Though summer brings a welcome dose of warm days, fresh air and sunshine, it also ushers in the breeding season for swarms of rock cliches.
Behemoths like Styx and Kansas emerge from hibernation to try and rekindle a spark of their former glory. The H.O.R.D.E. tour comes to town featuring a host of young rockers laboriously recreating the sound of another era. Just about everywhere, it seems, nostalgia is in full bloom.
That’s why a triple bill at Lounge Ax Friday will appeal to anyone tired of the same old thing. With a lineup of Ui, Trans Am and Ida, the evening should provide a welcome measure of diverse and uncommon rock music.
Late last year, Trans Am released a self-titled debut filled with punkish yet progressive little instrumentals. The piece were powered by hard-driving grooves from which the band splintered melodic shards like refracted rays of light.
“Call us post-rock if you want, but most of our influences fall inside traditional rock,” explains bassist Nathan Means. “Even though there’s bizarre stuff on the King Crimson and early Van Halen records we like, it’s still `rock’ music. I appreciate some of the Krautrock bands of the ’70s but not any more than I appreciate a band like the Scorpions.”
Where most rock music uses melody as its focal point, Trans Am’s emphasis is on intermeshing rhythms and sonic contrasts.
“The foundation of our music is usually rhythmic,” confirms Means. “We start building from there. Melodies are often just reflections of a tune’s particular rhythm.”
Friday night’s other two acts also approach rock from less conventional angles.
Headliner Ui uses long-form bass-drum riffing as the primordial soup from which evolve unpredictable soundscapes. To a degree, Ui explores the same rhythm-and-riff territory surveyed by Tortoise, though Ui is more funky.
Opening act Ida crafts quiet songs saturated with melody and nuanced playing. The band’s lovely new record, “I Know About You,” is awash with impeccable songwriting, delicate strumming, sweet harmonies and a gentle, rainy-day lyricism. 2438 N. Lincoln Ave. 312-525-6620 .
Individual listings are by Rick Reger unless otherwise noted.
Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Monday at the Double Door: An accomplished bassist and songwriter, Ndegeocello won copious critical praise for her 1993 debut, “Plantation Lullabies,” a potent fusion of hip-hop with classic funk and R&B. On her long-awaited follow-up, “Peace Beyond Passion,” Ndegeocello weaves silky ’70s soul through tunes bursting with slinky grooves and spiritual lyrics. 1572 N. Milwaukee Ave. 312-489-3160.
Fishbone, Sunday at the Cubby Bear: Music aside, Fishbone is starting to rival Megadeath and Funkadelic with its oddball album titles. The new “Chim Chim’s Badass Revenge” record is something of sequel to 1993’s “Give a Monkey a Brain and He’ll Swear He’s the Center of the Universe.” Musically speaking, Fishbone continues to follow in the prodigious footsteps of Sly Stone and George Clinton with its witty funk-metal-ska-rap-rock-soul-punk. As always, the band’s scintillating genre crossing make stylistic purity sound sterile. 1059 W. Addison St. 312-327-1662.
Jimmy Buffett, Friday and Saturday at the New World Music Theatre: Achtung Parrot Heads! The Pied Piper of middle-aged nonconformity is back. Buffett returns supporting his new LP “Banana Wind,” a collection of (surprise, surprise) Caribbean-tinged pipe dreams that blend balmy escapism with workaday world putdowns. Like an umbrella drink, it’s only tasty if you’re supine and sun-addled on a faraway beach. (Friday Sold Out) I-80 and Harlem Avenue, Tinley Park. 312-559-1212.
Barry White, Friday at the Arie Crown Theatre: Not too many years ago, Barry White was relevant only to disco junkies and ’70s trivia freaks. Recently, however, the Bard of the Boudoir hightailed it out of kitschville back to the top of the charts. His last record, “The Icon Is Love,” went platinum and showcased a mastery of lustrous — and I do mean lust-rous — R&B for the ’90s. Of course, it didn’t hurt that White peppered the proceedings with his lubricious love raps. Amor, thy name is Barry. 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive. 312-559-1212.
Gillian Welch, Thursday at Schubas: Even before Welch’s recent debut LP appeared, her songs were being covered by legends like Emmylou Harris and the Nashville Bluegrass Band. Now that the record is out, it’s easy to see why. “Revival” traverses a musical backwoods of ruggedly beautiful crooning and spare balladry. At times, Welch’s tunes sound a bit stylized, but more often than not, her rustic melodies evince a unique and arresting talent. 3159 N. Southport Ave. 312-525-2508.
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Tuesday at Navy Pier: Virtuoso banjoist Bela Fleck is a naturally restless musician whose curiosity has led him from bluegrass to jazz to various locales in between. As a result, his music is a cross-pollination of diverse influences that is in a class by itself. His latest record, “Tales from the Acoustic Planet,” is a mellow meld of Flatt & Scruggs and cool jazz. While the tunes are a bit sugary, the playing is splendid. 600 E. Grand Ave. 312-559- 1212.
Gov’t Mule, Friday at Martyrs: Given that two of this trio’s members — Warren Haynes and Allen Woody — are in the Allman Brothers Band, and that the third, Matt Abts, is a Dickey Betts Band alum, it’s no surprise that Gov’t Mule knows its way around rambling, blues-soaked jams. What is surprising is the precision with which the band evokes Mountain, Bad Company and Cream. Earth shoes, roach clip and headband required, man. 3855 N. Lincoln Ave. 312-404-9494.
Tav Falco’s Panther Burns, Wednesday at the Double Door and June 14 at FitzGerald’s, Berwyn: Founded in the early ’80s by Falco and Alex Chilton, Panther Burns has spent the ensuing years on a slash-and-burn raid into the heart of rock ‘n’ roll. During that time, Falco and crew have assaulted rockabilly, swamp-blues and shanty town R&B with a maniacal fervor. Perhaps reflecting Falco’s current Vienna residence, Panther Burns’ new record, “Shadow Dancer,” swaps atmosphere for intensity, languidly rendering tangos and old-time rock with a debauched elegance. 1572 N. Milwaukee Ave., 312-489-3160; 6615 Roosevelt Rd., 708-788-2118.
In Their Own Words, Friday at the Park West: Based in New York, the In Their Own Words series brings together diverse songwriters to perform their works and discuss the creative process. This edition of the series features Graham Parker, pop chanteuse Jill Sobule, the Violent Femmes’ Gordon Gano and ex-American Music Club front man Mark Eitzel. 322 W. Armitage Ave. 312-559-1212.
