Friday 23
Black Dice headline, 13 & God plays third, Blood on the Wall plays second, and Boy in Static opens. 8:30 PM, Abbey Pub, 3420 W. Grace, 773-478-4408 or 866-468-3401, $15 in advance, $18 at the door, 18+. –Peter Margasak
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HACKENSAW BOYS This group of college-town Virginians–now down to six members from a high of twelve–got a lot of attention in recent years touring with Cake and working the jam-band circuit. But it hasn’t changed them much–they still faithfully play traditional country and bluegrass, and though they express some rather cosmopolitan world-weariness on a few songs on their new album, Love What You Do (Nettwerk), most of the record sounds like it was put out by some county-seat basement label and sold exclusively in grocery stores. Jack Straw opens. 10 PM, Martyrs’, 3855 N. Lincoln, 773-404-9494 or 800-594-8499, $10. –Monica Kendrick
THE NATIONAL, CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH In an Associated Press article last week about the commercial success of bands like Bright Eyes and Death Cab for Cutie, Spin editor Sia Michel said that “indie rock” no longer merely denotes bands on independent labels. Now it’s more a qualitative descriptor for “this kind of smart, but tuneful and passionate kind of rock music.” I’d amend that to say it’s all of those things plus a lousy singer. So I’ll always think of CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH as an indie band, even if they land a major-label deal. (Which seems likely: their self-titled, self-released CD spent two months on top of Insound’s sales chart, and it’s the online store’s all-time best seller.) The music’s not awful: “Details of the War” achieves a stormy, Icicle Works-like tension, even if it doesn’t quite go anywhere. But Alec Ounsworth’s singing is damn near unlistenable most of the time. He’s a graduate of the Lene Lovich School of Irritating Vocalists, where they train you to affect a strangled, constantly cracking style–as on “Heavy Metal,” where he makes Will Oldham sound like Mel Torme.
BIRDS OF AVALON See Friday. Gays in the Military headline, Birds of Avalon play third, the Negatives play second, and the Billy Carter Band opens. 9 PM, Silvie’s Lounge, 1902 W. Irving Park, 773-871-6239, $5.
SCHIZOWAVE See Friday. Zak May headlines. 8:30 PM, Elbo Room, 2871 N. Lincoln, 773-549-5549, $15 in advance, $20 at the door.
Wednesday 28
