Eminent and imminent: 10 shows from Thursday to Sunday

Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears
Thursday
Riot Room
Long before the throwback R&B of the Alabama Shakes galvanized appreciative listeners, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears were throwing down retro soul for delighted fans.  Known for manic performances in the showy tradition of James Brown and Sam & Dave, the Austin-based band is a riveting live act capable of sending dancers into a frenzy with deranged material like "She's So Scandalous" and "Booty City."  The Les Izmore Therapy Hour, a project Kansas City rapper Izmore describes as "a live mixtape," precedes Lewis' band.  Dropout Boogie will also be on hand to spin vintage vinyl. Tickets to the 8 p.m. show are $15 in advance.

Carrie Rodriguez
Thursday
Knuckleheads
Carrie Rodriguez is an ideal companion for Valentine's Day.  While the Texan is an unabashed romantic, her artfully constructed songs document the complexities of relationships.  Much like Steve Earle and Rodney Crowell, Rodriguez is a torchbearer for the grand tradition of Texas troubadours.  Her earthy new album Give Me All You Got ranges from the sultry folk of "I Don't Mind Waiting," the upbeat swing of "Devil In My Mind" and the simmering rock of "I Cry For Love."  While she'll be armed with a fiddle and a guitar rather than an arrow and a torch, Rodriguez should make a fine surrogate for Cupid on Thursday. Tickets to the 8 p.m. show are $15 in advance.  A special Valentine Day package with "a candlelit steak dinner for two with fries and salad and a bottle of wine and reserved seats" is $78.50 per couple.

Twenty One Pilots
Thursday
The Bottleneck
An ingenious amalgamation of the dramatic pop of Fun and the manic cheerleader-rock of Matt & Kim, Twenty One Pilots consists of a clever pair of Ohioans.  The radio-ready music of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun may not be innovative, but it's incredibly catchy.  Regional At Best, the title of the duo's 2011 album, doesn't reflect Twenty One Pilots' enormous ambition.  The peppy rock of opening band New Politics is also carefully constructed for mass appeal.  Much of the Danish act's material sounds like savvy rewrites of hits by bands ranging from the Strokes to Blur. Tickets to the 8 p.m. show are $11 in advance.

Zac Brown Band
Friday
Sprint Center
The most unlikely of country superstars, the Zac Brown Band are good ol' boys who seem as if they'd be pleased as punch by the opportunity to play covers of Jimmy Buffett and the Allman Brothers Band at their neighborhood tavern.  Brown and his bandmates aren't glamorous.  Their music is correspondingly humble.  Yet a string of agreeable hits like "Chicken Fried" and "Toes" has put the Atlanta based-band to work as headliners in arenas.  The Sprint Center will be transformed into a sanctuary of low-key charm and relaxed boogie on Friday.  Blackberry Smoke, Southern rock traditionalists from Georgia, will set the amiable mood.  Tickets to the 7 p.m. show range from $33.50 to $63.50.

Galactic
Friday
Liberty Hall
Aficionados of New Orleans' fertile music scene may engage in fiery debates about which of the city's acts plays the most righteous brand of funk.  There can be little argument, however, that Galactic is currently the most popular funk band from the Crescent City.  One reason for the band's success is its eagerness to incorporate wildly disparate sounds including metal and hip-hop into its traditional mix of jazz and R&B.  Corey Glover, best known for singing the 1988 hit "Cult of Personality" with Living Color, is Galactic's primary vocalist.  Alabama-based dance act Boombox and the Californian hip hop crew Latyrx with Lyrics Born and LaTeef the Truth Speaker open the show. Tickets to the 7:30 p.m. show are $22.50 in advance and $25.50 on the day of the show.

Not a Planet
Saturday
The Brick
A set of videos recently posted to Not a Planet's YouTube channel feature band vocalist Nathan Corsi covering songs by Outkast, the Shins and Amy Winehouse.  The mix reflects Not a Planet's eclectic sensibility.  Saturday's bill of locally-based rock bands at the Brick is similarly inclusive.  Not a Planet's headlining performance will be preceded by three acts.  David Hasselhoff on Acid creates noisy art-metal in the vein of Dillinger Escape Plan.  The muscular sound of Cherokee Rock Rifle makes it a potent live act.  Rev Gusto is a a deceptively imaginative throwback pop band.  The show is a fundraiser for the Midcoast Takeover showcase of Kansas City artists at SXSW next month. The cover for the 10 p.m. show is $10.

