THURSDAY 2/24
ALPHA BLONDY
When Bob Marley passed away in 1981, reggae devotees wondered if they’d ever see another legend as irie as he. Then Alpha Blondy hit the scene, and though the newcomer couldn’t replace Marley’s unique voice, he stepped up as a link to the future of positive vibrations. His eclectic background—born and raised in Cote d’Ivoire, he later studied English at New York’s Hunter College and Columbia University, then performed in Harlem night clubs—gives Blondy an edge over predecessors with an ear for blending traditional influences with the sounds of Pink Floyd, Otis Redding and Deep Purple. Like Marley, Blondy is a political powerhouse, speaking out against an unjust government through songs—many of which were banned from Ivory Coast airwaves. The revolution will not be televised, so catch him while you can. Suede, 1612 Ute Blvd. (Kimball Junction), Park City, 9 p.m. Tickets: 800-888-8499.
Also Thursday: High On Fire (Burt’s Tiki Lounge); Tailgunner (Urban Lounge); The Street (Velvet Room).
FRIDAY 2/25
THE BODY
Call Off the Search, The Body’s full-length debut CD, hits streets tonight. “Unsigned, but not broke,” the local sextet recorded, packaged and promoted their latest effort D.I.Y style, and the result is nothing less than 19 tracks of head-bobbin’ pleasure. Melding elements of hip-hop, dub and funk, they cast original notes, lyrics and beats against a fluid backdrop of live instrumentation. Armed with the sort of conscious music popularized by artists like the Roots, The Body aims to knock listeners upside the head and make them beg for more. Monk’s, 19 E. 200 South, 10 p.m. Info: 350-0950.
Also Friday: Letter Kills (Lo-Fi Café); Limbeck (Kilby Court); Kate Macleod & the Pancakes (Sugarbeats); SLUG Action Sports Night (Todd’s Bar & Grill).
SATURDAY 2/26
TAKE ACTION TOUR
Bands like Sugarcult, Hawthorne Heights, Hopesfall, Plain White Ts and Anberlin don’t need a social cause to spur their popularity. Their involvement with the fifth annual Take Action Tour rests in a genuine interest to further suicide prevention efforts. Back in 2001, Hopeless/Sub City Records president Louis Posen founded the event as a fundraiser for the National Hopeline Network. This year, ticket sales will also benefit the newly created Youth America Hotline, a peer-to-peer forum addressing both routine and extreme problems. It may sound trivial, but a kick-ass concert is as good as any reason to rock another day. Lo-Fi Café, 127 S. West Temple, 6 p.m. All-ages. Info: 480-5634.
THREE DOORS DOWN
When otherwise unremarkable rock band Three Doors Down struck mainstream music gold with “When I’m Gone,” an ode to our troops in Iraq, they acquired the sort of invincible quality reserved for football games and labor unions. Don’t like Three Doors Down? Well, then you must hate freedom. It’s not that the self-described good ol’ boys advocate bloodshed, they just think it’s more kosher to follow rules set forth by supreme authorities. That’s probably why lead singer Brad Arnold was so miffed over Dixie Chicks vocalist Natalie Maines’ now-infamous public denouncement of President Bush. “Even if she felt that way, she should have kept her mouth shut!” he told VH1. Delta Center, 300 W. South Temple, 7:30 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: 325-7328 (with Saliva).
Also Saturday: Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven (Star Bar, Park City); Jerry Joseph & the Jackmormons (Egos); The Body CD Release Pt. 2 (Urban Lounge); Ply & Reaper (DV8, see Scene & Heard, p.51).
SUNDAY 2/27
HOT HOT HEAT, LOUIS XIV
It takes some serious balls to name your band after an all-powerful French king. San Diego’s Louis XIV just so happen to have the sort of chops needed to back such serious chutzpah. With their cliché ties, suits and ascots, it’s hard to believe they come from a land revered for its sunny power-punk. In fact, one listen to the quartet’s wonderfully self-absorbed, self-titled debut and you’ll swear they’ve suckled at T-Rex’s teat. Strong bits of vintage Bowie and Stones also surface throughout songs like “Finding Out True Love Is Blind” and “God Kill the Queen.” Their sound has garnered critical praise, but nothing sums up these up-and-comers better than this: “Me, me, me, me is all I ever want to talk about,” lead vocalist/producer Jason Hill croons on “Louis XIV.” In the Venue, 579 W. 200 South, 7 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: 800-888-8499.
Also Sunday: Jinga-Boa (Monk’s); Jet Motor Crash (The Whiskey).
MONDAY 2/28
TINSLEY ELLIS
What’s the difference between a blues artist and a rocker who plays blues? Tinsley Ellis swears he falls into the latter category, and will even take offense at being grouped with the former. Ellis, who is humble in respect to his true blues predecessors, routinely attracts wide accolades for skills on par with guitar maestro Jeff Beck and Atlanta legend Blind Willie McTell. Ellis is also grouped with blues-guitarist peers Johnny Winter and Stevie Ray Vaughan, however he prefers to chart his own course. “I’m just following my heart. My music never leaves that blues base,” he says. “The voice of my music is the guitar and my guitar is always a blues guitar no matter what I’m playing.” Egos, 668 S. State, 9:30 p.m. Info: 521-5255.
Also Monday: Bear vs. Shark (Lo-Fi Café). Regina Carter (Sheraton City Center).
TUESDAY 3/1
Jimmy Cliff (Velvet Room); The Blood Brothers (Lo-Fi Café); Devotchka (Egos, Music, P.50).
COMING UP
Souls of Mischief (Lo-Fi Café, March 3). Modest Mouse (In the Venue, March 4-5). One Tree Hill Tour (Kingsbury Hall, March 4). OK Go (Sound, March 8). Pat Metheny (Kingsbury Hall, March 8). Goldfinger (Lo-Fi Café, March 9). Jucifer (Egos, March 10). These Arms Are Snakes (Lo-Fi Café, March 11). Young Dubliners (Velvet Room, March 11). Mother Hips (Egos, March 12). Tegan & Sarah (Lo-Fi Café, March 12). North Mississippi Allstars (Suede, March 15). Lyrics Born (Egos, March 16). Elvis Costello (Kingsbury Hall, March 20). Low (Velvet Room, March 21). The Decemberists (Lo-Fi Café, March 28).