Home Artist Spotlights Detroit - Labor Day Weekend Picks

Detroit - Labor Day Weekend Picks

Written by Art Michalski

Thursday, 30 August 2007

Friday Steel Train w/ The Format @ St. Andrew’s Hall - After playing Bonnaroo earlier this summer, the New Jersey band Steel Train has been criss-crossing the States with a former MCB interviewee in The Format. The group has a quiet intensity to them and recalls moments of Springsteen and even just a little Coldplay in the their sound. The group dabbles in bluesy material on songs like “I Want You.” The band also can pull off some very good covers, such as the Jackson 5 oldie “I Want You Back” and CCR’s “Bad Moon Rising.” Hopefully John Fogerty didn’t get cranky about someone else singing his tunes. The group is preparing to release their new album later this year on Drive-Thru Records. Steel Train is opening for the Format; tickets are $15 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com. Saturday Replicator @ Small’s - This San Francisco band is in the midst of a national tour right now. The lo-fi punk band has a sound tailored made for the hot and sweaty clubs. At first listen, the band is carrying in the tradition of the legendary punk group Fugazi and songs like “Payment Wwwyzzard” proves that the band is getting their live and studio legs together. You have to love a band that uses a sound drop from Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack, which is how the band ends the track “Delicious Fornicake.” On the band’s MySpace page, the band is currently blogging the progress of the tour and shows the life of a band making it out on the road. Tickets are $6 and are available at the door. Sunday Fair To Midland & Chevelle @ Pontiac's Arts, Beats & Eats Festival - As we told you about in June, the Dallas band Fair to Midland has been making the rounds with their unusual and heavily original flare. Since last check, the track “Dance of the Manatee” has risen up the rock charts, rising into the Billboard Modern Rock Top 20. The band is a shot in the arm to the very tepid and stale rock radio scene, where groups like Nickelback seem to be the norm these days. Fair to Midland has been all over Michigan lately; playing the Machine Shop in Flint this past weekend. The band will be playing at the Pontiac Arts, Beats and Eats festival at 9pm on Sunday, and will be your only chance to check them out for free and see what all the fuss is about. Tourmates Chevelle close out the schedule that night at 10:15pm. Admission is free to the concert, more information is available at www.artsbeatsandeats.com

 

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