.:: 225BatonRouge.com ::. The Record Crate: The new, the old and the forever

The new, the old and the forever

June 24, 2008
By Alex V. Cook

The new: Cuteness abounds when impossibly joyous Brooklyn couple Matt & Kim intersperse their hand-clapping indie rock throughout the hugely popular Velcro dance night at the Spanish Moon. The party is just getting rolling there, as hodge-podge mashup fun of Girl Talk rolls in on Friday. Neither act is the kind of act that leaves you scratching your chin much, but then your hands are supposed to be in the air at a dance party.

Japanese eardrum busting trio Boris will land the mothership once again at the Spanish Moon, touring behind their melancholy supernova Smile. Somewhere between happy joy pop and devastating doom is the elaborate chamber rock of Islands. The Montreal sextet takes the (sonic) spectacle of a Flaming Lips and mixes it with the polite wry sensibilities of Jens Lekman -- a joyous noise in the outcome.

The old: Baton Rougeans of an increasing vintage will point to two bands that defined this town. Dash Rip Rock shows at The Chimes, when The Varsity was still a movie theater, were packed to the gills, with barely enough room to swing your partner. The Roebucks, while never reaching Dash's popularity, took the mix of rock and country swing to perilous levels. Trying to keep up on the dance floor at a Roebucks show in the early 1990s was like trying to do tricks on your jet ski without spilling your Bloody Mary. Both groups make an appearance in town this week, Dash at Phil Brady's on Friday and the Roebucks at Chelsea's on Saturday.

The forever: Teddy Johnson will be quick to point to the stage at his venerable Teddy's Juke Joint and say "I was born right there, and then I went over there (pointing to his DJ booth in the back) and I'm still here." For the past 30 years, Teddy has been running his juke joint in the house he was born in and it remains one of the last authentic juke joints on Hwy. 61. Lil Ray Neal and crew will be out there for the weekly Sunday night jam, celebrating the kind of funky legacy that's hard to find anymore.

Wednesday, June 25

Matt & Kim, performing before and during Velcro at Spanish Moon

Mike Foster Project at Chelsea's

Targeting Aorta and Menagerie at North Gate Tavern

Thursday, June 26

Islands at Chelsea's

James Napper at Boudreaux & Thibodeaux

Friday, June 27

Benjy Davis Project at The Varsity

Girl Talk, Man + Building and White Bitch at Spanish Moon

Captain Legendary Band at Chelsea's

The Halo Error at North Gate Tavern