Weekend Ideas: October 17, 2014

img

It’s a Friday night to catch some of Boston’s best bands. Atop the list is this fall’s third and best edition of Crash Safely, a benefit for the National MS Society headed by a power-packed combo of Township, White Dynomite and the Field Effect at the Middle East Upstairs. Next door at T.T. the Bear’s Place, there’s also an Animal Rescue League benefit including Cask Mouse, the Rationales and Muy Cansado — a CD release party for the latest Boston Does Boston release, where local bands cover each other’s songs. And the veteran chamber-rock outfit Birdsongs of the Mesozoic lays its soundscapes at Johnny D’s Uptown.

The locally bred options continue Saturday with Dinosaur Jr. leader J Mascis stripping it back behind his appealing solo effort Tied to a Star and Beverly post-punk favorites Caspian celebrating their 10th anniversary with a concert at their hometown’s Larcom Theatre, sampling the band’s catalog in chronological order.

There’s more action on tap Saturday, including groovy English indie-rockers Bombay Bicycle Club at House of Blues. On the jazz front, singer Dianne Reeves entertains at the Berklee Performance Center while the 37th annual John Coltrane Memorial Concert honors the 50th anniversary of the landmark A Love Supreme at Northeastern’s Blackman Theatre with guest saxman Donald Harrison joining a septet that includes Leonard Brown, Yoron Israel and George W. Russell, Jr.

Sunday turns to downtown theaters. Pink Floyd may have a new album, but don’t expect any tour; leave that to the Australian Pink Floyd Show to recreate down to the lights, props and lasers as well as fine musicianship at the Orpheum.  And when it comes to reinvention with covers, the YouTube-boosted Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox gives contemporary pop like this Robin Thicke hit the jazzy old-time treatment at the Wilbur.

Finally, for a Thursday Throwback, with the passing of British house-music producer Mark Bell this week, here’s a 1998 show where Bell mixed electronic rhythms opposite a string octet on singer Bjork’s Homogenic tour.


Related Articles

Comments are closed.