MusiCal (November 2012)

By Don Allred

Assemblage 23/Espermachine

Assemblage 23 and Espermachine apply modern beat science to classic 80s synthpop and industrial rock. A23’s Tom Shear, a longtime video editor, structures dynamically inclusive atmospheres, connecting mind and body music for private and public consumption. Solo studio artist Shear is engagingly up front and armed only with a mic on stage, while backed by A23’s multiple keyboards and live drumming. Another strong voice, James Esper, morphs his own Shear-produced tracks into the touring Espermachine band, with rich, shadowy layers of melodies and grooves to further electrify what Esper calls “the dark dance floor.”

11/05 @ Skully’s, 1151 High St., 8 p.m.

Dethklok/All That Remains/Machine Head/Black Dahlia Murder

In concert, vast images of eternally animated Metalocalypse stars Dethklok rule the screen above the stage, where a live soundtrack is generated by band creator/singer/guitarist Brendon Small, Gene Hoglan, whose drums drive all Dethklok albums, bassist Bryan Beller, who materialized on Dethalbum II, and gets resurrected on the brand new III, plus their longtime touring companion Mike Keneally, once Frank Zappa’s stunning “stunt guitarist.” All That Remains and Machine Head celebrate recent releases For We Are Many and Machine ****ing Head Live!  Black Dahlia Murder flaunt new bassist Max Lavelle, unsanitary shard of Despised Icon.

11/09 @ The LC, 405 Neil Ave., 6 p.m.

Black Moth Super Rainbow

Black Moth Super Rainbow’s 2006 Dandelion Gum conjured suburban meadows and wooded lots touched by a homegrown electronic haze, periodically invaded by the sound of hippies learning to ride motorcycles. It wasn’t surprising to learn they were from Pittsburgh, currently a lovely town, transcending heavy industrial karma. Nevertheless, BMSR’s studio sorcerer/vocalist Tobacco now melts mellow moments into the garage gusto of 2012’s Cobra Juicy. Still, Tobacco’s sonic mask reflects some truly cosmic constellations. BMSR’s live incarnation also includes steadfast guitarist Ryan Graveface, keyboardist Seven Fields of Aphelion, drummer Iffernaut and bassist Bullsmear.

11/09 @ Skully’s, 1151 N. High St., 8 p.m.

She Bears/Sidekicks/Saintseneca

She Bears moved from Athens to Columbus in 2010, as the cascading, complex momentum of the six-piece band’s debut album, I Found Myself Asleep, proved itself to be realistically, resourcefully responding to emotional peaks, earthquakes, everyday plot tweaks, and simple twists of fate. Their influences include: "...deep sleep, no sleep, literal walls of fire, cigarettes...” Now slimmed down to the original quartet, She Bears currently tend to zing with succinct complaints, curveball commentary, sneaky guitar, and restless, robust rhythm. Sidekicks merge punky urgency with power-pop flair; Saintseneca’s folk-rock is fortified by their sharp-eyed Appalachia-to-Columbus saga. 

11/10 @ Ace of Cups, 2619 N. High St., 9 p.m.

Whitey Morgan & 78s/Slim White & Averys

Two Midwestern crews brew the honky tonk blues tonight. Whitey Morgan and the 78s are from Flint, Michigan, also home of Michael Moore. Like Moore’s documentaries, Morgan’s “Buick City” graphically follows Flint’s lost wages, although his sing-along theme song is the equally stubborn, living truth, “Waylon’s Still The King.”  Merle Haggard is another inspiration, shared with Columbus’s Slim White & the Averys, who can take Haggard and Buck Owens’ migrating Cali-visions further afield than Morgan’s backstreet outlaw jukebox. Both bands find the party in classic country, so let your history books have the night off.

11/15 @ Woodlands Tavern, 1200 W. 3rd Ave., 8 p.m.

Caravan of Thieves

Fuzz and Carrie Sangiovanni kept their Caravan of Thieves shows relatively simple at first, with both singers/guitarists faithful to basic early swing. Having added violinist Ben Dean, double bassist Brian Anderson, secondary acoustic stringed instruments, and kitchen percussion, CoT’s unplugged electricity now incites dancing and other spontaneous behavior, onstage and in the audience. Django Reinhardt’s gypsy jazz time-travels with Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and  CoT’s “The Funhouse Exit”: “Don’t go outside, dear/There’s goblins, monsters and politicians everywhere.” We’re invited to bring seasonal ornaments and “odd decor” for the stage (the band will post pictures).

11/18 @ Woodlands Tavern, 1200 W. 3rd Ave., 7 p.m.

Tim Lee 3/Wussy

At least two veteran mom ‘n’ pop indie rock operations grace the stage tonight, with a third band still to be announced at presstime. Taking a caffeinated break from recording, Knoxville’s Tim Lee 3 bring studio-sharpened focus to the stage, tuning up punky blues and catchy jangle. Tim Lee plays guitar, Sara Bauer Lee plays bass, Bill Van Vleet plays drums; all three sing. Cincy’s Wussy is co-led by guitarist/songwriter/sometime singer Chuck Cleaver, whose Ass Ponys gave us the lonesome, active “Little Bastard” (even on MTV), and Lisa Walker, whose piloting vocals vividly shade Wussy’s commitment to attitude and romance.

11/25 @ Ace of Cups, 2619 N. High St., 8 p.m.

