RINGO STARR & HIS ALL-STARR BAND
Smart Financial Centre, November 2
You would think that at age 77, Ringo Starr might relax a little. After all, when you’re a Beatle it seems like really all you should have to do is just show up and do the bare minimum to thrill a crowd. But rather than be the guy who shows up to play some of the most well-known songs in human history and a bunch of deep cuts, Ringo is still at it giving fans a hit parade with some help from His All-Starr Band. So yes, you’ll hear “Yellow Submarine” and “With a Little Help From My Friends,” but you’ll also hear songs from Toto, Santana and Mr. Mister. Yes, it’s a little weird and a little silly, but this is Ringo we’re talking about after all. Just roll with it. He’s a Beatle; he knows what he’s doing. CORY GARCIA
FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL
Last Concert Cafe, November 4 and 5
In the scheme of things, Last Concert Cafe keeps a pretty low profile within the local music scene, but their laid-back attitude toward marketing tends to obscure the fact that the tasty Tex-Mex cafe with the stage out back is one of the great grass-roots music venues in the city. However, everything that makes Last Concert unique, and such a cool place to see a show, will be front and center during this weekend’s Fall Harvest festival. The program calls for 12 bands over two days, most of them proffering one imaginative permutation of funk or another, and starting with the two mighty branches of the extended Meters family tree on board as headliners; Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk (Saturday) and George Porter Jr. & the Runnin’ Pardners (Sunday). Sweetening the pot, as it were, are Austin’s Bourgeoise Mystics; NOLA futurists Naughty Professor; the hyper-creative youngsters in Paperwolf; local reggae stalwarts Idiginis; and lots more. Tickets are $30 per day — for a lot of music — or $50 for both, and don’t miss Friday’s free pre-party featuring three of Houston’s up-and-coming groove-meisters in Soul Creatures, Tightn’ Up and Now We Fly. Gates open at CHRIS GRAY
POPPY
House of Blues, November 5
Poppy is the best pop star cum potential cult member/leader you’re not listening to. Her music drifts between completely cringe-worthy – “I want your floppy disc to be my hard drive” — to complete genius – “Interweb” and “Pop Music” are total gems – but are always catchy. Her debut album, Poppy.Computer, is the perfect thing for a generation more and more engaged with computers and social media; songs like “Computer Boy” and “Software Upgrade” have lyrics straight out of the more eccentric parts of Tumblr. It’s also refreshingly straight forward, ditching subtly and fully embracing the weirdness of modern pop fandom. But an album is only a moment in time, so best to catch what Poppy has to say now before she sets her sights on something else. Whatever the subject, she’s sure to produce some bangers. CORY GARCIA
This article appears in Oct 26 – Nov 1, 2017.
