This Week in Davis:
Thao Nguyen, BoomSnake, Agent Ribbons
Woman Year, Many Many Books, Alak
United Nations Association Film Festival
Everest, The Cowboy Killers
Monday, 8 p.m., $8 in advance
Old Ironsides in Sacramento
New Thrill Parade, San Francisco Water Cooler, Mucky the Ducky
Tuesday, 8 p.m., donations accepted
Villanova House
MUSIC
Loch Lomond, The Last of the Blacksmiths, The Heather Show
Today, 8 p.m., $5
Luigi’s Fungarden in Sacramento
If the Decemberists were to meet Caribou in a stroke of chamber pop meets folksy experimental luck, the product of this musical rendezvous would surely be Loch Lomond. The Portland-based band is making a pit stop in Sactown before they set off for a trifecta of non-Coachella music festivals: Noise Pop in San Francisco, South by Southwest in Texas and the Sasquatch Festival in Washington.
Portugal. The Man, Owltrain, Alpha Children
Today, 8:30 p.m., $12
Harlow’s in Sacramento
Alpha children might wear grey, but such is not the case with the Sacramento foursome – though they take their band name from the Aldous Huxley classic, a more appropriate comparison would be Thrice and Circa Survive.
Thao Nguyen, BoomSnake, Agent Ribbons
Friday, 8 p.m., $8 general admission, $5 with a student ID
ASUCD Coffee House
She’s proved that she’s tough enough to brave bee stings, mature enough to sit at the big kids table and talented enough to earn a spot at San Francisco’s Noise Pop Festival. The indie songstress – a more upbeat Cat Power, a less syrupy Feist – will be sure to charm audiences with her folksy, poppy and sometimes silly musical endeavors.
T.O.P., Greyspace, Amen, The Foulmouths, DJ Chris Rockwell
Friday, 8 p.m., $5
Delta of Venus
I can’t say that I’ve found many things I like that come out of Stockton, but Greyspace could be an exception to the rule. Influenced by some of my own hip-hop favorites such as A Tribe Called Quest and Hieroglyphics, the rapper delivers his socially conscious rhymes over a jazz- and punk-tinged background.
Tyvek, Desario, San Kazakgascar, Not An Airplane
Friday, 8 p.m., $6
Luigi’s Fungarden in Sacramento
If you missed out on Tyvek’s show yesterday at the Coho, fret not. The Detroit pop thrashers will be but a short drive away, along with the instrumental jam sessions of psych-rock San Kazakgascar and the sweet sounds of Sactown acoustic act Not An Airplane.
Woman Year, Many Many Books, Alak
Saturday, 7 p.m., $5
Salmon Fish House
Talk about paring down: In addition to the shortened name (Jocelyn Noir was formerly known as AlasAlakAlaska) she will be performing a solo set without her backing band. But that shouldn’t hamper her sound, a strange but lovely crafting of poetry and lilting vocals.
Everest, The Cowboy Killers
Monday, 8 p.m., $8 in advance
Old Ironsides in Sacramento
In the midst of midterms, there’s nothing like a dose of thoughtful indie rock to soothe your test-taking anxieties. My prescription: Los Angeles-based band Everest, who has opened for acts like Neil Young and Death Cab for Cutie.
Paleo, Olive Drive, Brian Ang
Tuesday, 7 p.m., donations accepted
The Shack (C Street)
A routine lifestyle may be marked as boring, but there are others who make the most of their daily regimens. In 2006, David Strackany – the man behind Paleo – embarked on a musical project uploading one newly written song every day for a year. Though I’ve hardly even begun to sift through his archive of folk renderings (similar to other freak-folkers like Devendra Banhart and Drakkar Sauna), one of my early favorites has to be “Occam’s Razor,” if not for the title alone.
New Thrill Parade, San Francisco Water Cooler, Mucky the Ducky
Tuesday, 8 p.m., donations accepted
Villanova House
New Thrill Parade is no modest mouse: Eight members strong and a penchant for the baroque, the goth-glammers from Santa Cruz create a frantic, dark and heavy sonic experience that should win the approval of fans of other skronky acts like Butthole Surfers.
AT THE MOVIES
United Nations Association Film Festival
Sunday, 6:30 p.m. at the Varsity Theatre on Second Street
Environmentalism has been a hot topic for a while now, and deservingly so. The UNAFF highlights issues such as factory sustainability practices and renewable power.
THEATER / MONDAVI
Juan de Marcos
Today, 8 p.m., $30 general admission, $15 with a student ID
Jackson Hall
Maybe you don’t recognize the name, but you definitely recognize the sound – Juan de Marcos, the mastermind behind the swinging sounds of 17-piece jazz orchestra Buena Vista Social Club.
Beyond Therapy
Today through Saturday, 8 p.m. and Sunday, 2 p.m., $12 general admission, $9 with a student ID
Wyatt Pavilion
Student-run theater group Studio 301 takes on Christopher Durang’s comedy of a disastrous meeting between an emotional bisexual and a homophobe after their therapists recommend they place a personal ad.
RACHEL FILIPINAS can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.
