Did you guys notice how the last Reader of the year with a B Side more or less entirely dedicated to a (partly) outdoor music festival came out on the first day of the year when you really should be wearing a sweater outside? It could be a coincidence, but it’s more likely a sign from the universe that we are all now on the steep part of the inevitable slide toward another winter. Pull the layerable clothing down off the shelf and unpack your selective seratonin reuptake inhibitors.
So yeah, the B Side this week is all about our guide to the World Music Festival, which is worth checking out even if you’re the type of person who gets turned off by the phrase “world music,” since it includes plenty of groups making electronic dance music, mutated rock ‘n’ roll, and all sorts of stuff that don’t involve hand drums and/or hanging out around white dudes in dashikis. We’ve also got a guide to the unusual-looking Brilliant Corners of Popular Amusements festival, which features performances by, among others, Shellac, Bill Callahan, and Dan Deacon, as well as circus performers, a craft fair and farmer’s market, carnival rides, and a 5K fun run. There’s also the usual Soundboard action, featuring upcoming shows by the Raincoats, ? & the Mysterians, Bee Mask, Saviours, Young Man, and more.
Coincidentally the A Side this week is taken up with our Fall Arts Preview, which includes my profile of Band to Watch Outer Minds and our critics’ ten picks for musical events happening throughout the fall.