Cory Graves
Nobody Move.
May is full of holidays. Have you noticed, though, how most of them start with the letter “M,” as in Memorial Day and Mother's Day?
Well, did you also know that May is National Masturbation Month? Because, well, it is. And, sure, it's a topic that makes many of us a bit uncomfortable to discuss. But that's precisely what the “holiday” is intended to correct. To that end, proponents of the holiday would rather you go out tonight and talk about self-love instead of staying in and, um, practicing it.
So go to one of these things, OK?
We Are Scientists and PAWS at Dada
Last Thursday, this same bill caused an international stir when California post-punk trio We Are Scientists and Scottish indie rockers PAWS took to their respective social media accounts to blast Morrissey after the aging crooner, who was playing in a bigger room in the same venue, tried to get their bands' show cancelled. The Moz, it seems, was concerned that the sound from the smaller show would bleed into the big room and detract from his performance. In any case, both bands tweeted several biting remarks following the incident, including this one from We Are Scientists: “Turns out the reason @itsmorrissey doesn't want competing noise is that it might clue people into what singing in tune sounds like.” Zing! Anyway, if you're curious as to what actual singing in tune sounds like tonight, you know where to find it. — Cory Graves
Band of Skulls at Granada Theater
From the same school of well-put-together-but-not-all-that-groundbreaking, blues-heavy garage rock as contemporaries Black Keys, The Kills and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is British trio Band of Skulls. Working well in the latter's favor, at least, is the fact that the band's catalog hasn't been utterly worn out by unimaginative music supervisors. To the band's credit, it does boast a slightly wider set of influences and a rather memorable batch of tunes under its belts than some of those other acts do, too. — CG
Ledisi at Majestic Theatre
For her recently released LP The Truth, Ledisi opted to distance somewhat from her '70s funk and soul leanings in favor of bass-heavy, contemporary R&B numbers, resulting in the most up-tempo batch of songs she's released to date. Grammy-winning jazz pianist and Houston native Robert Glasper opens with his own band. — CG
John Fullbright at Kessler Theater
Born in the same small Oklahoma town that gave us Woody Guthrie, John Fullbright never shied away from his roots. In fact, he first made a name for himself performing in an annual folk fest named after Guthrie, and he's since released a trio of albums that exude a similarly bold, rootsy style to forebearers like Steve Earle and Townes Van Zandt. Most recently, his tune “Gawd Above” appeared on the August: Osage County soundtrack. Chuck Cannon opens. — CG
Grieves at House of Blues
Sick of Macklemore's rise to fame? Well, you probably won't dig on his fellow Seattle-based rapper, Grieves. Love Macklemore? Well, now we're talking Grieves' language. And though Grieves might not be besties with Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll like a certain one of his contemporaries, he does have perhaps something better going for him in the eyes of hip-hop heads: He's signed to Atmosphere's Rhymesayers label, which is among the most respected backpacker compounds in the game. — Pete Freedman
To find out what else is going on today, this week and beyond, check out our events page.
