The rare and elusive musical birds commonly known as A Hawk and a Hacksaw culminate their West Coast peregrination with a showing in their native habitat—taking only a short breath before heading south to Brazil. AHAAH—best known as borderless explorers of traditional Balkan music—spend about as much time playing and learning overseas as in the States. They also have more on their minds than the broad sonic palette of European folk, as both Jeremy Barnes and Heather Trost present fantastic solo projects and have been involved with experimental supergroups like Tapered and Excelsior Ultima. Recorded and mastered by John Dieterich, AHAAH’s new album, You Have Already Gone to the Other World: Music Inspired by Parajanov’s Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors may be the syncretic fruition of a myriad of influences they’ve engaged with over the years. The title track instantly jumps out and spins you around with dizzying elements of Turkish Muslim musical tradition, and discreet electronics are utilized throughout the album. It takes very skilled musicians to blend musical styles into soaring new artforms like this. Don’t miss AHAAH take flight on Saturday, June 15, at Sister (407 Central NW). The avian splendor begins at 9 p.m., and tickets are $12 for those aged 21 and over.
Four Up Elder Statesman Of Rock
Richard Thompson
Pamela Littky
Richard Thompson has played music for nearly half a century. He’s a guitar legend with few—if any—peers. Many readers will be familiar with Fairport Convention, which defined the British folk rock genre, or with Richard and Linda Thompson’s haunting, turbulent songs. Thompson played as a session musician on albums by Nick Drake, John Martyn and many other luminaries, and he’s guested on even more recordings. His cynical, darkly humorous lyrics have made him a cover favorite among dozens of other musicians. Some may be unaware that Thompson has steadily released strong solo work for decades, alongside innovative collaborations with experimental musicians like Henry Kaiser and Pere Ubu’s David Thomas. He scored the soundtrack to Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man, reworked a Britney Spears tune for his “1000 Years of Popular Music” show … The list goes on and on. His new album—simply titled Electric—is self-described folk-funk, and it signals another shift for a musician who has never stayed in one box for long. Longtime fans of Thompson’s work probably know better than to fear he’s gone commercial or lost his edge. A lifelong Sufi practitioner, this legendary hexegenarian musician is still on top of his game. His AMP Concerts performance, which benefits Roadrunner Food Bank, is at KiMo Theatre (423 Central NW). The show happens on Tuesday, June 18 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 to $35, and they’re available through holdmyticket.com.
Four Up Brutalitarians
Entrails Eradicated
Until recently, Cacophonous Regurgitation and Eviscerated Disembowelment were my favorite fake extreme metal band names. I finally learned my lesson; that scene is impervious to parody. Witness brutal Australian tech-shredders Entrails Eradicated. You must be prepared for this sort of music to truly apprehend what you’re hearing. A speed-freak nightmare, every song tears out of the gate bristling with rollercoaster arpeggio runs and machine gun-drums. Like most of their peers, Entrails Eradicated takes inspiration from medical encyclopedias and torture manuals. They’re on tour with Denver grossout artists Vomit God, whose guttural, constipated-demon vocals perfectly complement their juvenile, misanthropic glee. While it’s easy to mock extreme metal’s trappings, listen closely and you won’t be clowning for long. This music is a truly surreal gateway to another world. Local keepers of this faith include thrash metal revivalists The Conjuring, coed blackened thrashers Incest, macho death-growlers End to End and sludge/crust old-timers Roñoso. Roñoso’s bassist had his gallbladder removed, so he’s no stranger to eradicated entrails. This all-ages show starts early, at 6 p.m., on Wednesday, June 19, at Synchro Studio (512-B Yale SE). Six bones gets you in.
Four Up Galaxy 505
Deep Space
Scarcliff Photography
Deep Space sounds like they learned a lot from fellow Austinites The Black Angels, but they’ve taken their lessons further into Hawkwind territory. Both bands—actually, all three—indulge in paint-by-numbers psychedelia at times. Psych may be one of the easier genres within which to overlook this, as even dilettantes can stay true to original sound by simply playing consistent, heavy trance music. So don’t pay much attention to the lyrics, and just enjoy the throb. What’s to debate about a thick bass groove? Deep Space will take you down slow and easy. Local pop supergroup CanyonLands—now in their fifth year of rocking—have really come into their own lately. They’ve done cool things with the psych-rock style, and they’ve done it in a personalized way that grabs your attention. If this show were a psych battle of the bands, I’d be rooting for CanyonLands. Oddball surf rockers Phantom Lake—who breathe new life into a genre nearly beaten to death by The Ventures and a thousand imitators—also perform, and they’re damn fine musicians. Psych yourself up on Wednesday, June 19, at Sister (407 Central NW). The swirly sonics commence at 9 p.m., and cover is $5 for those of legal drinking age.