Kishi Bashi
Sunday
RecordBar
For fans of the sort of intellectually discerning folk-rock associated with Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens, Kishi Bashi's appearance at the RecordBar will be a contender for the concert of the year.  The Virginia-based artist creates gentle soundscapes that awaken gloriously vivid daydreams.  When he performs as a one-man band, Bashi builds virtual symphonies by deftly looping samples of his virtuosic work on violin and his flexible voice.  A giddy sense of joy imbues all of his material.  Plume Giant, a Vaudeville-tinged folk trio from Brooklyn, opens the show.
Tickets to the 9 p.m. show are $10 in advance.

Gary Allan
Sunday 
VooDoo Lounge
Even in the relatively conservative realm of country, it's uncommon for an artist to hit his or her commercial peak after the age of forty.  Yet Gary Allan, 45, topped the country album charts for the first time last month with Set You Free, the ninth album by the gritty veteran.  The release was driven by the massive success of the inspirational single "Every Storm (Runs Out Of Rain)."  The song's motivational tone contrasts with Allan's most distinctive hits.  Allan's "Watching Airplanes," "Get Off On the Pain" and "Smoke Rings In the Dark" are among the most gut-wrenching country hits of the past 15 years.Tickets to the 8 p.m. show range from $45 to $75.

Electric Six
Sunday
Riot Room
The Riot Room is not a gay bar.  Even so, the Westport venue will be packed with throngs of people gleefully shouting the words "gay bar" on Sunday.  "Gay Bar," the signature song of the Electric Six, is a delirious celebration of desire.   The manic Detroit-based garage band specializes in hilariously confrontational songs.  By combining the decadent lyrical content of vintage disco with contemporary glam-rock, the band appeals to revelers eager to twist and shout to absurd material with titles like "Dance Commander" and "I Buy the Drugs."  The Dead Girls, expert masters of power pop from Lawrence, open the show. Tickets to the 8 p.m. show are $14 in advance.

Mod Sun
Sunday 
The Granada
Mod Sun's official mission statement- "choose to be happy"- is exemplified by a simplistic world view that extols the virtues of marijuana, tie-dye and sunshine.   The titles of songs like "Stop Everything You're Doing Right Now and Smile" and "Forever Woodstock" are certain to make cynical observers smirk.  Yet Mod Sun's novel "hippy hop" concept seems to be paying off.  The euphoric videos of the Minnesota-based psychedelic rapper have racked up over a million views in the past year.  A host of companions including Cisco Adler, Pat Brown, Tayyib Ali and Bryan Lockwood will help Mod Sun spread good vibrations on Sunday. Tickets to the 8 p.m. show are $12 in advance and $15 on the day of the show.

| Bill Brownlee, Special to The Star

Comments

[pellboy]

Really, really wanted to see that Black Joe Lewis & Honeybears show, but I'm afraid I'll be seeing a little-known act down in Tulsa instead tomorrow night.

[Sin City Disciple]

Per Riot Room website, Black Joe Lewis is sold out.

[Kurt]

Pellboy, you're going to The Who show. Tulsa is about half the size of KC metro and wonder why they aren't making it to KC. Did you know that two original Who members are dead now? I've never been to Tulsa and Oklahoma City before and only been just across the state line to say I've been to Oklahoma. I've done the same with Ohio and does that really count as going to a state?

[pellboy]

Yeah,Kurt, I know it's not the full band, but they're still pretty damn good as far as I'm concerned and the real draw for me was the opportunity to see them play my favorite album of theirs, Quadrophenia, all the way through. They missed us the last tour too and I had to roadtrip to Omaha to see them. This is actually my 8th time seeing them since the Kemper show w/ The Pretenders in 1980 and amazingly enough, the 8th different venue, everywhere from Toronto, Canada to St.Louis. Been to Tulsa before for Springsteen a few years ago and the BOK Center is a really nice, big city-type arena, in fact I prefer it to the Sprint Center. Reviews I've read have been extremely positive for this current tour so my slight skepticism has now turned into total, kid-like excitement. Can't wait...LONG LIVE ROCK!

[RogerWilco]

Quadrophenia is Townsend's masterwork. Real bummed that they passed us by. Enjoy and a mini-review would be fantastic!

[pellboy]

Will do, Wilco!

[LiveMusicFan]

I really like Galactic, but I wish that they'd tour without a vocalist. I never liked Houseman, I don't really like it when they have rappers do a few songs, and from the recordings that I've downloaded I don't like the Living Color guy on vocals. I'll probably go since there isn't anything else this month that I want to see, but I'll probably be disappointed.

[El Zarto]

Don't forget Ha Ha Tonka with Making Movies out at Kanza Hall tomorrow 2/14!

