this week in music

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM

James Murphy will have LCD Soundsystem fans up and dancing madly at Terminal 5 gigs

Terminal 5
610 West 56th St. at Eleventh Ave.
May 20-23, $35-$40, 8:00
212-665-3832
www.lcdsoundsystem.com
www.terminal5nyc.com

He’s hip. He’s rad. He’s forty? Yes, James Murphy, lead singer and creator of dance-punk act LCD Soundsystem and founder of DFA Records, might be old enough to start experiencing a midlife crisis, but he’s having a huge upsurge of popularity instead. Whether he’s ranting about aging hipsters (“Losing My Edge,” from the band’s eponymously titled debut), developing a manifesto for reforming New York City (“New York, I Love You, But You’re Bringing Me Down,” from 2007’s SOUND OF SILVER), or tenderly singing a ballad about a dear friend passing (SILVER’s “Someone Great”), Murphy’s oddball approach to lyrics is intoxicating. “Drunk girls are like a night of simplicity / They need a lover who is smarter than me / Drunk boys, we walk like pedestrians / Drunk girls wait an hour to pee,” Murphy intones on “Drunk Girls,” the first single from LCD’s brilliant new album, THIS IS HAPPENING (DFA/Virgin, May 18, 2010). Murphy might sing, “You wanted a hit / But maybe we don’t do hits / I try and try / It ends up feeling kind of wrong” on “You Wanted a Hit,” but he’ll have a big hit on his hands as he leads the band through four crazy nights at Terminal 5 this week. One of the most exciting performers and producers in music today, Murphy may start slow but builds to wild, mystifying beauty, much like his songs. He loves the stage and holds nothing back, dancing madly and smashing around on Pat Mahoney’s drum kit, working up a good, hot sweat. Holy Ghost! opens all four nights.

TRIBUTE SHOWS: LED ZEPPELIN AND PINK FLOYD

Kashmir will pay tribute to Led Zeppelin aboard concert cruise ship this summer

ROCKS OFF CONCERT CRUISES
Kashmir: Thursday, May 20, East 23rd St. & FDR Dr., $20-$25, 8:00 departure
The Machine: Saturday, June 19, West 41st St. & the Hudson River, $30-$40, 8:00 departure
www.rocksoff.com/concert-cruises

Cover band. The words conjure an image of musicians sufficiently talented for a paying gig but lacking the creativity, confidence, and commitment to write and perform their own material. Cover bands play bar mitzvahs and the senior prom; they don’t sell out the Garden. But even the most cynical among us must remember the Beatles began as a hardworking group enthusiastically belting out the songs of other artists. (Ironically, the ultimate Beatles cover band generated serious respect at the Winter Garden Theatre for the long-running, award-winning BEATLEMANIA.) We say it’s time to tip our hats and lend our ears to cover bands, particularly when they display the audacity to aim for a full-fledged tribute, focusing on singularly matching the sound and spirit of a beloved group. In pursuing this formidable sonic challenge, tribute bands have big guitar cases to fill, and if they’re your cup of tea, the Rocks Off Concert Cruises is the place to be this summer. Although the music series includes such performers as the Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Mr. Scruff, the Black Lips, and Jesse Malin, it also features tributes to Sublime (May 20, July 24), Bruce Springsteen (June 19), Talking Heads (August 19), and Tool (September 24) in addition to Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. On May 20, Kashmir will get the led out aboard the Jewel with what they call the Ultimate Led Zeppelin show, while on June 19 the Machine will welcome fans to the psychedelic sounds of Pink Floyd aboard the Temptress.  In the clean, salty air out on the water, enjoying some of the greatest rock songs of all time against the backdrop of the marvelous Gotham skyline, we’re hoping for Kashmir’s version of “The Ocean” and the Machine’s take on “Breathe.”  But then again, with rock giants Zep and Floyd, any cover will due.

JOEY RAMONE BIRTHDAY BASH 2010

Wednesday, May 19
Concert: Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza, 17 Irving Pl., $25, 8:00
After-party: Belmont Lounge, 117 East 15th St. between Irving Pl. & Park Ave., free, 10:00 pm – 4:00 am
www.joeyramone.com
www.livenation.com

It’s been nine years since Forest Hills native Jeffrey Hyman, better known as punk rock icon Joey Ramone, died of lymphoma. He would have turned fifty-nine tomorrow, so many of his friends will once again celebrate his life and career at the tenth annual Joey Ramone Birthday Bash, being held this year at Irving Plaza. A benefit for the Lymphoma Research Foundation, the party is thrown by Joey’s brother, Mickey Leigh (who just published the excellent memoir I SLEPT WITH JOEY RAMONE), and features live performances by HR & Human Rights, Jesse Malin & the St. Marks Social, Morningwood, Sic Fucks, the Independents, Spanking Charlene, and Heap in addition to the Joey Ramone Birthday Bashers (which include Richie Ramone, Slipknot’s Clown, Holly Beth Vincent, Jean Beauvoir, and others). Little Steven and Matt Pinfield are among the emcees. The birthday bash will continue at the Belmont Lounge with an all-night after-party of Ramones covers (by Killcode, Panzie, Patti Rothberg, and Karen Curious), DJ Oki spinning punk classics, and a benefit silent auction of punk memorabilia and other items. Gabba gabba hey!

