Nothing Promise/Sadiya/Sleeping By The Riverside There will be some ferocious grindy-groovy goings-on at The Masquerade tonight, courtesy of Bay area metalcore stalwarts Nothing Promise (now featuring that rad-ass drummer from the Diaphragments!). Sadiya have been making some big waves lately — their dynamic hardcore sound is weighty enough for the metal fans, but compelling and catchy enough for everybody else. Good stuff, as is Sleeping By The Riverside's urgent, melodic, high-velocity pummel. (Jan. 18, Masquerade)
Central Avenue Freezeout: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen What can you say about The Boss that hasn't already been said? Not much, probably, but you can still come up with new and interesting ways to, ahem, "interpret" his vast catalog. The lineup is as follows: lauded country-rock veterans Hangtown and Elston Gunnn; one-off Nessie (featuring members of Helium Bomb, Misfortune 500, and Gunburner, among others); Joran from The Gita in a solo acoustic performance; the wonderfully-named Fiction Dogs; up-and-comers Action Movie Soundtrack; and enigmatic new outfit The Black Honkeys. The show has become a benefit, as well — all proceeds will go to Sylvana Altieri, a widow and mother or two whose husband was recently slain in a vicious and pointless home invasion in Spring Hill. (Jan. 18, State Theatre)
Amy Denio w/Handshake Squad Musical jill-of-all-trades Amy Denio comes to the Orpheum tonight, in order to raise a little green for WMNF. Dissonant pop, jazz, world-beat, ambient — she's as at home using household appliances in a song as she is an obscure Balkan melody. WMNF's press release refused to use the word "quirky," so I will. She's quirky. Quirky quirky quirky. But she's certainly not for the sake of being quirky, mind you; Denio's music (solo or with any number of acclaimed collaborators) is substantial and daring, if utterly unclassifiable. (Jan. 18, Orpheum)
Dash (formerly Dash Rip Rock)/James Mathus & His Knockdown Society Louisiana's most infamous roots-rock party juggernaut is shortening its name, in order to "jettison all the weighty baggage collected as one of rock 'n' roll's greatest unknown cult/bar bands." Now, why the hell would they want to do that? They've had some membership shifts and are now semi-based out of Nashville, but maintain that their brand-new disc, Sonic Boom, delivers all of the raucous rootsy singalong energy you've come to expect. Opener James Mathus, guitarist and songwriter for Squirrel Nut Zippers, brings to town a swampy sound firmly entrenched in the seedy Delta-blues aesthetic. (See the Music column). (Jan. 18, Skipper's Smokehouse)
[minus]/Swift/Calm/Puddin' Hogs Another commendable groovecore bill for the State, featuring some intriguing out-of-towners. Atlanta's [minus] ply a fairly straightforward, melodic sound reminiscent of earlier crossover acts like Orange 9MM. Swift, from Winston-Salem, N.C., are a bit more extreme, and create a cool sort of tension between the vulnerable and the all-out crush. Local heroes Calm and Puddin' Hogs nobly represent for the Bay area heavy scene with jagged riffage and a masterfully iconoclastic assault, respectively. (Jan. 19, State Theatre)
Skatepark of Tampa's Ninth Anniversary feat. Hot Water Music/SuperChinChillaRescueMission/The Line/The TimVersion Gainesville's favorite sons return to help the SPOT celebrate nine years of unbridled mayhem. HWM's melodies of gravel and gut-wrenching compulsion cap off a bill that also features old-school DC speed-punk (SuperChinChillaRescueMission) and some nicely fucked-up punk-rock eclectica (The Line). (Jan. 19, Skatepark of Tampa)
Leo Kottke/Karla Bonoff Before there was a radio format called adult contemporary, Karla Bonoff epitomized the sweet tunefulness of the genre. A peripheral member of Southern California's "mellow mafia" in the '70s, she wrote three songs for Linda Ronstadt's 1976 Hasten Down the Wind LP, which paved the way for Bonoff landing her own record deal. She scored a handful of middling hits in the late '70s/early '80s, the biggest one being "Personally." While not possessing formidable singing chops, Bonoff brings a sense of intimacy and vulnerability to her vocals that's truly winning. She'll accompany herself on piano for this co-headlining show with Leo Kottke. Tampa Bay was a regular Kottke tour stop for many years, although lately he's been a bit scarce. A virtuoso on 6- and 12-string guitars, he also weighs in with wryly humorous vocal numbers from time to time. (Jan. 19, Tampa Theatre)—Eric Snider
Marcia Ball w/Lloyd Jones Skipper's favorite Marcia Ball returns to the 'dome; her "infectious, intelligent, and deeply emotional brand of southern boogie, rollicking roadhouse blues and heartfelt ballads" will, presumably, come along for the ride. Guitarist/vocalist Lloyd Jones' fusion of funk, R&B and blues recently saw his group signed to Blind Pig Records. (Jan. 19, Skipper's Smokehouse)
Indie 500 feat. Lukali/ Thinkingdayrally/ Nutrajet/Dumbwaiters The loud, eclectic dream-pop trio known as Lukali is officially back — or maybe not. The gents seem as into their bedroom recordings and one-off appearances as they do actually keeping Lukali going, so who knows? Thinkingdayrally (rich, introspective piano-driven pop), Nutrajet (punk-charged rock's dynamic duo), the Dumbwaiters (clever, grounded in pop, ambitious, good, pretty much unclassifiable), and the aforementioned Lukali offer a marvelous cross-section of underground sound. (Jan. 19, Orpheum)
Murphy's Law w/The Spitvalves NYC party-core originators Murphy's Law have been spewing beer and the virtues of marijuana use for, oh, it must be at least 20 years now. As long as there's been NYC straight-edge, there's been Jimmy G. and company to tell 'em to lighten up. Orlando ska-core lifers The Spitvalves provide equally grin-inducing support. (Jan. 20, State Theatre)
Atom & His Package w/Dumbwaiters/Greyfield "Oh, Atom. God, you're so funny! Everybody loves you, but they don't understand you like I do. They think you're a cutesy emo gimmick; I, however, feel the intellectual anguish lurking just beneath your clownish exterior." I wonder how many times he's heard that? If it's true that inside every performer is a frighteningly dark-hearted cynical mess, then I don't want to be there when Atom stops being clever. Until then, though, let's marvel at some seriously well-penned bon mots, accompanied by metallicious guitar and, of course, His Package. Skewed-rock professionals Dumbwaiters and Jacksonville pop-punk combo Greyfield open. (Jan. 20, Orpheum)
Kittie w/Ill Nino/Chimaira/No One Three young Canadian ladies who play pedestrian thrash, Kittie got a lot of mileage out of being three young Canadian ladies who play pedestrian thrash. Apparently, folks are actually listening to the tunes on their second disc, Oracle, because it's selling about as well as British ground chuck. However, if you've got a thing for junior high-school girls with lots of facial piercings, hair of various unnatural colors, and cell phones that ring the theme from Halloween, then be sure to stop in. A varied trio of nu-metal acts provides support, of whom the sextet Chimaira is currently being buzzed as the genre's next big thing. (Jan. 20, Masquerade)
David Rovics w/Jim Glover David Rovics is a politically motivated folk singer in the vein of legends like Phil Ochs or Woody Guthrie. An accomplished guitarist with a bluegrass-influenced style, Local rabble-rouser/banjo player Jim Glover, who played with Phil Ochs in the duo Sundowners, will open. (Jan. 22, Skipper's Smokehouse)
—All entries by Scott Harrell unless otherwise indicated
This article appears in Jan 17-23, 2001.