MusiCal (June 2010)

By Don Allred

Furthur featuring Phil Lesh & Bob Weir

Furthur’s keyboard player Jeff Chimenti (also in Bob Weir’s Ratdog) and drummer Joe Russo adeptly echo the Grateful Dead’s flow; Dark Star Orchestra trouper John Kadlecik’s guitar and voice mirror Jerry Garcia’s. These three also hold their own with two living originals: Garcia’s early guitar student Weir is forever thee brave everyman singer-picker; bassist Phil Lesh still makes the bones of deep tones dance. Furthur, named for the Merry Pranksters' magic school bus, is fueled by classic tunes and cosmic curveballs, including surprise guests.

07/02 @ The LC Pavilion, 405 Neil Ave.

5:30 p.m.

Barrington Levy

Reggae singer Barrington Levy began recording in his early teens, when he was already a compelling performer in Jamaica’s dance halls. Levy’s ‘80s hits helped establish dance hall as a rough-edged, DJ-friendly, sometimes adventurous style of pop. It’s more about fun than social issues, although his current single “Watch Dem (Murderer),” featuring Snoop Dogg, updates a Levy classic while keeping a typically sharp eye on the party.

07/02 @ Alrosa Villa, 5055 Sinclair Rd.

9 p.m.

A Tribute To Queen

This year’s incarnation of Columbus’s biannual Tribute to Queen is fittingly presented by sterling specialists Mrs. Fahrenheit and the Loverboys, who will bestow upon us a two-hour extravaganza of sexy expertise. Mrs. F.’s set will be intriguingly preceded by an hour with the Phantods. These transgender-genre-dressing, musical quick-change artistes, definitely including chanteuse-muse Gretchen King, bring subliminally spooky thrills to Queen’s own vibrantly challenging rainbow of sound. 

07/03 @ Skully’s Music Diner, 115 N. High St.

9 p.m.

The Heavy

There was a time when rhythm & blues and rock & roll were like newlyweds who couldn’t leave each other alone. The Heavy know that time is still now. They ricochet through generations of cross currents, powering roof-raising garage soul, plus outbursts of rap and punk. Yeah, “How You Like Me Now?” drives the monstrous dreams of stuffed toys through that Kia Sorento commercial, but it’s only the beginning.

07/07 @ The Basement, 391 Neil Ave.

7 p.m.

Lydia Brownfield

Versatile Columbus singer-songwriter Lydia Brownfield ventures into songs for children and others on her new EP, Feels Like This. Brownfield’s conversational lyricism never dumbs down or overloads, as observations become new memories, new pathways. Natural heights, widths, depths, and shadows also dance, from the title track’s subtly Caribbean lilt to the last waltz of “Saying Goodbye.” This musical hillside refreshes the learning curve.

07/08 @ Easton Town Center Square, 160 Easton Town Center

10:30 a.m.

Hot 17 Launch

These concerts publicize The Hot 17, which combines text and photographs celebrating the music and collective creativity of Columbus. “The people contributing to each and every shot are local,” editor Meghan Ralston affirms, while projecting a yearly edition, contributing to community charities. The book and shows feature stylistically diverse veteran artists, such as Two Cow Garage and The Receiver, plus a dazzling array of newer bands, including Ghost Shirt, Wing & Tusk, and New City Gypsy.

07/09 @ The Rumba Café, 2507 Summit St.

6:30 p.m. 

& 07/10 @ The Treehouse, 887 Chambers Rd.

9 p.m.

The Mooncussers

Columbus’s Mooncussers are judiciously empathetic students of the Drive-By Truckers, Tom Petty, The Band, and the Black Crowes, minus some of those ancestors’ tendencies to vocal strain. Also delving into the Replacements, Sonic Youth, and Dinosaur Jr., this self-described “guitar band” ’s dogged tenderness and melancholy find balance in momentum. “Still not sure if it was a campfire or a lightnin’ strike/Either way it turns/The night towards day/The day towards night.” 

07/18 @ Goodale Park Gazebo, 101 Buttles Ave.

12:30 p.m.

Andy McKee

Acoustic guitarist Andy McKee is not the typical folkie. Like his cited early inspirations, Preston Reed and Michael Hedges, McKee strives for imaginative yet immediately engaging effects. Alternate tunings, finger-picking, and percussive tapping draw vivid atmospheres from his instruments, including one that combines the properties of harp and guitar. McKee’s current album, Joyland, features original works and a deftly personalized version of Tears For Fears’ “Everybody Wants To Rule The World.” 

07/21 @ The Lincoln Theatre, 769 E. Long St.

8 p.m.

Kansas with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra

This outdoor concert features founding and long-time members of venerable Kansas, to a degree unusual for classic rock tours. The ensemble experience of drummer Phil Ehart, keyboard player/vocalist Steve Walsh, lead guitarist Richard Williams, violinist/guitarist David Ragsdale and bassist/vocalist Billy Greer certainly counts in encountering the CSO.  Expect classics like “Dust in the Wind,” Carry On Wayward Son,” and “Point of Know Return.”

07/24 @ Chemical Abstracts Service Lawn, 2540 Olentangy River Rd.

8:15 p.m.

Musicians Against Childhood Cancer

Musicians Against Childhood Cancer is an annual event. All performers donate their services; all proceeds benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. This four-day bluegrass festival includes J.D. Crowe & the New South, original members of the Johnson Mountain Boys, IIIrd Tyme Out, Michael Cleveland, Rhonda Vincent & the Rage, the Gibson Brothers, and the Grascals. Saturday night brings the MACC Opry. At all times, be prepared to find yourself singing along,

07/21 through 7/24 @ Hoover-Y Park, 1570 Rohr Rd. 

First show: Wed.1:30 p.m., Last: Sat. 10 p.m.

Digiraatii

Digiraati briskly define themselves as “an electronic production/DJ collective from Cleveland.” Then it’s time for Brute Force Attack Vol. 1 to investigate your premises. Three taps of the buzzer are immediately answered:” Ow! Ow! Qw!” A diva brightly urges, “Git it, git it, git it!” Digirattii never need encouragement, but they’re not too ruthless. They reshape sounds with life-like pulsation, in oxygen-rich rough mixes always ready for dancing.

07/30 @ Skully’s Music Diner

7 p.m.