Friday 15
Saturday 16
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BLOWFLY I don’t know if Blowfly, also known as R & B songwriter Clarence Reid, truly is the “original dirty rapper” (surely that’s an honor lost to the mists of time), but his long-running act certainly is blue enough–hell, it’s practically ultraviolet. Fahrenheit 69, just out, is his first set of new, original material since 1988’s Blowfly for President, and apparently he’s made some indie friends in the meantime: the CD was released by Alternative Tentacles (or “Testicles,” as his liner notes have it), the artwork is a hilarious send-up of a Bad Brains album cover, and foulmouthed young ‘uns Gravy Train!!!! are among the guest stars. While joyously raw funk romps like “Your Precious Cunt” and toe-jam slow jams like “I Believe My Dick Can Fly” establish the baseline of Blowfly’s concerns, you can also expect scatology, ugly-ology, booger-ology, and snide takedowns of the Oval Office and its occupants (“Cracker Yakking” parts 1-4). Depending on the type of people you invite, this record can either really get a party going or end it decisively. Velcro Lewis & His 100 Proof Band, Jagoff, and DJ John Ciba open. 10 PM, Abbey Pub, 3420 W. Grace, 773-478-4408 or 866-468-3401, $10 in advance, $12 at the door. –Monica Kendrick
Sunday 17
Thursday 21
KID KOALA Canadian turntablist Kid Koala made his name–and reached an indie-pop crossover crowd–thanks to a playful sensibility and a talent for building hooks out of whatever seemed to be handy at the moment: jazz, Hawaiian music, bluegrass. His latest release, Live From the Short Attention Span Audio Theater (Ninja Tune), is a CD-DVD set drawn from a recent tour; the CD is all of 16 minutes long, and the DVD compiles live footage of the same songs with a few short films. The packaging is lively and the performances are solid, but come on–I can pay attention for longer than that. DJ Relm and DJ Intel open. 9 PM, Abbey Pub, 3420 W. Grace, 773-478-4408 or 866-468-3401, $15, 18+. –Monica Kendrick
