This weekend: Old-time country and an 'Oz'/Floyd tribute

Talking Heads get the tribute treatment Sunday at the RecordBar.

This weekend’s music docket includes some old-time country music, some dinner-time funk and some familiar music, thanks to a couple of tribute shows.

 

Get your hillbilly on: If you’re in the mood for wild, old-time/hill-country music, the Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St. in Lawrence, has a band for you Friday and Saturday night: Mountain Sprout, a four-piece group (fiddle, banjo, guitar, stand-up bass) from Eureka Springs, Ark.

The band has shared bills with an array of big-time country stars, from Charlie Daniels to Willie Nelson and Leon Russell. The Sprout has also become a favorite at jam-band fests.

On Friday, it will share a bill with the Ragbirds, a five-piece band from Michigan that describes the music on its new album, “Travelin’ Machine,” like this: “The songs strike a balance between home and adventure, drawing upon elements of pop, gypsy, Afro-Cuban, Celtic, Middle Eastern and African sounds, with a little Cajun spice.” The ‘birds are led by Erin Zindle, who plays a small host of instruments (violin, mandolin, accordion, banjo and percussion) while she sings lead vocals.

Saturday night, two bands will open for Mountain Sprout: Cowgirl’s Train Set, a six-piece from Lawrence that calls itself a “psycho-folk hobo-punk-grass band,” and Grass Crack, a punk-bluegrass band from Tulsa, Okla. For more information, call 785-841-5483.

Tribute alert: The Paul Green School of Rock is taking over the RecordBar, 1020 Westport Road, for two early shows this weekend. “Dark Side of the Rainbow” starts at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The show features the “Dark Side of the Moon” set to visuals of “The Wizard of Oz,” which appear to correspond with each other. (The show is also often called “The Wizard of Floyd.”) Both shows are all-ages shows.

Another tribute alert: Several local bands are contributing to the January installment of Sonic Spectrum’s tribute series. This month’s honoree: Talking Heads. The bands playing are Betse Ellis with Lauren Krum and members of Dead Voices (minus David Regnier), Molly Picture Club, In Back of a Black Car and Soft Reeds.

Each will deliver their interpretations of favorite Heads songs starting at 8 p.m. Sunday at the RecordBar. Admission is $10. Some proceeds go to the Midwest Music Foundation. It’s an 18-and-older show.

Mike Stover of Dead Voices said of his band’s set: “Betse picked the set list, almost exclusively deep cuts from the first three albums. I’m pleased with how well these songs sound as translated by our band. I think we made a conscious decision not to sound like Talking Heads.”

Ellis revealed her band’s contribution: “Swamp”; “Don’t Worry About the Government”; “Heaven”; “Air”; “Warning Sign”; “Tentative Decisions”; “Cities.” The experience, which has been as much about playing with her makeshift band as it was about arranging Talking Heads songs, has been revelatory, she said.

“I recruited the Dead Voices band and Lauren for this,” said Ellis, who plays fiddle with the Wilders. “Playing with Dead Voices and singing with Lauren is like finding out I can suddenly converse in Portuguese and have all these Portuguese friends. I may have known a few words before, but mainly I spoke French.

“It’s actually more like I’m dreaming in Portuguese now, because doing this show is a dream come true. And don’t worry: We won’t be singing in Portuguese.”

Saturday double-header: The Brick, 1727 McGee St., has something for early birds and night owls on Saturday. The matinee/dinner-hour headliner is Phaze II, a groove-heavy funk/soul band featuring Mark Vick on guitar, Harris Green on vocals and percussion, Adam Hale on bass and Kriss Ward (Federation of Horsepower) on drums. Showtime is 5 p.m.

Later Saturday night, three Kansas City bands with different takes on country and western music share a bill: the Grisly Hand, with Adam Lee & the Dead Horse Sound Company and the Blue Boot Heelers. Showtime is 10 p.m.

Saturday quadruple bill: The Record Bar has booked four bands on Saturday night, and the lineup is about as diverse as a rock show can get. It features the Pedaljets (hard, brash post-punk/indie-rock); American Catastrophe (dark and stormy bluesy-roots rock); the String and Return (heavy but ambient and hypnotic rock) and Deco Auto (crunchy power-pop). Admission is $10.

The show is also a 50th birthday celebration for Michael Byars, host of “The Mailbox” podcast at the Midwest Music Foundation blog and the early morning voice you hear weekdays on KCUR (89.3 FM). Showtime is 9:30 p.m.

Coming up

• The last time Estelle Swaray was in town, she played at the swanky, 800-capacity VooDoo Lounge. The British singer/songwriter and producer followed a set by her opener, Solange Knowles.

That was back in February 2009. That night, Estelle (she goes by her first name) played a one-hour set that showcased her first album, “Shine,” a collection of soul numbers with some R&B, hip-hop and reggae accents.

On Feb. 6, Estelle brings the BET Music Matters Tour to Kansas City for a show at the Riot Room, 4048 Broadway. It’s an interesting show for a venue that typically books rock bands (especially hard-rock bands), DJs and hip-hop shows.

If this show turns out to be as good as the VooDoo show, which was under-attended, it will be worth the price of admission: $16. Estelle will bring with her two other vocalists and songwriters: Stacy Barthe, who has written songs recorded by Britney Spears, Rhianna and Katy Perry, and Ava Bella.

Estelle’s third full-length album, “All of Me,” is out Feb. 28.

• Mike Dillon is coming back to in his former hometown and sharing a bill and a stage with Yojimbo, a groovy, funk/soul trio from New Orleans, and Kansas City’s Malachy Papers. Showtime is 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Brick.

| Timothy Finn, The Star

Comments

[pellboy]

Was thinking about taking my sons down to that School of Rock Dark Side tribute since it's all ages. Anybody know what the ticket price is for that? Nothing in that article and also no price listed on the Record Bar website.

[Corky]

Just found out, that Dark Side show is only $10. Friday at Record Bar.

My younger brother films all the School of Rock's performances here & Chicago he can make it to. This one sounds quite special.

The students are playing Dark Side while a projection of 'The Wizard of Oz' is playing across the stage (and them, all in white with nearly all white instruments)

I imagine this has been done somewhere else by someone before, but these young people are inspiring.

I'm looking forward to it!

One thing about this bunch? NO long set changes. They set land-speed records. Zero down time. Impressive..

[pellboy]

Thanks, Corky.

[Steve]

Saw Satisfaction last night at Knuckleheads. They were good, not great. It was well worth the price of admission. The opener Matt O'Ree was really good as well. To me that band was a lot like Gov't Mule. As far as Stones tributes it is hard to beat what the group of musicans headed by Cody Wyoming did when they played Exile on Main Street in its entirety at the old Crosstown Station. I would love to see that show again.

[Average Jane]

I saw Mountain Sprout last summer in Eureka Springs and they were a hell of a lot of fun.

[live music fan]

Mountain Sprout was better when they had the female bass player. I don't like 'em as much with the new guy.

[Mark Ballard]

Tickets are $12.00 @ the door for the encore performance of DARK SIDE OF THE RAINBOW tonight. It will be packed again, so arrive earl & stay late. Dorthy Gale will greet you @ the door (and her little dog too!) and 17 kids will make you believe...BECAUSE IT WORKS!!!

Call 842-ROCK if you would like $10.00 advance tickets, I will put some @ the door for you & save you a couple of bucks.

Mark Ballard - The School of Rock

[Steve]

Mark, great show, those kids were awesome! Keep up the good work.