“So sell your suit and tie and come and live with me/ Leukemia schizophrenia polyethylene/ There is no significant risk to your health/ She used to be beautiful once as well/ Plastic bag, middle class, polyethylene/ Decaffeinate, unleaded, keep all surfaces clean/ If you don’t believe me, sell your soul/ If you don’t get into it, no one will.”—The lyrics to the song “Polyethylene Part 2” by Radiohead.And so now commence the winter holidays, all 2019 style yo, for those of you still looking at a clock or calendar or the drift of the Milky Way across the firmament of the sky. It follows that there will be some live tuneage to augment your festival experience and that this is the place to have such information laid upon listeners like some kind of holy bread or manna from heaven.After that ton of turkey has been rendered harmless but before the real nature of the holiday become evident with rituals of commerce and athletics dominating, do yourself a solid and go see a show. Here’s what I’d be on about if I didn’t have to mind the chronosynclastic infindibulum over the long weekend.
Show Up!: Friday
In the parlance of party-time, the Friday after Thanksgiving is known as “Black Friday,” a name that recalls the financial crash of 1929, the current habits of consumers out and about in America and a Steely Dan song that speaks to the coming apocalypse in dour yet determined tones. This year, it’s also the night when you and yours can take in one heck of a hip-hop concert at Hush Ultra NightLife (109 Fourth Street NW) on Friday, Nov. 29. That’s the exact spot where Carl Terrell Mitchell, also known as Twista, will perform for a Black Friday Black Light Blackout. Wow. As you recall, Twista, outta Chi-Town, is a chopper. In 2004 dude had a Number One single called “Slow Jamz” and generally flavors his flow with fast rhymes and has also had a documentary made about his inimitable style. It’s called Mr. Immortality: The Life and Times of Twista, if you wanna know. 7:30pm • $15 • All-ages (13+).
Show Up!: Saturday
Let me tell you: Over the years this reporter has seen a fair share of post-Thanksgiving events come and go. The truth is, there often ain’t much going on in Dirt City in the days following turkey fest. This year is bound to be different. Get ready for one heck of a holiday hootenanny at Moonlight Lounge (120 Central Ave. SW) on Saturday, Nov. 30, when—are you ready, Albuquerque—Red Light Cameras, Lindy Vision and Automatic play to a baked or broiled bird-stunned crowd that is ready as heck to rock the night away. You already know about Red Light Cameras. Heck they’re like Burque’s official rock band. We hope you know about Lindy Vision. We featured them on this page this year and are confident that this three-piece no wave, groovy space disco act from the deep future means what they play. Automatic is an El Lay post-punk trio that features Lola Dompe on drums, Izzy Glaudini on synth and vocals and Halle Saxon on bass and vocals. They’re todo LA and their sound is a kinda synthetic symphonia that draws as much on Krautrock as it does the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean. So show up! 9pm • $5 • 21+.
Show Up!: Sunday
Uh, take the day off after last night’s rockfest. You may enjoy more baked bird or indulge in your choice of sportsball competitions broadcast in living color and beamed right into your living room. If you need something to listen to, may we humbly suggest taking a shot at 1997’s OK Computer by Radiohead. It’s perfect for holiday listening; just don’t let your boomer relatives hear it because it will likely make them cry. That may disrupt the sportsball activities and you don’t want that.
Show Up!: Monday
On Monday, Dec. 2 the Goo Goo Dolls have a gig at The Showroom at Isleta Resort and Casino (11000 Broadway Blvd. SE). In case you need to know, Goo Goo Dolls are not named after a notorious Sonic Youth album but rather have their roots in upstate New York. They became one of the biggest selling acts of the post-grunge rock and roll era that eclipsed the tragic undoing of the blonde and elfin guitar god from Aberdeen. Their 1998 album Dizzy Up the Girl went triple platinum but the advent of the millennium, the ascent of hip-hop as the popular voice of the nation and the decline of rock music in general led to smaller audiences and less sales for the band. Nevertheless, the remaining members of Goo Goo Dolls—Johnny Rzeznick and Robby Takac—continue to rock out, amazing audiences with an awesome rock sound and show that is becoming anomalous in these DJ days. 7pm • $25 to $45 • 21+.
