Descendant of the Mali Empire/Mandinka griot (a West African hereditary tribal genealogist, historian and storyteller class) and kora (a 21-string double-bridge-harp-lute) master Yacouba Sissoko is slated to do a four-day residency in the Land of Enchantment this week. In conjunction with performances and workshops at Albuquerque Academy, Sissoko will perform with his band SIYA twice while in New Mexico: an all-ages concert at Outpost Performance Space (210 Yale SE) on Thursday, March 13, and an all-ages concert in Santa Fe at GiG Performance Space (1808 Second Street, Suite H) on Friday, March 14. Both performances run from 7:30 to 9:30pm. Sissoko is an in-demand player on jazz, Latin and R&B stages and at traditional African ceremonies of our bright world, and his sojourn here in New Mexico offers a rare opportunity for deeper cross-cultural pollination of minds both young and older. Tickets are $15 for students and Outpost members and $20 general admission.
Four Up Sunday Special
From left, excerpts from Bestial Mouths’ forthcoming video for “Ceased” and TAHNZZ’ Born in Space cover art
Katie Rose / Tahnee Udero
On Sunday evening, Downtown will buzz with sonic signatures of two of my favorite acts. For full disclosure’s sake, I engaged in e-matchmaking activity for LA post-punk/noise/synthwave band Bestial Mouths. Longtime readers might recall my description of the Niko Sonnberger-lensed video for Bestial Mouths’ “White Eyes” in November 2012 as "apocalyptic and occult visions … of blood, oil, milk, poison and gauzy togetherness." Stir in The Man Who Fell to Earth-meets-metal-spiked alienation in Sonnberger’s A/V tribute to “Earth” and you’re up to speed. Raven Chacon, industrial-electro act Uranium Worker and high-order trickster Alchemical Burn accompany at Low Spirits (2823 Second Street NW) on Sunday, March 16. The magick happens from 8 to 11pm, and six bucks gets you in. The remedios and schematics-inspired signals of national noise accolade-gatherer TAHNZZ also electrify the night at Blackbird Buvette (509 Central NW) during solo showcase Me, Myself & I, along with Cthulha, Blissbot and Alan George Ledergerber. That 21-plus show runs from 7pm ’til 11:30pm, and there’s no cover. My kingdom for a clone!
Four Up Burger Via Sxsw
Summer Twins
Courtesy of artist
Burger Records won my heart with their cassette reissue of seminal death-rock band Christian Death’s Only Theatre of Pain. I’m not ultra-familiar with the acts on Burger’s SXSW roster, and that’s exactly as it should be. If you can handle the hyperreal hustle and bustle of the fest, it’s always a great way to discover new music and consequently, to be discovered. As a city, we benefit from pre- and post-SXSW tour traffic every year. With Meow Wolf’s Santa Fe booking on indefinite hiatus, chances are you’ll see more SXSW-adjacent artists in Burque proper during this and coming years; bookmark nmbands.com for deets on local “underground” gigs. On Monday, March 17, see Burger roster-mates Gap Dream, Cosmonauts, The Garden, The Abigails, Curtis Harding, Summer Twins, Mozes and the Firstborn and Vision at Sister (407 Central NW). Admission to this 21-plus mini-fest is $10, and it runs from 6pm ’til the wee hours and ecstatically represents Burger’s sun-kissed West Coast garage/pop/psych/soul/neo-punk/Satanic country prowess.
Four Up Atypical Gemini
Ty Segall
Matt Creed
Your psych/pop dreamboat is coming. If you’re a Castle Face/Goner/Drag City record addict, you know the flaxen-haired angel of whom I speak, Ty Segall. I listened to Gemini, the demo version of 2012’s Twins, the other night, and it’s a suitably woozy way to while away a half-hour of your life. And since Segall’s 2013 full-length Sleeper proved he was a keeper even sans protometal Fuzz, we’re optimistically hopeful he won’t deny us a bit of libidinous distortion. Whether signature psych-rock, reverb-licious new collab Chad and the Meatbodies or some combination thereof, it’s gonna be one hell of a show. Meatbodies and local garage-rock duo Elevator Boys open this aural pick-me-up at Launchpad (618 Central SW) on Wednesday, March 19. Hear the colors starting at 9:30pm. Tickets are $12, and it’s 21 plus. If you’re under 21 and/or feel like a road trip to Santa Fe on Tuesday, March 18, be advised Segall, Meatbodies and Alamo Sun play an all-ages gig at High Mayhem (2811 Siler Lane) at 7:30pm, and admission is only $10.
