Chuck Berry’s 70th birthday will be celebrated in suitably swinging fashion this Friday at 12th & Porter by a collection of veteran rockers who have been working through Berry’s songs, with their descending double-stops and three-chord blues figures. Dubbed The 28’s, the band will feature Garry Tallent on bass, Doug Lancio on guitar, Brent Little on guitar and vocals, Jack Irwin on keys, and Tommy Meyer on drums. Mike Grimes, a local guitarist and record-collecting enthusiast, will spin jump blues songs to kick off the evening.
Irwin, who organized the affair, says the band has been trying to find different ways to kick off different songs; as played in Berry’s inimitable style, they can begin to sound similar after a while. At the encouragement of Tallent, Irwin also contacted Berry to invite him to the gig. When Irwin called Berry Park in Wentsville, Mo., an unmistakable voice answered the phone with a colorful “hel-l-l-l-o-o-o.”
“It was Chuck,” says Irwin. “It freaked me out at first, but we had a nice little chat. He’s been working quite a bit.” Berry told Irwin his schedule, which included shows in Dallas, Mississippi, at the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, and in Europe. Berry also explained that he’d be busy playing a private party this Friday and wouldn’t be able to attend the tribute. When Irwin asked where the party would take place, Berry replied, “I can’t tell you—that’s why it’s private.”
Those interested in the raggedly literate end of the Nashville songwriting community will want to catch an early-evening show Thursday at Station Inn. Billed as Left at the Station, the show will feature four young songwriters who’ve each been creating a buzz on their own; together, they should prove that the future of country songwriting promises more than such radio fare as “Daddy’s Money” and “The Watermelon Crawl.” Inspired more by Guy Clark and Kris Kristofferson than by Gary Burr and Bob DiPiero, the writers—Chris Knight, Kimmie Rhodes, Bruce Robison, and Walt Wilkins—suggest that the outlaw side of Nashville songwriting will stay alive into the next century. The show begins at 6 p.m.
Emmet Swimming, a modern-rock quartet on Epic Records, makes its Nashville debut this coming Wednesday at 12th & Porter. According to Epic, Nashville has been marked as a breakout city for the band; in other words, the label hopes to use our city to establish a fan base at retail and radio. Those who enjoy listening to mean-spirited, spoiled college grads spew sardonic judgments and indulge in bad literary illusions won’t want to miss them. Sample lines like “Ivana’s a sculptor, but she’s tending bar, piercing her nipples in the name of art” might suggest misogynistic tendencies, but the band distributes its hatefulness equally. The focus, however, remains on the moneyed class, whose motto, according to the band, is “Be rich, dress poor...how’d we get so chic?” Emmet Swimming’s tone is relentlessly dour and spiteful, with guitar-driven arrangements that are just as detached and unmoving as the lyrics. Packed with diatribes and thinly masked self-loathing, the band’s new album, Arlington to Boston, is a Hotel California for East Coast preppies.
Caffé Milano deemed its experiment with a straight-ahead New York jazz band, the Marc Copland Quintet, a huge success. Although the second night was canceled prior to the band’s arrival, the quintet’s one-night stand was sold out, prompting Caffé Milano owner Pino Squillace to consider bringing more touring jazz bands to town. Along those lines, watch for the great Elvin Jones—a consummate jazz drummer best known for his work with John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins—to bring his band to Caffé Milano on Nov. 21. Other upcoming shows at the venue include new Nashville resident Larry Carlton on Friday and British guitarist Martin Taylor on Nov. 3. Also fitting into the schedule in the next couple of months will be Bela Fleck, Michael McDonald, Ricky Skaggs, and others.
Those attending the rescheduled Dave Matthews Band concert Friday at Starwood should make plans to beat the traffic snarls and catch the opening act, Boxing Gandhis. The Los Angeles-based multicultural, mixed-gender band offers fluid, engaging funk in the manner of War and Sly & the Family Stone. Unlike most ’90s jam-funk bands, the Gandhis eschew endless riffing in favor of real tunes, complete with soul and melodies and positive messages. They should be a treat live.
Elliptical dispatches: Dave Alvin, the songwriting giant behind the Blasters and a formidable solo artist in his own right, performs 8 p.m. Monday night at the Sutler. Alvin has a blistering new live album on HighTone with his band the Guilty Men; his opening act is the mighty Phil Lee and his Sly Dogs, who wowed Chicago critics recently at a series of Windy City gigs. Don’t miss ’em....
Part of the small but growing faction of Middle Tennessee performers playing Celtic-influenced music—a list that includes the Rogues, Elizabeth Reed, and Ceili Rain—Murfreesboro’s The Secret Commonwealth plays the Sherlock Holmes Pub Saturday night. With the success of similar shows around town, particularly at the Station Inn and Mulligan’s Pub, don’t be surprised if you hear more of the Emerald Isle in Music City....
Congregation Sherith Israel, Nashville’s Orthodox synagogue, hosts its first musical fundraiser Sunday night at 328 Performance Hall. The lineup includes producer Brooks Arthur (Robin Williams, Bette Midler, Neil Diamond), frequent Bowie pianist Mike Garson, singer-songwriter Betsy Hammer, and NARAS Hall of Famer Kenny Karen. Showtime is 7:30 p.m.; a minimum donation of $50 per person will be accepted at the door. For more information, call 292-6614....
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