It’s All Relative at Big Easy
By Isamu Jordan, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
May 30–Bloodlines is the theme at Big Easy Concert House this week, as young guns from two different legendary musical families come to town in Stephen Marley and Hank Williams III.
Not just a member of the celebrated Marley siblings but also the main creative force behind the music, Stephen Marley, the second son of Bob Marley, takes his roots music into a new era by blending reggae, rock and R&B with nayabinghi rhythms, flamenco and hip-hop styles on his first album on his own.
Released last year, Marley’s debut outing, "Mind Control," features cameos from Ben Harper, Mos Def, and his brothers Damian and Julian, so it’s hard to call it a solo album, but "Mind Control" is his vision from beginning to end.
Marley mellows out Monday at 7 p.m. at Big Easy Concert House, 919 W. Sprague Ave. Tickets are $22 through TicketsWest, www.ticketswest.com, (509) 325-SEAT.
The grandson of Hank Williams and the son of Hank Williams Jr., Hank III is a true country outlaw who throws up his middle finger at Nashville every chance he gets. Hank III shatters the wall between country and punk with his own brand of hellbilly cowpunk that is rampant with songs about booze, broads, guns and drugs.
His Assjack band is expected to release a new rock record followed by a country album. Hank III’s live shows often start with a country set that caters more to grandparents than the teenagers who turnout for an abrupt punk-rock finish.
Hank III rocks his Jekyll and Hyde honkypunk show on Tuesday at Big Easy. Tickets are $16, through TicketsWest.
Caterina acoustics
Like most weeks, there are a couple of notable singer-songwriter shows happening at Caterina Winery, 905 N. Washington St.
Tonight, Karli Fairbanks’ name on the bill suggests the high caliber of the rest of the lineup, which includes Weinland and TJ Sherrill. Portland’s Weinland has been compared to Elliott Smith on the quieter side of Neil Young, while Seattle’s TJ Sherrill has a loyal local following that might explain having six shows booked here over the summer. Cover for the Caterina show is $6. Music starts at 8 p.m.
On Saturday, local singer-songwriter standout Kevin Long plays his final show as a Spokane-based musician before moving out of town. Give Long a warm farewell at 8 p.m. at Caterina, as he’s joined by Sandpoint’s Josh Hedlund and Portland’s Adam Hill. Cover is $5.
Club hoppin’
— It’s going to be another high-octane dance party tonight at Empyrean, 154 S. Madison St., when Salt Lake City ’80s-affected synth-pop band Love You Long Time headlines a show with support Good Night Sunrise, Thrash Unreal, Jacob Sampson the Beatbox Champion and Deny the Dinosaur. Cover is $8 for the all-ages show. Music starts at 7 p.m.
— If you can’t wait until Elkfest Sunday to see The Groove Patrol, catch the improv jam band in another free show tonight at Raw Sushi and Island Grill, 523 W. First Ave.
— There’s an off-kilter mix of hip-hop and punk rock going down tonight at The Zombie Room, 230 W. Riverside Ave., featuring Demons in Disguise, Gun of the Sun, Shantasina (former members of Impact Expoder and The High Holies), and Jehovasplosion. Music starts at 9 p.m. Cover is $5.
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