this week in music

BLAKE IN POETRY AND SONG: AN EVENING WITH PATTI SMITH

Patti Smith will celebrate the legacy of William Blake at the Morgan Library (photo by Angelo Cricchi)

The Morgan Library & Museum
225 Madison Ave. at 36th St.
Thursday, November 19, $35, 7:30
212-685-0008
www.themorgan.org
www.pattismith.net

In 2004, Patti Smith wrote, “In my Blakean year / Such a woeful schism / The pain of our existence / Was not as I envisioned / Boots that trudged from track to track / Worn down to the sole / One road is paved in gold / One road is just a road.” On her Web site, the full lyrics to this song, “In My Blakean Year,” from her TRAMPIN’ album, link to William Blake’s poem “The Divine Image,” which includes the opening quatrain “To Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love / All pray in their distress, / And to these virtues of delight / Return their lovingkindness.” The eclectic, iconic, iconoclastic Smith, joined by her daughter Jesse, will be celebrating the legacy of the British artist, writer, and anarchist in a special program of music and poetry at the Morgan Library on November 19, held in conjunction with the exhibit “William Blake’s World: ‘A New Heaven Is Begun’” (which continues through January 3).

William Blake, “Behemoth and Leviathan” (Book of Job, no. 15), pen and black and gray ink, gray wash, and watercolor, over faint indications in pencil, on paper, ca. 1805–10

More than 350 years after his birth, Blake remains a worshiped figure with a lasting influence, particularly on the Beat Generation and its descendants. Discussing “In My Blakean Year” with Rolling Stone in 2004, Smith said, “What I learned from William Blake is, don’t give up. And don’t expect anything. . . . I have a great life. I’ve seen dark times too and have had, in certain times of my life, nothing. No material things, not much prospects – except my own imagination. But if you perceive that you have a gift, you already have life.” Smith, recently named one of the 400 most influential New Yorkers by the Museum of the City of New York, has suffered great personal tragedy as well as critical and popular success throughout her career; she is not afraid to bare her soul in public, so the event at the Morgan promises to be moving and emotional in addition to celebratory. The performance begins at 7:30, with the exhibition open at 6:30 for ticket holders to get in the mood.

DESTINATION GUADELOUPE

King of Zouk Luc Leandry comes to NYC for Guadeloupe festival (photo by Saint-Prix)

Multiple venues
November 18-22
www.destination-guadeloupefestival.com/ushome.html

The French Caribbean archipelago of Guadeloupe, which was named by Christopher Columbus, brings its art and culture to the city for five days of special events in the second annual Destination Guadeloupe festival. On Friday, Gwo-ka drummer François Ladrezeau will perform at Zinc Bar and Jeff Joseph and Panik play S.O.B.’s; on Saturday, Kriyolio hits Zinc Bar; and on Sunday, all of those groups, along with King of Zouk Luc Leandry and the Divas of Zouk, Joëlle Ursull and Jocelyne Labylle, will come together for the festival’s main event at S.O.B.’s, with cuisine prepared by chef Georges Césarin and a special raffle. Throughout the five days, the art of Joel Nankin will be on view at Casa Frela Gallery. “The island pays a short visit with its unique music, art, and cuisine,” said one of the event’s producers, Alex Boicel, in a statement, “and we intend to make New Yorkers hungry for more.”

THE RAMBLIN’ KIND

The Ramblin’ Kind play classic country, pure and true

Hill Country
30 West 26th St. between Broadway & Sixth Ave.
Wednesday, November 18, free, 9:00 pm – 12 midnight
212-255-4544
www.myspace.com/theramblinkind
www.hillcountryny.com

