:: The New York Dolls :: Gothic Theatre :: February 26 ::

By Tiffany Childs

It’s been said that New York Dolls are ‘The Beatles of Attitude.’ With their androgynous looks and ever-famous lipstick-scrawled name, New York Dolls breezed into the music scene more than 37 years ago. And even though they broke up 33 years ago in “a haze of smack withdrawal and managerial anarchy,” it turns out they never really left us.

As a band in the ’70s, New York Dolls didn’t really get a whole lot of appreciation. They seemed to come a little too early for what they were doing. However, today, the list of bands influenced by the Dolls’ brand of strutting rock and roll attitude covers everyone from The Sex Pistols to Guns N’ Roses. Recently The Marquee spoke with one of the only two original members still alive – front man David Johansen – about the long love affair our music world has had with New York Dolls.

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:: Keller Williams :: Fillmore Auditorium :: February 2 ::

By Timothy Dwenger

For more than 15 years the “One-Man Jamband” known as Keller Williams has been touring the country amazing fans with his intoxicating brand of improvisational rock music.

Though a one-man band, Williams’ stage frequently contains everything from a bass guitar on a stand to a bongo drum or two, several guitars and a piano. Proficient on all these instruments and more, Williams has developed a unique style of performing where he layers and loops these instruments live onstage using a pedal that can record any sound that is played and play it back in a loop allowing him to add other sounds and riffs to it, creating the sonic illusion of a full band. At any given time during a performance there could be as many as 10 or 12 different sounds emanating from the P.A., all perfectly synced and creating a richly textured soundscape for Williams to sing over.

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:: Drive-By Truckers :: Ogden Theater :: February 22 ::
 :: Fox Theatre :: February 23 ::

By Brian F. Johnson

It’s really amazing what a little bit of time away and some deep breaths can do.

Drive-By Truckers have been going almost non-stop since 2001, when they released Southern Rock Opera to an astonishing amount of critical and audience acclaim. That album set the wheels in motion for a non-stop whirlwind — album, tour, album tour lifestyle. The band followed Southern Rock Opera with Decoration Day (2003), The Dirty South (2004), and A Blessing and A Curse (2006).

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:: The Audition :: The Marquis Theater :: February 6 ::

By Tiffany Childs

The Audition, as a whole, is three years older than they were the last time they released an album. And you only need to give Champion, set to be released at the end of January, a quick listen to hear the difference. With an entirely different vibe than Controversy Loves Company, The Audition’s latest release is a leap forward into maturity for the Chicago-based quintet.

Vocalist Danny Stevens and drummer Ryan O’Connor recently sat down with The Marquee and Stevens said, “We have been touring a lot and seeing new stuff all the time, so this album is inspired by the world, really.” Another part of the record’s inspiration is, perhaps surprisingly, Justin Timberlake. Stevens told The Marquee that he is a big fan of the big soul and R&B sounds. Coming from a band that is often labeled as punk or alternative, that lends an interesting sexual quality to their music.

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:: Todd Snider :: Boulder Theater :: February 13 ::

By Lisa Oshlo

Armed only with a weathered acoustic guitar, small snare, tambourine and his rough-hewn voice, Todd Snider is turning heads across the country with his irreverent brand of folk-country-rock. A singer/songwriter in the tradition of John Prine and Arlo Guthrie, Snider also evokes the spirit of Outlaw country made famous by Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, and Willie Nelson. The Marquee caught up with him recently at his East Nashville home, where he spoke about those early musical influences.

“Those were just my heroes when I was young,” said Snider. “I wanted to copy them, and it wasn’t until I got older that I realized I wanted to be more like myself. I’d like to think I added a unique part to the niche I tried to jump into. Either way,” he chuckled, “I just like playing.”

