Cool Shows Next Week 5/28 – 6/3

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Looking to see interesting music next week? Here are some shows that are happening and are worth checking out.

Thursday May 31

Parquet Courts & Goat Girl at the Fine Line – TICKETS

Photo Credit: Vince McClellan

Wide Awake! is New York’s Parquet Courts’ fifth record since their formation eight years ago. It’s also their most groundbreaking. It’s an album about independence and individuality but also about collectivity and communitarianism. Love is at its center. There’s also a freshness here, a breaking of new territory that’s testament to the group’s restless spirit. In part, this may be attributed to the fact that it’s produced by Brian Burton, better known as Danger Mouse, but it’s also simply a triumph of their songwriter’s art. The songs, written by Austin Brown and Andrew Savage are filled with their traditional punk rock passion, as well as a lyrical tenderness, but are elevated to even greater heights by the dynamic rhythmic propulsion of Max Savage (drums) and Sean Yeaton (bass). That they’ve managed to weave such disparate themes into such a unified whole says everything about Parquet Courts’ achievement on Wide Awake!. This isn’t just another record by them, it might well be the record. For now anyway.

South London’s Goat Girl will be touring North America in support of their self-titled debut record, which was released on Rough Trade Records earlier this month to high acclaim from outlets such as Pitchfork, Brooklyn Vegan, Uproxx, The Guardian, and more. 

Across 19 tracks in just 40 minutes, Goat Girl’s self-titled debut creates a half-fantasy world out of a very dirty, ugly city reality. In the group’s words: “Simply put, it’s an album that comes from growing up in London and the first hand experience of our city’s devolution. We wanted to think of it as this place seen not necessarily just through our eyes, but someone who can’t get past the abnormalities and strange happenings that exist in our city. We think this gives the freedom lyrically and musically to explore unspoken truths and emotions that we all as humans feel.”

Goat Girl belong to a burgeoning, close-knit south London scene, born in venues like The Windmill and including bands like Shame, Bat-Bike, Fat White Family, Horsey, Sorry, and many more. “We help each other – I put you on, you put me on – because we genuinely like each other’s music. We’d played gigs all over before but never really settled in a comfortable environment, which is what The Windmill is. It’s an important place for us, it was the first space that our music made sense to exist within. It’s a safe space where music is genuinely listened to and appreciated, and where laws and licensing haven’t reached over to ruin the venue.”

Friday June 1

Annie Fitzgerald at the Hook & Ladder Theatre – TICKETS

Photo Credit Katie Cannon

Marked by the Songwriters Hall of Fame as an artist to watch, Singer-Songwriter Annie Fitzgerald will release her second album You & Me & the Sun on June 1st, 2018. Produced by Danny O’Brien (The Farewell Circuit, Dem Yuut), the album finds Fitzgerald joining gifted musicians and shaping a textured pop sound mixed with the raw vitality of rock-and-roll. Since her first release In Good Time, Fitzgerald spent time a part of the NYC Indie scene, started a family, and welcomed a move back to her home state of MN and a newfound sense of space to create. You & Me & the Sun explores connection, vulnerability, love, and sparks in the span of time navigating the balance between motherhood & her life as a songwriter.

Saturday June 2

The Sweet Colleens at the Hook & Ladder Theatre – TICKETS

The Sweet Colleens are Dave Bade, Jeff Gram, Jeremy Greenhouse, Scott Keever and Pete Sandvik— accomplished multi-instrumentalists who together fuse their diverse musical backgrounds into a high-energy, infectious, and crowd-pleasing mix of fiddle- and accordion- driven Celtic Americana. With rootsy original songs, warm vocal harmonies, and fiery instrumental arrangements, the Twin Cities-based Sweet Colleens have garnered a loyal following across the country.

The Sweet Colleens bring diverse musical backgrounds to bear on their truly unique folk–rock sound. Jeremy Greenhouse (vocals, guitar, fiddle, mandolin, harmonica), has recorded and performed extensively with Celtic, rock, Cajun and country acts in Canada, the U.S., and Europe. Pete Sandvik (accordion, piano, guitar, vocals), brings Cajun and rock influences, classically–trained dexterity, and a not–so–secret love for the Grateful Dead to his accordion playing with the Sweet Colleens. David Bade (bass, vocals) offers rock solid bass during the Sweet Colleens live shows, and everything from bluegrass picking guitar solos to cello on their recordings. Scott Keever (guitar, mandolin, banjo, dobro) is a multi-instrumentalist who has been performing in ensembles and theatre productions for over thirty years. He adds a plethora of colors and textures to the Sweet Colleens through his many instruments and influences. Finally, Jeff Gram (drums, percussion, steel drums), besides being one of the best kit players in the Twin Cities, is also an accomplished steel drum player. This has allowed us to feature Jeff on the steel drum during our sets, giving a unique twist to our Irish jigs and reels! Together, The Sweet Colleens offer a unique high–energy roots sound.

 

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