KALEIDOSCOPIC INDIE-POP | Stop Light Observations
w/ Arlie
Sat. Oct. 20
9 p.m.
$18
Music Farm
In their own low-key way, Stop Light Observations have become one of the most musically adventurous bands on the regional scene. On every album, EP or single, SLO have pushed themselves to sound different than their last release. So you get the Southern-tinged arena-rock of their 2013 album Radiation, followed by the funky, dance-rock singles “Helicopters” and “Dinosaur Bones,” followed by the more stripped-down roots-rock album TOOGOODOO. And the band’s most recent releases have continued their trend of, uh, not following any sort of trend. The companion pieces, called Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 are as wildly experimental as anything SLO has done, mixing ambient sound clips with prog-pop instrumentals and an occasional straight-ahead pop tune like “Coyote” or “How Did We Get Here?” They aren’t content to stay in one place, in other words, and the result is a kaleidoscopic catalog that is as adventurous as it is occasionally hard to put your finger on. —Vincent Harris SATURDAY
FEST FINALE | Concoction
Wolfgang Zimmerman and the Invisible Low End Power feat. Poppy Native and Niecy Blues
w/ 2 Slices, Contour
Sat. Oct. 20
7 p.m.
$20/adv., $15/door
The Royal American
You’ve seen him on backup vocals and behind the drums of Brave Baby, and he’s been known of late to solely exist behind the boards at Rialto Row studios, producing records by everyone from SUSTO to Jump, Little Children to Band of Horses. But this weekend’s Concoction show will see Brave Baby’s Wolfgang Zimmerman dishing out some brand new material as he gives the solo thing a shot. He’ll also be kickin’ it with his new supergroup, the Invisible Low End Power, comprised of Justice Ian Jones (Atlas Road Crew), Christian Chidester (Brave Baby), Dries Vandenberg (Human Resources, SUSTO), Jeff Wilson (Get With It), and Dylan Dawkins (Persona La Ave), plus Niecy Blues and Poppy Native will be “helping out on the pipes.” Expect to see folks switching in and out of the band and two drum sets positioned front and center (along with the vocalists) — a switch from Zimmerman’s usual spot behind the drum kit, behind the rest of every band he’s ever been in. Concoction is the Charleston Arts Festival finale and will also feature 2 Slices and Contour in addition to live dance curated by Dance Lab Charleston. —Kelly Rae Smith SATURDAY
PUNK-INSPIRED ROCK | Lone Wolf
w/ Custody, Alert the Media
Sat. Oct. 20
9 p.m.
$7
Tin Roof
“Bottom of the Hill,” the first single off the self-titled album by the Rotterdam punk-rockers Lone Wolf, is a bit of a red herring. The song is tight, bouncy guitar rock that’s closer to the Strokes than anything punk-related. It’s also got a hell of a catchy, soaring chorus that’s hard to dislodge from your cranium once it’s in there. But taken as a whole, Lone Wolf (which features former members of the Accelerators, the Apers, and the Bat Bites) makes music that’s a lot more angular and idiosyncratic than the single. The songs on their album tie shifting-but-propulsive rhythms to a choppy, oddly jittery guitar attack that never settles for the usual three-chord noise, and singer Merel Schaap brings a kind of wounded depth to her vocals, imbuing simple lines like “She’s on the outside looking in” with more genuine pathos than a typical punk-influenced singer can muster. —Vincent Harris SATURDAY
LATIN JAZZ-ROCK | Caja de Cuerdas
Sat. Oct. 20
6 p.m.
$14/adv., $16/door
The Commodore
Rather than trying to identify what genre of music they’re playing, it might just be best to sit back and enjoy what Caja de Cuerdas are laying down. Anchored by classical guitarist Gregory Guay and Venezuelan-American producer, percussionist, and singer Hector Salazar, the band, whose name translates to “Box of Strings,” slides between jazz, folk, and rock so fluidly that one can be fooled by how easy the transitions sound. Guay’s delicate but lightning-fast playing is downright seductive when set against Salazar and Baldwin Bonilla’s polyrhythmic percussion and Paul Ahren’s gently pulsing upright bass. But the real secret weapon of Caja de Cuerdas might be flautist Treg Monty. It’s difficult sometimes to work a flute into a rhythmic ensemble simply because it sounds too smooth or laid-back, but Monty is an exquisite soloist who can make his instrument sound almost like a vocalist. These guys are stealthy as hell. The music is so pleasant that it can seem like they’re not breaking a sweat; but there’s some serious musicianship going on here. —Vincent Harris SATURDAY
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