Friday5
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RUPAYAN This group of musicians and dancers from India’s Rajasthan region hasn’t released any records, but its concept alone–a mixture of traditions from the area’s Langa and Manganiyar castes–is reason enough to recommend it. The two peoples were court performers centuries ago, playing a spare, deeply soulful music in which chanted call-and-response vocals undulate over richly droning strings. That sound is far removed from the formal constraints of Indian classical music; in fact, Rajasthan is generally considered to have been the starting point for Gypsy culture, and its influence can be heard on the nomadic path Tony Gatlif retraced in his powerful documentary Latcho Drom, which features a number of Rupayan’s musicians. This performance, Rupayan’s Chicago debut, is part of the opening night of Along the Gypsy Trail, a three-day festival featuring music, dance, and food from India, North Africa, eastern Europe, and Spain; see Fairs & Festivals for a complete lineup. 7 PM, International House, University of Chicago, 1414 E. 59th, 773-472-1105 or 773-753-2274, $30, $20 students and seniors; three-day passes are $60, $40 students and seniors. –Peter Margasak
Saturday 6
THE LIKE YOUNG I was underwhelmed by this local husband-wife duo when I happened to catch a live set about a year ago; I think I’d just seen Mates of State again and probably came in with unfairly high expectations. But the Like Young’s new Last Secrets (Polyvinyl), its third full-length, is pretty damn great. Amanda and Joe Ziemba (drummer and guitarist-keyboardist, respectively) recorded the album in their home studio, and the simple, up-front production spotlights their gift for body-blow pop hooks and classic vocal harmonies. The biting lyrics come off like the work of a more romantically inclined Michael Gira at times, but though the tone’s relentlessly scathing (“What’s a woman to you? / So grab a tit, even if you can’t… / Your sex as leverage is not right / Gather the reasons and take it back”), the two sound way too simpatico to be directing the venom at each other. The Fake Fictions open. 9 PM, Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, 773-227-4433, $8. –J. Niimi
Thursday 11
