Friday, December 5
Family Order @ Kinetic Playground
Jam/groove two-piece Family Order makes it hard to believe that such musical depth can be achieved with only a pair of people. Keyboardist/bassist Eitan Bernstein and drummer Charlie Dresser achieve this through engaging melodies, driving organs, wild synth freak-outs, and rock-solid beats.
This local performance marks the release of the duo’s debut disc, which can be downloaded for free at edigitalstudios.com/dl/familyorder.zip.
Venetian Snares @ Reggie’s
Bountiful laptop/electronics artist Aaron Funk has never lacked material. With multiple releases every year, usually under his Venetian Snares moniker, Funk tastefully destroys the glitch/breakcore/IDM idiom with frenetic beats, ominous synthesizers, tweaked samples, and most recently, beautiful stringed samples.
His most recent Snares album, Detrimentalist, is a more “classic” effort, leaning on the deconstructed dance tunes that built his name. For some of his compelling classical/breakbeat fusion, check out My Downfall (Original Soundtrack) or Rossz Csillag Alatt Született, the latter of which sampled Béla Bartók and Edward Elgar.
Funk releases another disc, 1961, in the US under his Last Step alias on Tuesday.
Saturday, December 6
Mucca Pazza, Icy Demons, Volcano! @ Bottom Lounge
As a Gypsy-rock marching band whose size can swell to 30 contributors, Mucca Pazza make for a booty-shaking good time. The quirky, carefree tunes of Icy Demons and the progressive indie rock of Volcano! open this show.
Q-Tip, The Cool Kids @ House of Blues
Editor/publisher Chris Force stops by the 2K Sports Bounce Tour to catch former A Tribe Called Quest frontman Q-Tip performing with a live band. DJ Scratch from EPMD and hip-hop duo The Cool Kids also play. Maybe Q can pull out some special guest stars to perform “Get It Together” from the Beastie Boys‘ Ill Communication.
Sunday, December 7
Jimmy Two Hands‘ Rock and Roll Banjo Spectacular @ US Beer Company
Music editor Jamie Ludwig heads out to see her friend Jimmy’s one-man band lay down some twangy ballads and instrumentals. Online editor Scott Morrow likely won’t be in attendance, but not because of the music; he is repulsed by anything fermented.