It’s not a half-bad week for catching some old Memphis staples
and some new staples in the making. Just in case you haven’t heard Ben Nichols
growl about bad tattoos, howl about girls from Arkansas, or gurgle about having either
too much or not enough whiskey, Lucero will be playing some of their good old
Southern rock at the Hi-Tone Café on
Saturday, June 28th. For a little of that happy
’90s pop (you know, that crazy X-radio sound that made you grow that silly goatee
you still sport today), Crash Into June will
be visiting the Lounge on Saturday, June 28th. Awesome Elephant-six
idolaters Snowglobe will be getting all heady
and (should singer Brad Postlethwaite break out any of his solo material) maybe even a
little political at Young Avenue Deli on Friday, June 27th. And for some curious DJ
action, the mixmaster known as Grunt will be at the Full Moon Club Friday, June
27th. I only caught these guys and their kitsch ’60s vibe once, but incense was
burning and they had a sitar player jamming with them. (No, I wouldn’t kid you about
something like that.)
Now for the out-of-towners. I can’t exactly say that I like
Murder By Death, an elegant (if dreary) neo-Goth outfit
from deep in the Midwest. You see, MBD remind me so very much of the early Cure
(in content more than form, really) that I flashed back to that time in ’89 when I thought
it would be cool to wear my mom’s earrings and get my hair done up like Robert Smith.
WELL, IT WASN’T. And I don’t like being reminded of ANY of that, really. But if you want to
hear some melancholy odes to melancholy things like, you know, being melancholy (with a
little bit of Replacements-style brawl-rock mixed
in for good measure), Murder By Death will be at the Hi-Tone Cafe on Thursday,
June 26th, with appropriately named headliner
Thursday. And you gotta like a band like
Famous FM, who will be at Young Avenue Deli on Saturday, June 28th.
These hardcore soul-food junkies owe a few debts to Squeeze, Syd Barrett, and Superdrag,
but who doesn’t? It’s power-pop played by guys who are obviously having more fun
than you are. Not that you aren’t having fun. They’re just better at it.
—Chris Davis