THEATRE FOR ONE

Artistic director Christine Jones welcomes adventurous theatergoers into brand-new Times Square venue (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Duffy Square, 46th St. & Broadway
Through May 23, 1:00 – 3:00, 4:00 – 6:00, 7:00 – 9:00
Admission: free (donations accepted)
www.theatreforone.com
online slide show

Broadway still getting you down with all the crowds and soaring ticket prices? Christine Jones is offering a unique escape from the madness and maelstrom: Through May 23, the Tony-nominated set designer of such hits as AMERICAN IDIOT, EVERYDAY RAPTURE, and SPRING AWAKENING has brought Theatre for One to Duffy Square, a converted rock-and-roll road box that offers free, private performances that hearken back to Times Square’s days as peep show central while also calling to mind a confessional. Designed by Ada Tolla, Giuseppe Lignano, and Baptiste Thevenon of LOT-EK, the box has just enough room for one performer and one visitor, with no barrier between them. Every day from 1:00 to 3:00, 4:00 to 6:00, and 7:00 to 9:00, individuals can watch a private show just for them; performers include poets, puppeteers, singers, actors, dancers, magicians, comedians, and others, putting on a show that lasts between five and ten minutes. You don’t get to choose what you see; while some days might feature one type of performer, it’s usually a random, rotating collection, so be ready for anything. The wait has been reasonable so far, so get on line before everyone else finds out about this extremely creative, intimate experience.

ROOFTOP FILMS: 2010 SUMMER SERIES

UNDERGROUND MOVIES OUTDOORS
New Design High School, Open Road Rooftop, 350 Grand St.
Automotive High School, 50 Bedford Ave. at North 13th St.
The Old American Can Factory, 232 Third St. at Third Ave., Brooklyn
Brooklyn Tech, 29 Fort Greene Pl., and other venues
May 14 – September 20, $10
718-417-7362
www.rooftopfilms.com

Since 1997, Vassar graduate Mark Elijah Rosenberg has been screening independent shorts in unusual places. Now in its fourteenth year, Rooftop Films continues to expand its scope, this year featuring dozens of feature-length works and experimental shorts, shown at such locations as Brooklyn’s Automotive High School and the Old American Can Factory and Manhattan’s Solar One and New Design High School as well as BAM, El Museo del Barrio, Socrates Sculpture Park, and other venues. This season’s highlights include Spike Jonze’s thirty-five minute I’M HERE on May 21, Pepe Dikono’s Philippino thriller ENGKWENTRO (CLASH) on May 22, Don Hertzfeldt’s WISDOM TEETH on June 5, Ramin Bahrani’s PLASTIC BAG on July 2, and Jeremy Konner and Derek Waters’s Drunk History trilogy on June 4 & 18 and August 6. Tickets are $10, and screenings are preceded by live music by such bands as DeLeon, Frances, Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez, Natureboy, North Highlands, and Twin Sister, usually followed by an after-party with free beer. A Rooftop Films event is always a cool experience, attracting an eclectic group of indie film and music lovers willing to try something different.

APRIL SMITH AND THE GREAT PICTURE SHOW

April Smith is sure to put on quite a great show at Brooklyn Bowl and Maxwell’s (photo by Eric Ryan Anderson)

Friday, May 14, Brooklyn Bowl, 61 Wythe Ave., $5, 9:00
Saturday, May 22, Maxwell’s, 1039 Washington St., Hoboken, $10, 9:30
www.myspace.com/aprilsmithmusic
www.brooklynbowl.com
www.maxwellsnj.com

April Smith appears to be an anachronism. The young Toms River native grew up listening to music on an eight-track-tape player, and her latest album, the absolutely delightful, fan-funded SONGS FOR A SINKING SHIP (Little Roscoe, February 2010), has an old-time feel to it, Tin Pan Alley meets Brooklyn indie pop shaken up with the zeitgeist of her biggest influence, Tom Waits, with plenty of Andrews Sisters sprinkled in. Over the course of eleven songs and thirty-four minutes, Smith and her crack band, the Great Picture Show – Marty O’Kane on guitar, Brandon Lowry on keyboards, the single-named Stevens on bass, and Elliot Jacobson on drums (Nick D’Agostino takes over the kit on tour) – play engaging, charming songs, opening with the awesome one-two punch of the thrillingly romantic “Movie Loves a Screen” and the rough-and-tumble “Terrible Things.” Smith seems to be able to write a catchy hook in her sleep, from the strip-teasy “Can’t Say No” to the bouncy “Colors,” with lyrics that detail in-between relationships as lovers chase, stalk, or leave one another, never in full bliss. “It does no good to resist your charms / I just come running back with open arms / You treat me mean, you hurt me so / I should have learned my lesson oh so long ago,” Smith sings on “Can’t Say No.” She also displays a wry sense of humor on “Drop Dead Gorgeous,” admitting, “Oh, you’re so enchanting / when your mouth is closed / And with a mouth like that / who needs politics and prose.” April Smith and the Great Picture Show will be at Brooklyn Bowl on May 14 as part of the Deli’s Best of the NYC Fest, with Motel Motel and Shayna Zaid & the Catch, and at Maxwell’s on May 22 with Hey Battlefield.

THE DAY EAZY-E DIED

National Black Theater
2031 Fifth Ave. between 125th St. & 126th Sts.
Tuesday, May 11, $10, 7:00
www.facebook.com/pages/The-Day-Eazy-E-Died
www.imagenation.us

In 1995, Compton rapper Eazy-E, born Eric Lynn Wright in 1963, died of AIDS at the age of thirty-one. The profound effect the influential performer, producer, and member of N.W.A had is central to James Earl Hardy’s book THE DAY EAZY-E DIED, now being turned into a film, about a young Harlem man whose life is turned inside out when Eazy-E’s illness goes public. On Tuesday, May 11, Hardy, writer-director Kirk Shannon-Butts, producer Trevite Willis, and musical genius Daniel Bernard Roumain will come together for a special multimedia screenplay reading at the National Black Theater, followed by a Q&A and reception. The evening is hosted by ImageNation, an organization that “fosters media equity, media literacy, solidarity, cross-cultural exchange and highlights the humanity of Pan-African people worldwide.”