this week in music

AUSTIN McCUTCHEN’S PSYCHEDELIC COWBOY SHOW

The Sweetback Sisters will be part of pscyhedelic cowboy show in Brooklyn on October 9

Union Pool
484 Union Ave. at Meeker St.
Saturday, October 9, 9:00
www.myspace.com/unionpool
www.thesweetbacksisters.com

Union Pool is the place to be on October 9 to catch an evening of eclectic (and electric?) country music. The bill features several bands, including Austin McCutchen, the Five Deadly Venoms, and local favorites the Sweetback Sisters. The Sweetbacks are a uniquely attired and entertaining six-piece. Frontwomen Zara Bode and Emily Miller make for a sweet-voxed, talented duo whose love of the stylings of Roger Miller and the Davis Sisters translates into a rollicking pastiche of country crooning and western swing that won’t disappoint admirers of Patsy Cline or Hank Sr. While the Sweetbacks embrace the genre’s kitsch in all its honky-tonk glory — take, for example, such songs as “My Uncle Used to Love Me but She Died” and “I Want to Be a Real Cowboy Girl” — it’s the combo’s top-flight, engaging music that puts it a “two-step” ahead, leaving schtick behind. The band is rounded out by a cast of characters straight out of Characterville: a polymath composer/fiddler from the deep woods of West Virginny, a swingin’ slap-bassist, a fresh-faced mandolin-playing drummer who looks like he should be walking door-to-door handing out tracts, and a lead guitarist whose propulsive surf leads ring out strong from his Telecaster. It all adds up to a combination of odd, inspired covers and sharp originals in a country vein, wells of achingly sweet harmony, and a strong, friendly stage presence.

THE INSOUND DESIGN STORE: A POP-UP MUSIC GALLERY

Peggy and Kip from the Pains of Being Pure at Heart will DJ this weekend at the Insound pop-up store on Mulberry St. (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

201 Mulberry St.
October 8-10, 10:00 am – 10:00 pm
DJs & Drinks: 7pm to 10pm nightly
Admission: free
www.insound.com

Super-cool insound.com has been twi-ny’s go-to place for indie CDs for years, and we’ve sported more than a few of their cooler than thou T-shirts to McCarren Park as well. We almost bought a turntable there, to twirl Insound’s amazing vinyl offerings, many of them specially designed limited pressings. But they’ve primarily existed online only, save for a brief pop-up shop on Grand St. last December. So we were far too excited to see Insound again manifesting as the Insound Design Store, actually open on Mulberry Street, if only for a few days. Aficionados of fine sound and design can use all five senses in the physical realm to eyeball the bright and subtle colors on a selection of silk-screened concert posters, feel the “hand” on the T-shirts, strap on a pair of headphones, and fondle the vinyl and CDs. DJs Nick Zinner (from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs!) spins live on October 8, Kip Berman and Peggy Wang (from the Pains of Being Pure at Heart!) on October 9, and Fred Armisen (from Saturday Night Live!) on October 10. Beer will be there too, from 7:00 to 10:00 each night.

CONFLUX FESTIVAL

Urban historian and guerrilla photographer Steve Duncan will give keynote address at seventh annual Conflux Festival (“Sewer, NYC” photo © Steve Duncan)

NYU Barney Building
34 Stuyvesant St.
October 8-10, $5-$9
www.confluxfestival.org

More than seventy-five digital artists will converge on the East Village and the Lower East Side for the seventh annual Conflux festival, which focuses on “contemporary psychogeography, the investigation of everyday urban life through emerging artistic, technological, and social practice.” The festivities begin Friday night with the keynote address from urban historian and guerrilla photographer Steve Duncan, followed by a live multimedia performance of “Ulysses Syndrome” by the Soundwalk collective. Saturday’s activities include a sermon and walking tour with Reverend Billy and Savitri D and the panel discussions “FlowSlow,” “Super G Residency,” and “Public-Space Art and Foursquare,” ending with a live performance by Fall on Your Sword. There will be more panel discussions on Sunday, including one hotly anticipated gathering of Duncan, Moses Gates, Julia Solis, and twi-ny fave Miru Kim, in addition to a live “Forwards/Backwards” performance by Mike Rugnetta and Patrick Davison. Another cool aspect of Conflux is a group of site-specific installations, workshops, and performances, including “Tone Garden” by Stephanie McCarty and Andrew Siu, “Barcode Cinema” by Kristin Lucas and Lee Montgomery, “I cannot compete with this” by Rebecca Nagle (in Times Square), “Six Degrees of Attachment” by Nathaniel Lieb and Sarah Nelson Wright, “Love Box” by Sabine Gruffat and Bill Brown, “Urban Hobo” by Betsy Davis, “Public Utility Trail Network” by Katarina Jerinic, “Knish Alley Revival” by Laura Silver, and “Telepresence” by Derek Lerner, among dozens of others.

