Weekly Music Picks: Getting Darker Early

It was about 7:30pm yesterday when the sky started getting dark. It may have been clouds that would bring in some overnight rain. Or maybe it was just a sign that summer is starting to wind down. The season of outdoor shows is starting to wind down and things will begin to move back indoors. Some of the best music in town this week will get you inside, even if there is still a hint of summer left outside. Our solution – walk to the venue, spend some time outside. Leave in a cab. Happy.

Tuesday 8/22
Foo Fighters and Frank Black
The Foo Fighters take to the stage with an all acoustic set. They've pulled out tunes from their many years together to put together a show that is much more than simply unplugged. Frank Black comes back to Boston and takes one of the many incarnations (but non-Pixie and non-Black Francis) you'll see him in this summer as the opener.
Wang Center
7:30 pm, SOLD OUT
Foo Fighters: website
Frank Black: approved fansite

Bon Savants, Humanwine
Locals Bon Savants are back in the Hub with a newly released album. Humanwine, coming off a great set at the Lily Pad a couple of weeks ago takes stage for a larger audience. This might be the local music pick of the week.
Great Scott
18+ 9pm $10.00
Bon Savants: myspace | website
Humanwine: myspace | purchase

Wednesday 8/23
The Advantage with They Shoot Horses Don’t They? and Family Junction
Sacramento’s The Advantage plays rocks out with the most influential music of the 80s: Nintendo themes. All the classics are covered: Mega Man, Gradius, Bomberman, Contra. Up up down down left right left right B A select start.
Middle East Upstairs
18+, $10, 9 pm
The Advantage: website | myspace | purchase | Mario 3 / Blaster Master (live) .mp3
They Shoot Horses: website | myspace
Family Junction: website | myspace

Spem in Alium
Thomas Tallis's forty-voice motet is virtually unrecordable, seldom performed and widely revered. A public reading under the auspices of Ars et Amici & Recorders/Early Music MetroWest lets all singers and listeners in on the sixteenth-century polyphonic action: they'll provide PDFs of the printed music and MIDI files for those who want to register and try to sing along, and pews for those who'd rather take it all in.
St. Paul's Catholic Church, Bow and Arrow Sts. in Harvard Square, Cambridge
$8 to sing, free to listen; 7:30-9:45 p.m.
Official website
Justin Davidson on a postmodern Spem performance

Akrobatik, One Be Lo, Termanology, and Project Move
Bostonist loves Akrobatik as a solo artist and as one third of the Perceptionists (with Mr. Lif and DJ Fakts one). And we've been thrilled to watch the Boston native's renown stretch 'round the world. Come hear the deft stylings, creative wordplay, and mad flow of a hometown great. Akrobatik is joined by One Be Lo, who Bostonist caught opening a few months ago for Soul Position. Local standouts Project Move and Termanolgy open.
Paradise Rock Club
18+, $15, 9pm
Akrobatik: website | purchase | remind my soul.m3u | front steps.m3u
One Be Lo: website | purchase
Termanology: myspace | purchase
Project Move: myspace | purchase

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
Unfortunately, her show sold out. But just so you know what you're missing, and to encourage you to score tickets early next time she's in town, please be advised that Sharon's heavy-hitting soul music comes packed with the "rumble and grumble of thick, jerking you to the dancefloor" funk and the "soaring, guaranteed to make you sigh" sweetness of soul.
Museum of Fine Arts Courtyard
$25 / $20 (MFA members/students), 7:30pm SOLD OUT

Thursday 8/24
Better than Ezra, Sister Hazel
We'll admit firing off an email questioning if this show was a misprint ten years in the making. We got a reply with a whole bunch of links that proved us wrong. Dead wrong. Better than Ezra's Juicy is charting high and we've got it on good authority that both acts are putting on shows so much better than their mid-ninety breakout days.
Avalon
8 pm, All Ages, $16
Better than Ezra: website
Sister Hazel: myspace

Friday 8/25
Corinne Bailey Rae
Before Starbucks began hawking her CD and Grey's Anatomy featured "Like a Star" on an episode, Paul Irish over at Aurgasm clued us in to the hotness that is Corrine, noting that she has "a voice that floats effortlessly, full of caress and subtle quality." Comin' straight outta Leeds, Corrine describes her music as "chilled out, acoustic, kooky, atmospheric and soulful." Think India.Arie and Jill Scott channeling Billie Holiday in the studio with Massive Attack. With Gran Bel Fisher and Kevin Devine.
Paradise Rock Club
18+, $15, 8pm
Corinne Bailey Rae: website | myspace | wikipedia
Gran Bel Fisher: website | myspace
Kevine Devine: website | myspace

Mittens
Boston pop trio, Mittens, takes the stage at the Milky Way this Friday. It's been a little while since we've caught them live, and for $3 this is a steal. They've been getting better with each and every live show, and it's a great reason to take the 39 bus if you haven't in a while.
$3, 21+, 10pm
Milky Way
Mittens: myspace

Saturday 8/26
Speaking In Code Benefit Party
Benefit for sQaure production's (Amy Grill and David Day) documentary film on the international DJ, dance, and electronica underground. The bash will feature great music spun by local DJs, hot film clips, and behind the scenes slideshows from the documentary, including shots of BPitch Control duo Modeselektor as they are about play the gig of their career: the June 2006 mega-rave at Sonar By Night in Barcelona.
7pm-11pm, sQuareone loft, 49 Melcher St., Fort Point Channel Lofts
$20 contribution (including free food and beverage)
after party 11pm on, featuring DJ David Day and Erik Pearson at Robot Love Songs’ loft space.
Speaking In Code: website | myspace | Stylus Magazine article/interview | video clip
sQuare productions: website

We be listenin' good. C. Fernsebner, Matt Durutti, and Christina Linklater aided and abetted in putting together this week's picks.