DARE DUKES & THE BLACKSTOCK COLLECTION
Kicking off a national tour with a (sort-of) hometown show, this singer/songwriter is one of the shining lights on the Savannah music scene. He is a champion among acoustic indie-rockers, intelligent but not clumsily so, surreal and melodic but not cloying, with arrangements that go beyond guitar, bass and drums and serve the song entirely.
That’s a mouthful, to be sure. But Dukes – who divides his time between Savannah and New York City, where he has a pretty sweet job in the private sector – makes music that rewards repeated listenings.
“The way I see it,” he says, “(America) is a place filled with eccentric characters, all on their own strange mission – some nuts, some saner than the rest of us. These missions, these people, they’re what my music is about.”
Dukes’ Prettiest Transmitter of All CD was one of the best-reviewed acoustic indie CDs of last year. If you like Sparklehorse, Sufjan Stevens, Guided By Voices, that sort of eccentric melody-pop, check out the Dukemeister. Listen & learn: www.daredukes.com. At 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17 at the Sentient Bean, 13 E. Park Ave. $5 suggested donation.
SLICK IDIOT
Here’s a sweet deal for uber-fans of German electronica/industrial music. En Esch and and Guenter Schulz, late of the pioneering KMFDM, put this band together 10 years ago, along the way performing as members of Pigface and releasing the albums DICKNity, Screwtinized and SUCKSESS. Esch and Schulz, who’ve been making music together since the ‘80s, are the real deal – German industrialists. Yavol! With Shrapnel, Embersreisch and Mono Crow. Listen & learn: www.slickidiot.com. At 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18 at the Wormhole, 2307 Bull St.
MODERN SKIRTS
Pure pop and proud of it, this Athens-based quartet combines keen songcraft (uncommon melodies, chord changes and smart lyrics) with Beach Boys-style vocal harmonies. There’s something very early ‘70s about Modern Skirts – dare I cite the great Emmit Rhodes again? – and that’s probably what drove R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills (no stranger to lush harmonies himself) to produce a track on the Skirts’ All of Us in Our Night CD. The rest of the album was produced by Cracker’s David Lowery. Listen & learn: www.modernskirts.com. At 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18 at the Live Wire Music Hall, 307 W. River St. $8.
BLACKTUSK
Total heaviosity rules: Now four years young, Savannah’s molten-metal trio consists of bass, drums and guitar “with a triple attack of vocals.” Past U.S. tours have featured Blacktusk supporting Baroness, Skeletonwitch, Weedeater, Valient Thorr, ASG, Deadbird and Kylesa, to name but a few. This date is a record release party, to celebrate the release of several new split records with other bands, available at www.shirtkiller.com. Listen & learn: www.blacktuskterror.com. At 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19 at the Jinx, 127 W. Congress St. $7. With Armazilla (from Atlanta) and Ammon (another Savannah band).
