Some tasty and rocking alt-country/Americana bands are hitting Indianapolis in the next month.
Sarah and the Tall Boys are coming to the Slippery Noodle on Feb. 10th. Fronted by songwriter Sarah Potenza Crossman on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, with help from bassist/husband Ian Crossman, lead guitarist Dan Allen, and drummer Bryan Sansom, the band hits Indianapolis supporting it’s second full length album “A Lifetime Worth of Sin”. Called “part Alt-Country, part Blues, they play great American music” according to the Chicago Daily Herald.
Nashville’s Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors (the Nashville Scene says the music “splits the difference between Petty-esque power-pop and Springsteen choruses”) will be in Indianapolis at the Vogue Theater on Thursday, February 17th on tour supporting Marc Broussard.
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Indy’s own Cara Jean Wahlers and Grover David Parido are playing at Birdy’s on February 2nd and booked at Locals Only with Krista Detor on March 4th.
Shawn Mullins has a show at the Wheeler Arts Community Center in Fountain Square March 6th as part of the Indy Acoustic Cafe Series.
concert previews
Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears bring soul, funk and rock and roll stew to Indiana
The soul of Howlin’ Wolf and the party sounds of Sly Stone seem to have found a place to visit in Black Joe Lewis. A Friends of Bob live music co-op show brings roots-rockers (and the horns of) Lewis and his band The Honeybears to Nick’s in Lafayette on Friday night.
The band, hailing from Austin, TX, has been called a “high-octane octet: gritty and greasy garage rock meets old-school Wilson Pickett/Otis Redding-style vein-popping r&b” by the San Franciso Guardian. Worth the drive to Lafayette, if only based on that description. And with titles on his latest album Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is like “Big Booty Woman” and the James Brown-esque”Get Yo Shit”, I think we have a winner. (Friday, October 22nd – 8pm. – doors 7pm – with openers The Splendid Trend)
Venue: Nick’s – 402 Brown Street – West Lafayette – $18 (day of show)
Want to head South instead of North? The band plays at the IU Auditorium in Bloomington on Saturday night.
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Chris Isaak brings cool to Indy for WTTS show; Max Weinberg brings his big band
Couple concert notes for fans of the rock and roll from cool guys in nice suits:
WTTS announced on Monday that they will bring Chris Isaak to Indy with special guest Steven Page (ex-Barenaked Ladies) for a show on Friday, December 10. It’s their 2010 Rock To Read Christmas Concert at the Murat Theatre at Old National Centre.
Isaak is outstanding live, bringing the Roy Orbison croon and Elvis shake together with smoldering good looks and a crack band. Nothing more needed, I say. And proceeds go to fund more reading via the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library.
Tickets go on sale October 15 at 10am, priced at $65, $42.50 and $24.75
In a little more than a week, the Max Weinberg Big Band play at the Jazz Kitchen, with a show on October 20. The gig, which features Weinberg fronting (backing?) an outgrowth of the music he made with as Conan O’Brien’s bandleader across two shows. It’s big band swing, heavy on Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Buddy Rich influences. They also include a Boss Time segment, featuring music from Weinberg’s “other gig” – his 36 years with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
Weinberg recently revealed that he had life-saving open heart surgery just two weeks after the end of the ill-fated O’Brien’s version of the Tonight Show.
“On Feb. 8, I (had) 12 hours of massively invasive open heart surgery,” the 59-year-old told Fancast.com in an interview. “Two years ago, it became life-threatening and I had to do something about it sooner or later.”
The band plays twice when they stop here, with shows at 7 & 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $30.
Truth & Salvage Co., Shooter Jennings hit Indianapolis with WTTS
Truth & Salvage Co.‘s show at Birdy’s in May was one of the best of 2010, and they returned Wednesday (Oct. 6) as part of WTTS’ Emerging Artists Concert Series, with a show at the Creation Cafe on the Canal in downtown Indianapolis. One day later (Thurs., Oct. 7), outlaw rocker Shooter Jennings will perform live in for Studio 92 before his concert at The Vogue that night.
It continues a string of excellent shows for the station, giving spotlight opportunities for roots rock bands. It also give WTTS the chance to brand its 92-3 VIP Room, keeping the concerts private for their listeners, who register online for a seat for a show. Comcast also records some of the performances on video for their On-Demand offerings.
We caught up with WTTS Program Director Brad Holtz, who talked about how Studio 92 has evolved (Band Of Horses, the Doobie Brothers, Train, David Gray and the BoDeans are among the artists who have appeared in 2010) and how the shows at the Creation Cafe, which started in August of this year, will continue in 2011.
A Look Ahead: Gaslight Anthem in Indianapolis – Tuesday, Sept 21
The Gaslight Anthem spent the summer touring through Europe with their recent American Slang album, and for the last month or so have worked their way across the US, and into the Midwest, and make a stop in Indy at The Vogue on Tuesday night. They play Milwaukee on Saturday, Madison on Sunday and Chicago Monday.
Their Springsteen/Clash sound, live energy and resonating lyrics has launched them into the realm of bands that urgently defend the rock and roll flag staked by Bruce and those that came before him. And they do it better than most, if not all. With these guys, and then the The Hold Steady visiting on September 30 (and teh Drive-By Truckers in October), it is a wealth of rock riches…
Video from Europe tour – Great sound – pro shot
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Larry Crane Back in Indiana; Headlines Saturday’s Beech Grove Fall Festival
When we talked to former Mellencamp guitarist Larry Crane this summer (for an interview in Indianapolis’ NUVO) , he mentioned two things: the old Mellencamp band may be getting back together to record, and that he would be in Indiana later in the summer for a show. Well, it is now the final weekend of summer, and as promised, Crane has returned. He brings his heartland rock and roll to the stage at the Beech Grove Fall Festival Saturday night.
Crane was in Bloomington in June for an album release show at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, marking the Indiana debut for Tropical Depression, an album that sound familiar to those who kept up with him as he was banging around the clubs and theatres with his band in the early and mid 90’s, after his spilt from Mellencamp.
Now based in Florida, Crane’s quotes in the story garnered enough attention that Mellencamp’s management released a statement saying John was going to be busy with his No Better Than This album, and had no other plans. With the success of that album ( #1 for the fifth consecutive week on the Americana charts last week), he has his own tour lined up through the fall, including dates in Fort Wayne, South Bend, two shows in Indy, with a tour-opening two night stand at IU’s Memorial Auditorium on October 29 and 30. He’s garnering terrific press with the new record, and was was honored at Nashville’s Americana Music Awards last week and was given their Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting.
But that note from management never really said the musicians from John’s big pop/rock 80’s heydey (Kenny Aronoff, Toby Myers and Crane) wouldn’t be reuniting – just that there were no “plans”. I’d like to hear the old band again, so I take the statement as a positive sign.
Meantime, Larry and his band hit the stage (located at 8th and Main) with romping guitar and drums Midwest rock and roll at 9pm Saturday night in downtown Beech Grove. Added bonus: Indy’s Healing Sixes crank up their amps just before Crane, with a set from 7-8:30pm.
website/stage info