Sexy Water Spiders,
Nodding Tree Remedies
Friday, July 13
Christo’s Lounge, 1108 Broadway St. NE
9 p.m., free, 21+
Nodding Tree Remedies’ brand of psychedelic folk rock reigned supreme in mid-Oughts Cherry City. Time weathered the gypsy orchestra, however, until it finally fractured into different segments and members moved on and/or moved away. At its best, NTR was a sonic wonderland of bubbling creativity made up of fun personalities. At its worst, it was a bad trip that would not end. Though this is a reunion show of sorts, Portland’s Sexy Water Spiders has remained an active branch of the NTR tree, performing at Rose City clubs, hobnobbing with rock stars and embarking on undisciplined tours that appear to be more like open-ended road trips. Like its origin band, SWS is capable of putting on an entertaining show and confusing and scaring a few people as well.
Will West and
the Friendly Strangers
Friday, July 13
Venti’s Taphouse, 2840 Commercial St. SE
9:30 p.m., free, 21+
The North Carolina-raised Will West describes his and his Friendly Strangers’ music as “Handclapping Folk, Roots and Cozy Americana” with their mix of acoustic guitar, upright bass, lap steel, mandolin, djembe and cello (by Skip vonKuske. See “Cellotronik,” “Portland Cello Project,” and a bunch of other bands). The sound is comfortable, but at the same time, inviting and danceable. There’s a casual friend’s-house-party air to their performance (via Youtube.com), but also a certain edge that only comes from seasoned gigging musicians. Basically, they know what they’re doing, but they’re also still having fun. Sort of related: if you’re not having a good time playing in a band, you shouldn’t do it any more. The crowd picks up on it, and you likely aren’t bringing home much dough nowadays anyway.
The Ty Curtis Band
Saturday, July 14
Mac’s Place, 201 N. Water St. Silverton
9 p.m., $5, 21+
Salem blues rock icon Ty Curtis is fresh off headlining Albany’s 4th of July “River Rhythms Celebration” where he released the compact disc version of his new self-titled album (which was produced by Steve Miller Band guitarist Jacob Peterson). I hear there were roughly 8,000 people in attendance. Eight. Thousand. Whether you are partial to Ty’s musical stylings or not, you have to admit two things to yourself about the guitarist: one, the dude can shred like a great, and two, Ty may be playing the long game, but I’d count on him breaking into the collective conscious of North American pop culture at some point (featured guitar solo on a Top-40 hip hop song?). He’s a virtual lock to be a (blues-rock lovin’) house-hold name. Visit TyCurtis.net if you’re interested in jumping on the band wagon. I’ll give you a high-five upon your arrival.
Cellotronik
Wednesday, July 18
Boon’s Treasury, 888 Liberty St. NE
8 p.m., free, 21+
Skip vonKuske is best known from Portland Cello Project, but he also performs solo with his trusty cello and digital looper as Cellotronik (he also plays with about 50 other acts too apparently). Like Portland Cello Project, Cellotronik is only confined by the instruments in use, and therefore occupies all spectrums and genres of music. This makes for an entertaining and amusing show (have you heard Portland Cello Project perform Missy Elliot, Pantera or Kanye West?). Given that Boon’s Treasury shows are always free, and the pub isn’t likely to be packed on a Wednesday, this set may be the perfect chance for the penniless grouch to check out what all the hubbub is about.
Monoplane, Rollie Fingers
Saturday, July 21
Christo’s Lounge, 1108 Broadway St. NE
9 p.m., $5, 21+This pummelin’ lineup is pulled right out of a vintage “The Space” bill, with former owner and drummer Doug Hoffman’s band Monoplane and wrecking crew “Rolling Fingers” (not the baseball player, but the drum-powered one-man band that was named in honor of the mustachioed icon) scheduled to grace the stage. With all of the jazz, folk, pop and more delicate genres of music forming much of Christo’s Lounge’s schedule the past year and a half, its easy to forget that the do-it-yourself, pabst-soaked den of metal, punk and hard rock used to house the same location. On this night however, it may bring back a few memories. Sorry, apartments across the street.
The Vicki Stevens Band
Saturday, July 21
The Triangle, 3215 Liberty Rd. S
9 p.m., free, 21+
Eugene’s Vicki Stevens has a Rooster Award for “Best Female Blues Vocalist of 2009” under her belt, and her band won a Cascade Blues Association for “Best New Act” in 2010. Is The Triangle transforming into a house of blues, or is this just another standout in a growing list of surprises for the recently re-invigorated venue? The band also features William “Froggy” Hyland on harmonica, guitar, lap steel, Dennis Monroe on guitar, Jim Badalich on bass and Ron Rocci on drums. The act has been a standard in the Northwest at blues venues for the past half-decade. Gotta love a band with a “Froggy.”
MOB Show
Saturday, July 21
Papa G’s Blacklight Bar, 610 Marion St. NE
10 p.m., $5, 21+
Philadelphia native Mob Royalle is headlining a local rap and hip hop showcase at Salem’s only blacklight bar. Former member of metal band Filth Machine, BIG Tony, Salem hip hop fixture Devitto P, Colorado-raised Yung Royal and La Grande, Oregon-born rapper KriStyle are schedule to round out the bill for one of the bigger hip hop/rap events around the Mid-Willamette Valley this summer. The event covers a wide swath of rap and hip hop with rap-rock and aggressive styles mixed with old school and “feel good” hip hop. It’s one of the blessings of having a small-town music scene — concert producers are forced to book an eclectic bill.
