[[Repeating this first listing from last week cuz I’m posting a day early.]]
Thurs. June 26 – This year marks the 10th anniversary of L.A.’s Cryptogramophone Records, and violinist/label chief Jeff Gauthier is celebrating with a release show for the newest album by his Goatette. (Jeff got Rising Star hype as both instrumentalist and producer in the latest Down Beat poll, folks.) Read my record review and a meaty interview with Gauthier here. It’s at a venue I’ve been meaning to check out: the Palmer Room behind the highly reputed Cucina Paradiso, 3387 Motor Ave., West L.A.; 8 & 9:30pm; $10; (213) 276-6461; food & drink.
Fri. June 27 -- Just about the slickest bop & beyond alto player in town, Kim Richmond, leads an ensemble. At Café Metropol, 923 E. Third St., downtown 90013; 8pm; $10 cover, $10 minimum; (213) 613-1537.
Sat. June 28 -- Pull up a seat next to tenor man Chuck Manning’s quartet and git it pure and natural. The guy’s got a combination of light tongue and substantial tone that you’ll find in few places outside of his new album, “Notes From the Real,” which maintains its mainstream groove with intelligence and authority. (Buy it from him.) More musicians oughta be mining the books of underrated composers such as drummer Victor Lewis and pianist Kenny Barron; Manning handles the more obvious selections from the Berlin-Loesser-Monk-Coltrane catalog with full understanding and no hint of mold. And the compositions of bandmates Isla Eckinger (bass) and Jim Szilagyi (piano) fit right in -- modern, sensitive, rooted. Read my review of their last Metropol performance here. At Café Metropol, 923 E. Third St., downtown 90013; 8pm; $10 cover, $10 minimum; (213) 613-1537.
Sat. June 28 -- Club Vodka presents an old-skool metal blowout with a ton of groups headlined by Big Ball Stars, a band of biggie sidemen (from Warrant, Ozzy, Alice Cooper, etc.) that included WASP mad ax grinder Chris Holmes last I read -- worth the price of admission just to be in the same room as that guy. Also, in the front room, you get Kiss-faced killer clown Fifi Larue, the funniest glam-metal tributor (but with outrageous original material) you’ll ever see; he blew the minds playing the contest show “The Next Great American Band” . . . on the BEACH. At the Knitting Factory.
Sat. June 29 -- Guitarist Michael Landau explodes both technically and impolitely with drummer Gary Novak and bassist Jimmy Johnson. At the Baked Potato.
Wed. July 2 -- Noisy, poppy, ‘60s-rocky -- suck on Pittsburgh’s Modey Lemon and like it. At the Echo.
Wed. July 2 -- Sure, Todd Rundgren can be obnoxious. Gotta hand it to the guy, though, for having done whatever he wanted, from psychedelic pop to folk balladry to Philly soul to heavy rock to wanker prog. His last album was back in 2004 with “Liars,” which despite the poundcake social commentary actually sports some real good admixtures of all the foregoing. Never know what he’ll pull out in concert; he’ll probably eschew “A Song Goes on Forever” and “Couldn’t I Just Tell You” just to spite me. Is it possible that “Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren” is available only as an import now? “A Long Time, A Long Way To Go” . . . geez, that beanpole has written some great songs, up there with most anybody. John Doherty hips me to the fact that Rundgren is gonna release a new album, "Arena," inspired by his work with the New Cars -- basic guitar rock. And Todd reports that he'll be playing a lot of it live. So I guess if you like it in concert, you'll buy it . . . uh, whenever it comes out. At the Key Club.