Let’s pretend that I’m not on an early deadline right now. We’ll say it’s Tuesday morning and I’m exhausted, rolling into the office after a long weekend of festival-going. Wow, that jazz fest was great! Arts Beats and Eats — slammin! Did you catch Shades Agee at CPOP, painting graffiti? That was so cool! Well, if you missed it, you can still check out the work he created at the Winston Smith opening until Sept. 30. I know I was impressed (or maybe it was the fumes?) by Agee, who worked the cinderblock wall at the DEMF’s underground stage. So you’ll definitely want to check it out along with Smith’s subversively surreal and political punk collages. The artist is probably most famous for his “Idol” piece, a cheap, trophy-style Jesus nailed to a cross of dollars, which was used for the Dead Kennedys’ In God We Trust, Inc. album. Since the 1970s, he’s done various other album covers, magazine illustrations, etc. Some of his work was featured at CPOP’s 1999 grand opening for its new space on Woodward Avenue in Detroit. His exhibit, Only An Animal Could Understand, will be up at the gallery all this month.
TIE A STRING AROUND YOUR FINGER
The first story I wrote for Metro Times a little over a year ago was about a nice young band that didn’t seem to fit in anywhere. It had a big rock sound but no real niche, which was nice. It still doesn’t appear as though any of Detroit’s notorious “scenes” have adopted Elephant Gerald (pictured) yet, but that’s working out fine for the band. The band rocked the Pepsi Stage at Arts, Beats and Eats, and won the much-coveted opening slot for the B-52’s at Freedom Hill this Friday. And the following night, Elephant Gerald celebrates the release of its latest album, Six to Ten (Maybe), at the Shelter. The album is full of clean and loud rock anguish. If you’re into that, you’ll be into Elephant Gerald.
CELTIC KICK
The Prodigals isn’t your average swing-your-beer stein pub band, humoring the drunken masses with the same five traditional Irish songs that everyone knows over and over again. Instead, this fiercely fun foursome from Ireland and New York City picks up where the Pogues left off, mixing elements of punk, rock, jazz, prog and some wit with traditional Irish folk into something called jig-punk. Touring in support of their most recent release, Dreaming in Hell’s Kitchen, they’ll stop at the Detroit Gaelic League Irish Fest, Sunday, Sept. 16 at the Gaelic League-Irish American Club on Michigan Avenue. It’s $10. Call 313-964-8700.
GIT YER VIKI FIX
Viki’s “hott” off a “techno trash” performance this past Sunday at the Trumbullplex Theatre with Strangely Familiar (a folk acoustic duo), fashions by Bonnie, a drag-king show and a shadow puppet show. Wow, that sounds really fun. I hope I didn’t miss it. This early deadline thingy sure is weird! If you did, she’s going to be at the Elbow Room in Ypsi the following Sunday (this one, Sept. 9) as part of a packed show which starts at 6 p.m. Along with Viki, other performers include Flying Luttenbachers, Burmese, Max Cloud, Violent Ramp, Four Percent and Men of Porn.
MORE SHOWS
The Trembling and New Grenada celebrate the release of their split seven-inch Friday at detroit contemporary with Red Shirt Brigade and Violated By Lipstick.
Ten Words For Snow, a new project featuring ex-members of 7000 Dying Rats and Cromwell, has its debut performance Saturday at Berkley Front. They say that the new project doesn’t abandon melody unlike the more “chaotic” Dying Rats, “but the guitars still confuse and delight.”
See you last weekend!
E-mail In One Ear at mgiannini@metrotimes.com
