Thanksgiving traditions are different in different families (and no, I’m not doing an American riff on Tolstoy). Some prefer a more staid and proper celebration, i.e. everyone dresses nicely and champagne is paired with the bird. Others take a more casual route, which a friend of mine once described as “playing basketball with your cousins on the driveway before turkey and then eating watermelon on the back porch.”
But for music fans, the day after Thanksgiving has a special place. It is one of two times during the year when Record Store Day occurs, once in April and once in November. The holiday (yes, I’ll call it that) is intended to remind consumers of the delights that come from shopping at independent record stores like Cactus Music, Sig’s Lagoon, Sound Exchange and Vinal Edge. The hook is that many artists will come up with special releases for RSD – live shows, unreleased gems and the like.
This year’s list of RSD items has just been released, and there is something in the mix to please just about every kind of music obsessive. Highlights include a 1975 Bruce Springsteen show in Philadelphia, outtakes from Monkees recording sessions and an album which assembles the mono mixes of singles from the 13th Floor Elevators.
All RSD releases are limited editions, so you may need to wake up early and get in line on Friday, November 27, to snag the goodies. Check with participating stores as to their individual RSD policies. Yeah, it’s an early morning after a day of festivities and celebration (always a tough gig), but hey, it will get you out of the house and away from weird Uncle Jim.
Ticket Alert
Tickets are on sale now for Lizzy McAlpine’s concert on Saturday, May 1, at the 713 Music Hall. Having trained at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, McAlpine is a versatile performer, having branched out from singer-songwriter territory to Broadway, where she appeared in the musicals Floyd Collins and The Sweet Smell of Success.
Carly Rae Jepsen began her professional career in 2007 with an appearance on “Canadian Idol.” (Hey, are we supposed to change that Canada reference? Like with the lake thing? Oh, wait. There’s already an “American Idol.” OK, never mind.) In 2011, Jepsen’s career blew up with “Call Me Maybe,” and it has been smooth sailing ever since. Catch her act at the 713 Music Hall on Saturday, May 8.
Get ready for A Perfect Circle, the kinda proggy and always wiggy aggregation led by Tool’s Maynard James Keenan and guitarist Billy Howerdel who will perform at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Friday, May 7. The band, which has been sporadically active since its formation in 1999, has released its first new music in several years over the past few months, with the single “Starless” topping rock charts in May and “To Whom It May Concern” dropping just a few days ago. Oh, and The Cult (“Fire Woman”) – featuring the great Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy – will open.
Southern rap goes symphonic on Saturday, May 15, at the Hobby Center when 8 Ball and MJG join forces with Bun B for an evening of hip-hop accompanied by the Renaissance Orchestra. For the record, Bun B and classical music go way back to 2013, when the H-Town legend teamed up with the Houston Symphony and the Lamar High School Choir. I’m generally skeptical regarding musical cross-pollination, in that so often the union of two forms diminishes them both. But I’m hopeful for this one.
Concerts This Week
The big show – sorry, shows – this week feature Usher and Chris Brown, who will play two nights at Reliant Stadium, on Friday and Saturday. The tour promises bang for the buck, teaming two of the most successful R and B singers from the past couple of decades. Tickets have been in high demand, but it appears that some seats (which may have been held back due to sight-line concerns) have just been released. And if you miss them this time, there is a third show scheduled for Tuesday, November 24. If they can come close to selling out three nights at Reliant, well, that’s strong.
Ah, the poor accordion. When the instrument is mentioned, some think of Lawrence Welk and others recall jokes like: “What’s the definition of perfect pitch? Landing an accordion in a dumpster from twenty feet!” In point of fact, the accordion is beloved by many, and those folks will be at Miller Outdoor Theatre on Saturday for the 37th Annual Accordion Kings and Queens Concert. The bill, which features Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. and The Zydeco Twisters, will pay tribute to the role of the humble squeezebox in musical forms such as zydeco (natch), conjunto, Tejano and (natch again) polka. As is always the case, this show at Miller is free.
Atlanta’s Blackberry Smoke and its unofficial mascot, a three-legged rooster, celebrate the band’s 25th anniversary with a show at the 713 Music Hall on Saturday. For over two decades, Blackberry Smoke has carried the mantle of southern rock in the manner of pre-plane crash Lynyrd Skynyrd, continuing a distinctive musical tradition without succumbing to a redneck mentality or general dumbassery (see post-plane crash Skynyrd). Blackberry Smoke draws from a number of influences, so don’t be surprised to hear the occasional unexpected cover, like maybe Thin Lizzy’s “Cowboy Song,” the Stones’ “Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’” or even Black Sabbath’s “Fairies Wear Boots.”
And speaking of keeping traditions alive, fans of improvisatory rock and roll be at the Smart Financial Centre on Tuesday, grooving hard to Gov’t Mule. The band started as a side project when guitarist Warren Haynes bassist Allen Woody were playing with the Allman Brothers. Woody passed away a number of years ago, and original drummer Matt Abts’ participation in the band has been limited as of late due to health concerns, but Haynes has soldiered on, gathering tremendous musicians around him and boldly going where most jam bands have never gone before. Ziggy Marley will open, so that indicates what type of a night it’s going to be. I’m expecting that the ushers will need to put fresh batteries in their flashlights, if you know what I mean.
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