Trigger Hippy – Trigger Hippy (Rounder)
Musical chemistry is one of those crucial elements to making great art and more often than not, falls short when these plans are concocted by marketing departments versus the actual artists themselves. (Even then that’s no guarantee as bands from Blind Faith to Velvet Revolver have imploded under the weight of ego and interpersonal conflict.) Thankfully, that’s not the case with this collaboration that finds Joan Osborne, Jackie Greene and Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman joining forces. What this self-titled debut yielded are 11 songs wrapped in a roots rock sound that’s sure to hit the sweet spot of any Americana music junkie. Osborne and Greene stylistically fit hand-in-glove right out of the gate with the loping opening track “Rise Up Singing,” where they trade lines before uniting on the chorus “One of these days I’m gonna rise up, singing with you/One of these days, I’m gonna rise up, yes it’s true” over lazy organ runs and a crisp twang. This union continues to yield rich results, whether it’s the Bonnie Raitt-ish “Pretty Mess” or the particularly heartbreaking “Heartache On the Line,” which centers on a long-married couple whose love for each other has passed the expiration date. It’s the kind of organically-produced song that country radio should embrace but would probably wind up drowning under a homogenized production touch. Elsewhere, there’s plenty to sup on whether it’s Osborne funking it up on the syncopated “Cave Hill Cemetery,” the duo using dynamics to effectively drive home the alcohol/love analogy on the sizzling “Dry County” or tucking into the ethereal swamp-rock that is “Ain’t Persuaded Yet.” And “Nothing New” falls into a bit of a jam-bandy rut, the album wraps up nicely with “Adelaide,” a forlorn number that finds Greene wailing on harmonica while bassist/composer Nick Govrik steps up the mic and taps into the country side of Neil Young. With its delicious mix of soul, blues and country, Trigger Hippy carries on the musical legacy of Bonnie Raitt, The Band and Little Feat. (Joan Osborne will be appearing on Jan. 16 at Landmark on Main Street, 223 Main St., Port Washington. 516-767-6444 www.landmarkonmainstreet.org. Jackie Greene will be appearing on Jan. 16 at City Winery, 155 Varick St., NYC, 212-608-0555. www.citywinery.com.)
January 15
Manhattan
Sam Smith @ Madison Square Garden
4 Pennsylvania Plaza. 8 p.m. $102.40, $92.20, $80.95, $70.70, $48.65. 212-707-3131
www.thegarden.com
A third cousin to fellow UK singer-songwriter Lily Allen, Sam Smith seemingly came out of nowhere, emerging from the British music scene as the lead voice on hits by Disclosure (“Latch”) and Naughty Boy (“La La La”). Last year saw the release of his debut In the Lonely Hour. Appearances on Saturday Night Live and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon have helped catapult the 22-year-old vocalist into tying Beyonce and Pharrell Williams with six 2015 Grammy nominations and a spot headlining at the World’s Most Famous Arena.
January 16
Bay Shore
Marshall Crenshaw @ the YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts
37 W. Main St. 8 p.m. $40, $35. 631-969-1101
www.boultoncenter.org
Call him the pop equivalent of Forrest Gump. In addition to crafting a well-respected solo career that’s found a number of other artists covering his compositions, Marshall Crenshaw’s muse has found his finger in many different pies. He was a member of the road-show version of Beatlemania, played Buddy Holly in La Bamba, authored a number of rock & roll-themed books and toured as a member of DKT/MC5, a band of MC5 survivors. Since 2011, the Detroit native has been hosting a radio show called The Bottomless Pit on 90.7 WFUV where he spins music from his own enormous music collection.
January 17
Port Washington
Josh Ritter @ Landmark on Main Street
223 Main St. 8 p.m. $57, $52, $47. 516-767-6444
www.landmarkonmainstreet.org
One of the Americana music scene’s most enduring artists, Josh Ritter has been racking up loads of huzzahs dating back to his self-released, self-titled 1999 debut. Since that time, he’s gotten a boost from having his material tapped to use in the late HBO series, Six Feet Under, headlined Ireland (where a tribute band named Cork played nothing but Ritter compositions) and released six albums with the latest being 2013’s The Beast In Its Tracks.
January 18
Williamsburg
The Psychedelic Furs @ the Music Hall of Williamsburg
66 N. Sixth St. 8 p.m. $35. 212-486-5400
www.musichallofwilliamsburg.com
Save for a brief 1991 to 2001 hiatus that briefly spawned Love Spit Love, the Psychedelic Furs have been a living testament to New Wave and the power of John Hughes movies. Still going strong with the Butler brothers at the center of the proceedings, the Furs have lately taken to performing 1981’s Talk Talk Talk in its entirety up to and including classics like “Pretty In Pink” and “Into You Like a Train.” With Royston Langdon of Space Hog.
Manhattan
Cracker & Camper Van Beethoven @ B.B. King Blues Club and Grill
237 West 42nd St. 8 p.m. $25 adv. $30 DOS. 212-997-4144
www.bbkingblues.com
Dichotomy has always been a way of life for David Lowery dating back to his days with Camper Van Beethoven, which he once described as being like, “a bunch of hippies from the English empire taking acid and making Appalachian folk music mixed with psychedelic rock.” Or having Cracker tread more of a rocking, Americana-flavored path just as grunge was blowing pop culture up. Such is the case with Cracker’s new album, Berkeley to Bakersfield, which is a 2-CD set being released at a time when most artists are much less likely to release even a single disc in a world that seems to be trending more towards downloadable fare. Jan. 18
