Weekender

(written by SR and DL)

FRIDAY

Leonard Cohen (Nokia Theater): Leonard Cohen is the king of songwriters that get by on personality above all else, and yet what separates him from much lesser poets is that a good chunk of his material is actually worth revisiting on a regular basis.

Though much of his early work can seem like smokey-voiced variations on "To Ramona," the majority of it is excellent, especially on tracks like "The Partisan," where he took traditional European folk music and made it uniquely his own. The song sounds much less dated than most acoustic guitar songs recorded in 1968. Cohen's evolution of sound kept him relevant, for instance, not sounding like he was trying too hard by using synths in the 80's. In addition to shrewd choices like working with (and getting threatened by) Phil Spector, having Allen Ginsberg (and Dylan) sing backup on a track, etc., he also had the good fortune of ultimately being associated with such hip cultural milestones as "Pump Up The Volume," as well as being covered by everyone from Electrelane to Judy Collins, Rufus Wainwright, and John Cale. He's one of those undeniably "cool" icons that make for a tough argument for those claiming his coolness is overrated. Listen to how giddy TV and radio interviewers are in any old clip or recording if you don't believe me. It will be a privilege if I actually make it to this show.

Quintron and Miss Pussycat/Psychedelic Horseshit/ Mo Brown (The Prophet Bar): We were stunned by the revelation of this show, finding out about its existence only in the past 48 hours, and wondering how such a good bill could end up at The Prophet Bar. There should be some type of warning, designation, or ranking that booking agents can check when placing a show, but, oh, well. Psychedelic Horseshit have a much-improved live show from what I'm told, and apparently it is more chaotic and noisy than ever. Quintron and Miss Pussycat have sort of evolved into their own brand judging by the number of superficial or maybe just casual music fans I hear referring to the events they've thrown in New Orleans over the years. The last time I remember being at a show they were apart of was Oops! (The Tour), an insane traveling lineup that included Lightning Bolt, Arab On Radar, and The Locust. Even though I can't even recall Quintron's set, that's the way I'd like to remember it if it means I might end up at tonight's venue.

Realicide/Yatagarasu/Lil Foot/No Music Plays in Hospitals (House of Tinnitus): Big show at House of Tinnitus tonight. Realicide is an astonishingly harsh hardcore/raw industrial/electronics group, influenced by everything from political American hardcore punk to Cabaret Voltaire, but with more emphasis on beats. It's really fantastic stuff that I hadn't had the pleasure of hearing until recently, but I'd highly recommend it if you're into any of the above genres.

Social with Females/Vega (the Cavern): Vega will be the guest DJ tonight at this new weekly DJ set.

Jack with One Eye/Florene/H...N (City Tavern)

Riverboat Gamblers/Record Hop/Hello Lover (Club Dada): So if you have the musical tastes of a 15 year old who just heard punk rock for the first time over Christmas Break when his mom got him a Best Buy gift card, then you might be totally into Riverboat Gamblers. Some of the stuff on their latest record isn't quite as terrible as their older work, but that isn't saying a whole lot... I don't know, there's just something really irritating about boring, polished mall punk like this when its marketed to the public as "dangerous" and "rockin" and "cool." Being able to predict every note a band is going to play before they play it? Fucking snooze fest if you ask me, energetic live show or no.

The Angelus/True Widow (Double Wide)

Uptown Fridays with Select (Zubar): Select plays a good deal of old school house and hip hop on Friday nights, and its free.

SATURDAY

Robyn Hitchcock and the The Venus 3 (Granada Theater): The legendary Robyn Hitchcock headlines at the Granada on a busy weekend for legends. After getting his start in the beloved Soft Boys, Hitchcock developed a very loyal following based on his solo work, which recalls everything from The Byrds to Bob Dylan to the Beatles to Pink Floyd, among others, with charmingly surreal lyrics and an obvious lean towards the softer, poppier side of classic psychedelia. Almost all of it is breezy, reflective, and immaculately crafted. On this tour, Hitchcock will be playing with his band the Venus 3, which includes Peter Buck of R.E.M.

SAS with Select and Schwa (Backroom of Zubar): Last month's first installment of SAS, which kind of served as an after party for the Cut Copy show at the Granada, was apparently pretty packed and quite a good time, and since it seems to be the only decent dance event happening in the city on Saturday, I would expect a similar crowd.

Dust Congress/Geistheistler /Piccline/Zanzibar Snails (Rubber Gloves): Dust Congress played an excellent set in the lead singer's home earlier this week, and you would not believe how much space a marimba takes up in a living room. I want to quickly add that Piccline includes members of Fra Pandolf, and I can't wait to hear them.

The Mean Spirits/Jack with One Eye/PVC Street Gang (The Chat Room)

SUNDAY