Aerosmith/Cheap Trick

At the cracked dawn of the 70s, Aerosmith were sometimes busted for being Stones-wannabees, but that just gave the glammy upstarts more motivation. While most arena rock settled into the mid-70s, Aerosmith’s albums delivered increasingly distinctive excitement. This fall’s all-new Music From Another Dimension reaches to tap the motherlode of their rhinestone prime, as advance tracks boldly suggest. Cheap Trick continue to combine tastefully chiming melodies with bash-it-out showmanship. They seem like alternate universe Beatles, ones who never stopped touring, while going from being cheeky chappies, to old and expansively sarcastic. Looks good on ‘em.

11/25 @ Nationwide Arena, 200 W. Nationwide Blvd., 7:30 p.m.

Trampled By Turtles/Spirit Family Reunion

Duluth’s Trampled By Turtles began in 2003, as the acoustic side project of alt-rockers from several bands, some with metal tendencies. Still acoustic, TBT is now full-time, playing self-described “speedgrass.” Starting with a few bluegrass tunes, pre-bluegrass folk, and tradition-bound originals, they’ve learned to move “out of our comfort zone” when writing, taking it all their own way ‘round the mountain. Also converging via various musical routes, Brooklyn’s Spirit Family Reunion sing and stomp with an old-time, street-corner gospel influence, while testifying to whatever they instigate, witness and hear about, so look out.

11/28 @ Newport Music Hall, 1722 N. High St., 7 p.m.

MusiCal (December 2012)

 By Don Allred

Patrick Wolf

Singer/songwriter Patrick Wolf transforms personal trauma into art-pop drama, evoking classy images of words flying from a windswept diary. But if he ever needs a silver page-cutter to get started, Wolf’s probably got one handy. Always seeking to keep an edge to his polish, he peels away signature electronic settings and associated fan club memories on Sundark and Riverlight, a double-disc collection of re-recorded career highlights, now arrestingly tested in acoustic settings. Longtime listeners and new believers will witness Wolf and his touring crew mixing dynamic music with deftly theatrical lighting and video surprises.

12/04 @ Wexner Center, 1871 N. High St., 8 p.m.

Christmas Party With The Randys

Versatile Columbus combo The Randys’ holiday punch includes stratospheric seasonal hits of Alvin and the Chipmunks, balanced by mellow, Dean Martin-ized visions of “Christmas Island” and “Mele Kalikimaka.” Those will be chased by Brave Combo’s polka stomp, “Must Be Santa,” which was faithfully recreated by Bob Dylan, and the Randys-ized version of Dylan’s original classic, “Winterlude.” Plus: the coastal ghost of surf guitar surgeons The Ventures' customized “Jingle Bells,” and “Marshmallow World,” toasted Brenda Lee-style. “Christmas Time is Here,” among other magic chestnuts, will also appear. Vocalist/bass guitarist Canaan Faulkner reveals, “We'll be peppering our regular set with them throughout the night.”

12/07 @ Ace of Cups, 2619 N. High St., 9:0 p.m.

Mod Sun/The Come Up/Pat Brown

Completely at home on Warped Tours and Rolling Stone’s Top 15 Unsigned Acts, giving mad props to  Dylan, Jim Morrison, and rap pioneers, Mod Sun (AKA  Derek Smith, former drummer for turbulent idealists Scary Kids Scaring Kids and Four Letter Lie) is the Johnny Appleseed of what he’s dubbed hippy hop, dropping homegrown science of positive vibes, while going rogue in a friendly way. Young duo The Come Up reach for a balance of vintage East Coast rap and current trends. All-weather singer/songwriter Pat Brown also appears on Mod Sun’s theme, “Happy As F--”.

12/11 @ The Basement, 391 Neil Ave., 7 p.m.

Over The Rhine

While combining Americana’s shadows and light with suggestions of late night jazz, Over The Rhine named themselves for their Cincinnati neighborhood, an area with a complex, mercurial history. OTR singers/multi-instrumentalists Linford Detweiler and Karen Bergquist are also inspired by their pre-Civil War farmhouse. Not to mention their marriage, among other rich material. Tonight’s set, further flavored by guitar stylist/percussionist Nick Radina, will include songs from 2011’s The Long Surrender, plus selections from previous releases, and maybe some forthcoming seasonal originals, along with a few traditional carols.

12/14 @ The Lincoln Theatre, 769 E. Long St., 8 p.m.

Flex Crew

The Flex Crew’s mind-and-body musical odyssey began when future FC founder Troy Jones was 12. Columbus became a launching pad for drummer Jones’s global explorations of fusion jazz, funk, r&b, and reggae, balancing electronic and organic energy. This proved to be the basis of the Flex Crew, who also add hip-hop elements, relating modern rap to dancehall and other styles of reggae, via Jamaica's D.J. and M.C. strands of hip-hop’s roots. The Flex Crew bring diligent originals and cogent covers, with plenty of expertly creative muscle to flex.

12/16 @ Skully’s, 1871 N. High St., 9 p.m.

Erika Hughes & Well-Mannered/Brittany Reilly Band/Boondogglers

This evening’s Central Ohio Americana crossroads pacesetter Erika Hughes often saddles up “Muleskinner Blues” and “I Know You Rider,” favorites of mountain-high musicians and Jerry Garcia as well. Agile, speedy guitar licks gleefully contradict the title of Hughes’s own “Pull The Brakes.” Brittany Reilly beep-beeps through Western Swing classics like “Route 66," and road-races with Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.” The roots-rocking Boondogglers’ mostly original setlist includes “Hats Off,” inspired by a one-man audience; “Jeff Davis,” inspired by another man’s audience of justifiably outraged citizens, and “Rogan’s Song,” inspired by the bass player’s son. 

12/20 @ Woodlands Tavern, 1200 W. 3rd Ave., 8 p.m.

