Live Music This Week: Esperanza Spalding, They Might Be Giants, The Rentals & More

Live Music This Week: Esperanza Spalding, They Might Be Giants, The Rentals & More

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Portland native Esperanza Spalding brings her virtuosic bass skills to the Independent this week, and more. 


Tuesday: Esperanza Spalding at The Independent

Jazz bassist Esperanza Spalding hit the mainstream in 2011 after she and her triumphant afro stole Justin Bieber’s thunder in the Best New Artist category at the Grammys. The good times kept rolling — she won another pair of Grammys for her 2013 album Radio Music Society. It’s unclear what’s next for Esperanza but her gig at the Independent this week should offer a glimpse into the future.

Wednesday: The Rentals at The Chapel

You can’t call yourself a Weezer superfan if you don’t know The Rentals. Weezer bassist Matt Sharp’s side project is plenty more than a trivia answer — they produced one of the most charming alt-rock records of the 90s, Return of the Rentals, and one of the most successful singles of 1995, “Friends of P.” The band has released two albums since, including the most recent gem Lost in Alphaville, which features some choice cameos such as Patrick Carney of The Black Keys.

Thursday-Saturday: Jean-Yves Thibaudet at Davies Symphony Hall

World-class Frenchi pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet features in Bernstein’s Second Symphony. Michael Tilson Thomas, typically cited as one of the finest living Mahler interpreters, conducts the profound Fourth Symphony.

Thursday: MS MR at Rickshaw Stop

Please, please gods of indie pop, please let the second MS MR album be as riveting as the first, 2013’s Secondhand Rapture. PLEASE. Odds are good if the lead single, “Painted,” is any indication. The dream pop band seems to be pivoting, going for the jugular with a more ambitious sound. See for yourself:

Saturday: They Might Be Giants at The Fillmore

Can you believe TMBG have been goofing around for 33 years now? The hyper-evocative indie rock team has reached legend status and back — back to releasing inevitably underappreciated albums like their latest, Glean, which The A.V. Club called “a rambunctious, surprisingly emotional effort.” Call us intrigued and waiting in line for this show.

Follow @ChrisTrenchard on Twitter for more words like these.

 

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