MusiCal (September 2009)

 By Don Allred

Gary Allan

The piano starts out gently, the singer reflects intently: “Today/He told her that he loved her/Put a ring upon her finger.” But this is somebody else’s new favorite memory, not Gary Allan’s. He didn’t declare himself when he should have, and now he can’t say nothin’, except in “Today,” his new single. Country veteran Allan projects increasingly weathered, increasingly alert resilience. 

09/03 @ The LC, 405 Neil Ave.

7:30 p.m.

Chelsea Automatic

Columbus’s Chelsea Automatic have discovered beyond-jaded jewels, in the metal-disco of “Blackout on the Dancefloor.” and “I Look Dangerous.” Metal and disco were once socially contradictory, but C.A. are too young and too bored to care. Judging by other toasted postings, they’re usually more pop-metal. But at their most extremely sociable, these boogie knights get the Age of Chivalry dancing again: “Hey /Pretty mama/ Let me help you take your kids to school!”

09/11 @ Skully’s, 1151 N. High St.

10 p.m.

Medeski Martin & Wood

The jazz trio of keyboardist John Medeski, drummer Billy Martin, and bassist Chris Wood balance bold ideas on vibrant, sinewy grooves. Drawing from funk, Latin, gospel, blues and rock, their new Radiolarians III continues a studio series that compresses and crystallizes the visions of live improvisation.  It’s a parade of beats, winding through spooky, shape-shifting festivities: sounds like Halloween came to New Orleans a little early this year (not a moment too soon).

09/13 @ The Newport, 1722 N High St.

6 p.m.

Ra Ra Riot

Especially on their live Daytrotter Sessions, UK chamber pop group Ra Ra Riot’s thickly accented insights are tantalizing clues, further motivating obsessively dynamic, ski patrol investigations of love’s dangerously curving mysteries. Meanwhile, the string players may be slipping more notes into their harmonic rainbows. The strings (and the drums) also cut little pathways through mountainous odds against happy endings. But endings aren’t Ra Ra Riot’s thing anyway, so they spiral on.

09/14 @ The Basement, 391 Neil Ave.

7 p.m

Elisa Nicolas

On Compass and a Pen, Columbus-based singer-songwriter Elisa Nicolas steals the title’s implements from an artfully deceptive lover, to trace his shadowy stroll through her wryly eloquent self-awareness. Ballad specialist Nicolas’s bluesy lucidity deepens even the bossa nova tendencies of “For Worse or Better."  Eventually, she finds someone to settle down with, as the seductive undertow of Compass…continues to flow

09/18 @ The Rumba, 2507 Summit St.

8 p.m.

The Nuclear Children

Sounds like a soccer anthem in punky old England, but what are Columbus’s Nuclear Children actually singing? “We stole it/We loved it/We never should have had it!” On The Children’s new Seven Sordid Tales, that’s how emotions mix it up, while rocking a hijacked juggernaut through days and nights in Partytown, always a little more sober than intended. “Grab your girl/And move along,” a pleasure cop commands; the guitar enforces it.

9/19 @ Skully’s, 1151 N High St.

9 pm

Kings of Leon

The Followill brothers spent their childhood on the road with their evangelist father, and bring moody gifts to their own multitudes when performing as Kings of Leon. Prophetically, KoL’s studio offerings moved from the vibe of close encounters in Southern indie-rock clubs to arena-rock’s echoing drama, just as music became stage-centered again (profits-wise). Blessedly, the platinum afterglow of 2008’s hit single, “Sex on Fire,” still provides a guiding light for Kings' world tours.

9/20 @ The Schottenstein, 555 Borror Dr.

8 p.m.

Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles

The thoughtful, sensuous tones of Sarah Borges recall the early work of alt-country forerunner Rosanne Cash. Cash could seem too introverted on stage; seeing a similar problem coming, Borges stated that she planned her new album, The Stars Are Out, with live performance in mind. It worked. Borges and her tight, twangy trio, the Broken Singles, rock through originals and covers, making imaginative connections with real time.

09/19 @ The Maennerchor, 966 S. High St

7 p.m.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Former Drive-By Truckers lead guitarist Jason Isbell has never been an axe fetishist. For instance, his latest album, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, finds Isbell and his resourceful band (named for an Alabama psych ward) often creating, then navigating through dense atmospheres, via smoky-to-crispy keyboards. Oh yeah: he also writes songs. Selective studies of Southern Rock and Southern Lit shine a funky light on ragged legends-in-their-own-minds, taking some very off-road turns between dreams and memories.

09/25 @ The Rumba, 2507 Summit St.

8 pm

The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker

Though their albums Kaboom! and Burn It Down emulate late-‘60s Memphis soul, The Dynamites’ fuse was lit in mid-‘00s Nashville, where journeyman singer Charles Walker met composer-arranger-guitarist Leo Black. Black’s songs challenge Walker’s voice just enough: he’s striving, while never straining, to make it through life’s lessons. Walker also gets through three horns, two organs, bass, percussion, drums, and Black’s witty picking. Later for nostalgia’s speed traps, this is still what’s happenin’ now!

09/26 @ Skully’s, 1151 N. High St.

8 p.m.

Michael Franti and Spearhead

Rapper Michael Franti’s Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy musically updated social commentaries for the 90s, as jazzy adaptability suggested possible survival skills. Franti sharpened this approach with Spearhead. Personal experiences informed songs like “Hole in the Bucket, “about encounters with a persistent panhandler. Spearhead currently includes reggae singer Cherine Anderson, plus long-running Franti cohorts like funk-rock guitarist Dave Shul and versatile bassist Carl Young, still keeping time in all zones.

9/30 @ The Newport, 1722 N. High St.

8 p.m.