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Sactown Rundown - August 13-19
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Marie Daulne leads the soul stew of Zap Mama (Courtesy photo)
Any rock and roll played this weekend (and for the foreseeable future) will be somewhat bittersweet with today’s news that Les Paul has passed away at the age of 94.
It’s hard to imagine anything radiating the spirit and gut twisting power of rock and roll more than the solid body soul of a Gibson Les Paul guitar. Needless to say, it’s the players, the songwriters and the artists that make rock music what it is, but as an indelible pioneer of the genre, Paul made his mark on rock history by giving those artists their paint and canvas in the form of one of the most beloved and oft-used axes of all time.
OK, I digress, but take the time to pour one out this weekend for Paul, and listen to your favorite guitar solo while you’re at it (no Telecasters allowed). And if you do see any of these groups below (or live music at all this weekend), just think about where it would be without Les Paul.
Dredg - Few bands are harder to stuff in a pillbox and file in your medicine cabinet than the Bay Area’s Dredg; you could just as easily put them next to the NoDoz as you could the Xanax, but you’d have to take both of them along with a stiff gin and tonic to get the same effect. While their epic 1998 rock saga “Lietmotif” is almost impossible to top, their newest album “The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion” finds the group exploring a softer side beneath the swirl of heavy-thumping agro-rock. RX Bandits and As Tall as Lions join the party. 6:30 p.m. Monday. Empire, 1417 R St. $20. www.tickets.com.
Forrofiando - If there is any band that could actually make Old Ironsides seem bright and sunny, it would be this group of Brazilian bombardiers from the Bay Area; let’s not lie, as much as we all love Old I’s, it is somewhat dank and doesn’t exactly scream South American sunbathing. Taking Forro rhythms, a folkloric brand of dance-charged beats, and giving them their own unique spin, this fiery four piece is making this somewhat obscure brand of tunes into a bit of an budding craze. Fans of regular Old I visitors SambaDa should be quickly smitten. Cana Mecanica joins the fun. 9 p.m. Friday. 1901 10th St. $10. www.theoldironsides.com.
Kill the Precedent - If you’re thinking these guys aren’t the warm and fuzzy types, well, you’d be right. Actually, that would be quite the understatement, but there’s always room for more bands that use guitar strings and drum sticks to skewer corporate America. This band’s version of a “Happy Meal” would be to watch a McDonald’s burn to the ground, and their raucous punk rock riptide might just be the fuse that starts the metaphorical blaze. This upstart Sacramento group will be waging sonic warfare against the status quo with long time local hard rock act Will Haven, as well as Sindicate 916. 9 p.m. Friday. Blue Lamp, 1400 Alhambra Blvd. $8. www.myspace.com/bluelamp.
Zap Mama - As transcendent a Worldbeat performer as there is to be found, vocalist Marie Daulne celebrates the release of “ReCreation” and leads the globally spread Zap Mama with a soul-charged zest and arousing gusto. Born in Africa and raised in Belguim, Daulne has evolved the group from a cappella group to a stew of organic soul, funk, rock, jazz and rhythms snagged from all corners of the world, played with equal vigor by her internationally assembled band. And here’s the best part: Zap Mama will be performing outdoors, it’s free, and picnics are welcome. Here’s the only bad part: No booze allowed, so you’d best pre-party in downtown Davis first. Open 6:30 p.m.; show 7:30 p.m. The Quad at University of California, Davis. Free. www.mondaviarts.org.
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