Papadosio/Emancipator

“This album is dedicated to the next horizon, which is revealing itself little by little.” So declare Athens, OH-launched, currently Asheville, NC-based quintet Papadosio, christening their new musical spacecraft T.E.T.I.O.S., which stands for To End The Illusion Of Separation. The set explores bar-raising possibilities for Papadosio’s forthright themes, vocal clarity, and calm-to-combustible electro-psych grooves, extended onstage amidst equally kinetic visual art. Electronic keyboard sorcerer Emancipator and his traveling apprentice, violinist Ilya Goldberg, conjure choirs, orchestras, and various individual instruments, morphing into Asian and/or Americana motifs, among other border-crossing effects.

12/21 @ The LC, 405 Neil Ave., 8 p.m.

Mike Perkins

Just past the final stampede to Christmas Day, consider chilling out with Columbus singer/songwriter/guitarist Mike Perkins. “Chilling out” may seem like an unfortunate phrase in the dead of winter, but fear not: when Perkins marvels, “There/s something in the water/In Mansfield” (pronounced as “Man’s field”, cosmically and naturally enough), summer’s not far away. Perkins generates a warm, low-key commitment to rhythm, tunefulness, and community, sought and found onstage and in his audience, which has been known to dance. This is open mic night too, so come on in, the water’s fine.

12/26 @ Scarlet & Grey Cafe, 2203 N. High St., 5 p.m.

Clutch/Mondo Generator/Saviors/Wino

Blast off for the lucky 13th year of this century with Clutch, who have always broken off big chunks of the late 60s and early 70s, for their own gnarly blend. Call it hard classic Southern boogie biker rock, also filling the gap left by desert stoners Kyuss. Openers: Mondo Generator, led by Kyuss/Queens Of The Stone Age remnant Nick Oliveri, stoners/ doomsters Saviors, and early-Sabs-inspired, grassroots metal legend Wino. Wino’s solo acoustic set will probably include indelible originals from Adrift, Heavy Kingdom, and hopefully his scary, metal-appropriate Texas Gothic country (Townes Van Zandt) covers as well.

12/29 @ Newport Music Hall, 1722 N. High St., 7 p.m.

MusiCal (January 2011)

By Don Allred

Girl Talk

“I know you’re not a leper”, Nicki Minaj murmurs over the undertow of Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear The Reaper,” as Ol’ Dirty Bastard tries to cheer up Radiohead’s “Creep.”  The Jackson 5 rattle free of paternal curfews, while Missy Elliot gets her freak on with the Ramones. So it goes on mash-up DJ Girl Talk’s All Day, where genre, gender, space, and time make hot speed bumps.

1/06 @ The LC Pavilion, 408 Neil Ave.

Doors Open: 7 p.m.

Matthew Hoover & The Supersaints

Columbus-based Matthew Hoover’s folk-country extensions plug into the truth’s corrosive glow, keeping shaded lights on all night. Call the husband who ritualistically seeks and serenades his bar-crawling wife an enabler, but he’ll continue: “Who am I, or anyone/To deny/What makes you feel loved?” Being alone is worse than having ghosts or shoot-outs, so Hoover’s wishful thinkers always find their groove. This show includes new songs, riding with selections from Talking to Ghosts.

1/08 @ The Rumba Cafe, 2507 Summit St.

9:30 p.m.

A Night at the Movies

Central to The Columbus Jazz Orchestra’s A Night at the Movies is the music of Henry Mancini, whose lyrical standards like “Moon River” and witty themes like “The Pink Panther” inspired the CJO and conductor/trumpet virtuoso Byron Stripling’s special guest, Dave Grusin. Oscar-winning composer Grusin is also a nimble jazz pianist. Along with Mancini and Grusin originals, expect other cinematic favorites, like “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” and “As Time Goes By.”

1/14-15 @ The Southern Theatre, 21 E Main St.

8 p.m.

Ghost Shirt with New City Gypsy & Old Hundred

Stirred by electric violin, along with the usual rock instruments, Ghost Shirt’s arc of catchy, combustible melody fills a volatile vessel of chamber-pop-rock that compresses without constriction. Idealistically epic guitar bards New City Gypsy continually find new focus for their rousing, rowdy complexity. Old Hundred fearlessly follow the barefoot by-ways of Americana and earthy urban folk-rock.

1/15 @ Kobo, 2590 N. High St.

8 p.m.

STOMP

Percussion/dance troupe STOMP started up during British economic doldrums, dedicated to making workday objects swing. Recent discoveries include inner tubes of giant tractor tires, elevating performers via cables. Paper, plastic, brooms and the flick of cigarette lighters continue to provide excellent textures, while trash can tones now sport Latin accents, courtesy of strip-lighting recycling containers and de facto drumsticks. Wherever rhythm’s waiting, STOMP knows how to find it.

1/14-16 @ The Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St.

1/14: 8 p.m. , 1/15: 5 p.m. & 9 p.m. , 1/16: 3 p.m & 7 p.m.

Full Belly Food Drive

2011’s first Full Belly Food Drive fittingly includes the vivaciously voracious psych-pop soul of The Town Monster, along with blues-rocking boxcar acrobats The George Elliot Underground, Mazka Blaska’s speculative world-music atmospherics, and stellar prog-rock navigators The Receiver. Bring three non-perishable food items, or five bucks. All proceeds go to the Short-North based NNEMAP Pantry, and all attendees receive a free compilation CD, with two songs from each of these bands.

1/21 @ Skully’s Music Diner

7 p.m.

Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile

The Punch Brothers have sometimes been tagged as “progressive bluegrass,” ever since their 2008 debut album Punch showcased ex-Nickel Creek singer/mandolin player Chris Thile’s often funny, passionate, yet discreetly oblique divorce epic, “The Blind Leaving The Blind.” 2010’s Antifogmatic is named for an ancient beverage, highly recommended for its blood-warming, head-clearing properties. Whenever Thile’s tall tales test the weather, stage-savvy picking keeps the Brothers’ medicine show rolling along.

1/24 @ The Lincoln Theatre, 769 E. Long St.

8 p.m.

Kid Rock with Jamey Johnson

On Born Free, Kid Rock celebrates his fortieth birthday, with amazed gratitude that he’s gotten this far and is still enjoying himself. The friction and flow of his Midwestern country-blues-rock also roll the Kid unpretentiously, yet unavoidably, through challenging times. Rock’s community-minded, candidly self-described “stadium songs” are seen and raised by the calmly conversational drama of country balladeer/band leader Jamey Johnson, whose The Guitar Song brews forthright vocals and eerie instrumental implications.

1/28 @ The Schottenstein Center, 555 Borror Dr.

7 p.m.

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo

For thirty-six years, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo have been the hardest-working and possibly the hairiest male ballerinas in show business. They’ve long since charmed world leaders, including Kermit and Miss Piggy, though you don’t have to know anything about ballet to get it. As blissful wood nymphs, water sprites, dying swans, and princesses of several conditions, they revel in the comedy of masculinity, eternally re-fueled by classical gas.

1/28 @ The Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St.

8 p.m.

Burglar & Friends

Those who missed Opera Columbus’s Kurt Weill review, Berlin to Broadway, should catch Burglar. This homegrown sextet generates their own Weill life of elegantly butt-thumping intrigue, via bluesy romantic scrutiny of unstoppably dynamic plot twists. For Burglar’s self-titled CD release party, some facets of their luminescence are compatibly refracted by the Phantods’ spooky adventures in self-improvement, Main Street Gospel’s planetary psych-blues, and the barbed-wire ‘n’ roses alt-country of Two Cow Garage.

1/29 @ Skully’s Music Diner, 1151 N. High St.

7 p.m.

Shadow Prophets

 Having survived a decade of Columbus, metal mainstays Inducing Panic morphed into Shadow Prophets, as IP’s sizzling siblings, singer/lead guitarist Jaime Price and drummer Joe Morton, merged with bassist/backing vocalist Jason Beck. So far, fate and doom are the spinning perimeters for Shadow Prophets’ points of departure, as armored hearts and minds blast artfully charred constellations back at falling skies and faithless eyes. 

1/29 @ Ruby Tuesday, 1978 Summit Dr.

10 p.m.

MusiCal (February 2011)

By Don Allred

Drumline LIve

Although it began as a spin-off of the 2002 movie Drumline, Drumline Live is not a conventional screen-to-stage adaptation. Don Roberts, the film’s musical director, now takes its script’s basis in Historically Black Collegea and Universities band development full circle and beyond. Nearly 40 performers play, dance and sing  through African music, gospel, jazz, generations of r&b, and hip-hop. Creative competition is also part of this tradition, while audience interaction adds sparks to each performance.

02/01 @ The Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St.

7:30 p.m.

Huun Huur Tu

Central Asian quartet Huun Huur Tu’s vocally-centered  music sounds like their name reads. Also guided by guitars, drums and indigenous instruments, HHT’s  mountain-valley channels of hovering drones and stealthy dynamics seek all  properties of earth, fire, water, and wind. Translations confirm the engagingly evident  core of resplendently rugged ballads: “The air is ripe with aromas of the steppe/I’m a relentless traveler/Hiding my fears/From my beautiful wife.”

02/03 @ The Lincoln Theatre, 769 E. Long St.

8 p.m.

Moon High/Esther Caulfield Orchestra/Old Hundred

Columbus troubadours Moon High’s harmonies pounce and lift the familiar flow of classy folk-rock verses into eerie choruses, as autumn breezes have their way with traces of personal history (and vice versa). Dayton’s compatible Esther Caulfield Orchestra provide toe-tapping Post-it notes for the soul: “Waking up is gonna mean/Coming down!” C-busing Old Hundred pass along their own organically tilting perspectives, also necessary for true students of (and for) life.

02/04 @ The Rumba Cafe, 2507 Summit St.

10 p.m.

Hot 17 Showcase

Written, photographed, and published in Columbus,The Hot 17 is an annual guide to this town’s indie musicians. The latest Hot 17 Showcase includes Bush League All-Stars, whose sardonically swinging British Invasion/New Wave pulsations propel sketchy characters into Trains Across The Sea’s rowdy folk-flavored process, Brainbow’s  brainy, heady prog passions, Low Men’s bass-rich, post-punk commentary, and The Spruce Campbells’ ever-rising  psych-pop moonlight. 

02/05 @ Kobo, 2590 N. High St.

6 p.m.

Robyn/Natalia Kills/Diamond Rings

Sweden’s Robyn is a dance diva and a “Fembot” too, but she’s no automatically privileged princess. She rules via the hard-won, high-flying fun of electro-pop, soulful acoustic interludes, and inspirational advice, such as “Don’t f*** with me,” and: “Love hurts/If you do it right.”  Young Natalia Kills spins goth-tinged, moth-winged premonitions like “Mirror,” alongside a wryly autobiographical waitress’s tale,“Free.”  Diamond Rings also rocks style and substance, in glittery trans-genre constellations.

02/08 @ The LC Pavilion, 408 Neil Ave.

 Doors Open:  7 p.m.

