RED BANK: PUSCIFER, DION & “EMILY”
Maynard James Keenan (above) brings the rock theatrics \ of Puscifer’s “Money $hot” Tour to Red Bank in a Count Basie debut tonight — while Hall of Famer Dion DiMucci (below) returns for a Thursday night streetcorner serenade.
The never-ending rock show rolls on at the Count Basie Theatre, as the nights ahead see several generations of chart-toppers and Grammy winners deliver decades-spanning retrospectives, conceptual stage shows and, at least in one case, a smidgen of “bone breaking fun” to the Red Bank stage.
Ticketholders to the April 16 Basie concert by Esperanza Spalding (above) will receive an emailed download of her acclaimed new album, EMILY’S D+EVOLUTION. (Photo by Jill Greenberg)
The circus commences tonight, when rock-solid radio station WRAT-FM presents the multimedia band Puscifer in a Red Bank debut that offers up an edgier entertainment experience than the Basie baseline.
In the midst of a “Round 2” road trip behind the most recent release Money $hot — an album that went straight to the apex of the Billboard alternative/indie music charts upon arrival — the liquid lineup (which at one time featured Resident Evil actress Milla Jovovich) and affiliated branded apparel line anchored by Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan delivers equal doses of male/female energy, the pulsing throb of video-boosted songs like “Mama Sed” and “Grand Canyon,” and the Vegas-approved, choreographed chaos of professional wrestling’s squared circle.
Take it here for tickets ($39.50 – $65) to the 8 p.m. show, and here for details on available “ringside” VIP options ($250 and $350).
The Boss called Dion DiMucci “the real link between Frank Sinatra and rock and roll” — and while his idea of “multimedia” translates to a restless energy that’s seen him experiment with and explore numerous musical styles over a 60-year career, his awesome classics like “The Wanderer” are rooted in a swaggering power that’s as hypercurrent as the day they were first waxed.
Having dabbled in everything from old-neighborhood doo-wop (“A Teenager in Love”) and socially conscious folk-pop (“Abraham, Martin and John”) to no-nonsense gospel and a newly displayed authority with city-gritty blues, Bronx-bred legend Dion continues to garner Grammy nominations and awestruck friends (Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Bryan Adams) here in the still-new millennium.
Touring behind a brand new album (New York Is My Home) and its Simon-duet title track — and disdaining the pure-nostalgia approach of his few surviving contemporaries — the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer takes it to the Basie stage Thursday night, with tickets to the 8 p.m. show ($40 – $99) available right here.
When she exploded onto the national pop radar around six years ago, Esperanza Spalding seemed made to order for Grammy’s attentions: a dynamic young singer-songwriter ans multi-instrumentalist with a flair for the jazzier side of pop and a breathtaking musical love affair with the stand-up bass.
Her 2011 Grammy win as Best New Artist (controversially beating out even Justin Bieber and Drake) obscured the fact that Spalding was a classically trained chamber-music prodigy and seasoned jazz band leader who sang in several languages and even served as one of the youngest-ever teachers in the history of the Berklee School of Music.
In her just-released album Emily’s D+Evolution (co-produced by veteran Bowie/T.Rex collaborator Tony Visconti), the 31-year-old Oregon native takes a highly personal musical journey through the persona of her alter-ego, “Emily” — and the live touring show that comes to the Basie on Saturday employs elements of poetry, movement and theatrical performance in a presentation of the new songs that “unfolds as live musical vignettes.”
Take it here for tickets ($23 – $72) to the 8 p.m. concert include a digital download of the new album that will be emailed to buyers shortly after Saturday’s show.
