friday11
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HAL RAMMEL To celebrate the tenth birthday of his Penumbra label, this Wisconsin instrument inventor and improviser has released three characteristically indescribable seven-inch singles on which he plays one of his most ingenious creations–an amplified painter’s palette fitted with wooden dowels of different lengths and thicknesses. He plucks or bows the dowels and abstracts the result with electronics, creating otherwordly music–gurgles, whistles, ringing bell-like undulations–with an internal logic that gives it a surprisingly soothing flow. He’ll be joined for this short performance by John Corbett, who’ll use turntables to manipulate the new singles. For tonight only, some of Rammel’s amplified palettes and a selection of his pinhole photography will be on display. 7 PM (exhibition opens at 6 PM), Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1120 N. Ashland, 773-278-1664. Free. All Ages. –Peter Margasak
STEEPWATER BAND I’ll give these south-siders credit for starting out the old-fashioned way: back in 1998 they were playing actual blues covers, not covers of bands that once covered bands that were influenced by bands that started out playing blues covers in 1964. Cutting out the middleman that way has given their gritty boogie-blues rock a certain depth, and their new album, Revelation Sunday (Diamond Day), offers a glimmer of hope that the way of Foghat and Free doesn’t always lead to Foreigner and Loverboy. This is a release party. Suffrajett and the Sleepers open. 9 PM, Metro, 3730 N. Clark, 773-549-0203 or 312-559-1212, $9, 18+. –Monica Kendrick
SILVERSUN PICKUPS Good afternoon, everybody, and welcome to another episode of I Second That Emo: Familiarity Breeds Contempt! Today’s four contestants from LA, Silversun Pickups, will have to, in the key of D major, try to not fuck up I-IV–the peanut butter sandwich of chord progressions–on “Little Lover’s So Polite,” from their new album, Carnavas (Dangerbird). The timer is set at five minutes–hit it! OK, Brian [Aubert, guitar/vocals] is definitely a guy–I wasn’t quite sure for a moment there, but that happened when we had Death Cab on too. Some bonus points for the Big Muff fuzz fest, but guys, time to smoke ’em if you got ’em. Ooh, sorry–time’s up! Thanks for playing–we have a Gilmore Girls sixth-season DVD box set for you to take home today. Page France opens and DJ Matt Fields spins throughout. 8 PM, Schubas, 3159 N. Southport, 773-525-2508, $8 in advance, $10 at the door, 18+. –J. Niimi
Tuesday 15
SIMON JOYNER Simon Joyner’s recent Beautiful Losers: Singles and Compilation Tracks 1994-1999 (Jagjaguwar) collects 21 rarities from the Omaha songwriter, including tracks from out-of-print seven-inches and long-gone cassette compilations. Though the disc borrows its title from Leonard Cohen’s 1966 novel, all but explicitly inviting comparisons to Cohen’s early songs, Joyner’s spartan folk yarns have a lonesomeness all their own–you can almost hear a Great Plains wind slowly burying dead ladies’ men in dust. Can-Ky-Ree opens. 9 PM, South Union Arts, 1352 S. Union, 312-850-1049, $10 suggested donation. All ages. –J. Niimi