Johnny Cash Birthday Tribute Show

This event benefits the Andymanathon fundraiser for disadvantaged children, plus the Andy Davis Memorial Foundation for the late Andymanathon leader’s family. J.C.’s  rockabilly, folk, gospel, unrepentant noose-bait, “Hurt”,  and “Flushed From The Bathroom (of Your Heart)” ride again, via the all-Columbus onslaught of Outlaw Deluxe, 3rd Degree Sideburns, Billy Zenn, Jamie Lyn, Bennie James, Joshua P. James, Matt Monta, Jake Cheshire, Unit One,  Slick City Ramblers, Jinxed, and maybe more.

02/09 @ The Shrunken Head, 251 W 5th Ave.

8 p.m.

Columbus Jazz Orchestra/Bill Charlap/Bethany Moore

The Columbus Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of trumpet virtuoso Byron Stripling, presents Broadway: From Oklahoma! To West Side Story, featuring pianist Bill Charlap and vocalist Bethany Moore. Charlap has performed with jazz instrumental titans, including Gerry Mulligan, Phil Woods, and Benny Carter. He’s also known for accompanying singers, including Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand. He’ll be well-matched with Moore, of A Chorus Line’s national touring company.

02/16--20 @ The Southern Theater, 21 E Main St.

16-19: 8 p.m., 20: 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Tiempo Libre

Timba is a Cuban genre, thriving on flexibly complex arrangements, including dance grooves more inclined to Latin funk than salsa. Miami’s versatile Tiempo Libre are timba’s leading American emissaries, gracefully energizing baroque collaborations with Sir James Galway and Joshua Bell, while “Tu Conga Bach” (AKA “Fugue in C Minor”) has proved accessible enough for “Dancing with the Stars.” They can get you on your feet, thrilling while chilling.

02/18 @ The Lincoln Theatre, 769 E. Long St.

8 p.m.

Columbus Symphony Orchestra with Liz Callaway

The songbooks of two bold composers, Stephen Sondheim and Frank Loesser, are explored by the CSO, conductor Albert-George Schram, and singer Liz Callaway. Callaway first appeared on Broadway in Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, before providing an album of collectable delectables, Unsung Sondheim. She’s equally adept with Loesser, who wrote Guys and Dolls and “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”  Also expect selections from Gypsy and Sunday In The Park with George, among others.

02/19 @ The Ohio Theater, 39 E. State St.

8 p.m.

Badfish/Scotty Don’t/Tropidelic

‘90s reggae-rockers Sublime’s discreetly disarming college-circuit-riding charm is  straightforwardly delivered by tribute band Badfish. The trickiness of staying mellow and focused may well be aided by the same crew’s opening set, under the name of Scotty Don’t. Their original songs expertly roll do ‘s and don’t ‘s of seriously casual living into gingerly singed, yet hearty sing-alongs. Ditto Tropidelic, whose unpretentious testimonals  and updates play well with stage-worthy boom-boom. 

02/25 @ Newport Music Hall, 1722 N. High St.

Doors Open: 7 p.m.

Bill Frisell & Friends

Jazz guitarist Bill Frisell’s distinctive contemplation of Americana continues with the Wexner-commissioned world premiere of Not So Fast: The Music of Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant,  celebrating country jazz pioneers. Frisell is joined by succinctly agile steel guitarist Greg Leisz, Nashville A-list session bassist Dennis Crouch, and and Lone Justice/Bob Dylan etc. drummer Don Heffington.  Frisell’s characteristically atmospheric tones will probably spiral like ghostly lassos around the dazzling tunes of percussive pickers West and Bryant.

02/26 @ The Wexner Center, 1871 N. High St.

7 & 9 p.m.

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MusiCal (March 2011)

By Don Allred

Roy Ayers with fo/mo/deep

Although Roy Ayers didn’t start playing the vibraphone until he was seventeen, lessons on keyboards and percussion certainly prepared him to raise electric rainbows. Vivacious vintage tracks like "Everybody Loves The Sunshine" have stimulated acid jazz bands, neo-soul  balladeers, hip-hop producers, and trans-genre club DJs  as well. Ayers’ slyly expansive instrumental and verbal skills are seconded by Columbus’s own fo/mo/deep, whose current set, Eclecticism, also sails the jazz funk galaxies.

03/04 @ Vonn Jazz Lounge, 245 E. Campus View Blvd.

7 & 10 p.m.

Great American Taxi

Steering close to the Grateful Dead's and Commander Cody’s roadhouse landmarks, Great American Taxi rolls the restless, sometimes frustrated vitality of all us great Americans into song-focused, jam-wise, cannily customized rides. “Cold Lonely Town” expertly prowls the odds; “Albuquerque, NM” passes along subtly shaded warnings. “Tough Job” kids GAT’s  working-man persona, while “Fuzzy Little Hippy Girl” eternally  inspires  “bongos in the corporate jet/Ready for tonight’s drum circle!”

03/05 @ Woodlands Tavern, 1200 W. 3rd Ave.

9 p.m.

Chris Thomas King with the Floorwalkers

Singer/songwriter/arranger/multi-instrumentalist Chris Thomas King not only plays the blues, he plays the bluesmen, in movies such as O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Ray. Rootsy success hasn’t inhibited King’s blues odyssey, which sometimes encounters hip-hop, chamber music, jazz, African sources and psych-rock. His afternoon Jazz Academy-sponsored  workshop at the Lincoln traces the blues through ancient-to-contemporary connections. This concert includes CTK favorites and new songs. Columbus’s roots-rocking Floorwalkers open.

03/05 @ The Lincoln Theatre, 769 E. Long St.

 Workshop: 2 p.m., Concert: 8 p.m.

