Live Music Picks: August 10-16
Solange, Emily Saliers, Sylvan Esso, Willie Nelson and more.
By Andrea Harvey @andrearharvey, Randy Harward, Brian Staker @stakerized and Lee Zimmerman
THURSDAY 8/10
Solange, Kaytranada, Choice
When City Weekly announced the Twilight Concert Series lineup in April, I wrote that Solange's music is miles better than that of her sister, Beyoncé. "In fact, Solange's A Seat at the Table (Saint/Columbia, 2016) is eminently listenable—just so, so good—without indulging in pop tropes like bling, boasting and vocal showboating. It's mood music as much as club music, meaning you can dance to it while hammered or kick back on a Sunday afternoon in a La-Z-Boy with headphones and find it equally enjoyable." I'm even more enthused about her now; her sister's Lemonade album has people drooling, but Solange is more authentic, gritty and compelling. In that Twilight teaser, I also said Haitian/Canadian DJ Kaytranada does his thing just as well, "puttin' out some headphone phodda of his own on 99.9% (XL/HW&W, 2016)." He's another one who gets better with each listen, so my conclusion from April is the same: Tonight, you can hear Kaytranada get the crowd worked up before Solange lays it down. (Randy Harward) Pioneer Park, 350 S. 300 West, 7 p.m., $7.50 advance/$10 day of show, all ages, twilightconcerts.com
FRIDAY-SATURDAY 8/11-12
The 11th Annual Women's Redrock Music Festival, feat. Emily Saliers, Holly Near, Daphne Willis, Mary Tebbs, Kate MacLeod and more
Founded in 2007, the Womens' Redrock Music Festival is in the 11th year of its mission to, as the fest's literature says, "empower and support independent women musicians from around the U.S. and the world by providing a beautiful and intimate venue to bring their music to the public." This year is notable for Indigo Girls' Emily Saliers releasing her first solo album, co-headlining the festival with feminist hero Holly Near, who will also conduct a songwriting workshop. Other national acts address vital issues: Daphne Willis' lyrics convey the vulnerabilities of mental illness; queer folk-pop singer Heather Mae gives a voice to body-positivity; and Namoli Brennet is a transgender activist who has self-produced a number of profound, inspiring releases. Local acts include Mary Tebbs, Mama J, Kate MacLeod and Dee-Dee Darby-Duffin. It's a unique festival in an exceptional setting, and the press release says organizers aim to keep it "getting better rather than bigger." (Brian Staker) Robber's Roost Bookstore, 185 W. Main, Torrey, Saturday, 5-10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m., $40-$90, womensredrockmusicfest.com
SATURDAY 8/12
Sylvan Esso, Flock of Dimes
Confession: I hate genres, and have never truly made an effort to understand them. For me, the best music is hard to categorize. So I hesitate to label Sylvan Esso simply as "indie pop"; they're so much more than that. Since 2013, the incomparable duo hailing from North Carolina has earned a loyal global fanbase owed to their blend of singer Amelia Meath's lusciously raw melodies and Nick Sanborn's hypnotic electronics. The result is poetic: Juxtaposed with entrancing synthesizers are lyrics evoking a grounded sense of self-awareness. Their second album, What Now (Loma Vista), released in April of this year, reflects on growing up in modern chaos—particularly, "the idea of translating your humanity through a machine in the hopes of connecting with someone on the other side," Meath said in an interview on NPR's All Songs Considered blog. Above all, it asks, "Where do we go from here?" Flock of Dimes—the dreamy, poppy solo project of Wye Oak's singer/guitarist Jenn Wasner—opens. If you don't have tickets, find some. (Andrea Harvey) The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, 7 p.m., sold out, all ages, depotslc.com
Rancid, Dropkick Murphys, The Selecter, Kevin Seconds