NEW YORK COMIC CON & ANIME FESTIVAL

Comic Con will team up with the New York Anime Festival this weekend at the Javits Center (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
11th Ave. between 34th & 39th Sts.
October 8-10
Weekend Pass: $50 (Friday Pass $30, Saturday Pass $40, Sunday Pass $30)
www.newyorkcomiccon.com
www.newyorkcomiccon.com/en/NYAF

This year New York Comic Con teams up with the New York Anime Festival for a three-day party of the best in comic books, graphic novels, superheroes and villains, animated shorts and features, artists, writers, filmmakers, video games, collectibles, live music, and so much more. A lot of the fun comes from just watching your fellow attendees, many of whom show up in elaborate costumes. Among the many guest on hand to sign autographs (some free, some ticketed, some paid) and/or participate in panel discussions, concerts, and sneak-peek screenings are Adrien Brody, Michelle Forbes, Bruce Campbell, Joyce DeWitt, Cary Elwes, Lou Ferrigno, Maggie Q, Morgan Spurlock, Boom Boom Satellites, J. Michael Straczynski, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Seth Green, VAMPS, Stan Lee, Todd McFarlane, Frank Miller, Puffy AmiYumi, M. Knight Shymalan, Tricia Helfer, Eric Bana, Priscilla Barnes, William Katt, Tara McPherson, Noah Wyle, Echostream, and James Marsters. (Sorry, folks, but Gil Gerard canceled.) Below are just a handful of recommended events by day.

You never know what or who you’ll enounter at the annual New York Comic Con and Anime Festival (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Friday, October 8: Oyama X Nitta Shamisen Concert, Room 1E09, 2:00

Friday, October 8: Remembering Harvey Pekar, with Jeff Newelt, Dean Haspiel, Peter Kuper, Rick Parker, Joseph Remnant, and Danny Fingeroth, Room 1A22, 4:30

Friday, October 8: Robot Chicken, screening and panel with Seth Green and Matt Senreich, IGN Theater, 6:45

Friday, October 8: MUTANT GIRLS SQUAD, Room 1E02, 7:45

Friday, October 8: Dash Shaw and Chip Kidd in Conversation, Room 1A14, 8:15

Saturday, October 9: MTV Geek with Stan Lee and Bill Plympton, Room 1A08, 11:00 am

Saturday, October 9: Mort Walker and Beetle Bailey, with Mort Walker and Tom Spurgeon, Room 1A15, 1:00

Saturday, October 9: Spotlight on Dean Haspiel, with Dean Haspiel, Walter Simonson, Nick Bertozzi, Joan Hilty, and Jonathan Ames, moderated by Christopher Irving, Room 1A23, 2:45

Saturday, October 9: Minori Chihara Concert, IGN Theater, 7:30

Saturday, October 9: Roddenberry Is Back! with Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry Jr. and Trevor Roth, Room 1A23, 9:00

Sunday, October 10: Castles, Forests, and Bath Houses: The Worlds of Hayao Miyazaki, Room 1E13, 11:00 am

Sunday, October 10: Welcome to the Space Show, Room 1E03, 1:00

Sunday, October 10: The Walking Dead on AMC, with Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Steven Yeun, Frank Darabont, Robert Kirkman, and Gale Anne Hurd, IGN Theater, 2:15

Sunday, October 10: Voice and Art — Veronica Taylor and Misako Rocks!, Room 1E12, 3:00

Sunday, October 10: Bruce Campbell Spotlight, with Bruce Campbell, Room 1A08, 4:00

