Thursday, February 11, 2016

Weekend Picks: Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Umphrey's McGee, Poison Idea, Black Valentine's Day, Tab Benoit, Lotus, Trongone Band, Bush League, Widespread Panic


It's a mini-jam band fest this weekend, with bands of that ilk four nights in a row starting with Lotus at The National on Thursday. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with opener Michal Menert & The Pretty Fantastics. Tix are $22 advance, $25 day of show. Lotus will also be at the Mountain Music Festival in New River Gorge, WV on 6/3 & 4. Here they are at Brooklyn Bowl in NYC in April 2014 with Mike Wilbur on saxophone.




Strange Matter has a punk metal line up Thursday night with Poison Idea, Iron Reagan, Naysayer and Occultist. The timid should stay home. Doors open at 8 and it's $10 to get in. This is the beginning of the East Coast tour for Poison Idea so they'll be fired up and ready to rock. Not that they wouldn't be at any other time, but even more so on Thursday. Poison Idea has been around for 36 years now. Here they are in 1994 live at The Astoria in London:




The Broadberry features Louisiana bluesman Tab Benoit Thursday. Anthony Rosano and the Conqueroos will open the show at 9. Doors open at 8. Tix are $25. Tab, being from Louisiana, will be at this year's New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest. Here's a cool little video where Tab talks about his homeland. There's some great photography on here too.



And here's Tab at the Telluride Blues & Brews Fest in 2015:




Jam band weekend continues with Widespread Panic at The Mosque, Landmark Theatre, Altria Theater for a Friday night hootenanny jamboree. Tix are $49.50, doors open at 7, show starts at 8. The Altria site says it's sold out. Here's The Panics playing Bowie's "Heroes" with a horn section on New Year's Eve:



The Bush League will play the blues at The Tin Pan Friday night. Doors open at 6, show starts at 8 and it's $10 to get in. Here's the band playing Hendrix's "Hey Joe" at Poe's Pub in December. I think the drummer's uncle filmed this. He's obviously a proud uncle.



If you are looking for something to do after the Panic show, or couldn't get in and still want to hear some great music on Friday night, get thee to The Broadberry for The Trongone Band's WSP After Party. Tix are $10 advance, $12 day of show. Trongone Band was recently picked as one of the top 5 "Rising Talents of 2015" in Live Music Daily's 2015 Readers Poll. And here's the band a couple weeks ago with a crazy ass mash up of "The Other One" and "New Speedway Boogie":



The jam bands keep on coming with Umphrey's McGee playing at The National on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday is sold out but there are still tickets for Sunday, Valentine's Day, if you want to bring your sweetie. Tix are $25 advance, $30 day of show. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8 with Tauk. And if you can't get in, or just want to watch from home, naked, with your sweetie, there will be live streams of the shows available at tourgigs.com. I mean, you could get naked with your sweetie at the show, but the law, and the rest of the crowd, might frown upon that. Here's the Umph playing "Puppet String" on 1/30/16:




Does love stink? Feeling like you want to grab love by it's ears and just it's fat little face until blood comes of it's nose? Then go to Gallery5 on Saturday for the annual Black Valentine's Day show. Doors open at 7, show starts at 8. It's technically free but it's a benefit for WRIR so you better give them some damn money. Don't nothin' come for free. The Wimps, Julie Karr and Brown Sabbath will play songs for the brokenhearted and those who don't need love. Here's Julie Karr in December in Gainesville:



Tuesday night, experimental psychedelic groovy pop rock band Unknown Mortal Orchestra will be at The National. Tix are $17 in advance, $20 day of show. Doors open at 6:30, show starts at 7:30 with Lower Dens. UMO is picking up steam, selling out all 6 shows on the West Coast leg of the tour. Here's the full set they played at the Pitchfork Music Fest in Paris in 2015:



That'll do it. Might see you at Trongone Band, Black Valentine's Day and/or Unknown Mortal Orchestra this week. Have a great weekend! I'll leave you with one of my favorite underrated Springsteen songs. This is "Valentine's Day":



Tony Jordan

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