Altan

In the summer of 1973, roving Belfast teenager Frankie Kennedy ventured into remote County Donegal. There he met a fair young lass, Mairead Ni Mhaonagh, whose levitating Gaelic ballads were as magnetic as her reeling fiddle. Ni Mhaonagh’s presence still centers Altan, the standard-setting traditional band she and the late Kennedy nurtured. With two fiddles, two guitars, bouzouki, tin whistle, and button accordion, Altan’s courtship of living musical history continues.

03/09 @ The Lincoln Theatre, 769 E. Long St.

8 p.m.

Lady Gaga with Scissor Sisters 

As her debut album The Fame begins, Lady Gaga zings an arrogant lover in passing: “He just couldn’t wait/Yeah, he’d never last.” Gaga’s new single, “Born to Be”, rallies fellow travelers  with equally bracing candor: “Subway Kid/Rejoice your truth/In the religion of the insecure.”  This fresh, yet traditional, dance diva also challenges herself to keep spinning through the thrillingly truthful and truly thrilling. Glittery, durable Scissor Sisters open.

03/10 @ The Schottenstein Center, 555 Borror Dr.

8 p.m.

She Bears/EaseThe Medic/Saturday Giant/Vanity Theft

Columbus sextet She Bears tenaciously ride daily life’s light and dark arcs, especially in “Black Mannequins,” a paradoxically rollicking anti-fashion rant/confessional.  Fans of the Arcade Fire and Columbus’s Karate Coyote should definitely check them out. Winter’s lingering discontents also get zapped by local lights Ease The Medic’s post-punk cathartic complexity and the Saturday Giant’s electronic sci-fi apocalypse. Springboro’s all-female, indie-pop-rocking Vanity Theft bring on justice-seeking, disruptively romantic drama.

03/11 @ Kobo, 2590 N. High St.

9 p.m.

Richard Shindell  with Nels Andrews

Singer/songwriters Richard Shindell and Nels Andrews balance folkie sentiment with observantly shaded clarity and sensuous tone. Shindell is especially adept at directing the traffic of detail and rhythm, as his characters, including Mary Magadelene, a desperate interrogator, and a high-flying canary, all refuse to settle down and shut up. Ditto Nels Andrews’ people, like the guy cruising back through his hometown, greeting the spring: “I’m sober/Though my memories are lies.”

03/12 @  The Columbus Performing Arts Center(The Shedd Theatre), 549 Franklin Ave.

Doors Open: 7:30 p.m.

Columbus Jazz Orchestra/Ken Peplowski/Butch Miles

The CJO and director/trumpet ace Byron Stripling salute the music of Count Basie, Buddy Rich and Benny Goodman, with two very appropriate guests, clarinetist/saxophonist Ken Peplowski and drummer Butch Miles. Peplowski started out in his family’s Cleveland polka band; by age 25, he was playing with swing king Goodman. Butch Miles made his reputation while touring with the Count Basie Orchestra. Tested by the best, Peplowski and Miles are stage-savvy artists.

03/17-20 @ The Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main St.

03/17-19: 8 p.m., 03/20: 2 & 7:30 p.m.

roeVy/Digiraatii/Carma & Attak/Cornelious Jackson

Now entering the third year of their social experiment,  DJ/VJ unit roeVy add The Demons EP to Columbus’s synchronised diet of humanoid warmth and flamboyant minimalism. Also making electro-house a home for the adventurous, successful Cleveland-to-Columbus transplants Digiraatii’s characteristically exuberant march gets lured into dubstep’s dancefloor chess moves on the intriguing new “Years Ago,” from the forthcoming Drop City. Carma & Attak and Cornelious Jackson provide very palatable compatibility.

03/19 @ Skully’s, 1151 N. High St.

8 p.m.

Blasters

Brothers Dave and Phil Alvin’s 1979-launched Blasters quickly became roots-rock standard-setters: Dave was the eloquent songwriter/lead guitarist, Phil was the yelping, wailing, born-to-be lead singer. Phil still thrills, as he and his co-founding Blasters, drummer Bill Bateman and bassist John Bazz, plus long-time axeman Keith Wyatt, keep their rockabilly-r&b-honky tonk colors flying like sheets on the line.

03/19 @ Woodlands Tavern, 1200 W. 3rd Ave.

9 p.m.

Curse Icon/7th Cycle/Chasing Oblivion

Powell-based Curse Icon have been compared to Evanescence, but they’ve got their own volatile swirl of melody and metal. Vocalist Kiana Prestol projects without screeching clichès or faux-operatic delusions either. Drummer Marco also charges the convergence of Jason Retz's guitar and Jim Guest's bass with crystalline keyboard shards and electronic friction, further focusing the frustration and resolve of CI’s new EP, The War Inside. Columbus journeymen 7th Cycle and Chasing Oblivion maintain this show’s range of head-banging topography.

03/25 @ Newport Music Hall, 1722 N. High St.

Doors Open: 5:30 p.m.

MusiCal (January 2010)

Angela Perley and the Howlin’ Moons

Tried 'n' true, Columbus performers Angela Perley and the Howlin’ Moons bring a backroads-bumping, steady-rolling approach to Perley’s original songs, with appeal to fans of Love & Theft-era Bob Dylan and Lucinda Williams. Much younger than those worthies, Perley sounds adventurously observant. She describes herself as “drawn to the fleeting, magical moments  of life and fiery theatrics of this place we call home. “ Still a family affair; look out now.

1/02 @ Rumba Café, 2507 Summit St.

