THUR 1.24
Neko Case @ Royale
Neko last hit town for two shows in early summer as support for Ray LaMontagne, but now the New England-transplant has scheduled her own proper headlining tour, and will get a bit more room to stretch out over the material of her excellent new record. If you think her songs are just simple folk-based structures with some really inventive lyrics adorning them, spend some time with this meticulous breakdown of “Last Lion Of Albion.” Support via ATO label mate and Boston-native Margaret Glaspy, who has a nice new record out herself.
Royale. 279 Tremont Street, Boston. 7:00 pm/18+/$36-39. Tickets on sale now
THUR 1.31
Steve Gunn @ Great Scott
Gunn’s a bit of a favorite over here at the Dig, and his last two area shows were uniformly excellent while being very different. This time he’s got a brand-spanking new record to play for us, in addition to his increasingly excellent and sizable back catalog. One of life’s great mysteries is how he’s been completely ignored by the talent buyers of the Newport Folk Festival, but maybe his luck will change this summer. Support for this tour comes via two Philly friends of Gunn’s, Meg Baird and Mary Lattimore. Separately they’ve been been busy, either with solo material, an unexpected reunion of Espers or with the psych blast of Heron Oblivion (Baird), or combining solo material with an excellent tour alongside Iceage (Lattimore). Together, they created one of laste year’s more spell-binding releases in Ghost Forests, with Baird’s fragile voice weaving tightly to Lattimore’s harp playing. Don’t get here late!
Great Scott. 1222 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston. 9:00 pm/18+/$16-18. Tickets on sale now
FRI 2.1
Jon Spencer + The HITmakers @ Great Scott
Few people can say ‘fuck it’ like Jon Spencer. He’s been dealing down and dirty (nay, filthy) blues ever since dropping out of an Ivy League college in order to start the seminal noise/garage/trash rock band Pussy Galore, and he still feels the fire of the primitive blues deep in his belly regardless of what outfit he’s fronting. He’s got a new solo record out called Spencer Sings The Hits, and with inclusions like “Do The Trash Can” and “Love Handle,” you can feel the sleaze and grime emanate from the grooves and into your pores. Heads up that it’s a late show, with doors at 10:30.
Great Scott. 1222 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston. 10:30 pm/18+/$16-18. Tickets on sale now
Primarily based in Boston, Massachusetts, Tim Bugbee is no stranger to traveling throughout the country or overseas to capture the best live music photos.