Tonight's Show Recommendations
Sunburned Hand of the Man at Palimpsest Festival 2006
Sunburned Hand of the Man, Franklin's Mint, Diminished Men at Sunset Tavern, 9 p.m., $8
Chameleon band Sunburned Hand of the Man is constantly changing both its line-up and its sound, which makes describing the band difficult for label-reliant music critics. In reality, Sunburned Hand is less a band than a mutable collective of musicians experimenting with everything from free jazz to noise and punk rock, though the band is often associated with the New Weird America movement and "free folk." Even if you've seen Sunburned Hand of the Man before, every performance is a new experience; you never know what— or who — you're gonna see on that stage. Recently, the band suffered a huge loss, as Adam Nodelman, a member of both Franklin's Mint and Sunburned Hand of the Man, died suddenly at his home on August 25 from unknown causes. Fortunately for the fans, SHOTM and Franklin's Mint are both soldiering on and touring anyway, which makes it all the more important that fans old and new try their damndest to make it to the Sunset tonight.
The Henry Clay People, Final Spins at Nectar, 8 p.m., FREE
Everyone in the Final Spins has already stored up some cred in the indie bank from former bands. Former Throw Me The Statue drummer Joe Syversen takes the mic on this one, who's joined by with Blessed Light frontman Toby Gordon, Pica Beats drummer Colin English, Zach Tillman of Siberian and Chris Early of Amateur Radio Operator. Needless to say, I had high expectations. Which the band met. They've collected a nice little repertoire of indie pop songs, some of which are quiet and folky, while others do it loud and fast. I'll be excited to see whether they decide to make more of the softer stuff or if they'll go in a louder direction. If you haven't seen the band yet, they're brand, spankin' new and have only played a handful of shows, but they're on the fast track. Go see them.
Electric Six, Local H, Japanese Motors at Neumos, 8 p.m., $13, all ages
Our web intern Nick Feldman on Electric Six:
You know you're in for a show when band members use pseudonyms like those adopted by the members of Electric Six, Detroit's kings of over-the-top rock and roll. Specifically, it's Smorgasboard, Percussion World, The Colonel, Tait Nucleus?, Dick Valentine and Johnny Nashinal who are rocking your face off. And don't worry about trying to understand the goofy lyrics — singer/songwriter Valentine admits that they're mostly about nothing. Fifth record Flashy just dropped, and it doesn't fail to carry the hypersexual overtones of the previous four. As it says on their web site: "There are no themes on Flashy. Only hooks and aural delights. But we try to dress it up in glitter and neon along the way."
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