Black Crowes lead singer Chris Robinson has a big mouth. And I doubt that he would challenge me on that statement. Since the Crowes emerged on the national scene in 1990, Robinson has established a track record for consistently speaking his mind, even if some folks don’t appreciate what he has to say.
During the band’s first national tour, opening for ZZ Top, Robinson relentlessly criticized – from the stage – the headliner’s sponsorship deal with Miller Beer, believing that to accept money for logo placement represented artistic treachery. This kept up for a few shows, until ZZ Top manager Bill Hamm told the band that they were fired.
Most recently, politics was the subject of a Robinson rant. At the Black Crowes’ show in Tampa this past Sunday, Robinson was not pleased when, after a picture of the band’s trademark (a cartoon-style bird resembling Heckle and / or Jeckle) dressed as Uncle Sam was projected on a screen behind the band, some members of the audience began to chant “U.S.A.! U.S.A!”
According to multiple reports, Robinson responded by saying, “Thanks for the geography lesson. I don’t know what you have to be so proud of right now.” When a chorus of boos erupted, he went on to say, “For those of you fucking booing us, some of us are not afraid. And we most assuredly are not fucking ignorant!”
So does this mean that the Black Crowes won’t be appearing at the Freedom 250 concert series in Washington?
Ticket Alert
It would be incorrect to say that Josh Groban can do it all, but he can do damn near most of it. In addition to a career as a multiplatinum singer, Groban has also established himself as an actor (“Glee,” “The Office”) and a Broadway leading man (“Sweeny Todd”). Groban will pull all of this together in a concert called “Stage, Screen and Symphony” on Thursday, September 3, at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.
Swedish duo Roxette (Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle) were a big deal in their native country and unknown in the United States until an American exchange student brought a copy of the album Look Sharp back to the states and his hometown of Minneapolis in 1988. A local radio station began playing the song “The Look,” and Roxette was soon all over MTV and top 40 radio. Roxette (with Len Philipsson in place of the late Fredriksson) will be on the road this fall, performing at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Saturday, September 26, and headlining a bill that will also include fellow ‘80s hitmakers Taylor Dayne (“Tell It to My Heart”) and Nick Lowe (“Cruel to Be Kind”).
Those of us who think back fondly on the days when the Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers were in their prime are damn glad that Gov’t Mule exists. Badass players? Check. An ever-changing set list? Yep. A willingness to venture into uncharted musical territories? You bet. Mule guitarist Warren Haynes was in Houston a couple of months ago as part of a solo acoustic tour, but this time around, it’s the entire band, performing on Tuesday, October 13, at the Smart Financial Centre. Presales are in progress, with the general sale set for Friday.
Concerts This Week
Singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale and his band The Game Changers will play at the Continental Club on Thursday. While Lauderdale has achieved his greatest success (and yes, that is a relative term) writing songs recorded by others (George Strait, Patty Loveless, George Jones, the Chicks, Old Crow Medicine Show, Lucinda Williams, Charley Crockett, Dave Edmunds), he is an engaging performer who has released over 30 solo albums, working for several years with Grateful Dead songwriter Robert Hunter.
As they say in Australia, “Brace yourself, Sheila!” With thousands upon thousands of World Cup aficionados prepared to pounce on Houston over the next several weeks, it is perhaps fitting that Yellowcard is set to perform at the 713 Music Hall on Thursday. For those who do not follow fútbol, it may be helpful to know that the band’s name stems from a warning (a “yellow card”) that may be issued by a referee to caution a player regarding his conduct on the pitch. In the case of Yellowcard, the band members used to term during their high school years to describe a “party foul,” e.g. spilling beer (or worse) on the carpet.
It would be easy to lump Chris Duarte in with the gaggle of blues guitarists that rose to prominence in the early ‘90s, filling the void left by Stevie Ray Vaughan’s passing. But there’s more to Duarte’s style than recycled blooz schtick. The San Antonio native can certainly play the blues, but he deftly incorporates jazz influences into his work, inspired by greats like saxophonist John Coltrane. Duarte performs on Friday at the Mucky Duck.
“Sunny Came Home” was a huge hit for Shawn Colvin in 1997, winning Grammy awards for Song of the Year and Record of the Year. Though Colvin has maintained a somewhat lower profile since then, the singer-songwriter has remained visible, releasing a string of solo albums and collaborating with artists like Steve Earle and Sting. Additionally, Colvin has written an autobiography (Diamond in the Rough) and appeared as a guest star on a number of television shows, most notably providing the voice of Ned Flanders’ girlfriend in “The Simpsons” episode “Alone Again, Natura-Diddily.” Catch her act on Friday at the Heights Theater.
On Saturday, the “R and B Lovers” tour arrives at Toyota Center, boasting a bill that includes Keith Sweat, Joe, Dru Hill, Ginuwine and Kut Klose. ‘Cause Knowledge is Power: Keith Sweat is best known for kick-starting the New Jack Swing movement with his 1987 song “I Want Her,” but prior to that, he had success in the business world, working for both the New York Stock Exchange and the New York Mercantile Exchange.
The band is called Wolfmother, but a more accurate moniker might be Andrew Stockdale and Whoever He Is Playing with This Week. Guitarist / vocalist / band leader Stockdale has been the only constant in Wolfmother’s history, with over 20 musicians coming in and out of the lineup since 2004. Well, actually, the other constant is a sound that incorporates influences from Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and other hard rock and heavy metal acts from the early ‘70s. Bang your head with Stockdale and the gang on Monday at the House of Blues.
