So I hear there’s some sort of a wedding going on early Friday morning?
Yeah, well, we’ve got some music going on too, just as an FYI…
The Builders & the Butchers – In a music scene bursting at the seams with raw, albeit often streamlined indie rock, folk and pop talent, Portland is a hard place to make yourself stand out – especially with the Dream of the ’90s still alive. From their jovially twisted cover art to a sound that fits the same description, say hello to Neil Young’s journey to Hell’s big top. At their hear, Builders and the Butchers are a bluegrass band, but that core influence has been compressed in a vice and inserted into a pegboard of dark folk and inventive indie rock, with thick, bizzaro-funk bass lines and break-neck acoustic guitar/mandolin riffs, like a ringmaster with a drinking problem conducting a circus of animals with rabies and acrobats that moonight at bondage clubs. With Damion Suomi & the Minor Prophets. 9 p.m. Thursday. Blue Lamp, 1400 Alhambra Blvd. 21+. www.bluelamp.com.
Check out the Builders & the Butchers on Daytrotter.
Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside – There’s a pleasing contradiction in the way that Sallie Ford presents herself and crafts her rhythmic wiles. Her vocal delivery is like that of the classic martini-in-hand singer, a Billie Holliday or an Etta James; pleasantly refined, crisp and alluringly soulful. Her overall approach is more like that of the victorious thrift store discovery that only needs a bit of paint or a little flower upholstery to make it a treasure. Such is the glowing ramshackle of her indie folk and blues & jazz-tinged Americana pop stylings. She’ll be joined by the Souterrain, a thinking man’s (or woman’s) free-form jazz outfit, with poetic lyrics delivered like a Master’s thesis in Englis lit inspired by Tom Waits bootlegs. 10 p.m. Friday. Sophia’s Thai Kitchen, 129 E St., Davis. $6. 21+. www.sophiasthaikitchen.com.
Chris Robinson Brotherhood – No, there is not a glitch in the Matrix – Chris Robinson’s newest outfit is indeed rolling back through town to play at Harlow’s, less than a month after their appearance here in April. Their current tour has been a pendulum through California, slamming the same venues twice in an effort to showcase Robinson’s (Black Crowes, New Earth Mud) latest conglomorate of blues, rock and Americana jam architects. Check out Lindol French’s recap of the last show for a few ideas on what to expect. 9 p.m. Tuesday. Harlow’s, 2708 J St. $15. 21+. www.harlows.com.
The Snobs – There’s just almost no way to get enough of this champion local band. They’re the kind that’s been threatening a new album for six years and has never really made any legitimate moves to expand their audience outside of Midtown and the rest of Sacto, but who really cares? Their every-two-months-or-so humdingers at the local spots are some of the most fun in town, with Jason Boggs sax appeal and the band’s throwback rock and diet punk licks. Huzzah! With Sure Shot and the Kelps. 9 p.m. Friday. The Old Ironsides, 1901 10th St. $7. 21+. www.theoldironsides.com.
Mark Your Calendars – Trampled By Turtles – "Thrashgrass!" That should tell you all you need to know…but if it doesn’t, we’ll take care of you in the Rundown that week. May 19. Harlow’s, 2708 J St. $12. www.harlows.com.
If you are planning or promoting a concert in the Sacramento area, or just know of a show you’d like to see featured in the Rundown, shoot me an email.
For a complete listing of Sacramento area music happenings, check out Ann Freeman-Clement’s Concerts, Music Events and the Local Music Scene every Friday on Sacramento Press.
