There are several concerts and plays happening on this dreary Wednesday! Cheer up your day with one of these awesome shows tonight!
Howie Day @ Eddie’s Attic
Like Patty Griffin before him, singer/songwriter Howie Day emerged from the country quietude of Bangor, Maine, and entered both Boston’s coffeehouse scene and the world of folk music. Unlike Griffin, however, Day stretched the boundaries of acoustic music from the very start, often using loop pedals in concert to create lush, layered sounds with a single guitar. When Stop All the World Now appeared that October 2003, it was a polished, richly produced record that revealed a newfound emphasis on pop/rock music. “Collide” became a Top 40 single, and Day continued to tour in support of the album through 2005. Howie Day took a long hiatus during the decade’s latter half, having essentially toured for eight consecutive years. Sound the Alarm marked his return in 2009, prefaced by the release of leadoff single “Be There.” ~ Andrew Leahey & Kelly McCartney. Doors open at 6:30pm. Tickets are $20 in advance and $26 at the door. Online, phone, and outlet sales end at 5:00pm TONIGHT.
Dent May with Dead Gaze @ The Earl
Dent May writes and records homemade pop music in Mississippi, where he was born in 1985. He began songwriting at age 12. The following year, he started a band called Flood, who covered Creed and 311 and sold homemade cassettes to classmates. In high school, heavily influenced by Elvis Costello and The Cars, Dent fronted a power-pop band called The Rockwells. Feeling like an outsider in Mississippi, he retreated to the Internet, where he spent his time soaking in pop music and culture from around the globe. Check out this great interview we did with Dent May last year! Doors open at 9pm. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 on the day of the show. Online, phone, and outlet sales end at 6pm TONIGHT.
John King Band and Rob Baird @ Smith’s Olde Bar
The John King Band was formed in November of 2010 in Athens, Georgia. Since the age of 15, singer/songwriter John King (24) had a dream of blending the stylistic qualities of Southern Rock and Country. After years of sweat and blood, he finally found that unique sound. In a March 2011 interview, King said, “We put a lot of effort into our songwriting, that’s our number one priority.” With a unique mix of Southern Rock and Country that is guaranteed to keep the crowd on the dance floor… this is a band you won’t regret seeing! Doors open at 8pm. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 on the day of the show. Online, phone, and outlet sales end at 2pm on the day of the show.
Queen Kwong @ The Drunken Unicorn
Queen Kwong’s guitar isn’t merely an instrument she plays with her hands, it’s something she inhabits with her soul and the resulting shifts between beauty and brutality feel all the more intense because of it. Similarly, her voice has an elastic ability to go straight from a seductive purr to an enraged howl and it’s because she sings from the pit of her stomach rather than the back of her throat. What results is dangerously unpredictable blast of rock ‘n’ roll that sits in the lineage of such primal and visceral acts as The Stooges, Nirvana, early Hole, and even Queens Of The Stone Age. Of course, there are plenty of people who simply buy a couple of fuzz-pedals and use that as justification to name drop these acts as sonic influences, but Queen Kwong uses them as physical ones too. “I always associated with rock ‘n’ roll with not being square and wimpy but it seem like nobody wants to make noise or be loud or be aggressive right now,” continues Carré, as that angry side begins to gently simmer under her surface. “I’d rather sound like shit and put on a great show than sound perfect but wimpy. There needs to be something more in your face and more aggressive”-Hardeep Phull. Doors open at 9:00 pm. Tickets are $10. Online, phone, and outlet sales close at 4:00 pm day of show.
Spunk @ 14th Street Playhouse
The first of Spunk’s stories, “Sweat,” tells of a young washer woman who is abused and betrayed by her estranged husband, and her ultimate triumph over him. The second story, “Story in Harlem Slang,” is told in 1940’s Harlemese. It is the tale of two street lotharios trying to out-hustle each other. The third and final tale, “The Gilded Six Bits,” is a bittersweet story of an adoring husband’s betrayal by his loving but innocent wife. Doors open at 7pm. Tickets are $35 for adults, $25 for seniors (65+), and $20 for students. Online, phone, and outlet sales end at 4:00pm on the day of the show.
The Guys @ The Balzar Theater at Herren’s
Based on playwright Nelson’s own story, we meet Joan, an editor, as she receives an unexpected phone call from Nick, the fire captain. He requests her help on composing the many eulogies he must deliver at memorial services for the men he lost on 9/11. As the afternoon wanes, a friendship grows while the two navigate the emotional landscape of grief, drawing on humor and the bonds of a common humanity. Check out our article to learn more about this great play!