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:: North Mississippi Allstars :: Bluebird Theatre :: February 14 ::

 :: Fox Theatre :: February 15 and 16 ::

By Karen Schneider

It’s been a busy and fun-filled eleven years for the North Mississippi Allstars, and 2008 marks yet another new beginning for the band. January will kick off their Keep The Devil Down Tour, coinciding with the release of their new album, Hernando on January 22.
Hernando marks a new direction for the band. In contrast to 2005’s star-studded Electric Blue Watermelon, a tribute to their ‘hill country blues’ roots; Hernando is a return to the southern blues rock that the members of the Allstars grew up on and have done wonders to pay homage to throughout their career.

“I’m real proud of it. I think it’s a raw and honest record,” Luther Dickinson told The Marquee in a recent interview.

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:: Bang Camaro :: :: Aggie Theatre :: February 20 ::
:: Fox Theatre :: February 21 :: Bluebird Theatre :: February 23 ::

By Brian Kenney

In years past, Christmas has come early for Boston’s Bang Camaro. The band has twice received the ultimate pop fuel-injection in the form of their inclusion in the year’s most popular X Box and Playstation video games: 2006’s Guitar Hero II and 2007’s Rock Band. Both hit the shelves just in time for the holiday rush and both have propelled Bang Camaro, with roots deep in the late ’80s hard rock sidekicks of Skid Row, Def Leppard and KISS, into a higher culture bracket as they reap the rewards of Christmas commercialism.

“Involvement with Guitar Hero and Rock Band has launched us into the national sphere,” said Bang Camaro guitarist and co-founder Bryn Bennett in a recent interview with The Marquee. “And we’ve been pretty lucky with iTunes,” he continued. “I think the whole industry is shifting right now. Maybe playing live shows is what’s going to push the market right now.”

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I took a lot of flack a few months ago when I wrote an editorial that claimed the CD was a dying medium. People told me I was out of my mind and that I should basically just shut up and go to hell. Well, this month my predictions came a bit closer to being true.
Apple has released a new laptop, called the MacBook Air, that doesn’t even have an optical drive (That’s a CD/DVD drive to you and me). Oh, sure, you can purchase an external drive, but according to Apple, it’s not really needed.

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By Brian F. Johnson

Audience members of Jam Cruise, Langerado, Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza may have seen a blur streak past them in recent years — a fiery ball of energy, just over five feet tall, that talks as fast as she moves and has a personality three times larger than her small physical stature.

That blur is Annabel Lukins, the director of marketing and artist relations for Jam Cruise. In addition to her duties on and off the boat for Cloud 9, the company that runs Jam Cruise, Lukins also handles marketing duties and artist relations for a variety of other high profile music festivals around the country.

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Moon over Sundance — Denver’s own Matthew Moon got a once-in-a-lifetime chance last month when he was asked to join Velvet Revolver on stage at the Sundance Film Festival. The Marquee’s chief photog, Soren McCarty, who shoots Sundance each year, reported that Moon’s amazing opportunity arose when Velvet Revolver’s front man Scott Weiland missed a flight into Sundance.

The band grabbed several singers to complete their set at Harry O’s, and Moon was chosen to sing on the band’s Rolling Stone’s cover, “Honky Tonk Woman.”

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Radiohead - In Rainbows
(TBD Records)

3.5 out of 5

Anyone who was even half-heartedly listening to the industry buzz last fall heard about Radiohead’s crazy idea to offer their newest album, In Rainbows, as a pay-what-you-think-it’s-worth-price download in October, months before the official release was to hit the streets.

The hype was so frantic (and loud) that we chose to wait on giving our take until the official release dropped, which it did on Jan. 1, 2008, to incredible success. It debuted at #1 in North America, and is the fifth consecutive Radiohead album to go to #1 in the U.K.

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This Month in music history
February 1
• 1992: “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred tops the singles charts
• 1968: Lisa Marie Presley is born exactly 9 months after Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s wedding
• 1964: Governor of Indiana declares “Louie Louie” by The Kingsmen pornographic
• 1952: Rick James is born (bitch!).
• 1949: RCA Victor introduces the 45 RPM record
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