Saturday, October 25
Ears & Eyes Festival @ The Hideout
The Ears & Eyes bonanza continues on Saturday as Chicago groove mashers The Eternals headline. Idiosyncratic lyricist/keyboardist Damon Locks should kick the party into full gear over a boundless style convergence, one that mixes hip hop with dub, reggae, electro and rock. One group actually performs after The Eternals, and that’s IDM/jazz duo Silences Sumire, which prepares a clicking mix of beats, saxophone and ambience.
Earlier in the night, electro-acoustic Sante Fe trio D Numbers merges pretty melodies with a danceable backdrop, and improvisational jazz drummer Mike Reed leads his People, Places and Things group into interpretations of jazz, blues and improv tunes from Chicago artists of the late 1950s.
Voodoo Experience @ New Orleans’ City Park
Saturday’s big headliners include Nine Inch Nails and The Mars Volta, but one of the biggest must-see sets is that of mathy ’90s rockers Shudder to Think, who will be performing another one-off date for their recent reunion tour.
Led by operatic vocalist Craig Wedren, Shudder to Think experienced brief radio appeal with “X-French Tee Shirt,” a uniquely structured “pop” song that ends with a catchy, extended mantra.
Brassy funk locals Bonerama and will help you get down earlier in the day.
CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival wraps in New York City
Shining and Akimbo perform again, so catch them if you can’t get out on Friday. Pit er Pat, Marnie Stern, God Forbid, Lee “Scratch” Perry, and Minus the Bear represent a sliver of the other quality bands performing across the city.
Sunday, October 26
Ears & Eyes Festival @ The Hideout
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of its inception this year, Thrill Jockey pop mainstays Eleventh Dream Day close the final night of the Ears & Eyes Festival. Local quintet Algernon is the fest’s penultimate performance, laying down jazz-tinged post-rock after a pair of all-star avant-garde acts.
Free-jazz/classical cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm (Vandermark 5) helms Zenith Works, which partners him with the powerful rhythm section of bassist Matt Lux (Isotope 217) and drummer Charles Rumback (Leaves). Earlier still, The Engines bounce between dexterous runs, subdued tones and mean grooves, relying on the nimble musicianship of saxophonist Dave Rempis, trombonist Jeb Bishop, bassist Nate McBride and drummer Tim Daisy.
Voodoo Experience @ New Orleans’ City Park
Though big names still abound at Voodoo’s final night, the highlights are all about the (often local) funk as legendary guitarist Deacon John pays tribute to R&B and concertgoers groove to Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, and Ozomatli with Chali 2na.