I got to dust off my high school yearbook this past week for two good reasons.
One was to look at pictures from the Joan Jett concert that took place, during the school day, in my high school’s auditorium my senior year. This was necessary because I saw “The Runaways” on Sunday and absolutely loved it. I’m all about Joan Jett at the moment.
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The other reason for the trip down memory lane was to reread an excerpt from my own senior picture quote: “Cure, U2, Smiths, Echo, Furs, Bowie Concerts till I die.”
Why is this relevant? Because this gal’s seeing Echo & the Bunnymen on Monday night at the Paradise in Boston. The last time I saw them was a triple bill with Gene Loves Jezebel and New Order at what was then called Great Woods. Suffice to say, I am over the killing moon with excitement. I even bought the group’s new record, “The Fountain,” last week and it’s quite good.
Closer to home, we’ve got a whirlwind pastiche including a Sublime tribute band, a crackerjack singer-songwriter, some new-old folk, a compelling a cappella duo and a Friday night show at Space from the Low Anthem and Brown Bird.
Who needs to watch some second-rate ball club flounder their way through April with all this going on? Not me!
The last time I saw the Low Anthem was when the group opened for Ray Lamontagne at Merrill Auditorium a couple of years ago. I found them to be spellbinding, just as I do now listening to their songs, “Charlie Darwin” and “Yellowed by the Sun,” among others at www.myspace.com/lowanthem. The Low Anthem is the Rhode Island group of Ben Knox Miller, Jeff Prystowsky, Jocie Adams and Mat Davidson, and they played 27 instruments while recording the oh-my-God “Charlie Darwin” record.
The group’s live performance is an experience not to be missed.
The fact that Brown Bird is opening is the stuff that iridescent happy sighs are made of.
The Low Anthem with Brown Bird. 8:30 p.m. Friday. Space Gallery, 538 Congress St., Portland. Ages 18 and older. $10 tickets at Bull Moose locations or online at www.brownpapertickets.com.
I’ve chirped loudly many times for Maia Sharp and her epic guitarist Linda Taylor, so if you still haven’t seen the live show, come on already. As further incentive, the opener is Beantown singer-songwriter Seth Glier. Still in his early 20s, Glier’s got a lot to say and he says it quite convincingly with a bright, clear voice and his piano. He’s got three albums out, the most recent being last year’s “The Trouble With People.” Head to www.myspace.com/sethglier or www.sethglier.com to hear for yourself why Glier’s lighting fires all over the place with his music.
Maia Sharp with Seth Glier. 8 p.m. Saturday. One Longfellow Square, Portland. $15 in advance/$18 at the door. 761-1757 or www.onelongfellowsquare.com.
Next month will mark 14 years since the death of Sublime lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Brad Nowell. In 2001, the tribute band Badfish picked up the torch and has been carrying it proudly ever since, gaining quite a following along the way. The group is not so much into trying to create an exact replication of a Sublime show, but rather it embodies the spirit of the band by total immersion into the music and the essence of Sublime, but in a way that allows Badfish its individuality. Opener Scotty Don’t has been sharing the stage with Badfish since 2006, and with its reggae tinged rock, the group has found a comfortable home.
Badfish, a tribute to Sublime, with Scotty Don’t. 8 tonight. Port City Music Hall, 504 Congress St., Portland. Ages 21 and older. $20 in advance at Bull Moose or www.portcitymusichall.com/$22 day of show.
Emma’s Revolution is the duo of award-winning activist musicians Pat Humphries and Sandy O. They’re on a mission to spread peace, hope, justice and humor one song and one show at a time. The duo has released two CDs and most recently finished “We Came to Sing,” a collaboration between Emma’s Revolution and Holly Near. If a cappella or songs lightly seasoned with sparse instrumentation with a rousing feminist edge are your bag, than Emma’s Revolution’s Sunday night show is for you. Click on the “listen” tab at www.emmasrevolution.com for an introduction to the duo’s lyrics and music, including “Coast of Maine” and “Superhero.”
Emma’s Revolution. 7 p.m. Sunday. Portland Yoga Studio, 616 Congress St., 3rd floor, Portland. All ages. $12 in advance/$15 at the door. FMI or advance tickets, call 799-0054.
Singer-songwriter and fiddler Katie Trautz’s most recent album is called “Remembering,” and she and her band will be coming in from their home state of Vermont for a Sunday night performance at North Star Music Cafe. Among the five of them, you’ll hear fiddle, guitar, banjo, pedal steel and bass. “Remembering” is a record that meets at the crossroads of old-time and contemporary folk with a blend of instrumentals and ones with Trautz using her lovely, soothing voice. Check out “Lost Girl,” “Mrs. Whitemore’s Song” and others at www.myspace.com/katietrautz.
Katie Trautz. 1 p.m. Sunday. North Star Music Cafe, 225 Congress St., Portland. $5 suggested donation.
Aimsel Ponti is a Portland freelance writer. Contact her at:
aimselponti@yahoo.com
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