All Over Town

The annual cluster grope known as the NEA Extravaganza once again engorges the city’s nightclubs this weekend, and once again the desperate and the deserving will share stages in a mad circus that demolishes any dividing lines between art and commerce, fun and business, music and money. Even if the Extravaganza is billed as a celebration of the many music communities that exist beyond Music Row, there’s no denying that local business insiders continue to exert a powerful influence over the event.

Participants have complained this year that the Extravaganza is all about politics, about who buddies up to whom. Of course, such griping surfaces every year—which isn’t to say that it isn’t warranted. For those trying to find an open door into the music industry’s ivory tower, any hint of inside power plays only confirms their suspicions that such an event serves the city’s well-connected business leaders better than it serves hardworking artists yearning for a break.

That said, there’s plenty of music to be enjoyed at this year’s Extravaganza. The event is teeming with performers who appear regularly in town, so it’s up to fans to decide whether to catch their favorite local act at a more comfortable time or whether to support them in a potentially high-profile appearance. The schedule also features plenty of little-known local bands who don’t usually get the chance to perform to weekend crowds, and there are several solid out-of-town artists making rare Nashville appearances as well. Our best advice to club-goers is to plan ahead, be flexible—and feel free to stand up and dance at any time, no matter what the A&R guy at the table behind you says.

The sheer number of bands makes it impossible to mention every promising show, but there are still quite few we’re excited about:

Thursday

Amie’s presents a hard-rock show that proves aggressive sounds haven’t all been played out into pat formulas. Among these is a rare and welcome club appearance by CYOD, the Nashville studio group whose fascinating underground recordings fuse late ’60s/early ’70s Detroit punk, found sounds, and a barrage of percussive effects and media-damaged ideas. The group, which includes Bloodsucker Records founders Marky Nevers and Tony Crow, appears live about as often as Halley’s comet, and the results could be nearly as brilliant.

On the same bill, the young members of Daphne’s Operation and Methadone Actors suggest that the future of Nashville rock may be capable of breaking through old barriers. Across the street, the tuneful and compact Betty Rocker and the exuberant Jump Little Children and Everything should brighten up a bill of jam-oriented bands.

Pop fans are directed to Al E. Kats for a set by Ron Sexsmith, whose quavery, expressive voice and elliptically beautiful songs made his debut LP one of last year’s treasures. Arrive early and sneak a peek at A&M recording artist Paul Thorn, who’ll be opening for Sting in coming weeks at Madison Square Garden. At Henry’s down the block, Swan Dive, the elegant duo of vocalist Molly Felder and guitarist Bill DeMain, serves up a tart cocktail of cabaret jazz and torchy lush-life pop that’ll leave you shaken and stirred.

For sardonic, darker-edged pop with imagination, twisted wit, and hooks to spare, head to the Ace of Clubs for Igmo, the brainchild of Will & the Bushmen’s Mark Pfaff; the group resembles a Monty Python movie unreeling at double time to a Stiff Records soundtrack. They’re followed by Shazam, an endearing Cheap Trick fan club outfitted with snazzy songs and classic rock-god poses.

At the Sutler, Lucinda Williams anchors a wall-to-wall night of roots-based music. Also on the bill are Mandy Barnett and Joy Lynn White, two stylish belters who could make country radio a much nicer place to visit; Walt Wilkins and Phil Lee, a pair of hard-bitten up-and-comers loaded with style; and Kevin Gordon and John Sieger, two capable, charismatic songwriters whose undeniable talent should have them playing to national audiences. Across town, some of the nation’s leading alt-country lights shine at 328 Performance Hall. The roster includes the delightful North Carolina band Jolene, whose blend of college-radio rock and shambling country is one of the genre’s best hopes.

Wolfy’s features a solid lineup of adult singer-songwriters, with the early-evening triumvirate of Kent Agee, Mark Irwin, and Darrell Scott proving especially promising. At Jules a similar bill features local tunesmith Elisabeth Cutler, whose delicate voice belies the mad romanticism and angry edge of her lyrics.

Friday

The Waco Brothers are booze-bound comrades who recognize no cultural or stylistic borders. And with their Nashville appearance, the Chicago-based band (which features Mekons mainstay Jon Langford) should show that energy and ideas conquer form and formula every time. The Bros. headline an energy-packed roots-rock show at 3rd & Lindsley that will also include Austin’s highly touted Hang Dogs and the planet-rocking Sonny George.