Willie Nelson continues his campaign for coolest granddad to ever grace the earth.
Thursday: Willie Nelson and Alison Krauss at Greek Theatre
No, they’re not collaborating, but Willie Nelson and Alison Krauss are a hell of a 1-2 punch. The bluegrass legends have been lighting up ears and joints across America this summer, as the 82-year-old Nelson continues his campaign for coolest granddad to ever grace the earth.
Thursday: Charli XCX at Fox Theater
Beloved pop-star-in-the-making Charli XCX channels influences from some predictable sources, as well as some very unexpected artistic visionaries. She cites Sofia Coppola among the most influential minds when she composed her first album, telling the San Diego Tribune: “On my first album (2013's True Romance), I felt like, if it was going to be turned into a movie, it would have been directed by Sofia Coppola. She creates this kind of pastel-colored palette that’s very whimsical, but also very stagnant. And that’s really how I heard the record.” Tracks such as “Nuclear Season” and “Take My Hand” certainly feel uber-rich and textured, and now it all kinda makes sense.
Friday: Boys Noize at Mezzanine
German producer/DJ Alex Ridha has served as mayor-in-training over Berlin’s robust underground since age 17. Recently he’s managed to assert himself into the mainstream, and Strictly Raw Vol. 1, his latest release, attempts to show the masses his early dark aesthetics. He recently told Spin “it was about embracing the loop a bit more: take a drum machine, one more synth, and make it sound really raw. … There’s a very healthy underground scene that does a lot of that type of music — producers from the U.K., from the U.S., that don’t play any of the festivals or the big clubs, but they have a following. They’ll record their music on a tape and use the tape as the master so it gets this sort of f—ked-up sound. So it’s a tribute to that.” Yes please.
Saturday: Death Grips at The Fillmore
Don’t be surprised if you’re either completely blown away by or completely disappointed by Death Grips live show. There’s no middle ground. The Sacramento industrial hip hop three-piece has a reputation for, let's say "unpredictable" behavior — at shows, in the studio...any public-facing opportunity really. They’ve managed to piss plenty of people off by leaking their own albums, skipping shows, breaking up then quickly reconvening. It’s a social experiment of sorts, but their albums are absolutely riveting, so we can’t help but set ourselves up for inevitable trolling.
Saturday: Say Anything at The Regency Ballroom
Say Anything is fine. The real reason you should go to this show is to pay respects to opener Cymbals Eat Guitars, owners of one of the most brilliant indie rock records of 2014 and still one of the most criminally underappreciated bands in America. Listen to LOSE in its entirety, get their early and join me in the mosh pit.
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