INTERROGATIONS: WORDS OF THE ZEN MASTERS

Japan Society
333 East 47th St. at First Ave.
October 8-9, $23-$28, 7:30
212-715-1258
www.japansociety.org
www.yoshioida.com

Paris-based Japanese actor, director, and writer Yoshi Oida, who has worked with Peter Brook over the course of five decades, makes his first appearance in New York City in twelve years with his widely acclaimed one-man show, INTERROGATIONS, at Japan Society for two very special performances October 8-9. Accompanied by German experimental musician Dieter Trüstedt, Oida, mixing dance and comedy, plays a Zen master teaching a student (the audience) by asking Rinzai Zen koans that have no specific answers but are part of the continual journey toward enlightenment and, in Oida’s words, “a moment of shared delight [and] a living theatre.” As Oida explains on his website, “In this case, there is no spiritual or philosophical objective, only an entertainment based on the gap between word and thought. Obviously, there is no need for anyone to find the ‘right’ answer, but the questions act as a thread linking the audience with the two performers.”

JOHN LENNON 70th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

New York City will be celebrating what would have been John Lennon’s seventieth birthday with a plethora of events this week (photo © Bob Gruen)

Multiple venues
October 6-9 (and beyond)
www.johnlennon.com

It’s hard to believe that in December it’ll be thirty years since John Lennon was murdered by Mark David Chapman in front of the Dakota on Central Park West. On October 9, the cool Beatle, who had fallen in love with his adopted home of New York, would have turned seventy years old. The city will be celebrating that never-reached milestone with a series of events all over town this week. Starting today and running through December 31, the Paley Center will be presenting “This Boy . . . John Lennon in Liverpool,” comprising rare photographs from John’s early years. On Thursday night at 7:00, the Paley Center will screen the American Masters film LennonNYC (Michael Epstein, 2010) as part of DocFest 2010, followed by a panel discussion with Epstein, Susan Lacy, Dick Cavett, and Dennis Elsas. In addition, the Paley Center has scheduled showings of IMAGINE: JOHN LENNON, WHAT’S HAPPENING! THE BEATLES IN THE U.S.A., THE U.S. VS. JOHN LENNON, and GIMME SOME TRUTH: THE MAKING OF JOHN LENNON’S IMAGINE ALBUM through the end of the year. On October 9, City Winery will be celebrating with “A John Lennon 70th Birthday Party,” featuring a VIP dinner and “Imagine Wine Flight” and performances by Kimya Dawson, Anais Mitchell, Freedy Johnston, Jesse Malin, the Chapin Sisters, Lisa Bouchelle, the Kennedys, and Tony Scherr; proceeds benefit the Food Bank of New York City. Also on October 9, LennonNYC will be screened for free at Central Park SummerStage at 7:00 (but you better get there a lot earlier). And finally, at the Morrison Hotel Gallery on Bowery, Julian Lennon’s photographs are being displayed for the first time, through October 10. Happy birthday, John!

COTTON JONES

Cotton Jones will be at the Knitting Factory on October 6

Knitting Factory Brooklyn
361 Metropolitan Ave.
Wednesday, October 6, $10-$12, 8:00
347-529-6696
www.myspace.com/thecottonjonesbasketride
www.knittingfactory.com

Formerly known as the Cotton Jones Basket Ride, the Cumberland duo now simply called Cotton Jones is on the road, touring behind TALL HOURS IN THE GLOWSTREAM (Suicide Squeeze, August 2010), a tasty mélange of groovy indie Americana roots rock that follows last year’s highly praised PARANOID COCOON. Michael Nau, formerly of Page France, and Whitney McGraw share sweet vocals on the patriotic “Glorylight and Christie,” backed by some fine snare drumming, while Nau takes the lead on “Somehow Keep It Going,” which features the infectious chorus “C’mon, baby, let the river roll on.” The soothing, wordless “Soft Mountain Shake” sits in the middle of the album, in between the sixties-ish “Song in Numbers” and the fifties-ish “Place at the End of the Street.” Cotton Jones will be playing the Brooklyn Knitting Factory on October 6, with Pepper Rabbit and Beau Jennings opening things up.