May 16-May 23, 2001

Music Menu

This week's top live music picks

16 WEDNESDAY
SEVEN NATIONS — Kicking it off with something truly odd: This Orlando quintet has been accused of sounding like the Dave Matthews Band sprinkled with bagpipes. In fact, they have two bagpipe players as well as a dancing fiddler. According to their Web site they are “true pioneers in the industry of rock music fused with Celtic tradition.” But to really freak you out, Canadian astronaut, Chris Hadfield, has a copy of a Seven Nations CD on board the current Space Shuttle mission STS-100. I swear I’m not lying. The Brewery. (Nation)

18 FRIDAY
GUIDED BY VOICES — Touring off this spring’s Isolation Drills, the former reigning kings of truly strange lo-fi indie pop are enjoying flavor-of-the-year status. A lot of loyal fans were put off by their very slick new record but ringmaster Bob Pollard’s perpetual beer-in-hand performances seem to rarely disappoint. Cat’s Cradle. (Nation)

ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY, THROTTLEROD, SUNSHINE — A heavy night for sure: Headliners Alabama Thunderpussy are on SF label Man’s Ruin yet actually are from Richmond, Va. They do throw a little southern boogie twist onto their otherwise very California metal sound. Also hitting below the Bible belt, Underdogma Recording artists, Throttlerod, have been likened to Helmet playing Black Oak Arkansas songs. Yeah. Kings. (Nation)

GREG HAWKS AND THE TREMBLERS — The current alt country band about the Triangle, Greg Hawks and the Tremblers are still riding the high of their much-acclaimed February release, Fools Paradise. — Humble Pie. (Nation)

19 SATURDAY
THE BRAILLE DRIVERS, SORRY ABOUT DRESDEN — The Braille Drivers play very palatable, hooky and poppy college rock. They sound as though they spent their formative years picking up inspiration from GBV and Husker Du. Chapel Hill’s own Sorry About Dresden, have plucked away steadily for a few years, putting out one album and a multitude of EP’s, 7-inch’s and compilation contributions celebrated for their independent spirit and spunk. Next fall will find them releasing a much-anticipated full length LP on Saddle Creek Records. Kings. (Nation)

20 SUNDAY
THE FIVE NASTIES — These guys are playing every club in the Triangle over the next week or so, and I understand that one member refers to himself as “Real Nasty.” That might be worth the mere $2 cover. Kings. (Nation).

21 MONDAY
THE DISMEMBERMENT PLAN, ENON, THE GENA ROWLANDS BAND — What we have hear is an evening of that power pop all the kids dig so much. D.C.’s The Dismemberment Plan sound a bit like Fugazi after they went soft. Sing-along anthems over drum ’n bass beats. Enon are John Schmersal of the late Braniac, former Skeleton Key drummer Steve Calhoun and Toco Hara of Blonde Redhead fame. They’ve been turning some heads with their new album, ¡believo! . You might remember Gena Rowlands as the actress who played the rich lady that Wynonna Rider’s ridiculous cabbie character drove around in Night on Earth. She isn’t, however, in the somber, ambient pop group The Gena Rowlands Band. Kings. (Nation)

Bands/performers wishing to be included in Music Menu may send schedules to the following e-mail address: greg.barbera@cln.com. Contributing to this week’s menu is D. A. Nation.