La Femme
Parisian Kraut-surf outfit La Femme is
actually before we say anything else about the band, let’s just acknowledge the ridiculousness of the words we’ve already typed. French pop that’s equal parts Dick Dale and Kraftwerk (or, more accurately, something kind of like that, but not really) is a thing that exists, thanks to La Femme, and now we have to figure out how to write about it. Imagine the B-52s swapped their Pink Flamingos trailer-park chic for Breathless detached cool (or occasionally that fuzzy-wuzzy French teacher Muzzy rapping over an old James Bond theme). If you think that description sucks, keep in mind that the title of last year’s full-length party-starter, Psycho Tropical Berlin, is probably no closer to actually telling you what the hell’s going on. Just go hear it for yourselves. With Portland-based dream-pop outfit Wild Ones, brooding Los Angeles duo In the Valley Below, Canadian indie-rockers July Talk and many more. $10-$12, doors at 7pm Monday, The Korova, 107 E Martin, (210) 995-7229, facebook.com/thekorova.
Mon 3/10
Moving Units
Formed in 2001, the Los Angeles-based outfit Moving Units is counted among the early progenitors of the dance-punk revival. Not unlike such contemporaries as Franz Ferdinand and the Killers, the band (presently operating as a pared-down duo—founding frontman Blake Miller plus Mike Delgado) has a knack for reminding critics of the Cure. Something of a departure from earlier efforts, Moving Units latest offering (2013's amusingly titled Neurotic Exotic) serves up an energetic blend of "acrobatic agility, flamboyance, and dark erotic imagery" they've likened to "a long-lost album of Italo-disco covers of Sonic Youth songs." Backbeat Magazine brings the band to Limelight for a free show with support from California "death-pop" quintet the Burning of Rome, plus sets by DJs Pulp and Just Angel. Free, 9pm, Limelight, 2718 N St. Mary's, (210) 995-7229, thelimelightsa.com.
Tue 3/11
Black Taxi
Black Taxi’s shows are a party, and the party had started even before the band was formed in Brooklyn in 2007—singer Ezra Huleatt and bassist Krisana Soponpong met at a rave in Thailand, found drummer Jason Holmes after a show, and then invited Soponpong’s friend Bob Mayo to complete the foursome. Things started to kick in after their sophomore effort We Don’t Know Any Better (2012), which took them on a long U.S. tour. Their latest, the solid 2013 EP Chiaroscuro, confirms they’re not just another “electropop” band; they can get funky, dancey, and at times offer a weird hybrid between Kraftwerk and Pink Floyd. A sophomore full-length produced by Aaron Nevezie (The Black Keys, Danger Mouse) is reportedly in the works. Gearing up for a SXSW showcase, Black Taxi lands at 502 with support from Brothertiger, Sphynx and Islands & Tigers. $8, 8:30pm, 502 Bar, 502 Embassy Oaks, (210) 257-8125, ticketfly.com.
Wed 3/12
"Gloves and Glasses"
Unveiled last week during the Contemporary Art Month Kickoff Party, New York-based Claire Watson's exhibition “Now What” is a set of intimate collages based on, and sourced from, delicate personal belongings (notably, gloves). On Wednesday evening, Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum hosts an intimate gathering designed to give Watson direct contact with the audience while offering art lovers a peek inside her creative process. Drinks and light hors d'oeuvres will be served. Space is limited, please RSVP to [email protected]. $8-$10, 6-7:30pm Wednesday, Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum, 116 Blue Star, (210) 227-6960, bluestarart.org.
Wed 3/12 - Tue 3/16
Wicked
More than a decade after its Broadway debut, the Tony-winning musical Wicked is still riding a wave of hype soon to play out in a film adaptation reportedly starring Lea Michele (Glee) and Harry Styles (One Direction). Based not on L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz but Gregory Maguire’s loaded remix Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the box office record-breaker explores the backstories of sharp, green-skinned Elphaba and bubbly blonde Glinda—polar opposite roommates at Shiz University, a sorcery school modeled after Hogwarts. In a story for The New York Times, Daniel Handler (better known as Lemony Snicket) pointed out civil rights violations in Munchkinland, yellow bricks laid by slave labor and flying monkeys (subjects of a disastrous experiment) as hallmarks of this “two-act flashback of radical reinterpretation.” $40.50-$163.50*, 7:30pm Wednesday, 2pm & 7:30pm Thursday, 8pm Friday, 2pm & 8pm Saturday, 1pm & 6:30pm Sunday, 7:30pm Tuesday, The Majestic Theatre, 224 E Houston, (210) 226-3333, majesticempire.com. Through March 30.
*Day-of-performance lottery: Two and one-half hours prior to each performance, people who present themselves at the Majestic Theatre box office will have their names placed in a lottery drum; 30 minutes later, names will be drawn for a limited number of orchestra seats at $25 each, cash only. This lottery is available only in-person at the box office, with a limit of two tickets per person. Lottery participants must have a valid photo ID when submitting their entry form and, if chosen, when purchasing tickets.