Don’t try to pigeonhole Brooklyn’s the Ramblin’ Kind into some kind of alt-country, country-folk, country-rock subgenre; they are proud be called a country band, pure and simple. Jim “Duckie” Allen, Oliver “Twist” Sharpe, Matt “Scrappy” Applebaum, Nate “Abel” Knaebel, and Steve “the Charmer” Goulding will be lassoing fans on November 18 at Hill Country, whooping it up with such songs as “You May Already Be a Loser,” “Have You Ever Been Lonely,” and “Black Rose,” mixing up originals with classics by “hardcore country cats.” There’s no cover at Hill Country, which “honors the barbecue and live music capital of Texas” with a menu that includes Kreuz sausage, beer can game hen, white shoepeg corn pudding, sweet potato bourbon mash, and original PB&J cupcakes and a music lineup featuring such groups as Sean Kershaw and the New Jack Ramblers, Stringbean and the Stalkers, Citigrass, and, of course, the Ramblin’ Kind.

RAY DAVIES

Town Hall
123 West 43rd St. between Broadway & Sixth Ave.
November 18-19, $54-$74, 8:00
212-840-2824

www.raydavies.info
www.the-townhall-nyc.org

Ray Davies is on a very different kind of tour this time around, alternating between regular band shows and joining with local choirs to play the Kinks Choral Collection, ornate versions of such Kinks classics as “Waterloo Sunset,” “You Really Got Me,” “Celluloid Heroes,” “Village Green Preservation Society,” and “All Day and All of the Night.” Although the accompanying album, released in the United States last week, was recorded with North London’s Crouch End Festival Chorus, Davies and his band will be joined November 18-19 at Town Hall by the New York City-based Dessoff Chamber Choir, conducted by David Temple. Davies is always an entertaining sort of chap, in any guise, and it should be quite fascinating to see such familiar songs given a new life through these orchestrations. If you’re a purist, you can certainly wait for November 24, when Davies will be playing with his band at the Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, but these two orchestral shows should be something to remember.

STUART SHERMAN: NOTHING UP MY SLEEVE

Andy Kaufman alter ego Tony Clifton should put on a smoking show at anniversary tribute

Santos Party House
96 Lafayette St.
Monday, November 16, $20, 9:00
212-714-4646
www.santospartyhouse.com
www.tonyclifton.net

In conjunction with Performa 09, Participant Inc. honors the twenty-fifth anniversary of the death of Andy Kaufman with an evening of entertainment featuring performance artist Vaginal Davis with PME in “Advanced Capitalism Reunion: Reparations and Retardations,” followed by Tony Clifton, the Cliftonettes, and the seventeen-piece Katrina Kiss My Ass Orchestra. DJs Adam Horovitz of the Beastie Boys, Kathleen Hannah of Le Tigre, and Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers will be spinning tunes throughout the night. The show is named in honor of the late performance artist Stuart Sherman, who died in 2001. But the main draw here is Clifton, one of the most abrasive, annoying, insulting, and downright nasty performers ever. So basically, be prepared for a nice, quiet evening celebrating the genius that was Andy Kaufman.

KAP BAMBINO / SLEIGH BELLS

Kap Bambino will be raving with Sleigh Bells at Webster Hall (photo by Kyle Ross)

The Studio at Webster Hall
125 East Eleventh St. between Second Ave. & Bowery
Saturday, November 14, $10-$12, 10:00
212-353-1600
www.myspace.com/kapbambino
www.websterhall.com/thestudio
www.myspace.com/sleighbellsmusic

“I will explode if you do not change,” Kap Bambino sings in “Breath.” Things threaten to explode tonight at the Studio at Webster Hall, where the French techno/death-metal/grunge duo of Bouvier Orion and Martial Caroline, better known as Kap Bambino, will be celebrating the upcoming release of their BATCAVES EP. You can get an idea just what you’ll be in for merely by some of the song titles on their latest full-length CD, this year’s BLACKLIST, which includes “Dead Lazers,” “Human Piles,” “Plague,” “Blood Roses,” and “Acid Eyes.” And even though the opening act is named Sleigh Bells, don’t let that lull you into thinking that there might be a mellow start to the evening. Techno heads Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss, who make up Sleigh Bells, will not be playing any Christmas hymns. Instead, they’ll be blasting their massive electronica, like the pulsating “Crown on the Ground” and “Infinity Guitars,” as well as the mesmerizing, acoustic-based “Ring Ring,” kicking off what should be a crazy late-night rave in the East Village.

NAKED SOUL: GRAHAM PARKER

: Graham Parker will get sacred and profane at the Rubin (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Rubin Museum of Art
150 West 17th St. at Seventh Ave.
Friday, November 13, $40-$45, 7:00
212-620-5000
www.rmanyc.org/nakedsoul
www.grahamparker.net

Over the years, we’ve seen Graham Parker perform in various amalgamations, with such backing bands as the Figgs and the Rumour as well as solo acoustic, in intimate venues and loud rock clubs. Parker, the witty, acidic songwriter behind such classic tunes as “Local Girls,” “Passion Is No Ordinary Word,” “Protection,” “Stupefaction,” “You Can’t Be Too Strong,” and “Get Started. Start a Fire,” among many others, will be playing a special set at the Rubin Museum of Art as part of the Naked Soul series. Parker, who has also written the excellent short-story collection CARP FISHING ON VALIUM, is a consummate entertainer who introduces his songs with biting commentary, self-deprecating humor, and sublime intelligence that is part Richard Thompson, part Robyn Hitchcock, but all GP. If you’ve never seen him before, take advantage of this splendid opportunity to see one of music’s finest in what he is promising will be quite a unique show. As he describes it: “Where spirituality and sacrilege rub shoulders and get on very well. Yes, the prospect of this totally unplugged gig in the most unusual setting has me digging deep for material that even the GP stalwarts will be delighted with. Or confused. The thematic opportunities have blown my mind. This will be a real one of a kind!” As a bonus, admission to the Rubin is free on Friday nights from 7:00 to 10:00, so after the concert, you should check out such exhibits as “The Red Book of C. G. Jung,” “Victorious Ones: Jain Images of Perfection,” “From the Land of the Gods: Art of the Kathmandu Valley,” and “Mandala: The Perfect Circle.” It should be fascinating to see how Parker blends in the Rubin’s surroundings into his set.

update: As promised, Parker played a one-of-a-kind set at the Rubin, integrating slides of Himalayan art on view in the museum with songs and stories referencing life and death, heaven and hell, and reincarnation and religion. He boldly spoke about his lack of faith while throwing in such relevant terms as karma, meditation, transcendence, Buddha, bodhisattva, and enlightenment. In fact, at one point he talked about how he used to live on Eighteenth St., with a view of the corner where the Rubin now stands. He related how, when the building was being gutted and turned into Barney’s, he and his friends would wait for the huge rats to dash out at late-night passersby, as Parker and his fellow partiers high-fived, tossed back another, and inhaled, noting that that was the closest he’s probably ever come to enlightenment. He reached deep into his songbook, eschewing familiar hits for such rarely played tunes as “Evil,” “Pollinate,” “Carp Fishing on Valium,” “Museum of Stupidity,” “I Don’t Know,” “Last Stop Is Nowhere,” and the outrageously funny “Syphilis & Religion.” He debuted two songs from his upcoming album, including “You’re Not Where You Think You Are,” and covered Johnny Nash’s appropriate “There Are More Questions than Answers.” He also played “God’s Big Chess Game,” a song by his alter ego, YouTube “sensation” Tex Skerball. Titled “Sacred and Profane” – and yes, there were plenty of profanities, with Parker begging donors not to blame the museum for his language – the performance was perhaps the best researched and curated show we have ever seen, especially for such a one-time-only site-specific event, something that can never be duplicated. After the show, despite Parker’s cynical stance on all religions, including Buddhism, Rubin museum producer Tim McHenry still presented the ribald musician with a kata, a traditional sign of respect, which Parker gladly accepted.