THURSDAY-SATURDAY 10.13-15
Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra
The name is German, but the romantic, generally laid-back music evokes the Iberian Peninsula. Five-time Grammy Award-winning acoustic guitarist Ottmar Liebert is an international sensation; with 29 studio albums since his 1989 debut Marita: Shadows and Storms, Cologne-born Liebert's brand of instrumental pop-jazz-New Age music is a recipe for success. His albums have earned 38 Gold and Platinum certifications in the U.S.; he's a popular concert draw here in his adopted home country, as well as around the globe. Liebert's most recent album with his group Luna Negra, 2015's Waiting n Swan, adds reggae flavors to the more familiar Latin stylings, and features readings of several reggae standards including "I Shot the Sheriff," "Jammin'" and "No Woman No Cry." (Bill Kopp) The Egyptian Theatre, 328 Main, Park City, 8 p.m., $23-$45 ($5 fee if purchased within 30 minutes of showtime), EgyptianTheatreCompany.org
THURSDAY 10.13
Gojira, Tesseract
French metal foursome Gojira plays an epic and heady brew of doom, technical death and progressive metal, and even dips into groove on their sixth album, Magma (Roadrunner, 2016). I spoke to singer-guitarist Joe Duplantier for Guitar World, and he said that the album's title track makes him especially proud as a guitarist, and his reply was as brainy as the band's sound. "I'm limited by the reality of the pinch harmonic," he says of his technique. "You can only get certain notes, so I came up with a melody that used those notes—and it's a very, very challenging thing to play. I don't know how I'm gonna pull it off live ... yet." It's not on the setlist as of press time, but the album is on YouTube, so you can at least hear "Magma" there in all its ethereal, harmonic glory. But don't fret; Gojira's 16-song set has plenty of goodness in store. (Randy Harward) The Complex, 536 W. 100 South, 7 p.m., $27 in advance, $32 day of, TheComplexSLC.com
FRIDAY 10.14
honeyhoney
If ever a band opted for truth in advertising, then credit honeyhoney's Suzanne Santo and Ben Jaffe for affirming their cushy handle. With their beguiling harmonies and gently nuanced delivery, they sound like a couple you'd like living next door to, given a back-porch approach that's as snug as a tattered pair of jeans. But don't let that homespun sound fool you. They boast some big name associations, from actor Kiefer Sutherland—who signed them to his independent Ironworks label early on, then helmed one of their first music videos—to Grammy-winning Dave Cobb, producer of their latest album, 3, and the man behind the boards for such fabled clientele as Chris Stapleton, Lake Street Dive, Jason Isbell, the Oak Ridge Boys and many others. That suggests some sweet tidings indeed. (Lee Zimmerman) The State Room, 638 S. State, 9 p.m., $17, 21+, TheStateRoomSLC.com
SATURDAY 10.15
Alestorm, Nekrogoblikon, Aether Realm, Principium
The idea for the "Super Smashed Turbo Tour" is inspired. Headliner Alestorm hails from Scotland (or the Caribbean, if you believe their bio), and their keytar-playing singer performs in a pirate hat and kilt while fans bat around an inflatable shark and wave inflatable swords. They call their music "bacon-flavored pirate core," which translates to a brew of folk and power metal with swashbucklin' ditties called "Walk the Plank" and "Mead from Hell." California's Nekrogoblikon, fronted by an ugly green accountant with low self-esteem and a diabolical temper, plays melodic death metal with flashes of hip-hop, EDM and even bluegrass. And then we have Aether Realm, a buzzy viking-metal band from North Carolina. It's unclear why they've chosen a bear to represent them on tour posters, but it's a nice setup for a cheap Wizard of Oz reference. Pirates and goblins and bears, oh my! (Randy Harward) Metro Music Hall, 615 W. 100 South, 8 p.m., $20 in advance, $25 day of show, 21+, Facebook.com/MetroMusicHall
Ani DiFranco, Chastity Brown
Feminist hero. Alt-rock icon. Indie artist before it was cool. All of those labels apply to singer-songwriter-guitarist Ani DiFranco. Beginning with her self-titled 1990 debut, DiFranco asserted her creative identity. Her catalog includes 18 studio albums plus nearly 20 "official bootleg" live releases, and the output is remarkably consistent, with near-unanimous critical praise for the majority of her work. A nine-time Grammy nominee (with one win), DiFranco is a popular speaker on social and cultural topics, and has also published two books of poetry. She's a keenly incisive observer of socio-political issues—she was even given the 2009 Woody Guthrie Award for being a voice of positive social change—but she rarely lets preachy lyrics get in the way of a rousing tune. (BK) The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, 9 p.m., $28 in advance, $35 day of, DepotSLC.com
SUNDAY 10.16
Dizzy Wright, Audio Push & Mark Battles, Demrick & T Dubz
Under the rallying cry, "Wisdom and Good Vibes," Las Vegas-based rapper Dizzy Wright has blazed quite the trail since 2012, when he dropped Smokeout Conversations on Hopsin's now-defunct Funk Volume label. At the time, he aimed to prove he's a determined, motivated weed fiend, which he recalls in a recent tweet: "Told @DJHoppa in 2012 we gotta set a good example and be active stoners 4 years later we still going hard for that." He's likewise going hard, spittin' rhymes on his new album, The Growing Process, for his new label, Warner Bros. In fact, he's already followed it up with two EPs: the independently released Wisdom and Good Vibes and The 702 EP (Still Movin'), which find his flow both laid-back and, ironically, focused. Which means he's probably puffin' a hybrid. (RH) The Complex, 536 W. 100 South, 7 p.m., $20 in advance, $25 day of, TheComplexSLC.com
TUESDAY 10.18
of Montreal, TEEN
Let's make one thing clear: It's hard to get a handle on of Montreal. For one thing, they're not of Montreal at all, but rather from Athens, Ga. Their name came about when founder Kevin Barnes was starting the band while lamenting his break-up with a woman "of Montreal." For another, their often-quirky sound has steadily shifted over the years, from their effusive indie origins through flirtations with glam, funk, electronica, prog and punk. Little wonder, then, that the band resides well below the radar. Still, those in the know have come to appreciate the evolution that's transpired over the course of 14 albums, 20 years and a nonstop parade of personnel. Unpredictable to a fault, the band can't disguise the fact that they're proud to be precocious. (LZ) The Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, 8 p.m., $20, 21+, TheUrbanLoungeSLC.com
Indigo Girls
After more than 30 years, the Indigo Girls continue to mine a folk-rock pastiche defined by reassuring melodies, uplifting anthems and an unceasingly expressive approach. Consequently, it's impressive to find they've stayed true to their template without succumbing to redundancy. While themes of love, loss, heartache and happiness retrace familiar terrain, their rabid fans never have reason to complain, thanks to a communal embrace and seamless harmonies which remain essential to their sound. Indeed, one would be challenged to name another duo that's been so similarly compatible for so long. Simon & Garfunkel? Nope. The Everly Brothers? Not without break-ups and reconciliations. Hall & Oates? It's commercial, not creative, impetus there. Consequently, there's something to be said for consistency, and two women who offer reason to both rock and rejoice. (Lee Zimmerman) Park City Live, 427 Main, 9 p.m., $40-$85, 21+, ParkCityLive.net
