In the midst of public outrage over the actions of ICE agents in Minneapolis during the past several weeks, Bruce Springsteen showed up at a benefit concert for the families of those citizens killed by ICE with a new song, \u201cThe Streets of Minneapolis.\u201d\u00a0 <\/p>\n
Now, Springsteen has unexpectedly announced a brief tour which will begin in Minneapolis on Tuesday, March 31, and conclude in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, May 27.\u00a0 A Houston stop is not on the schedule, though.\u00a0 The closest the Boss will get to H-Town is Austin, with a concert there set for Sunday, April 26. Artwork used to publicize the tour contains the words \u201cno kings\u201d in boldface, all caps.<\/p>\n
In this spirit, here is a list of my top 10 protest songs, in no particular order, in case you would like to channel your anger and frustration.\u00a0 Or if you\u2019re just in the mood to stick it to the Man.\u00a0 Either way.<\/p>\n
\u201cBall of Confusion\u201d \u2013 The Temptations<\/p>\n
\u201cOhio\u201d \u2013 Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Revolution Will Not Be Televised\u201d \u2013 Gil Scott-Heron<\/p>\n
\u201cFor What It\u2019s Worth\u201d \u2013 Buffalo Springfield<\/p>\n
\u201cWar\u201d \u2013 Edwin Starr<\/p>\n
\u201cFight the Power\u201d \u2013 Isley Brothers<\/p>\n
\u201cNazi Punks Fuck Off\u201d \u2013 The Dead Kennedys<\/p>\n
\u201cWar Pigs\u201d \u2013 Black Sabbath<\/p>\n
\u201cYou Haven\u2019t Done Nothing\u201d \u2013 Stevie Wonder<\/p>\n
\u201cFortunate Son\u201d \u2013 Creedence Clearwater Revival<\/p>\n
Ticket Alert<\/p>\n
It is always a pleasure to add an upcoming Los Lobos concert to the calendar.\u00a0 The east-LA (don\u2019t forget the east) roots rockers will play the Heights Theater<\/a> on Sunday, May 3. This scheduling is causing a bit of stress for some, since Little Feat will be at the 713 Music Hall<\/a> on the same night.\u00a0 Decisions, decisions.\u00a0 The good news, though, is that there is really no wrong choice.<\/p>\n Flatland Cavalry was formed in Lubbock, where several of its members were students at Texas Tech.\u00a0 Over the past ten years, the band has developed a national following, weaving together strains of folk, country, and Americana in its music.\u00a0 Tickets are on sale now for Flatland Cavalry\u2019s concert on Saturday, July 18, at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Also coming to the Pavilion<\/a> this summer is the metalcore \/ horror rock (yes, that is a thing) band Motionless in White.\u00a0 Tickets are on sale now for MIW\u2019s show on Saturday, July 25, part of the band\u2019s \u201cSweat and Blood\u201d tour (I guess these guys are too cool for tears), which also features Lorna Shore, Fit for a King and Static Dress.<\/p>\n The Doobie Brothers (now with Michael McDonald back in the fold) will join Santana for a tour that will hit the sheds this summer.\u00a0 While it is doubtful that much new musical ground will be covered, kicking back and listening to \u201cChina Grove\u201d and \u201cOye Como Va\u201d is not a bad way to spend an evening.\u00a0 Presales for the concert on Friday, August 21, at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion<\/a> are in progress, and the general sale will take place on Friday.<\/p>\n Blackie Lawless and W.A.S.P. were prominent during the heavy metal renaissance in Los Angeles during the \u201880s, making their mark with songs like \u201cI Wanna Be Somebody\u201d and \u201cAnimal (F**k Like a Beast).\u201d\u00a0 Hey, no one said these guys were Rodgers and Hammerstein.\u00a0 The band will perform at the House of Blues<\/a> on Sunday, September 20, with sole original member Lawless fronting a band of ringers.\u00a0 The tour has been tagged as \u201cW.A.S.P. to Headless,\u201d so it is reasonable to assume that the show will concentrate on the band\u2019s early albums, those being W.A.S.P., The Last Command, Inside the Electric Circus and The Headless Children.\u00a0 Tickets are on sale now, so feel free to click like a beast.<\/p>\n Concerts This Week<\/p>\n In the music business, there are two kinds of artists.\u00a0 Those who follow and attempt to latch on to trends and those who opt for the road not taken, creating something unique in the process.\u00a0 Dropkick Murphys \u2013 with an amalgamation of Irish, Celtic and punk influences \u2013 fall into the latter category.\u00a0 For the Murphys, the good news and the bad news is that just about everybody has heard their song \u201cI\u2019m Shipping Up to Boston\u201d many, many times either on a beer commercial or in the Martin Scorsese film The Departed (aka The Depahted).\u00a0<\/p>\n However, it should be noted that there is much more to the band than that one tune, as Dropkick Murphys have released over a dozen albums, including last year\u2019s For the People, which included a tribute to the band\u2019s spiritual brother, Shane MacGowan of the Pogues.\u00a0 The band performs tonight at the House of Blues<\/a>, and the timing is perfect, as the collective partying focus shifts from Fat Tuesday to St. Patrick\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n \u201cCosmic Country\u201d is the label that Daniel Donato has affixed to his brand of music, and the name makes sense.\u00a0 Donato cut his teeth playing a bunch of guitar in Nashville, playing for tips on the street at 14 years old and eventually becoming a member of the house band at the legendary honky-tonk Robert\u2019s Western World, which sits within a block or so of the Ryman auditorium.\u00a0 While Donato has some wild country chops, his music also looks to the cosmos, with inspiration from Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead in the mix.\u00a0 Read more about Donato in Gladys Fuentes\u2019 Houston Press interview<\/a> and catch his act tonight at the Heights Theater.<\/a><\/p>\n When I did a Google search for \u201cJohn Evans\u201d to see what the Houston musician has been up to as of late, the unavoidable (so far as I know) AI summary popped up, with the disclaimer that the John Evans who will perform on Friday at the Continental Club<\/a> should not be confused with John Evan, who played keyboards with Jethro Tull way back when.\u00a0 Thoughtful of AI to point this out, I suppose, but the contemporary John Evans won\u2019t be mistaken for anyone else.\u00a0 He stands well over six feet tall with an unruly shock of hair, generally sports horn-rimmed glasses, and knows how to rock a stylish polyester ensemble when he wants to.\u00a0 Hey, not everyone can pull off that kind of look!<\/p>\n