Concert Previews
Phosphorescent Matthew Houck, also known as Phosphorescent, has released three very good albums of his own sad and woozy songs, perfect for sleepless nights or the morning after. Notwithstanding his fondness for pedal steel, those were indie-rock albums in the vein of W
Phosphorescent
Matthew Houck, also known as Phosphorescent, has released three very good albums of his own sad and woozy songs, perfect for sleepless nights or the morning after. Notwithstanding his fondness for pedal steel, those were indie-rock albums in the vein of Will Oldham's or Okkervil River's, everything sung with a creak and a sigh. But his fourth album is a different animal. It's called To Willie, after Willie Nelson's 1977 Lefty Frizzell tribute, To Lefty From Willie, and on it, Houck reimagines 11 songs from Nelson's catalog, including a few Nelson has adopted. The songs are full of heartbreak and hangovers, from Merle Haggard's "Reasons to Quit" to Nelson's "The Party's Over," all infused with gorgeous melancholy and despair. Saturday night, Houck and his band play Johnny Brenda's with Providence, R.I.'s, rambunctious Deer Tick and Doylestown's Peasant.
- Steve Klinge
Levon Helm Band
It's been quite a journey for singer-drummer Levon Helm these last few years. Bouncing back from the throat cancer that, for a time, left him without a singing voice, the musician/actor rebuilt his Woodstock, N.Y., studio after a fire destroyed much of it, and released his first solo album in 25 years, the 2008 Grammy-winning Dirt Farmer. The roots-inspired disc drew attention to his rollicking Midnight Rambles - late-night, full-of-surprises gigs at the Barn (as he calls his home studio). Now 68, Helm - who recently landed on Rolling Stone's list of "The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time" - remains a fiery performer, backed onstage by a tight band that includes daughter (and Ollabelle vocalist) Amy, and multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell. For Helm's current tour, Steely Dan's Donald Fagen and singer Phoebe Snow are getting in on the action, too. They'll offer up a spirited musical mix that includes Band-era gems such as "The Shape I'm In" and covers ranging from old-timey traditionals to Bob Dylan's "Simple Twist of Fate."
- Nicole Pensiero
Glasvegas/Ida Maria
Get thee to the 'burbs, Eurorock fans on the next-big-thing watch.
Headlining at Bam Margera's The Note in West Chester tonight is Glasvegas, the Scottish quartet led by James Allen and featuring drummer Caroline McKay, who build on the Jesus and Mary Chain's fuzzed-out Phil Spector wall of sound and invest it with heart-on-sleeve emotionalism. And get there early - note all-ages show time - for Ida Maria, the Norwegian force of nature whose first name is pronounced "ee-da." Her emphatic Fortress 'Round My Heart, which was finally released in the United States this week, has earned her Chrissie Hynde comparisons, and already made her a star, in Britain. She missed some of her shows at SXSW in Austin, Texas, last week because of visa problems, but she's made it into the country in time to play in West Chester.
- Dan DeLuca