Thanksgiving traditions are different in different families (and no, I\u2019m not doing an American riff on Tolstoy).\u00a0 Some prefer a more staid and proper celebration, i.e. everyone dresses nicely and champagne is paired with the bird.\u00a0 Others take a more casual route, which a friend of mine once described as \u201cplaying basketball with your cousins on the driveway before turkey and then eating watermelon on the back porch.\u201d<\/p>\n
But for music fans, the day after Thanksgiving has a special place.\u00a0 It is one of two times during the year when Record Store Day occurs, once in April and once in November.\u00a0 The holiday (yes, I\u2019ll call it that) is intended to remind consumers of the delights that come from shopping at independent record stores like Cactus Music, Sig\u2019s Lagoon, Sound Exchange and Vinal Edge.\u00a0 The hook is that many artists will come up with special releases for RSD \u2013 live shows, unreleased gems and the like.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s list of RSD items has just been released, and there is something in the mix to please just about every kind of music obsessive.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0 Yeah, it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Ticket Alert<\/p>\n
Tickets are on sale now for Lizzy McAlpine\u2019s concert on Saturday, May 1, at the 713 Music Hall<\/a>.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n Carly Rae Jepsen began her professional career in 2007 with an appearance on \u201cCanadian Idol.\u201d\u00a0 (Hey, are we supposed to change that Canada reference?\u00a0 Like with the lake thing?\u00a0 Oh, wait.\u00a0 There\u2019s already an \u201cAmerican Idol.\u201d\u00a0 OK, never mind.)\u00a0 In 2011, Jepsen\u2019s career blew up with \u201cCall Me Maybe,\u201d and it has been smooth sailing ever since.\u00a0 Catch her act at the 713 Music Hall<\/a> on Saturday, May 8.<\/p>\n Get ready for A Perfect Circle, the kinda proggy and always wiggy aggregation led by Tool\u2019s Maynard James Keenan and guitarist Billy Howerdel who will perform at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion<\/a> on Friday, May 7.\u00a0 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 \u201cStarless\u201d topping rock charts in May and \u201cTo Whom It May Concern\u201d dropping just a few days ago.\u00a0 Oh, and The Cult (\u201cFire Woman\u201d) \u2013 featuring the great Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy \u2013 will open.<\/p>\n Southern rap goes symphonic on Saturday, May 15, at the Hobby Center<\/a> when 8 Ball and MJG join forces with Bun B for an evening of hip-hop accompanied by the Renaissance Orchestra.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 I\u2019m generally skeptical regarding musical cross-pollination, in that so often the union of two forms diminishes them both.\u00a0 But I\u2019m hopeful for this one.<\/p>\n Concerts This Week<\/p>\n The big show \u2013 sorry, shows \u2013 this week feature Usher and Chris Brown, who will play two nights at Reliant Stadium<\/a>, on Friday and Saturday.\u00a0 The tour promises bang for the buck, teaming two of the most successful R and B singers from the past couple of decades.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 And if you miss them this time, there is a third show scheduled for Tuesday, November 24.\u00a0 If they can come close to selling out three nights at Reliant, well, that\u2019s strong.<\/p>\n Ah, the poor accordion.\u00a0 When the instrument is mentioned, some think of Lawrence Welk and others recall jokes like: \u201cWhat\u2019s the definition of perfect pitch?\u00a0 Landing an accordion in a dumpster from twenty feet!\u201d\u00a0 In point of fact, the accordion is beloved by many, and those folks will be at Miller Outdoor Theatre<\/a> on Saturday for the 37th Annual Accordion Kings and Queens Concert.\u00a0 The bill, which features Rockin\u2019 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.\u00a0 As is always the case, this show at Miller is free.<\/p>\n Atlanta\u2019s Blackberry Smoke and its unofficial mascot, a three-legged rooster, celebrate the band\u2019s 25th anniversary with a show at the 713 Music Hall<\/a> on Saturday.\u00a0 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).\u00a0 Blackberry Smoke draws from a number of influences, so don\u2019t be surprised to hear the occasional unexpected cover, like maybe Thin Lizzy\u2019s \u201cCowboy Song,\u201d the Stones\u2019 \u201cCan\u2019t You Hear Me Knockin’\u201d or even Black Sabbath\u2019s \u201cFairies Wear Boots.\u201d<\/p>\n