Music Forecast 10.30–11.5: Gwar, My Brothers & Sisters, City and Colour, and more

%{[ data-embed-type=”image” data-embed-id=”57150c0289121ca96b9563b8″ data-embed-element=”aside” ]}%

%{[ data-embed-type=”image” data-embed-id=”57150c0289121ca96b9563b7″ data-embed-element=”aside” ]}%

It Came Out of the Garage

Let everyone else get swept up in grand plans for Halloween. You, friend, are smarter than that. The eve of Allhallows Eve is definitely your day because you can find the best parties and still avoid the traffic and the shenanigans. One such shindig: It Came Out of the Garage, Thursday at Knuckleheads, where you’ll find a lineup of local garage-rockers ready to scare you onto the dance floor. Rootsy Til Willis & Erratic Cowboy open the night, followed by Lawrence’s Alan Murphy & the Frequent Flyers. The Quivers headline, which means that shots and a wild abandonment of decorum are in your immediate future.

Thursday, October 30, Knuckleheads Saloon (2715 Rochester,
816-483-1456)

Gwar

In March, Gwar lead singer and bassist Oderus Urungus — the stage name for Dave Brockie, the final remaining founding member of the Virginia thrash-metal act — died of a drug overdose. Well, the 30-year-old band has soldiered on anyway, with a new singer called Vulvatron and a new singer-bassist who goes by Blöthar. Onstage, the act still presents as human-eating warrior aliens, garbed in full horror-film-ready costume and makeup. So, yes, a Gwar concert is, now and always, a singular experience, full of bloody beheadings, flying fluids and the kinds of special effects found only in the best haunted houses. Get in the mood for Halloween at the Granada.

Thursday, October 30, the Granada (1020 Massachusetts, Lawrence, 785-842-1390)

My Brothers & Sisters

In a truly season-appropriate show, My Brothers & Sisters’ Halloween party Friday finds the 14-member group, headed by founder and lead singer Jamie Searle, paying homage to revered film composer Danny Elfman, the Oingo Boingo founder who made his cinema name scoring such Tim Burton treasures as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Selections from those soundtracks will be re-created by My Brothers & Sisters, with the band decked out in Burton-inspired costumes. Images from the films will be projected with the corresponding songs. No Halloween plans yet? Now you’re set.

Friday, October 31, the Riot Room (4048 Broadway, 816-442-8179)

Pure Bathing Culture, Tennis

This Tuesday double headliner is a match made in 1980s synth-pop heaven: Denver husband-wife duo Tennis and Portland, Oregon, male-female duo Pure Bathing Culture, whose 2013 Moon Tides garnered more than a few (completely warranted) comparisons with the music of Beach House. The former’s Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley have just released Ritual in Repeat, an album full of catchy surf-pop vibes. It’s the kind of thing that makes you want to rent a boat and sail away. Pure Bathing Culture and Tennis are likely to bring out the best in each other’s sounds at the Granada, and you couldn’t pick two bands better suited for an easygoing weeknight.

Tuesday, November 4, the Granada (1020 Massachusetts, Lawrence, 785-842-1390)

City and Colour

You could think of Ontario, Canada’s Dallas Green, who performs as City and Colour, as a Beck–Ray LaMontagne mash-up. The singer-songwriter’s latest album, The Hurry and the Harm, feels like it’s caught somewhere between folk allegiances and pop desires, but the songs are beautifully balanced. It’s the kind of album you’d like to wake up hearing, even with the heavy, soul-searching subjects that Green addresses in his lyrics. His voice is warm and welcoming, girded by an insistent ache. If you’re wont to spend weeknights getting in touch with your inner sadness, let Green keep you company Wednesday at Liberty hall.

Wednesday, November 5, Liberty Hall (644 Massachusetts, Lawrence, 785-749-1972)