[corky 'goin to see Quadrophenia for the 3rd time!' Williams]

My lovely 22 year old daughter & I are headed to Kentucky on Saturday to see the Who's amazing Quadrophenia

It was her idea! Having been exposed to many playings of my CD growing up (fairly certain she'd swiped my copy) it was a pleasure to get her invite to go see this tour!

Presuming we make it home in plenty of time, I've bought tix for that Kishi Bashi show Sunday. Looks cool!

Folks that have yet to book a musical choice for Thursday may want to consider evening coming to Knucks for'The Damn Quails' who I've seen once before. Talented!

Here's a great sample:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXE9iVfQ4NU

This one's a bit jerky as far as hand-held video goes, but I love the tune:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldOQdVZP9U0

Hope to see a few of you there....
(Pellboy, enjoy The Who pal!)

[K]

I recently bought the live double CD from the benefit concert held in NYC on 12.12.12. The Who's Baba O'Reilly and Love Reign Over Me sound AMAZING! I'll admit Roger doesn't always try to hit all of the high notes and he may tweak an occasionally melody however that's fine with me. He still sings better than most, even those a 1/3 his age. Plus Zak Starkey is a monster on the drums.
I'd love to see The Who just one more time. I too saw them at Kemper in '80 when the original lineup of The Pretenders opened. Plus once in Boulder (w/ Jethro Tull) and once at Arrowhead.
Have fun and safe travels.

[Steve J]

Enjoy The Who. How many more tours do they have left in them? Tulsa is closer then St. Louis, so it's a quick drive. And reading a story on CNN yesterday, it's the meth lab capitol, with 979 drug labs found in the county since 2004.

[onthemark]

Carrie Rodriguez put on another fine performance at Knuckleheads last night. Not quite a sellout but close to a full house. Ran into kcmom (and daughter) as well as former BTR correspondent Geordan. She and Luke played for just over hours. Her setlist:

Devil In Mind
50’s French Movie
Absence (Mary Gauthier song)
Lake Harriet
Get Back In Love
Seven Angels On A Bicycle
Today I Started Loving You Again (Merle Haggard song)
Instrumental
Big Love
Brooklyn
Waterbound
She Ain’t Me
Got Your Name On It
Sad Joy
I Cry For Love
Spanish Song (The Treacherous Backstabber)
I Don’t Mind Waiting
Never Gonna Be Your Bride

[Ralph]

Thanks for the set list otm, good to see you have more backbone than whats his name.

[40wnks]

Thanks, onthemark. I saw her with Mark O'Connor last year and had heard she did a nice show on her own, too. After getting some of her individual CDs, I was afraid the her singing would be a little too soft and "breathy" which to me is the way it comes across in the studio CDS. I was exceedingly surprised at how she and Luke put on such a Stout show. She was not hesitant in her delivery at all and she and Luke seemed to really blend well. I was glad there was not a full band. New CD will have to grow more on me though. I prefer her older ones so far. Listened to one with Chip Taylor and she was quite twangy on that one, which I did not care for.

[40wnks]

Oh, and I forgot to mention, the sound for her show at Knuckleheads was the best I have ever heard there. I have been critical at times for the sound of some of their other shows (Jason and the Scorchers)but this was just crisp, loud, and sublime. Good job, Pete (I think). I continue to see what a nice job they are doing to upgrade their venue each time I go. Congrats KnuckleheadsKC!

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[pellboy]

For those interested, Quadrophenia was fcking amazing! In fact, better than I expected with Roger and Pete kicking all kinds of ass that night. As K said earlier, Roger is somewhat limited in his range these days, but as the consummate professional, he's adjusted accordingly and is still a commanding force on stage. Somewhat surprised by the energy both he and Pete displayed, they seemed revitalized by prospect of playing Quadrophenia in its entirety.

The presentation was stellar and the salutes to The Ox and Keith, which could have come across as cheap and exploitative, instead worked beautifully and were fitting tributes to their fallen comrades. I was so caught up in the flow during those moments that it was almost as if they were really there on stage with the others. Bellboy with Keith on vocals was indeed just one highlight among many. The show totally peaked with The Side 3 run-through of 5:15, Sea and Sand, Drowned and Bellboy...fcking awesome! Kind of funny how the crowd wokeup the most during the "hits" segment to close the show, while for me that portion of the show was almost anti-climatic as compared to the brilliance that came before it. All and all, a wonderful experience and while I've never seen a bad Who show out of the 8 times I've seen them, for me, this one ranks right up there with that very first show I saw at Kemper over 30 years ago. Bloody well done!

[RogerWilco]

Glad to hear it was great.
I saw them do Quadrophenia in 2007 in St. Louis. The emotional depth of Side 3 is amazing.

"I'm wet and I'm cold, but thank God I ain't Old"!!