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Artvoice Weekly Edition » Issue v6n49 (12/06/2007) » Section: Calendar Spotlight


The Casualties

Debates over the authenticity of New York punk band the Casualties are pretty hard to justify when they so clearly look and sound the part. Any criticism is likely spawned by the band members’ own reported opinion that the “Golden Age” of punk had reached its prime by 1985, and that they are one of the only bands around that retains the values of early punk rock. While assertions like these might make it hard for the band to explain headlining Warped Tour in 2004, questioning the music itself seems a moot point. With a series of high energy recordings and a fiercely passionate live stage presence, the Casualties are inarguably the real deal. As guitarist Jake Kolatis put it, “We look it, we live it, we love it.” The Casualties play the Mohawk Place on Friday (Dec. 7), 8pm.



Ryan Montbleau Band

Busy playing over 200 gigs a year for the past few years, the Ryan Montbleau Band seems finally on the verge of acheiving a national reputation. One reason they’ve remained on the edge of fame is the difficulty in categorizing the band’s music, which has been described as Martin Sexton—by way of Stevie Wonder and Van Morrison—and “a funk bass player channeling John Lee Hooker…and a healthy helping of Robert Plant” (Boston rock-n-roll zine The Noise). With his beginning playing Boston area coffeehouses as a solo artist, Montbleau’s music is also firmly planted in the folk tradition of percussive, fingerpicking guitar work and sweet lyrics. But the addition of the four other members makes for a powerful blues-rock dynamic that runs the gauntlet of 70s, 80s, 90s and new millenial sounds. The Ryan Montbleau Band plays at Nietzsche’s on Saturday (Dec. 8), at 10pm



Lowest of the Low

After 17 years of ups and down, Canadian rock legends the Lowest of the Low have chosen Williamsville’s Club Infinity as the venue for their “final farewell performance,” which is incidentally the band’s first club show in three years. As Saturday’s (Dec. 8) show draws near, LOTL members Ron Hawkins, Stephen Stanley, David Alexander, Lawrence Nichols and Dylan Parker can look back on a long, illustrious career peppered with numerous awards, solid record sales and a reputation as one of their nation’s most popular rock bands. Their debut album, 1991’s Shakespeare My Butt, took the scene by storm, inspiring Chart Magazine to name it the Sixth Best Canadian Album of All Time. The most recent release, Sordid Fiction, serves as the group’s swan song—although they will presumably wow the crowd with a retrospective of all their classic material. Special guests are fellow Canadians the Marble Index and A Potter’s Field. Doors at Club Infinity open at 7pm.



Tim Williams

Among the crop of tragic, melancholy singer/songwriters, Brooklyn native Tim Williams stands out with his spare, honest and beautifully-crafted albums—the most recent of which, When Work Is Done, is now out on NYC indie label Dovecote Records. Produced in the UK, this latest recording was made possible through an opportune meeting between Williams and British producer Dave Lynch following Williams’ performance at the CMJ Music Marathon in 2004. Lynch’s production skills and the addition of backing musicians—brothers Paul and Phil Wilkinson—lift When Work Is Done out of the dark, alcohol-drenched funk of Williams’ previous albums. The sound may be more upbeat, but still conveys a profound thoughtfulness and the unique portrait of the world as the singer sees it. Tim Williams plays at Mohawk Place on Monday (Dec. 10) with the Black Atlantic (featuring former Shai Hulud vocalist Geert van der Velde), White York and Elipsus.





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