The Lowdown: Four (or Five) Roots/Rock Shows in Indy This Week

In my world of loosely-defined roots rock and roll, these four shows all fit,  and there is a bit of a story to tell on each artist.  And there is even a fifth band I thought should get added to the list, after I had decided I was already finished… 
South Carolina guitarist/songwriter Zach Deputy plays Tuesday night Birdy’s (May 4), and is touring in support of his new record, Sunshine. He, according to a press release we got at NUVO, is “earning tremendous cred on the jam band circuit with his innovative blues, pop, calypso, soul blend”. They go on to mention Sunshine was named Album of the Year for 2009 by Homegrown Radio Network.
I dug into some of his online stuff, and especially checked into the YouTube videos he has posted. Here’s the deal: he’s a one-man jam band, using loops created live on stage to build up his songs and drive the young hippies and Dave Matthews fans into a groovin’ little dance trance. Definitely grab a puff and check this one out at Birdy’s, if that’s your thing, because I think he’s pretty damn good at what he does.

Twang Rock News – Digital albums up for country; Cracker yes, Bruce no for Indy; Pearl Jam song preview

Digital music: Online country album sales grew more than 50 percent in the first half of this year. The country music industry sold 2.35 million digital albums for the year through June 28, a growth of 832,000 units, or about 55 percent, which beat all other popular music genres, according to Nielsen SoundScan said. On the other hand, country CD sales were down 7 percent so far in 2009
springsteen_gtrupNew Springsteen dates announced; No Indianapolis show – Quite a few tour stops in states that Bruce missed –  in Florida, Ohio and Michigan—as well as returns to a few cities, like Chicago, DC, and Philadelphia. There is no Indianapolis date of the calendar, and don’t expect one to be added. His show in March 2008 failed to sell out at Conseco Fieldhouse, as he might have had 13,000 there. His Seeger Sessions tour stop at Verizon Wireless Music Center was a killer show, but they had less than 8,000 there for that show.  Head to St. Louis, Chicago or Detroit if you want to see the band.
There are no West coast dates but the Southeastern U.S. gets shows in Nashville, Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale, and Greenville in September; to the Midwest in St. Louis and Kansas City in October. In November: Live in New York City, as Bruce and the Band return to Madison Square Garden for a  pair of shows. The run ends November 15 in Milwaukee.  He’s already got number shows at Giants Stadium already sold out.
Upcoming Indianapolis show worth putting on the calendar: longtime alternative country/rockers Cracker with local rootsy pop purveyors Henry French and the Shameless at the Vogue on August 27
New Cracker video:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_HtYcmHpEM]
Pearl Jam has new music online from their upcoming album, Backspacer (out September 20) called “The Fixer.” It’s already a mainstay on AAA, rock and alternative radio.
lylelovettLyle Lovett combines both originals and songs “by some of my favorite Texas singer-songwriters” on his next album, which is due out Oct. 20. “This is a combination of my songs and the approach I took on (1998’s) ‘Step Inside This House,’ ” on which he also covered material by other songwriters he likes.