10 p.m.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

The first half of a current Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert seeks ideal fellowship, in dramatic narration and dynamic vocal solos. The second half presents dazzling gifts, as classical-times-metal orchestrations of TSO originals and cover versions of pop hits encounter lasers, videos, pyrotechnics and chorus lines.  It’s not all seasonal music, but TSO’s epic expressway provides a holiday feast for eyes and ears.

01/03 @ Nationwide Arena, 200 W Nationwide Blvd.

3 p.m & 7:30 p.m.

Lights of Autumn

Lights of Autumn are five lively young performers from upstate New York, whose immediately winning sound blends pop exuberance with punky bluntness and metal-educated guitar solos. Music from the boy’s clubhouse, eh? Not really: co-founders Lauren Ciarpelli and Danielle LeBeau work with their bro’s to keep lyrics as cohesively variable as the music, with all points of view in the mix.

01/06 @ Skully’s, 1151 High St.

10 p.m.

Diana Jones and Jonathan Byrd

Diana Jones and Jonathan Byrd’s Appalachia-based harmonies are filled out by her rich alto and his limber tenor.  Each artist’s award-winning songs travel parallel tracks: Byrd gets drunk and goes off to an unspecified war, which just might be the one Jones’s “Soldier Girl” was already headed for. All their characters keep comin’ ‘round the mountain and corner, including what more cautious souls consider the wrong direction, which can be exciting.

01/09 @ Columbus Performing Arts Center, 549 Franklin Ave.

8 p.m.

Cheater Slicks

Together for twenty-three years, Columbus OH’s Cheater Slicks  maintain their no-nonsense cool, without getting locked into one stance. They’ve toured and recorded with garage rock kingpin Jon Spencer, often backing r&b cult figure Andre Williams as well. They also move in and out of their own moody, battering grooves, taking melodically improvisational flights. Dark humor doesn’t hurt either: the Cheater Slicks’ well-worn, all-weather style still looks good on ‘em.

01/14 @ Rumba Café, 2507 Summit St.

10 p.m.

Mojoflo

 Mojoflo started started out playing funk-fried Christmas music on the frozen streets of Columbus. They’ve since gotten even hotter, while expanding their range and lineup. With up to ten instruments and various voices (including adeptly adaptable lead singer Amber Knicole), Mojoflo applies brass, reeds, keyboards, guitar, bass and percussion to various vintages and blends of r&b, hip-hop, latin—whatever sounds right for the moment, on any given night.

01/15 @ Martini Park, 4040 Easton Station

8 p.m.

Dianne Reeves and trio with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra

Fearlessly exploring many kinds of music, four-time Grammy winner Dianne Reeves is especially esteemed for the thoughtful vitality she brings to jazz classics. Reeves celebrates the legacy of chanteuse Sarah Vaughn on this evening of CSO’s Pops series, with conductor Jerry Steichen. Reeves also performs with her longtime pianist-arranger, Peter Martin; Wynton Marsalis’s ace bassist Reginald Veal; and drummer Terreon Gully, a notable associate of Christian McBride.

01/16 @ Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium, 300 W Broad St.

8 p.m.

Pat Dailey

If ever a man was born to sing for his supper, that man is Pat Dailey, the bard of Lake Erie’s Put-in-Bay, Ohio. Generations of tourist town contemplation still inspire this sly, salty, and sincere singer-songwriter (sometime collaborator with Bard of Chicago, Nashville, and Key West Shel Silverstein), whose own performances sail around the bend, as Dailey relishes the simple and sometimes crazy pleasures that get us through life (or somewhere).

01/16 @ A&R Music Bar, 391 Neil Ave.

8 p.m.

Brad Paisley

Country star Brad Paisley knows how to balance succinct sentiment and wry humor, as on his 2005 breakthrough, Time Well Wasted. Paisley’s serious turns don’t always come from directions (yet) typical of country singers, as on his recent “Welcome To The Future,” saluting Rosa Parks and Barack Obama. To an extent unusual for Nashville, agile guitarist Paisley records with his touring band, so if you enjoy his albums, check out his show.

01/22 @ Nationwide Arena, 200 W Nationwide Blvd.

7:30 p.m.

Owl City

“I prefer daydreams to reality…these songs are all I have to show for my sleepless nights.” So wrote Owl City’s Adam Young, on the MySpace page where his insomnia-tronic excursions began to reach other daydream believers. “Fireflies,” Owl City’s current single, continues to winter amidst the peaks of Billboard’s Top 100. Meanwhile, O.C’.s reveries go 3-D live, as violin, cello and drums expand their synth-pop’s sturdy bubble.

01/28 @ The LC Pavilion, 409 Neil Ave.

7 p.m.

Wolfgang Parker

Columbus punk swing pioneer Wolfgang Parker describes his new Petty Standards as “a return to center.”  But it takes the expert assurance of vocalist-bassist Parker’s quartet to tackle comparison-begging classics “Minnie The Moocher “ and “It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing).” They’re chased with  Frank Sinatra’s “Bim Bam Baby,” Dean Martin’s “Ain’t That A Kick (In The Head,” and “I’m Dead,”  by contemporary swingers the Moon Dogs.

01/30 @ Skully’s, 1151 High St.

7 p.m. 

MusiCal (February 2010)

 By Don Allred

Max Power Trio

Max Pouvoir, mellow driver of C-bus-generated Max Power Trio, informs us that he was raised by bluesmen, grifters, wolves, “and a small TV set.” Maybe such roots inspire the Trio to slip between the reggae-fried afterglow of Sublime and cosmic shades of Jimi Hendrix. They elude space patrols, while rallying the daughters of Earth: “Leave all your demons behind, girl/Say a little prayer for mankind/Come with me and be free.”

