3D Navajo Nation-based dance-punk queer activist twosome Discotays is taking its show on the road with 19 dates in the Midwest and East Coast. Along for the tour are Farmington’s dark wave and hip-hop-influenced electro project Dan K. (Allen J. Yazzie) and Gallup’s sample-heavy noise duo Dancestry. Discotays’ latest EP, “For Liz,” layers dance beats with eldritch lyrics and creepy glitch. It’s available for free download: bit.ly/epdiscotays. The tour kicks off on Thursday, April 26, at Amped Performance Center (415 Central NW) and also features Houck, Ariz.-based rockabilly act ShitOuttaLuck, singer-songwriter Fernando Moore (The Great Depression) and DJ Wae Funky. Starting at 8 p.m., browse the artwork of seven Native American pop artists (more on them in this week’s Arts section). The $3 cover goes to fuel the musicians’ conquering quest. Enchanted Branches White Mountain Apache multi-instrumentalist Laura Ortman brings enchantment to the land this weekend. Ortman’s résumé is impressive and includes performing live scores for filmmaker Martha Colburn, playing MOMA and PS 1, and spearheading an orchestra. On her second full-length album, Someday We’ll Be Together , NYC-based Ortman coaxes ethereal, emotive arrangements from a variety of sources—including Apache violin, Casio keyboard, electric guitar, megaphone, piano, subway recordings, her vocal cords and even tree branches. Ortman practices her craft at Small Engine Gallery (1413 Fourth Street SW) on Friday, April 27, along with desert surf foursome Phantom Lake and brand-new culinary noise outfit Cake and Frosting Co. The magic begins at 9 p.m. and $5 gets you in. Beyond the Witch House Balam Acab may prove to be the best thing to come out of 2010’s witch house craze. Many of the bands that were lumped into the expansive, woozy genre either attracted a small but devoted fan base or fizzled entirely, but 21-year-old Mechanicsburg, Pa.-based Alec Koone’s project is still gaining traction. Balam Acab’s debut full-length, Wander/Wonder , contains eight electronica tracks that highlight water as an instrumental element; it’s awash in critical acclaim (including the Alibi’s 2011 best of). Download Balam Acab’s “Oh, Why” for free— bit.ly/ohwhydl—and consider a road trip to an all-ages show at Santa Fe Sol (37 Fire Place) on Monday, April 30. Genre-hopper Active Child and L.A.-based dream pop trio Superhumanoids also perform. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and advance tickets are $10.
Shows Up! Discotays, Laura Ortman, Balam Acab
3 min read
Balam Acab aka Alec Koone
Laura Ortman
