Concert Preview: April '08

Over the next two weekends, I’ll be taking a jaunt to the "Windy City" to see Nada Surf and The Black Keys, but I’d prefer to simply mosey down the road to one of the local concert halls for an indie rock show. Fortunately, Milwaukee has an extensive line-up of must-see concerts coming into town this month and I'm raring to go!

Vampire Weekend
Saturday, April 5 at Turner Hall Ballroom

Vampire Weekend successfully fuses hooky indie-pop with African rhythms, lively piano riffs and a punky undertone, which makes it pretty difficult not to get up and dance. Labeled as “Afro-pop-new-wave-preps,” Vampire Weekend’s liberal use of African music coupled with J.Crew clothing, Ivy League education and hoity-toity references has led critics to question their musical appropriations, says PopMatters.

But really, Vampire Weekend's Ralph Lauren sweater vests shouldn’t distract from the tone of their music considering their songs are less about sporting khaki pants and more about escaping everyday life – i.e. trying relationships, frustrations with love and the norms of Columbia University. Additionally, their songs aren’t sweeping statements like those of their influence Paul Simon, but more like references to specificity of place: colors, smells and textures.

Despite their preppy affections, they easily bypass the drawbacks of indie-self-importance by delivering listenable, coherent, uncomplicated and, yes, unpretentious music. Perhaps that’s why they were already claimed to have the most impressive debut last year without even releasing an album until this February, almost two years after forming.

$12 General Admission

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The Hold Steady
Friday, April 11 at Turner Hall Ballroom

Rolling Stone hails The Hold Steady as “insanely original” while Pitchfork describes their sound as a mix of “unadulterated aggression and ear-splitting amps.”

The band isn’t trying to reinvent rock ‘n’ roll though. Instead, the Midwest natives are attempting to carry on the tradition by maintaining what is quintessential to rock music – a heavy emphasis on mind-blowing guitar solos doused with reminiscent ballads and simply constructed rock anthems. The band's music is straightforward and barroom-y, which is what you'd expect from guys who exude the impression that they're just four down-to-earth buddies who'd like to be huddled around a case of cheap beer hanging out in a basement in Minnesota.

While critics say their lyrics are "too wordy" and the sound is "tuneless", if you listen closer you’ll find witty, hard-drinking, scene-bashing lyrics that are masterfully paired with the fresh sounds of jaunty keyboard riffs, bombastic drum thrashes and some sonic sound dappling. This expresses a profound element of depth, creativity and originality that’s coupled with inherent and timeless Americana flavor, which is undeniably the identity of The Hold Steady, says folks at the Pabst Theater.

$15 General Admission

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Kimya Dawson
Tuesday, April 15 at the Pabst Theater

Kimya Dawson supposedly was hand-picked by actress Ellen Page to supply much of the music heard in the hit flick JUNO. I'm not surprised by this considering Dawson’s child-like sound combines seamlessly with the strangely heartwarming story of JUNO, especially since most people find both to be simplistic, unorthodox and relatable. Dawson serves as the heart and soul of the Oscar nominated film by landing six songs on the breakout soundtrack.

As a former member of The Moldy Peaches, Dawson has become a success story in the world of underground “anti-folk.” Her hurried, girlish, half-spoken/half-sung delivery and simple melodies imprint themselves on the brain after only one listen. According to reviews, Dawson's style is slightly amateurish, but there's a fierce intelligence working behind the naive facade. Even though her songs are filled with a mess of disjointed images that could cause dizziness, the effect is touching, humorous and liberating, that is, if you can keep your head from spinning.

$10 General Admission

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Colin Meloy (of the Decemberists)
Tuesday, April 22 at the Pabst Theater

The frontman for The Decemberists, Colin Meloy, puts on a rare solo acoustic show that integrates intelligent lyrics and eclectic style with his nasal, yet bright and powerful voice. This time there won’t be any instrument change-ups between bouzoukia, bells, accordions or pedal steel guitars, just a clean, crisp approach to emphasize his raw feelings and meandering melodies.

