Music: 10 Shows to See in the Next 7 Days
Yumi Zouma plays Johnny Brenda’s on Monday.
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions @ TLA | Wednesday, October 18
All these years and Hope Sandoval’s still the best in the biz at making shaky, aching rock music. Her voice is warm, distant and insistent, a lighthouse in a sea of oily reverb. But the once-and-future Mazzy Star frontwoman isn’t only interested in songs of searching and wonder, like “Fade Into You.” In recent years, Sandoval’s found a Leonard Cohen-esque sweet spot: spooky, earthly and mysterious:
Rickie Lee Jones @ World Cafe Live | Thursday, October 19
Rickie Lee Jones is rock royalty, known for blues/R&B-tinged hits like “Chuck E.’s In Love,” “Young Blood,” “Coolsville,” “Last Chance Texaco,” “A Lucky Guy,” “Satellites” and on and on. Here’s a recent favorite.
Toadies @ TLA | Thursday, October 19
Sure, I could post the video for “Possum Kingdom,” the Toadies’ 1994 alt-rock vampire anthem. Still a guilty pleasure, in an agro-cosplay kind of way (“do you want to die” being the “let the bodies hit the floor” of its day). But it’s been 23 years, let’s see what else the Toadies have been up to. Okay. Here’s one from their new record, The Lower Side of Uptown; singer Vaden Todd Lewis is excellent when he’s worked up.
Grails @ Boot & Saddle | Thursday, October 19
This Portland instrumental band’s been doing experimental, kinda psychedelic rock since 1999. Their latest, Chalice Hymnal, came out in February. The title track is moody as hell.
Wolf Parade @ Union Transfer | Thursday, October 19
The veteran indie rock band from Quebec just released their first record in seven years, Cry Cry Cry. This video makes me think they’re happy to be making music again.
Billie Eilish @ World Cafe Live | Friday, October 20
Billie Eilish — full name Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell — is a 15-year-old pop star from L.A. She dropped her debut EP, Don’t Smile at Me, in August. Frickin’ young people don’t know the value of a dollar:
Ben Folds @ The Fillmore | Friday, October 20
The Paper Airplane Tour is a good idea for an agile improviser like Ben Folds. Basically, everybody writes their requests on a paper airplane and chucks them at the stage and Folds will see what he can do. (Better study up on plane-making.)
The Healing ft. Lyrispect @ Johnny Brenda’s | Saturday, October 21
Hip-hop and poetry go together like wine and wine. This is so good it’s intoxicating:
Yumi Zouma @ Johnny Brenda’s | Monday, October 23
Ex-New Zealanders making lovely, sleepy indie-folk.
Black Kids @ Boot & Saddle | Tuesday, October 24
The veteran rockers dropped a new record called Rookie in September. This is some Smiths/Cure magic right here:
