Bob Mould is looking back at his life these days (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza

17 Irving Pl. between 14th & 15th Sts.

Thursday, October 8, $21.50-$28, 9:00

212-777-6800

http://www.irvingplaza.com
http://www.bobmould.com

Twenty years ago, Bob Mould left seminal postpunk band Hüsker Dü and recorded his first solo record, the intimate, acoustic-based WORKBOOK followed by the gruffer BLACK SHEETS OF RAIN. Mould then formed the power trio Sugar, which released such impressive discs as COPPER BLUE and BEASTER, before continuing his solo work. Currently working on his memoirs – which will detail, among other things, his drug abuse and homosexuality – Mould also turns back the clock on his most recent album, the unflinchingly honest and personal LIFE AND TIMES (Anti-, April 2009). “What the fuck, what kicked up all this dust / taking me back to the places I left behind / the old life and times,” he sings on the title track, preparing the listener for both a trip down memory lane as well as a peek into the future. “I rewind the interstate in my distant memory,” he sings to his signature guitar sound on “City Lights (Days Go By),” adding, “I hope you understand I need to find my city lights.”

Recalling the sound of WORKBOOK, Mould, who recorded LIFE AND TIMES in his current hometown, Washington, DC, with just a drummer and himself, opens up about anonymous, casual sex (the hard-driving “Argos,” the smooth, melodic “Bad Blood Better”) and the end of love (“I’m Sorry, Baby, But You Can’t Stand in My Light Any More”) while also bringing up memory and the past on “Wasted World” and “MM 17.” At forty-eight, perhaps Mould is a little young to be looking back so much, but as he says on the album’s final track, “What a lifetime we have.” He’ll be celebrating that life at Irving Plaza on October 8, playing songs from throughout his career. We’ve seen him several times over the years at Irving Plaza, and he always sweats out everything he can. Brooklyn singer-songwriter Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson opens the show.

Thee Oh Sees' Dwyer really loves his guitar (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Mercury Lounge, 217 East Houston St.

Thursday, October 8, $10, 7:30

The Bell House, 149 Seventh St., Gowanus

Friday, October 9, $10-$12, 8:00

http://www.myspace.com/ohsees
http://www.thebellhouseny.com
http://www.mercuryloungenyc.com

A true DIY dude, John Dwyer is the lead singer and guitarist of San Francisco psychedelic garage rock band Thee Oh Sees. Dwyer, keyboardist Brigid Dawson, guitarist Petey Dammit, and drummer Mike Shoun are back in town for a couple of shows in support of their 2008 disc, the stellar THE MASTER’S BEDROOM IS WORTH SPENDING THE NIGHT IN, which feels like a Nuggets-era soundtrack to a movie that was never made. Thee Oh Sees (a continually changing riff on the OC, Orange County) play it fast and loose, with lots of groovy guitar breaks and high-pitched singing. The album kicks off with “Block of Ice,” a driving mix of Jefferson Airplane filtered through the B-52s. “Quadrospazzed” is filled with fuzzy distortion, while “You Will See This Dog Before You Die” gets downright spacey. Around the middle of the album, things slow down a bit with the appropriately moody “Graveyard Drug Party.” And “Adult Acid” actually has a countryish beat.

It all makes for a helluva good time, as the band displayed at this past summer’s Siren Festival. Dwyer twisted his guitar around his body, often playing it at eye level and other uncomfortable positions, He also has the curious habit of drooling or sending an expectoration into the air and trying to catch it in his mouth. While he makes his weird faces and strange poses, Dawson and Dammit hold down the fort at the front of the stage, standing tall while Dwyer acts out. On October 8 THEE OH SEES will be playing the Mercury Lounge with the Fresh & Onlys, Girls at Dawn, and Still Life Still, and they’ll be at the Bell House on October 9 with Golden Triangle and the Fresh & Onlys.

Bombshell trio brings cosmo-country to the Canal Room

285 West Broadway

Thursday, October 8, $10, 8:00

212-941-8100

http://www.theshellsonline.com
http://www.canalroom.com

Not to be confused with the Austin-based indie band of the same name, the Shells are that rarest of breeds, a New York City all-woman country trio. Actually, their sound has been labeled cosmo-country, mixing in folk and pop elements and beautiful harmonies. Originally an a cappella group, Carrie Welling, Melanie Klaja, and Jessica Rae Waltz have been augmented with a touring band as they support their debut album, WRITTEN ROADS (October 8, WeThreeRecords). The Shells, whose name came from “bombshell,” will be holding a CD release party on October 8 at the Canal Room, so come on down and see what all the fuss is about.