By Don Allred
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real/Molly Winters
Wasted keeps Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real swaying on a rope bridge of good times, good luck and good faith. Likewise onstage: amid the rhythm section’s percussive investigations, Nelson squeezes an occasional scream from his deep-toned, skybound, Allmanesque guitar, parting the strata just enough to confide, "I can hear the wind/Whisper like a kid/’I treat you like I want to be treated.” Columbus balladeer Molly Winters is a compatible keeper of the flame and midnight oil, as a gracefully diligent, candidly romantic, expert observer of herself and others.
06/05 @ Woodlands Tavern, 1200 W Third Ave., 8 p.m.
Battles
Battles guitarist/bassist Dave Konopka draws on the sleek complexity of Lynx, drummer John Stanier is shrapnel from metal-math-mosh vets Helmet, while Ian Williams, who tends to play keyboards and guitar simultaneously, is a party particle from artcore’s Don Caballero. Battles’ collective legacy of meta-mutant fun took more leaps after frontman Tyondai Braxton split: they gene-spliced guest vocalists into 2011’s exhilarating Gloss Drop, now magically mirrored by Dross Glop’s mixologists. Live, Battles’ inventiveness gets suspenseful: will they melt down, or pull more neon-eyed chocolate rabbits out of their hats? Both, if we’re lucky!
06/05 @ Outland Live, 95 Liberty St., 7 p.m.
Vanity Theft/Enemies!
On The Right Amount of Distance, Springboro-launched Vanity Theft’s goth-pop sonic armor becomes ever more telling in the graveyard of wimpy boyfriends, as VT briskly confess/command, “My Eee, Gee, Oh,/Is not ready to let you go/Make me/Work with you.” For Desolation Dreams, ex- OSU staff brat/new Enemies! ringleader Aaron Lee Tasjan would “watch the warehouse across the street get robbed, write a song, and wait for the cops. For once, they weren’t there because of something I did.” Uncaught and catchy, Enemies! seize each fresh excuse to party.
06/06 @ Kobo Live, 2590 N High St., 8 p.m.
Girl Talk/G-Side/Expensive Sh*t
Punk, crunk, bubblegum, bounce; hotel, motel, your Mama’s Top 10: all are catnip for the mashups of DJ Girl Talk. Rap duo G-Side’s live-from-Sweden “Stay-cation” beguilingly preaches that you too can have a home away from home while still at home, given the right vibe. They’re traveling with singers Joi Turner and PH, plus DJ CP of Block Beataz. Club monks Expensive Sh*t eternally renew rowdy vows:”In the name of the phasor, the drum, and the 808...while you ride the wall and try to figure out the deep signal chains.” Amen!
06/08 @ The LC, 405 Neil Ave., 7 p.m.
Dancehall Queen
For this event, Jamaica-born MC/DJ Abba Blade, whose theme song is “Path to Success,” hereby summons courageous dancehall contestants and other music lovers from “all over the world.” Blade’s co-hosts, the irrepressible Fudgie Springer and Breezy Banton, no doubt second that commotion. Blade’s Columbus colleagues, Roots High Power Sound System, whose recent cookout on The Everton Blender Spring Reggae Mix was quite tantalizing, will pump the bass culture galaxies. Ditto Cleveland’s New Horizons and Lady Dynamq, who specializes in spinning reggae, dancehall, soca, and calypso, seasoned with hip-hop, r&b, and zouk.
06/09 @ Alrosa Villa, 5055 Sinclair Rd, 9 p.m
Lindsey Buckingham
Vocalist/composer/guitar virtuoso Lindsey Buckingham’s gifts can be matched by sheer flash, as ingeniously seasoned popcraft and reflection spin off into jangle and wail---no wonder he and Stevie Nicks vaulted venerable voyagers Fleetwood Mac over the mega-platinum moon. Relationship drama compulsively risked group implosion, but also compressed into crystalline Mac tracks and Buckingham’s solo hits, such as “Trouble” and “Go Insane.” On this unaccompanied acoustic tour, determined to “express more with less,” the still excitable ol’ boy brings selections from his new Seeds We Sew, previous LB album highlights, and deftly adapted Mac classics.
06/16 @ The Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main St., 8 p.m.
Tony Monaco Trio
The Tony Monaco Trio is something of a Columbus-to-the-world jazz supergroup, delivered via the magnetic crossroads of Hammond B3 organist Monaco, guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Derek DiCenzo, and drummer Reggie Jackson. They’re solid, mobile citizens, converging and diverging, yet commonly ruling clubs, classrooms, and concert halls. Their sound is effervescent and potent, whiskey and soda, with funky grooves swirling and surging around and over the chilly rocks of bop-based modernist constellations. There’s no need to park your brains or your carcass too far from the dance floor, or wherever you find your most congenial scenes.
06/22 @ Comfest, Goodale Park, 120 West Goodale St,10 p.m.
Santigold/Theophilus London
“If we can’t fly, we’ll run,” kaleidoscopic art-pop diva Santigold murmurs with bluesy resolution, maybe even resignation: she knows she’ll never sit still. On her recent Master Of My Make-Believe, commitment and freedom keep Santigold darting and hovering in the twilight valley of electro, hip-hop, alt rock, and world music. Rapper/singer Theophilus London feels and builds on a similar tension in songs from his forthcoming Rose Island, as faithfully elusive angel “Lisa” and “Big Spender” ‘s sample-rich, regally whimsical siren keep him reeling out and in.
06/28 @ Newport, 1722 N. High St., 7 p.m.
Paleface/Matthew Sullivan & Black River Gypsies/Cowboy Hillbilly Hippy Folk/Hocking River String Band
Singer/songwriter/picker/painter Paleface is truly indie, yet empathetic enough to work with obsessive visionary Daniel Johnston and mellow fellows the Avett Brothers. He promises a “high energy” folk-rock trio, with drumming songbird Mo Samalot and guitarist/harmonist Grey Revell. Columbus-based Matthew Sullivan & Black River Gypsies, formerly Tin Hearts, now seek greater variety, while tracks in progress retain characteristically tuneful electricity. Cowboy Hillbilly Hippy Folk’s sociable adventures also suit their Ohio neighbors Hocking River String Band, whose covers and originals roll with traditional and contemporary Americana, periodically boosted by “Scruggs-style banjo riffs and turnarounds.”
06/29 @ Woodlands Tavern, 1200 W. Third Ave., 5 p.m
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