INDIE-ROCK | Lowry
w/ A Decent Animal
Wed. Oct. 25
Cumberland’s
$6
Charleston “rock” trio A Decent Animal look forward to sharing the stage with New York folky-poppy indie band Lowry this week. Led by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Alex Lowry (alongside multi-instrumentalists Nicolas Webber, Heidi Sidelinker, Sarah Bowman, Crash, and Shawn Setaro), Lowry have been earning critical praise all year for their 2005 album, Awful Joy. The 13-song disc contains what experts call “twisted, melodic, psychedelic neo/anti-folk pop” and such. Their elegant mix of unpredictable song structures and dynamics, almost-morose melodies and tunes, and straight-beat grooves are along the same vein as recent works by Flaming Lips, Elf Power, Modest Mouse, and Portastatic. “They are a really cool band and we want the show to go really well for them,” says A Decent Animal bassist and noted beardsman Richard Weld, who always goes to bat for the artistically spectacular. “We are trying out a new stage set up and will have some guest musicians with us … should be a great show.” —T. Ballard Lesemann WEDNESDAY
GARAGE-ROCK | The Cogburns
w/ The Dellortos, Parade
Fri. Oct. 27
The Map Room
Free
Since forming in 2002, necktie-clad, totally revved-up Atlanta rock quartet The Cogburns have specialized in what they “post-millennium garage/surf/punk.” Drawing from some of the hippest and purest power-pop and garage-rawk mayhem of the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s, singer/guitarist Glenn Cogburn, pig-tailed bassist/singer Jenn Cogburn, lead guitarist Doug Cogburn, and drummer Tony Cogburn regularly tie it together and fling it around with genuine enthusiasm. As hometown music critic Lee Valentine Smith puts it, “they blast off like a time-warped transistor radio, offering a static-free and endlessly energetic hybrid of real rock and roll, storming blues, furious surf, and raging punk.” Amen. The band’s brand-new release, Pay Up, Sucker, is a winner. Parade, an up-and-coming indie-pop quartet out of Athens/Atlanta, and Charleston’s own twangy Dellortos share the bill. Check www.cogburns.com and www.themaproom.net for more. —TBL FRIDAY
GROOVE-ROCK | Sol Driven Train
w/ The V-Tones
Fri. Oct. 27
Barrier Island Surf Shop
$10
Charleston’s Sol Driven Train work from a blend of classic rock, acoustic pop-folk, and vintage reggae. They recently performed on three different stages at the LEAF Festival in N.C. “I heard more people talking about Sol Driven Train than any other band at LEAF,” says City Paper writer Stratton Lawrence. “They played three shows, and the third was in the dance hall while dinner was being served. Folks could barely get to the buffet line with all the people crowding to hear them. Hopefully, they’ll keep rolling on the energy they built at LEAF.” The “Second Annual Pre-Halloween Oyster Roast” at the Barrier Island Surf Shop has local acoustic combo The V-Tones (doing their opening “Spookulele” set at 8 p.m.), while SDT hit the stage at 9 p.m. (the $10 cover includes oysters and brew). The band continues on Sat. Oct. 28 with a full night at the Windjammer. On Sun. Oct. 29 they play the Pour House. On Tues. Oct. 31, they play the Mellow Mushroom for the “Hollywood Halloween” gig. —TBL FRIDAY
ROCK/HIP HOP | Urban Sophisticates
w/ Starting Thursday, Baumer, DJ Valis
Fri. Oct. 27
Marion Square (downtown)
Free
Seacoast Church College Ministries and Epiphany Productions present a free evening of live music, dance, art, praise, and activities in the park at Calhoun and King streets. Columbia-based rock quintet Baumer kick things off on stage at 6:30 p.m., followed by music from DJ Valis (spinning with lively support from a breakdance crew and additional artists). Chapel Hill guitar-pop quartet Starting Thursday hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Greensboro, N.C.-based collective Urban Sophisticates headline at 8:30 p.m. The group — MC Benton James, singer Aaron James, guitarist Tim Hooker, bassist Ricky Nxumalo, trumpeter Jeremy Denman, trombonist Sal Mascali, and drummer Romondo Jessup — deliver a groove-heavy, Roots-like sound pulling from a mix of hip-hop, funk, electric blues, modern rock, and jazz styles. Visit www.urbansophisticates.com for more. —TBL FRIDAY
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