A few more new bookings than usual this week--our people have been busy!
Monday, December 17th
Cast Members from Disney’s High School Musical Present: "The AfterSchool Special"
7:00 PM & 9:15 PM, $25
The Cast of Disney’s High School Musical in association with Knitting Factory is pleased to announce The Afterschool Special. There will be two 60-minute shows at 8:00pm and 10:00pm with the doors opening at 7:00pm and 9:15pm for each respective set. The show consists of a variety of musical numbers performed by many members of the cast. The genres will vary between musical theater, contemporary, and holiday, and will also feature live musicians as well as an array of different performance pieces. There will also be a silent and a live auction. All proceeds from the benefit will go to Broadway Cares Equity Frights Aids.
Sunday, December 30th
Jake Shimabukuro
8:00 PM, $18
Renowned for lightning-fast fingers and revolutionary playing techniques, Jake views the ukulele as an "untapped source of music with unlimited potential." His virtuosity defies label or category. Playing jazz, blues, funk, classical, bluegrass, folk, flamenco, and rock, Jake’s mission is to show everyone that the ukulele is capable of so much more than only the traditional Hawaiian music many associate it. Experimenting with various guitar effect pedals allows Jake to create sounds never thought possible on the tiny four-string, two-octave instrument. Evolving from the heavily amplified riffs that earned Jake the reputation as “Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele,” now Jake masterfully extracts the pure “clean” natural acoustic sound of the uke, delicately making a single note smile or cry on his new solo album Gently Weeps.
Friday, January 18th
Sole & The Skyrider Band,
Telephone Jim Jesus
8:30 PM, $15 advance, $17 day of show
Though Sole had spent most of his career working with celebrated producers—primarily Alias, Odd Nosdam (of cLOUDDEAD), and JEL (of subtle)—by 2005 he had for some time been looking for a working relationship with a more exclusively focused yet also uniquely talented group of musicians. His solo instrumental work, released in 2005 on Morr Music and in 2007 on anticon as mansbestfriend, and his yearlong collaboration with half of Barcelona's Tortoise-like improvational outfit Twelve, were aspects of this search. In ’05, Sole met Bud Berning, an electronic musician and dub drummer then recording solo work as Skyrider. Intrigued by Skyrider's sound, Sole collaborated with Berning and two musicians who had recently joined the Skyrider fold. As Sole and Skyrider played, sparks struck, and Sole had the quickness of mind to immediately invite Skyrider to move to Flagstaff and record an album. Sole promptly devoted himself fully to realizing the distinct sound he'd long heard only in his own head and further sharpening his art of battle rapping the biggest of enemies: empire, ennui, the industries of distraction, and, not least of all, himself.
Saturday, January 19th
Calabrese,
Zombeast,
THE ORDER OF THE FLY,
Back To Zero,
church for sinners,
band of the dead,
nightmare syndrome
7:00 PM, $10 advance, $12 day of show
"Please allow me to introduce these horror punk heartthrobs from the dusty graveyards of Arizona. This is a band of three brothers (actual brothers, actual last name Calabrese) with a wicked Misfits-meets-Ramones-meets-Damned sound that is tight, hard and fiercely melodic. Songs like "Resurrection," "Eyes Down," "Shrunken Head Kids" and "Crizila" are liberally spiced with tasty hooks you can sink your fangs into along with all the requisite, whoa-whoa-oooh, chorus vocals that your black leather heart could ever desire. More often than not I've heard this horror genre done really poorly, but this can serve as the benchmark of how to get it right. This is as good as it gets, you can file this next to Walk Among Us.” – Jeff Dahl
Thursday, January 24th
Grouch & Eligh (of
Living Legends)
9:00 PM, $17 advance, $20 day of show
"The Grouch & Eligh are part of the Living Legends family. With there newest release called No More Greener Grasses they bring a whole bunch of different styles. The lyrical content is on point--these guys flow like no other. The Clap is a track that speaks for itself. The melody to this track will definitely get your head bouncin’, and if it don't you got issues. The album is loaded with15 tracks of solid hip hop. Guest stars include Pigeon John, Bicasso, Basik, The CUF, Scarub, Tiombe, luckyiam PSC, and Abstract Rude. I recommend you buy this album now, don't wait." - Caliskatz.com
Tuesday, January 29th - On Sale 12.7
The Pac Sun Tour featuring
The Audition,
Envy on the Coast,
Danger Radio,
Another Day Late
7:00 PM, $12
Bold and confident, the title of the Audition’s second album, Champion, is a reflection of a band meeting their own high expectations. The writing process for a second record can be difficult for any band hoping to maintain the magic from their first release. On their second offering for Victory Records, the Audition have avoided the sophomore jinx and produced an irresistible album that is part fighter, part lover, and all Champion. This Chicago quintet has garnered many definitions of what their sound is: pop, punk, dance, rock – take your pick. Truth is, they’ve earned every one of them, blending smart pop lyrics and grooves with memorable guitar licks and addictive beats. So when deciding how to follow up their 2005 debut Controversy Loves Company, the strategy was simple: stay true to the band’s core rock sound but turn up the heat with ultra catchy melodies and lyrics that reflect the group’s maturation.
Wednesday, January 30th
Mr. Lif /
The Perceptionists featuring
Akrobatik &
Mr. Lif
8:30 PM, $14
"When he began releasing singles in the late '90s, party rap was the dominant style most MCs favored, but Mr. Lif's lyrical agenda was a political and socially conscious one that recalled the rap stars of the previous decade - Public Enemy, Gang Starr, and Boogie Down Productions. Born Jeffrey Haynes, Mr. Lif grew up in the Boston, MA, suburb of Brighton. He released his first single, ‘Elektro,’ in 1998, attracting the attention of labels Grand Royal and Def Jux. Working closely with producer and Def Jux label head El-P, Lif released a series of critically acclaimed singles and EPs, starting with Enters the Colossus in 2000.” - AllMusic Guide
Friday, February 15th
The Angry Samoans,
JFA,
Battle Born,
Battle Flask
7:00 PM, $10 advance, $12 day of show
I just caught VH1’s History of Heavy Metal, in which Rolling Stone magazine’s David Fricke claims the term “heavy metal” was first used in rock criticism by Metal Mike Saunders, who besides being one of Creem magazine’s most inventive and hilarious writers, was a founding member of seminal L.A. punk subversionists Angry Samoans. During their early run, they managed to offend Rodney Bingenheimer to the point of being permanently banned from his career-building show, and even caused producer Lee Ving of Fear to deny involvement. The band has carried on for a quarter century of similarly bad behavior, marred by endless in-fighting, finger pointing and name calling. What else would you expect from the band that created “My Old Man’s a Fatso?”
Friday, February 15th
Primadonna,
Atoms,
Boats!
7:30 PM, $8
Primadonna are a true blue hard rockin’ glam band in the tradition of the New York Dolls, Mott the Hoople, the Heartbreakers and Slade. With all those classic ‘70s influences, most are surprised when the actually see the band, who average out at 20 years old. The band has just released a single (on blood-red, heart-shaped vinyl) and just finished a full-length album with local producers Messiaz. See them now while the tickets are still affordable.
The Perceptionists