The Decemberists' fans know Meloy for his theatrical charisma, which ensures a night filled with enthusiasm and unscripted antics – he often hosts a dance contest in the middle of his performance – which ensures that every previous or subsequent show won't mirror each other. But, Meloy’s on-stage behavior isn’t what makes him or The Decemberists great entertainers. It’s the fact that Meloy offers commanding vocals that meld perfectly with a band that bestows quirky and mellow arrangements that are full of authentically charged indie-pop goodness.

$20 Reserved Seating

If none of my recommendations get you racing toward the box office, you can always pay to see ASIA at The Pabst and fist pump to “Heat of the Moment.” Whatever. That’s your prerogative. Otherwise, there are plenty of other shows coming to Milwaukee in the next couple of months. For more concert information, take a look at the Rave, Pabst, Riverside and Turner Hall, or any of the venues listed to the left under “Rock Out.”

Comments

[mjonthemove]

Hey, I'll be at Nada Surf, too! Maybe I'll see you and Eric! After-Party at the John Hancock building. E-mail for details.

AND I am bummed that I am missing Vampire Weekend. I'm going straight from Chicago to Minneapolis on Saturday morning for a wedding. Eek.

[Karen]

Matt, How cool is that? I'll keep my eyes open for you. You should do the same too.

I'll be going to Nada Surf with my buddy Scott who is totally awesome. I'm really, really excited for this show! What do you think of their new album?

Man, I haven't been this pumped for a show since, well, I just got my Lollapalooza tickets, so I'm pretty keyed up for that too.

Anyway...I just had WAY too much coffee (if you can't tell).

[mjonthemove]

Their new album is decidedly calmer than "Weight is a Gift", but I think it's more graceful as well. I love tracks like "Beautiful Beat", "the Fox" and "Weightless". Even "See These Bones" is awesome. It took a while for me to be really excited about it, but it took a while for me to be really excited about "Weight as a Gift" as well.

I'm WAY excited for this show. In general, I'm way excited for the number of decent shows that have come to Milwaukee, and how the Pabst/Turner/Riverside has almost single-handedly changed the music scene in Milwaukee for the better.

[Karen]

Graceful is a great way to put it. I like the new album. I’m pleased with it. And I’m glad Nada Surf can continue to put out good work -- although nothing has compared to the masterpiece that is Let Go, even though I love Weight is a Gift because of songs like "Your Legs Grow" and "Imaginary Friends."

You are absolutely right about the Pabst group changing the music scene in Milwaukee. FINALLY! My road trips to see shows in other cities are decreasing and when I write these Concert Previews each month it seems like the Pabst, Turner Hall and Riverside monopolize the list. The folks there are doing a great job and are bringing incredible shows to Milwaukee. YAY!

[Amanda]

Good write-up. I really enjoy your concert previews. I might go see Vampire Weekend now.

On another note, I never knew Nada Surf still put out albums. Then again, the only song I've ever heard by them is "Popular", so clearly I know very little.

[Audra]

I love Vampire Weekend... If I hadn't recently joined the ranks of sleep-deprived mothers, I'd so be there! :-)

[Todd]

I'll be going to Vampire Weekend, The Hold Steady and Colin Meloy. I haven't bought tickets yet for Colin Meloy though because no one is cool enough to go. I'll probably just end up going to that one by myself.

Also, make sure you check out Devotchka. They just released a new album and our incredibly good. They are coming to Turner Hall.

The Pabst crew has completely revitalized the good music scene in Milwaukee!

[Karen]

Cool. I'm glad you appreciate good music, Todd. And you too Audra. (Hopefully the baby will acquire your taste.)

Anyway, going to a show by yourself isn’t terrible. For one reason or another I've flown solo to a couple of shows and found the experience to be kind of nice. Sort of liberating.

I'll look into Devotchka too. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Scott]

First off, you're totally awesome. Nada Surf was quite amazing, and was quite a unique show with the addition of the horn player from Calexico. One of the best shows I have seen in some time.

I am dissapointed that I missed Vampire Weekend on Saturday and hope that maybe they are picked up for Lollapalooza or come back to Milwaukee soon. I would be interested to hear from anyone that saw the Vampire Weekend show and as to what they thought about the performance. Let me know if you hear anything.

As always, keep on rocking!