02/04 @ Rumba Café, 2507 Summit St.

10 p.m.

Colin Gawel and the Lonely Bones

Perennial rocker Colin Gawel, of Columbus alt-fathers Watershed, began 2009 by assembling The Lonely Bones, who soon produced “Chemotherapy” (“It’s your money or your life”). Their brand-new EP, Superior, sports two new songs, the title track and “Profile,” plus a tune-up of Watershed’s “Sad Drive.” The disc also features guitarist Andy Harrison, representatives of the Receiver, the Whiles, Hoo Doo Soul Band, Omnipop, and all members of Watershed.

02/05 @ Rumba Café, 2507 Summit St.

8 p.m.

RJD2

After a decade of achievements, including his award-winning, appropriately tricky theme for Mad Men, tirelessly touring local hero RJD2 returns again, flipping the script on 2007’s solo-performed, poptronic The Third Hand. 2010’s The Colossus welcomes Ethiopian r&b vocalist Kenna and a shape-shifting orchestra, plus Columbus hip-hop colleagues Illogic, The Catalyst, and NP. In concert, RJD2 moves between turntables and various instruments, further extending new songs with an equally versatile traveling band. 

2/05 @ Skully’s, 1151 High St.

7 p.m.

Mariah Carey

Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel finds Mariah Carey forever young, and more confident than ever. She gives Eminem a well-deserved hard time; ditto a doggin’ boyfriend, and kids her own previous diva-bombing moments of sonic overkill, with no loss of vivacity. Carey also picked Rhianna’s astute producers, The Dream and Tricky Stewart, to further nurture these timely tunes, no doubt continuing to blossom under hot stage lights, amidst her greatest hits.

2/13 @ Value City Arena, 555 Borror Dr.

7:30 p.m.

Commander Cody Band

Commander Cody's Lost Planet Airmen were among the earliest and rowdiest bands to bring old school country fans and hippies together, juggling covers like "Hot Rod Lincoln" and "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke (That Cigarette)" with originals like "Too Much Fun" and "Down to Seeds and Stems (Again)," The piano-pounding Commander's most recent recruits still roll, and you never know who will show up to smoke some steel guitar.

02/13 @ The Thirsty Ear, 1200 W 3rd Ave.

8 p.m

Broken Hearts and Broken Strings

"Broken Hearts and Broken Strings" is a musical valentine, arriving via a stylistic rainbow of Columbus bands, many with new albums coming up in 2010. We'll get indie pop, country, and various flavors of rock, courtesy of the George Elliott Underground, Earwig, Chelsea Automatic, Stucco Jones, Yellow Light Maybe, The Slang, the Dirty Flaggs, Lemming, Two Cow Garage, and Lydia Loveless. Keeping things even more well-rounded, burlesque troupe The Ooh-La-Las will also entertain.

02/13 @ The Basement/A & R Bar, 391 Neil Ave.

6 p.m. 

Black Eyed Peas

The original, California-dreamin’ Black Eyed Peas got a wake-up call with the arrival of Fergie on 2003's Elefunk, where the groove suddenly became as taut as her abs. She always contributes good lines too, though 2009's sample-crazy The E.N.D. proves that you don't have to be all-original to be inspired, and that all fun can be seriously inspiring! Especially when immediate grabbers like "Party All The Time" never lose their grip.

02/16 @ Value City Arena, 555 Borror Dr.

7:30 p.m.

Martina McBride

Country veteran Martina McBride is still the grown-up girl next door, with the sweet low-down on good and bad love alike. Appropriately, Live In Concert includes trenchant covers of Lynn Anderson’s “(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden” and Loretta Lynn’s “You Ain’t Woman Enough To Take My Man," alongside McBride’s own seriously abuse-avenging “Independence Day,” and even Pat Benatar's “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” “

02/21 @ Nationwide Arena, 200 W Nationwide Blvd.

7:30 p.m.

The Luminescent Orchestrii 

The New York-based Luminescent Orchestrii frequently re-charge their madly adept musical potions with trips abroad, testing exotic sounds on expert ears. They focus an ever-morphing mix of mercurial gypsy melodies, tingling Balkan harmonies, insomniac tangos, and kinesthetic klezmer, plus punky propulsion and hip-hop hoedowns. A traffic jam? Fear not (too much): the Luminescent ones sail on, with two violins, resophonic (metallically enhanced) acoustic guitar, upright bass, and “bullhorn harmonica.”

2/18 @ Fawcett Center, 2400 Olentangy River Rd.

8 p.m.

Ani DiFranco

Singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco named her pioneering indie label, Righteous Babe, after herself, and success hasn't made her shy of causes, as a new, free download of "Whose Side Are You On?" attests, with sharply updated lyrics. Musically, her sometimes speedy, always articulate delivery veers between atmospheric outcroppings of folk, funk, rock and jazz. DiFranco's recent concert DVD, Live At Babeville, christens her very own club with typically vibrant flow.

02/26 @ The LC Pavilion, 409 Neil Ave.

8 p.m.s

The Chieftains with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra

Since the early 60s, the Chieftains have celebrated the compatibility of traditional Celtic melodies and instruments with musical travelers from other times and places. San Patracio, their forthcoming collaboration with artists such as Ry Cooder, Linda Ronstadt, El Tigres Del Norte, and Lila Downs, explores connections made and remade when Irish immigrant soldiers changed partners in the Mexican American War. Meanwhile, the Chieftains and their folk dance troupe join the CSO and conductor Albert-George Schram for what’s sure to be a lively evening.

02/27 @ Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium, 300 W Broad St.

8 p.m.