NYC/SLC ROCK & ROLL
Kicking off the 10th annual Slamdance Film Festival in sleazy-loud style, New York City’s Radical Records pits attitudinal east-coasters Queen V, Slunt, Sex Slaves and Skum against Salt Lake City hell-for-leather rockers The Wolfs and Stiletto. Regular readers of this rag know the local homeboys/girls can bring the noise, but do any of the visiting teams have the goods? Check out Queen V (that’s her name, bub), a dirty-sexy hard-rock belter with star power to burn and tunes that linger past the inevitable hangover. The NYC bands move on to Park City Saturday, so avoid the film people and come tonight. FRIDAY, Jan. 16 @ Vortex, 404 S. West Temple, 8 p.m. Info: 548-1834.
SUNDANCE MUSIC CAFE
Then again, if you’re one of the film people—or at least a credentialed Sundance Film-Fester—Park City’s Sundance Music Café (located once again in Main Street’s Plan B) is it. With a daytime performance lineup featuring the likes of Joe Jackson, All-American Rejects (Jan. 16), Shawn Colvin (Jan. 17), Jason Mraz, Edie Brickell (Jan. 18), John Hiatt, John Doe (Jan. 20) and Sam Phillips (Jan. 21), and Shelby Lynne (Jan. 22) in the evening, the only question to ask is, “How did All-American Rejects get in there?” FRIDAY, Jan. 16-SATURDAY, Jan. 24 @ Plan B, 268 Main, Park City, 2-6 p.m. (days) and 9 p.m.-1 a.m. (nights). Info: 435-615-7588 and www.sundance.org.
CYPRESS HILL
They’ve got Blackalicious (Jan. 16), G. Love & Special Sauce (Jan. 18), The Crystal Method (Jan. 20) and Fishbone (Jan. 24) to coincide with all things Sundance, but Cali hip-hop crew Cypress Hill are definitely the coolest Suede act of the season. From their initial groundbreaking introductions (1991’s Cypress Hill, 1993’s Black Sunday) to their recent rap/rock smackdowns (2000’s Skull & Bones, 2001’s Stoned Raiders), Muggs, Sen Dog and B-Real remain one of the most distinctive and experimental groups in the game. Of course, a new album would be nice ... SATURDAY, Jan. 17@ Suede, 1612 Ute Blvd. (Kimball Junction), Park City, 9 p.m. Info: 435-658-2665.
SXSW FINALS
This is where it all ends, as one band out of four finalists is awarded a free trip to Austin’s 2004 South By Southwest Music & Media conference; second place wins $300, third $200, and last a conciliatory pitcher of beer to cry in from City Weekly Showdown to SXSW organizer Andrea Walcher (she might even spring for the good stuff). Sometime between March 17-21, tonight’s winning band will perform for and hobnob with music-biz types from all over the world, as well as attend trade seminars and keynote speeches (admittedly, not very rock & roll) and party like monkeys (very rock & roll). SUNDAY, Jan 18 @ Port O’ Call, 78 W. 400 South, 9 p.m. Info: 575-7003 and www.slweekly.com.
IAN MOORE
Austinite Ian Moore once seemed destined to become another Stevie Ray Vaughan guitar-hero knockoff, but it turned out he was songwriter as well as a Strat-shredder—2001’s Via Satellite and his new concert DVD Live From the Cactus Café (IanMoore.com) being his ultimate melds of tunesmithing and six-string savvy. The change was dramatic only if you don’t know pop history. “The Beatles went from Meet the Beatles to Sgt. Pepper in two and a half years,” Moore told HipOnline. “Those guys back in their day were a living renaissance. Artists today get flack for changing at all in four years.” TUESDAY, Jan. 20 @ Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, 8 p.m. Info: 320-9887.
CLUMSY LOVERS
Not so long ago, hard-touring Vancouver Celtic-bluegrass quintet the Clumsy Lovers were fairly adamant in their resolve to not ink with a major: “All proceeds from our CDs go directly to us,” bassist Chris Jonat once said. “As crazy as it sounds, if we got signed I might have to get a day job.” That all changed when hometown label Nettwerk came knocking, and now last year’s After the Flood, the seventh and easily best Clumsy Lovers indie album, will be rereleased worldwide next month. Why the change of heart? Jonat: “They seem to genuinely like our music—imagine that!” TUESDAY, Jan. 20 @ Sound, 579 W. 200 South, 9:30 p.m. Info: 328-0255.
IMA ROBOT
The new wave of New Wave that includes redundantly-monikered bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Hot Hot Heat now brings you Los Angeles’ Ima Robot, compared to everyone from classic Bowie to “The Cars on PCP.” Ima Robot (Virgin), their electro-glam debut featuring the cool-jerky single “Dynamite,” however, was not the beginning. “We were like Behind the Music before the music,” spastic singer Alex Ebert told VH1. “We had our own scene generated; groupies and the whole 9 yards. It was just that the music industry was like, ‘We can’t market this. What the hell is this?’” TUESDAY, Jan. 20 @ Liquid Joe’s, 1249 E. 3300 South, 9:30 p.m. Info: 467-5637.
MACEO PARKER
Having worked with the likes of Ani DiFranco, James Taylor and Prince on 2000’s Dial: Maceo, jazz-funk saxophone legend Maceo Parker returned to basics for his latest album, Made By Maceo (What Are Records); the biggest guest name on it is sax hottie Candy Dulfer. Then again, who needs marquee fillers when you’ve got the man who backed up legends like James Brown and George Clinton back in the day? You know, before their respective jail time and descent into jam-band purgatory (no comment as to which is worse). TUESDAY, Jan 20 @ Port O’ Call, 78 W. 400 South, 9:30 p.m. Info: 521-0589.
COMING UP
MxPx (Sound, Jan. 22). N.E.R.D. (Harry O’s, Jan. 22). The Chieftains (Kingsbury Hall, Jan. 23). Patty Larkin (Fine Arts Auditorium, Jan. 23). Hamell on Trial (Halo, Jan. 24). Fishbone (Suede, Jan. 24). The Samples (Suede, Jan. 28). Vaux, Bear vs. Shark (Kilby Court, Jan. 30). Thin Lizzy (Expose, Jan. 30). Hank Williams III (Liquid Joe’s, Jan. 31). Gomez (Liquid Joe’s, Feb. 2). Victor Wooten (Suede, Feb. 2). Handsome Family (Liquid Joe’s, Feb. 3). Copeland (Kilby Court, Feb. 8). Bruce Cockburn (Rose Wagner Theater, Feb. 13). A Static Lullabye (Albee Square, Feb. 15). Drive-By Truckers (Halo, Feb. 17). Tooth & Nail Tour (Sound, Feb. 23).
