Earlier this week we premiered Tattoos, the nervy new EP from local rock outfit Coaster, and on Saturday the band will celebrate its release with a show at Township (listen to it here until then). If you want to see a good show and for some reason that doesn’t suit your fancy there are plenty of others to pick from the next few days.
Tonight there’s Quarter Mile Thunder at Comfort Station and Ovlov at Township. Tomorrow night you can see Coathangers at Empty Bottle or Lox at Double Door. On Saturday there’s Toadies at Metro and Julianna Barwick at Constellation. On Sunday you can see Eisley at Lincoln Hall or S.B.E. at Tonic Room.
Be sure to head to Soundboard to check out even more concert listings and read on for a few picks from Reader critics.
“There’s a certain panache to a band name like Tweens—and this young Cincinnati trio sounds just like you’d figure,” writes Kevin Warwick. “Tweens’ new self-titled debut on Frenchkiss is bratty and unruly but still sweet, with a lollipop in its cheek and a switchblade behind its back. Front woman Bridget Battle sweats charisma, even when her cynicism glitters in lyrics about the ho-hum dregs of Cincy (‘Bored in This City’) and nice guys who deserve to finish last (‘Be Mean’). Punchy and superfun, the album kneads together bubblegum punk and doo-wop and microwaves it on high for five minutes.”
Fri 4/11: Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings at the Vic
“Last spring, just after recording the new Give the People What They Want (Daptone) with her long-running backing band the Dap-Kings, soul singer Sharon Jones was diagnosed with bile-duct cancer that required her to undergo invasive surgery and chemotherapy,” writes Peter Margasak. “The album’s release and accompanying tour were put on hold, but in January Give the People What They Want finally hit shelves—and now the band is back on the road. The album’s ten songs—all originals, most by bassist and mastermind Bosco Mann, aka Gabriel Roth—were written before her illness, but their lyrics (like the lyrics of the best soul classics) are universal enough that it barely matters. ‘We Get Along’ is about an enduring relationship, but its message of perseverance could apply to Jones’s fight against cancer too: ‘Through darkness and rain / Sorrow and pain / We’ve proved again and again and again.’ What separates the Dap-Kings from other neosoul outfits is the strength of their material: brought to life by Jones’s agile, muscular voice, the new songs move among the signature sounds of several classic soul studios (Motown, Brunswick, Stax), with plenty of stops in between.”
Sun 4/13: Donovan Wolfington at Township
Last year I got hooked on a fourth-wave emo band called Donovan Wolfington, who hail from, of all places, New Orleans: “In 2013 this five-piece released its debut full-length, Stop Breathing (Community), which incorporates gnarled garage, lackadaisical alt-country, and gentle shoegaze into its winsome, doleful emo. Donovan Wolfington’s new EP, Scary Stories You Tell in the Dark (Township), cranks up the aggression that hangs around the edges of Stop Breathing, hammering out huge melodies with punk fury—the hypercharged ‘Keef Ripper,’ ‘Quitting,’ and ‘Hey Alex’ make me want to throw bricks at an abandoned factory.”