The punk rock played by Rancid and Dropkick Murphys—and The Clash, Dead Kennedys, NOFX, et al.—is just loud folk music. If that's hard to picture, just imagine Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" at 110 decibels and 150 beats per minute with distorted guitars, and Guthrie's puffy mop in a Mohawk. Both Rancid and Dropkick Murphys have a political bent. If you take, say, "Bovver Rock and Roll" from the former's new jaunt Trouble Maker (Epitaph) and "Rebels With a Cause" from the latter's latest, 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory (Born & Bred), and rendered them in the dulcet tones of Guthrie's fascist-killin' acoustic guitar and gentlemanly twang, you might believe they were his original compositions. Naturally, the volume and the shout-y gang choruses of the punk songs is more energizing for some of us. But standing in the crowd, adding your voice to the din, is the punk version of peacefully singing along to Guthrie or Joan Baez at a protest. With likewise socially conscious ska/2 Tone revivalists The Selecter and Kevin Seconds (of 7 Seconds), on the bill, this is the show for going to vent your Trump-related stress. And you can do it even more intensely during the joint Rancid-Dropkick Murphys encore. Finally, we can't write about Rancid without giving the drummer some love: Let's hear it for local boy Branden Steineckert, Rancid's skin-thumper and host of X96's 801PUNX. Woot! (Randy Harward) The Great Saltair, 12408 W. Saltair Drive, Magna, 5:30 p.m. (doors), $37.50-$40, all ages, thesaltair.com
SUNDAY 8/13
Willie Nelson & Family, Kacey Musgraves
At 84, Willie Nelson would certainly be forgiven if he chose to rest comfortably on his laurels and do nothing more than smoke his herb (Willie's Reserve—yes, it's real) and play golf. Indeed, given his remarkable musical career, boasting some 60 studio albums and any number of hits compilations, collaborations and live albums—on top of his contributions to film, books, touring and activism—it's rather astounding that he still retains his ambition, inspiration and constant desire to be back on the road again. "As we get older, it gets easier to say, 'not today,'" Willie remarks in "It Gets Easier," a song from his new album God's Problem Child (Legacy), which describes the complacency that often confronts seniors. Obviously, that's not a problem Willie has. Country chanteuse Kacey Musgraves opens the show. (Lee Zimmerman) Usana Amphitheatre, 5150 S. Upper Ridge Road (6055 West), 7:30 p.m., $34-$70, all ages, usana-amp.com
WEDNESDAY 8/16
The Chick Corea Elektric Band, Béla Fleck & the Flecktones
After embarking in the '60s playing Latin jazz with some of the greats, it wasn't long before Chick Corea released solo records showcasing his distinctive, lyrical keyboard style. He replaced fellow Red Butte 2017 performer Herbie Hancock in Miles Davis' combo—the one that recorded the epochal albums In a Silent Way (1969) and Bitches Brew (1970, both on Columbia). He added the dissonance of free-jazz experimentation and the dynamics of rock music, including funk rhythms. In the '70s, Corea's band Return to Forever created some of the key releases of jazz-rock fusion, and he later worked in chamber jazz settings. His remarkable bridging of avant-garde stylings with a fervent romanticism is completely singular in jazz, and always bracing. Co-headliners Béla Fleck & the Flecktones are known as a pack of ace players whose virtuosity terrifies lesser musicians. The foursome blends jazz and Americana in innovative ways many acts have never even considered. (BS) Red Butte Garden, 300 Wakara Way, 7 p.m., $55-$62, all ages, redbuttegarden.org
About The Authors
Andrea Harvey
Harvey has been City Weekly's grammar-savvy copy editor since November 2015. The Portland native has a B.A. in journalism from the University of Oregon, and is a lover of sushi, IPAs and feminism.
Lee Zimmerman
An accomplished writer, blogger and reviewer, Zimmerman contributes to several local and national publications, including No Depression, Paste, Relix and Goldmine. The music obsessive says he owns too many albums to count and numerous instruments he’s yet to learn.
Latest in Music Picks
