MEN, Alexis Gideon, Lady Gaga, Lady Starlight, Autism Hope Benefit, Menomena, The Saw Doctors, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Live: Music Picks March 17-23
By Dan Nailen
MEN
This Brooklyn trio led by JD Samson, formerly of Le Tigre, is dedicated to the “radical potential of dance music.” Anyone who’s heard MEN’s tunes on their debut Talk About Body knows that’s not just lip service; the lyrics tackle politics and queer lifestyle issues head on, all to the insistent sound of synth-heavy dance music. They’ve been known to treat every live show as an art project, often including local painters to work onstage while they play. Suffice to say, they’ll have some competition for the gay community’s eyes and ears on Saturday, but there’s plenty of time to make it to MEN after the Lady Gaga show, people. Dances with Wolves opens the show. The Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, 9 p.m., $10
Alexis Gideon
Not many artists have a feel for combining the aural with the visual in quite the way Alexis Gideon does, and his latest work is a perfect example. Video Musics II: Sun Wu-Kong is an animated hip-hop opera (and the first release of SLC’s own Slowtrain Records), and the mix of Gideon’s rhymes, inspired by the plot to the novel Journey to the West, and his mixed-media artwork is something to behold. You can catch snippets at his Website, AlexisGideon.com, but better yet, check out his live show, which is a multi-sensory experience all its own. Sugar Space Studio for the Arts, 616 E. Wilmington Ave. (2190 South), 8 p.m., $7
Lady Gaga
Is Lady Gaga a unique music and fashion provocateur, or simply a Madonna retread? We’ll probably have to wait for a couple more albums to know for sure, but let’s face it: Her new “Born This Way” single from her album of the same name is suspiciously similar to the Material Girl’s “Express Yourself.” For now, though, there’s no denying that Gaga’s an unparalleled pop-culture force, and a far more intriguing face for modern pop music than disposables like Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears and their pre-fabricated ilk. At the very least, if she’s not the new Madonna, she’s got a running start on being the new Cher. Scissor Sisters open the show. EnergySolutions Arena, 301 W. South Temple, 8 p.m., $49.50-$175
Lady Starlight
It’s an embarrassment of riches for Lady Gaga fans Saturday. Lady Starlight, who is Gaga’s DJ on her current tour and who was voted New York City’s “Best Female Hard Rock DJ,” is spinning a set at The Complex after the big “Monster Ball” show at the Tox Box. Her sets mixing ’70s and ’80s glam and metal tunes with lasers and pyrotechnics have been staples on Manhattan’s Lower East Side for a decade, and she also works in film, fashion and journalism via her rock-fashion blog “Lady Starlight’s Rock & Roll High School.” The Complex, 536 W. 100 South, 9 p.m., $10
Monday March 21
Autism Hope Benefit
Kristen Rupert’s interest in autism was sparked through personal experience—her boss’s child suffers from it—and was further stoked when she found out autism is “the fastest growing developmental disability in the U.S., and it affects 1 in every 110 kids.” That led to her organizing this Autism Hope Benefit, which will include acoustic performances by Mason Jones and the Get Togethers, Sam Sorensen, Marny Proudfit, Corbin Allred and Andrew Goldring. There will also be food and raffles, with proceeds going to Autism Hope (Autism-hope.org). Kilby Court, 741 S. Kilby Court (330 West), 7 p.m., $6
Tuesday March 22
Menomena
Word is that the three members of Menomena aren’t exactly bosom buddies, but that doesn’t keep the trio from making incredibly intricate, entertaining music together. The band’s 2010 release, Mines, was one of the year’s bright spots, with all the members—Brent Knopf, Justin Harris and Danny Seim—contributing songs, instrumental prowess and vocals. Just a few months after playing The Urban Lounge, the band returns for an all-ages gig that also includes Boots to the Moon, Hosannas and Bright Whistles on the bill. Kilby Court, 741 S. Kilby Court (330 West), 7 p.m., $6
The Saw Doctors
The Saw Doctors were discovered, as every Irish band should be, playing tunes in a tiny bar. And if it weren’t for the fame of the man doing the discovering—namely, the Waterboys’ Mike Scott—they might still be playing their tunes in tiny Tuam on the west side of the Emerald Isle. Instead, Scott invited them along for a stint of gigs opening for his band, and 20-plus years later, The Saw Doctors are still on the road, delivering straightforward rock tunes with a heavy dose of Irish wit in the lyrics. They’ve had some lineup changes through the years, but the songs on the band’s latest, The Further Adventures of The Saw Doctors, sound as fresh as they must have that Tuesday night in Galway when Scott first heard them. The Complex, 536 W. 100 South, 8 p.m., $20 advance/$22 day of show
Wednesday March 23
Orchestral Manoeuvres
in the Dark
Synth-pop is a hard genre to grasp; even when a band seems to have utterly disappeared from the public consciousness, there’s a cult of hardcore fans out there, patiently waiting for said band to rise again. So it goes with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (or, more familiarly, OMD), who haven’t toured in nearly two decades nor recorded an album in 14 years, but still found a rabid response when they released a new album in 2010, History of Modern, quickly selling more than 100,000 copies and selling out a European tour. Now they’re coming Stateside to see if old hits like “Enola Gay,” “So in Love” and, of course, their Pretty in Pink monster “If You Leave” still strike a chord. I’m guessing they do, especially in Utah, where fellow synth-reliant tunesmiths like Erasure and Howard Jones still draw a crowd. The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, 9 p.m., $20 advance/$25 day of show
Coming Up
Castanets, Holy Sons, Delorean (Kilby Court, March 24), Janis Ian (The State Room, March 24), MarchFourth Marching Band (The State Room, March 27), Peelander-Z, Anamanaguchi (The Urban Lounge, March 27), Akron/Family (The Urban Lounge, March 28), Gene Loves Jezebel (Club Vegas, March 28), A Day to Remember, Bring Me the Horizon (Great Saltair, March 29), Electric Six (The Urban Lounge, March 29), Rocky Votolato (Velour, Provo, March 29), Trashcan Sinatras (The State Room, March 29), Zion I, The Grouch (Star Bar, Park City, March 29), Toro Y Moi (The Urban Lounge, March 30), Volbeat (The Complex, March 30), Wanda Jackson (The State Room, March 30)
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