a long string of solo EPs (16 to date) before officially launching his solo career with the full-length Constant Hitmaker in 2008. While his older recordings have a lo-fi, indie vibe to them, more recent releases pair his sharp songwriting with higher production values. After years of personnel changes, by 2013 the Violators lineup settled around multi-instrumentalists Jesse Trbovich and Rob Laasko plus drummer Kyle Spence.
Artist: Devils in Dust
Venue: Highland Brewing
Date: Saturday, July 14, 7 p.m.
Door: Free
A collaboration between wife-and-husband duo Leigh Glass and Corey Bullman, Devils in Dust finds the pair setting aside each of their previous musical projects/directions and settling on something that works for both of them. For years Glass led the Leigh Glass Band (later Leigh Glass and the Hazards), a bluesy, Southern rock outfit. Former Fifth House guitarist Bullman had been working on a soul project (the shelved Hi-Fi Revival) when they got together. As showcased on their self-titled 2017 album, Devils in Dust leans in a much more country vein (the gritty kind, not the slick, allegedly radio-friendly sort), though hints of both artists’ earlier styles shine through.
Artist: The Dollyrots
Venue: The Grey Eagle
Date: Tuesday, July 31, 8 p.m.
Door: $12 advance / $15 day of show
Combine the elemental riff-rocking of ’60s and ’70s punk rock with pop melodies and the arena rock of the ’90s, and you get … Green Day. But you also get The Dollyrots, a Florida wife-and-husband outfit that started making albums in 2000. The pair combine the goofy, carefree fun of The Ramones with a fist-in-the-air rocking-out vibe that keeps the energy high. Bassist Kelly Ogden’s chirpy, girlish vocals contrast nicely with the buzzsaw guitars of Luis Cabezas. The Dollyrots’ latest full-length, Whiplash Splash, performed well on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart.
Artist: Chapter:Soul
Venue: The One Stop
Date: Sunday, Aug. 5, 7 p.m.
Door: Free (donations encouraged)
New Orleans has a long and proud history as the birthplace of jazz. But the Crescent City is (and has long been) an incubator for blues, soul, funk, rhythm and blues and rock. Chapter:Soul is built around a core of keyboardist Kashonda Bailey, saxophonist Calvin Johnson and drummer Terry Scott Jr. The group’s sound combines many of the aforementioned styles as well as generous amounts of gospel and and hip-hop. A new album was projected for 2017 release, but to date only a pair of three-song mixtapes have appeared. But quality aces quantity every time, and Chapter:Soul delivers the fresh and funk goods, often sounding like a much bigger group.
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