Friday 4
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ICY DEMONS The latest art-damaged pop outfit fronted by Bablicon bassist Griffin Rodriguez is far and away his best band. Icy Demons’ debut album, Fight Back! (Cloud Recordings), has the plethora of coloristic detail and overlapping guitar and keyboard lines you’d expect from Rodriguez (aka Blue Hawaii). But Bablicon always sounded like an unruly mess, and this combo arranges its instrumental arsenal to create some semimemorable songs; Rodriguez sings in a falsetto that traces singsongy guitar and keyboard parts, suggesting a more raucous, less lyric Robert Wyatt. The band features drummer Chris Powell (aka Pow Pow) of Philadelphia psych-rockers Need New Body and three guitarists: Matt Schneider (Exciting Trio), Dave McDonnell (Bablicon), who doubles on reeds, and Dave Moyland. Cameos from a raft of local players give the music a slightly orchestral heft. Man Man and Volcano open. 10 PM, Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, 773-276-3600 or 800-594-8499, $8. –Peter Margasak
Saturday 5
ARCANGEL In 1987, when he was ten years old, Arcangel (born Francisco Jose Arcangel Ramos) won a contest singing fandango, a flamenco song form. Since then he has become a dominant presence on the traditional flamenco scene in his native Spain. On his two solo albums he hews close to ancient traditions, but like Pitingo–who kicked off the Flamenco 2005 festival late last month–Arcangel has a bittersweet voice, lingering in its upper range rather than trawling through more guttural depths. He’s capable of vocal fireworks but generally puts more emphasis on honeyed melismata than high-flying crescendos. This performance with guitarist Alfredo Lagos marks his Chicago debut. 7 PM, Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington, 312-744-6630. Free. All ages. –Peter Margasak
