Decent Days and Nights

By Scott Smith in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 30, 2006 4:16PM

An opening set by The Figgs, prior to backing Graham Parker at Double Door last year, left us embarrassed that this was the first time we’d seen them. They handled the twists and turns of his power-pop-meets-punk-and-R&B catalog quite deftly as it’s a sound they’ve refined, tweaked and smacked about throughout their 20-year career. The usual record biz crap has kept them from breaking big, but their tight as hell live set is not to be missed. A shout-out on Idolator for their new album Follow Jean Through The Sea might mean tonight’s show will be butts-to-nuts, but for their sakes we hope that’s true.
Gunther Murphy's, Tonight, 9 p.m., $8-10, 21+.

After hearing his collaboration with Isobel Campbell, pairing Mark Langean with The Twilight Singers is a no-brainer. “Smoky” is a word that’s getting plenty of use by critics discussing the band’s most recent album, Powder Burns. Apropos then, that Lanegan joins frontman Greg Dulli and the rest for a two-night stand at Double Door, one of the few rock clubs that still lets you indulge your “I only smoke when I go to shows” excuse. If you’re committed to remaining smoke-free on Wednesday, you could always see Frank Black for the millionth time at Metro or Tributosaurus rocking it Replacements-style at Martyr’s.
Double Door w/Stars of Track and Field., Wednesday and Thursday, 9 p.m., $15, 21+.

We sigh every time we see another Elvis Costello album with a liner note that reads “string arrangements by…” We’re on record saying we wish our favorites wouldn’t grow up even though we know that’s grossly unfair. And yet, there’s Wreckless Eric: a Stiff Records contemporary of Costello who took almost a decade off from music and is now enjoying a case of arrested development that allows his witty sarcasms to remain undiluted within a three-minute pop song.
Hideout, Thursday, 9:30 p.m., $8, 21+.

We could go on about Lucero’s show here on Friday, and talk about how they’re one of the best bands out of Memphis right now and they sound like Social Distortion having a baby with a back issue of No Depression. Or we could rave about Split Lip Rayfield’s early show on Saturday, and tell you how we unashamedly get our bluegrass on with them by pretending we’re at a punk show. But we know you’re probably headed to those pre-Riot Fest shows we’ve been chattering on about so it’s perhaps folly to try and convince you that there’s anything else worth seeing.
Lucero: Metro, Friday, 9 p.m., $13, 18+. Split Lip Rayfield: Empty Bottle, Saturday, 7 p.m., $15, 21+.

Unless, of course, free tickets to another show that weekend will sweeten the deal. Look for that later this week.