Dinosaur bones
of contention

by JOHNSON CUMMINS

Before we get to the shows happening this week, let me first spout off about the Dinosaur Jr. show that happened last Saturday, Jan. 23, at Club Soda. I walked away from this one all the more convinced that one, J Mascis is one of the best lead guitar players out there, and two, with a set list that mainly cherry-picked from their classic records You’re Living All Over Me and Bug, and the equally great last effort Farm, this one was a serious slinging of hits. Having said that, I must admit I was kind of relieved when they finally made their curtain call after an hour and a half. Even with original drummer Murph not making it across the border, the band was hardly bad, but beyond Mascis’s searing solos, it seemed like they were just going through the motions. Although I’m really teetering on the fence about this one, I do know they were still light years better than Bonnaroo jam band openers MV and EE. That was some harsh tokes, dude.

Alrighty then, tonight, Jan. 28, you can check out Epitaph’s recent signee Frank Turner with the Hot Showers at new hotspot Chez Baptiste. If you are digging the recent rash of hardcore troubadours who traded in their low-slung Les Pauls for acoustic guitars, this should be a good one.

For my money, there are two killer shows happening this week guaranteed to curl your toes up in your boots. The first one is happening tonight with the third installment of local psych fest Viision Quest at la Sala Rossa with truncated live sets from Black Feelings, Tonstartssbandht, Homosexual Cops, Enfants Sauvages, Waxathon, DJ Bwagg and films and projections by Sam Scott, Brendan Reed and more.

On Friday, if you’re feeling up to some Internet sleuthing for the address of the Torn Curtain loft, you can try to squeeze in for Grand Trine, the Peelies and the hardest working duo in ’mo biz, Homosexual Cops. On Saturday night, Jeff the Brotherhood, Tonstartssbandht (again), Denial Tone and Rape Faction are at sports bar Friendship Cove for their weekly wing night. Sadly, Saturday night will mark the very last show for electroclash stragglers Dutch Oven, who are at Barfly with pallbearers Mad Parish and Trung Hoa pissing on their grave. On this stacked Saturday, you can also check out melodic punkers Whiskey Trench when they launch their new record, Television, with Brixton Robbers and Attention at l’Escogriffe.

While the Viision Quest show on Thursday is sure to crush some craniums, my big pick of the week would be on the softer side of things. Acoustic solo artist James Blackshaw and guest Gary Higgins pull into Casa del Popolo on Sunday night. Blackshaw left ’em slackjawed when his fretboard prowess threatened to pull the rug out from headliner Michael Gira the last time he was in town, but what really has me going gaga over the guy is his undeniable compositional skill and his uncanny ability to snatch rich and cascading waves of harmonic overtones out of his simplified themes. Blackshaw’s Glass Bead Game, released on Gira’s Young God Records, just narrowly escaped my year-end Top 10 list. Casa’s newly finished and comfy live room should prove to be the perfect setting for this.

I’M A BARTENDER, I DO GREAT THINGS…
JONATHAN.CUMMINS@GMAIL.COM