We’re between Coachella weekends, which means there’s almost (almost) too many shows happening at once. Be brave, be passionate, be busy, be Fauxchella.
Monday: The Replacements at The Masonic
These iconic Minneapolis muckrackers reunited in 2012 after their 1991 breakup, thank the punk lord almighty. The world is simply a better place now. After all, this is the band responsible for one of the all-time underdog rock anthems, “Can’t Hardly Wait.”
Monday: Cody Simpson at Great American Music Hall
You may know full-time musician/now-part-time-model Cody Simpson from his recent “towel shoot” gone viral, but trust that there’s plenty more than a face to this Aussie pop star.
Tuesday: Panda Bear at The Independent
The man responsible for one of the year’s most innovative albums makes a returns to his studio — the stage. When we last saw him at the Fillmore, he was workshopping his recent album Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper. That's a classic Animal Collective move, and we're quite ok with it.
Tuesday: Kiesza at Mezzanine (and Thursday at Independent)
This has to be one of the greatest music videos of the past five years:
Tuesday: SBTRKT at 1015 Folsom (DJ Set)
DJ sets are whatever but SBTRKT is usually an exception. Manning the control board is his natural state of being.
Wednesday/Thursday: Hozier at The Masonic
The lyrics from Hozier's hit song “Take Me to Church” say it all — “Take me to church/I’ll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies/I’ll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife/Offer me that deathless death/Good God, let me give you my life.” Amen.
Wednesday: Gramatik at Mezzanine
Slovenian producer Denis Jasarevic blends hip-hop and funk for a delicious electro product. This will easily be one of the most sough-after electronic dance tickets of the year.
Thursday: Desaparecidos at Regency
Pre-Bright Eyes, pre-Monster of Folks, pre-Mystic Valley Band, Conor Oberst was just another righteous kid in an emo band. That band was Desaparecidos, and they were absolutely rivetting. And a new album is in the cards, come June, called Payola. Here's the first single, "City on the Hill":
Thursday/Friday: Father John Misty at the Fillmore (with King Tuff)
I’m not sure if this is what Father John Misty was going for, but The New York Times had a really interesting take on Father John’s most recent album I Love You, Honeybear: “This warped, lovely album suggests that a true longtime partnership isn’t two people who love each other even for their flaws, but of two people accepting decay--their own and each other’s--and choosing to ride it out nonetheless.” Whoa.
Thursday/Friday: alt-J at the Greek Theatre
The young British trio’s This Is All Yours was one of the most universally celebrated albums of 2014. The world loves 'em some vocal harmonizing.
Thursday: Gilberto Gil at Davies Symphony Hall
Pay your respects to one of the founding members of Brazil’s Tropicalia movement, arguably the most important link in the lineage of modern pop music.
Friday: Swans at Regency Ballroom (with Angel Olsen)
Critics absolutely (and predictably) love this band, and mainstream listeners are finally coming around. The band's latest album, Oxygen, was probably their most accessible to date, with catchy hooks masking and separating moments of signature abstract noise.
Follow @ChrisTrenchard on Twitter for more words like these.
