WEDNESDAY, DEC. 9
Wink Keziah If you think you've been seeing less of Wink around town these days, you're right. Not too long ago, he packed up and headed west to Austin, Texas. That's not the only thing that's changed, either. He's released an album without his longtime backing band, Delux Motel, though he's not straying too far from his honky tonk roots. It's a new sound for him – one his fans are likely to embrace. Double Door Inn (Jeff Hahne)
THURSDAY, DEC. 10
Hollywood Lies Performing live for a cesspool of 1,000+ lip-syncing fans is cake to these bad boys from Boston. Expect pretty hard-core 20-second electric guitar riffs in the opening to most of their indie/alternative rock songs. With the release of its second CD, This is a Murder Scene, the band jumped onboard its new vamped-up van and is doing what any band who wants recognition, er, wants to promote their music does ... go on a rock road trip. Check them out when they rock their way through Charlotte; you won't be disappointed. Tremont Music Hall (Nicole Pietrantonio)
Misfits Let's get the (little, muscle-bound) white elephant out of the way early – there's no Glenn Danzig on this tour. But there is original bassist Jerry Only and Black Flag's Robo on drums and Dez Cadena on guitar, which is probably worth the price of admission raht thurr. Throughout the band's various incarnations – with Mssr. Only the, er, only consistent member – the godfathers of horror punk have laid down the template for all the many acts (Nekromantix being but one) to follow: songs that are as catchy as they are macabre. Sure, they're getting a little long in the tooth, but that somehow only makes them scarier. Amos' Southend (Timothy C. Davis)
FRIDAY, DEC. 11
Scythian The gypsy fiddle segues into Celtic rhythms, turning into a roots jam. This global fusion outfit's foundation is Celtic music that's overlaid with jazzy, rootsy, party music. Whether gathered around a fire, on a porch front or soaking in a pub, folks won't be able to sit still once the fiddle starts singing. The new album, Immigrant Road Show, is a fine collection of live tunes. This gig is free, to boot. Neighborhood Theatre (Samir Shukla)
Caltrop This Chapel Hill combo's swirl of stoner rock, psychedelic blues and hard rock is heavy, with a tense buildup of sludge. The guitars are like tanks rolling through the fields, in a slow, steady forward motion, but surely hell-bent on destruction. But it's not all grinding guitars; there's astute songcraft here that's damn solid. Also on the bill are Tournament, Sled and Decoration Ghost. Milestone (Shukla)
Otis Gibbs This Indiana native spent part of his youth singing in a bar for his caretaker uncle's beer money, worked all manner of menial jobs until discovering Henry Miller and Lawrence Ferlinghetti, slept in hobo squats, walked with nomadic shepherds in the Carpathian Mountains, played labor rallies and anti-war protests, and (not surprisingly) has an FBI file. His peripatetic life also includes a catalog of lived-in, Woody Guthrie-esque country-folk, like his recent Chris Stamey-produced Grandpa Walked a Picketline, which is highlighted by legendary Al Perkins' pedal steel. Opening for Sea of Cortez. The Evening Muse (John Schacht)
SATURDAY, DEC. 12
Ghostland Observatory Pitchfork gave these guys like a 1.7 a while back, and while yrs truly is not a P-fork acolyte, methinks they nailed it on the head. Actually, methinks they should have nailed it on the head a little more, down to maybe like a point-oh-eight. Ever hear the phrase "there's no there there"? Two dudes. One plays horribly banal Casiotone beats. Other dude wears tight pants, dances around a lot, sings like Ian Astbury with his nuts in a vice. It's oh-so-eighties, as played by people who never had to live much through that decade. Save your money. Donate to Hospice. Take the old lady or old man out to dinner. Talk about something with substance. Still wanna dance? Throw on an old Stevie Wonder record. Drink a master cylinder or two. Feel shit. As the Dillinger Escape Plan/Mike Patton e.p. memorably put it, irony is a dead scene. Neighborhood Theatre (Davis)
Jason Ricci & the New Blood An openly gay front man, laden with a goth getup, may not be the norm in the scruff and macho world of the blues, but Ricci can hang with the best. Ricci is a harmonica player, oft making his harp sound like a lead guitar, backed by a crew of top musicians where the blues are subtly infused with funk, rock, and world music. The band is a blues and jam machine reportedly touring most of the year for the past several years playing blues ballads to roadhouse barn burners. Double Door Inn (Shukla)
TUESDAY, DEC. 15
Holly Golightly and The Brokeoffs You may know the English chanteuse named after Truman Capote's protagonist in Breakfast at Tiffany's from her appearance on the White Stripes' Elephant, but Golightly's been delivering vintage-flavored rock 'n' roll since Jack White was a pimply teenager. A member of the all-girl garage rockers Thee Headcoatees in the early '90s, Golightly struck out on her own in 1995 and has released a string of records remarkable for their range – from Wanda Jackson rockabilly, Bakersfield boogie and Nuggets psych-rock to slinky Nancy Sinatra and Patsy Cline twang. Golightly and Lawyer Dave (aka The Brokeoffs) bought land in Georgia recently, and their latest records sound like they were dug directly out of the red clay. This one's not to be missed. With Bruce Hazel & Some Volunteers. Snug Harbor (Schacht)
