Tag Archives: veruca salt

Thursday: Pavement/No Age @ The LC

You can thank me for the Pavement show. Buy me a beer or something and we’ll call it even.

A few months ago PromoWest made some concert announcements on Facebook and I replied that I was still waiting for them to book something I liked. I offered up Pavement, Faith No More and Soundgarden as three bands that I wanted to see. Apparently they took me up on one of my suggestions.

Of course, I’m old enough to be one of those people who saw Pavement “back in the day” and while they aren’t the most exciting band in the world to watch, for nostalgia sake, this show can’t be beat. And, as Bela pointed out, Superchunk put out a new CD this week too – it’s like a great week in 1995.

If you want a sneak preview into a potential Pavement setlist (just so you can brush up in case you haven’t heard some of these songs in 10 years), check out what songs the guys played in Milwaukee on Tuesday night.


(Spoiler: “Painted Soldiers” was NOT on the Milwaukee setlist but I dig this video because of the cameo by Veruca Salt at the end)

SubPop’s No Age opens the show at the LC on Thursday night. Tickets ($32.50) are still available but it should be a packed house full of aging hipsters and kids who want a history lesson in slacker rock.

The Blastronauts will be performing pre- and post-show at the A&R Bar next door to the LC. (Pssss … beer is cheaper here than at the LC so stop in for a drink or two before the show)

The Dollyrots – A Little Messed Up

The Dollyrots will be at Skully’s on Monday, August 30 along with The Cliks and Hunter Valentine. Sure, it’s a Monday night, but the show starts at 8 and should be over before anybody turns into a pumpkin.

I hit up a campus-area CD store last week, the day A Little Messed Up was released. The CD store owner told me that his UPS shipment hadn’t come in for the day and he wasn’t sure whether or not this CD would be part of his shipment.

“So, you know their stuff. What section should I put it in?” he asked. I was stumped.

“Well, they’re from the LA punk scene, but, really, they have a pop-rock edge,” I said.

Put a million bucks in Kelly, Luis, and Chris’s bank accounts and you might confuse them for one of the manufactured Disney teen pop queens (Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, etc.) but this trio is the real deal. They just happen to write (their own) sugary sweet songs with spit-and-snarl in the vocals and guitar. It’s the kind of stuff that has huge potential crossover appeal – from fans of ’90s alt.rock female-fronted bands (ie – Veruca Salt, Letters to Cleo, The Muffs) to old punk legends (The Buzzcocks) to newer pop-rock radio bands (Bowling for Soup), there’s something for a large cross section of music lovers in The Dollyrots music.



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Tonight: The Veronicas @ Skully’s

The Veronicas – Untouched

The Veronicas = ((Avril x 2) + Veruca Salt) + Enuff Z’Nuff drummer / Teen Disney

Originally marketed to a tween demographic, the twin sisters (Jessica and Lisa) that make up the Aussie pop-rock band The Veronicas have entered that awkward phase that Christina Aguilera went through after leaving Disney to start her solo career. They are good looking young women who appeal as much to guys in their 30’s as they do kids in their teens. And while it’s the kids who have their parents money to spend on merch, it’s the older audience that will take The Veronicas music seriously so the band has been touring rock clubs for the last couple of years rather than doing things like open for Miley Cyrus or The Jonas Brothers.

The Veronicas may tend to lean a little bit too much to the electro-pop (re: studio trickery) for my tastes but their more rocking songs do pack some Veruca Salt-like punch. And, while I realize he’s just a hired gun, it makes me happy to see Vik Foxx (Enuff Z’Nuff, Vince Neil Band, Warrant) as a member of the touring band.

Benco presents: The Veronicas with Pretty Reckless, The Love Willows / Skully’s Music Diner / $15 day of show / Doors at 7pm. More info here.