Weekly Music Picks: Festival Fest

This weekend both NEMO and the Beantown Jazz festival will be taking place in town. NEMO is a showcase for New England artists, a networking opportunity for the little-known and the big fish. The performances will invade, occupy, and entertain at just about every venue in Boston. It's a great opportunity to see your favorite local band – or discover a favorite you never knew you had. It's a whole lot to take in, so good luck. We haven't determined our full agenda for the weekend yet but have interspersed some of the shining stars in this week's picks. For full information on NEMO you can check their website – or be their friend. Beantown Jazz festival puts on some other weekend must-see performances. In a city that usually has about 40 shows per person per night it looks like we'll be upping the ratio and bursting at the seams with good shows this week.

Tuesday 9/26
The Mountain Goats & Christine Fellows
Fans of the Infinite Cat Project may enjoy the video (or videos-within-videos) for "Woke Up New," in which John Darniell's sweet, clever songwriting makes up for an utter lack of kittens.
Middle East Downstairs
18+, 8pm, $14
The Mountain Goats: website | Two Headed Boy (live Neutral Milk Hotel cover) | Woke Up New (video)
Christine Fellows: web site

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Takka Takka
CYHSY kicks off their national tour here in Boston. It's a little unfortunate they're playing the big venue because it also comes with a larger price tag. $22.50 a ticket. When they first broke on the scene they were hyped predominately by bloggers and internet personalities. Takka Takka takes stage early, from what we've heard from our friends in NYC they're not to be missed. CYHSY, Takka Takka, and Architecture in Helsinki all have tracks on an exclusive EP only available at the show.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: website | myspace
Takka Takka: website | myspace | built live.mp3 (from the exclusive EP) | safer.mp3

Thursday 9/28
Violet Nine, The Headset, The Bleedin' Bleedins, No Lindsay, The Walkup
Part of the NEMO music fest the Thursday show at TT's might be the show that makes you call into work sick on Friday – it'll be so good you'll be sick with joy (a hangover, and not too much sleep). The Bleedin' Bleedins are a favorite when they come up in rotation on Exploit Boston Radio. The show has also been flagged by Sooz for the Boston Rocks group's outing of the week on HeyLetsGo. If you don't want to go to the show alone, but can't convince anyone to go with you don't worry – there's already a posse.
The Bleedin' Bleedins: myspace

Robin McKelle
Boston's rising star on the jazz scene brings her vocal stylings out to play - if you like Ella Fitzgerald, you'll love Robin McKelle. Catch her here before she jets off to Paris.
7pm
Bob's Southern Bistro
$5
Robin McKelle: website

Peelander-Z (with Wild Zero, Love Weapon, Bury the Needle, and The Izzys)
What is "Japanese Action Comic Punk"? We don't really know, but Peelander-Z brings it in spades. So strap on your crash helmet and head down to Great Scott to experience the magic for yourself.
9pm
Great Scott
$8
Peelander-Z: website | myspace

Yo La Tengo
Once described described as "sacks of oatmeal in T-shirts" by Henry Rollins, record-shop-clerks' darlings Yo La Tengo bring their genius + love to the Avalon as they embark on an international tour in support of their longest album title yet (I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass).
Avalon
8 pm, $20.25
YLT: web site | Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind.mp3

Friday 9/29
Sound Tribe Sector 9 w/ Sub ID
Falling somewhere between hippie and electro, STS9 covers all the bases to create lush, ambient soundscapes that will keep you groovin' till the bars close. Lupo's (ok, it's providence. But you've gotta get out sometimes...)
$20
Sound Tribe Sector 9: website

Beantown Jazz Festival: McCoy Tyner Septet and Esperanza Spalding
The legendary McCoy Tyner kicks off the 2006 Beantown Jazz Festival at Berklee with his septet. Tyner's impressive history includes his pivotal 5 year stint as pianist with the John Coltrane Quartet as it revolutionized jazz in the 1960s. Impulse Records recently released The McCoy Tyner Story featuring the best of his work for the label. Catch a living master in a special performance dubbed "the story of Impulse! Records." Esperanza Spalding, a 22 year old bassist, vocalist, Berklee alum, and jazz phenom, opens. Esperanza's often wordless vocals are reminiscent of Flora Purim's early '70s work with
Airto and Chick Corea.
Berklee
Performance Center
$37.50 - $55.00, 8pm
McCoy Tyner: website | McCoy on Impulse! | purchase
Esperanza Spalding: website | myspace | Berklee profile | purchase

The Raconteurs
Steady as She Goes hit the scene with great acclaim when it dropped. Jack White (of the White Stripes) and Brendan Benson (of the Greenhornes) teamed up with some friends to form this group – but it feels like they've been around forever.
Orpheum Theatre
$30, 7:30 pm
The Raconteurs: websitehttp://www.theraconteurs.com/

Dr. Octagon (aka Kool Keith) with 7L & Esoteric, Project Move and more
Hip Hop at NEMO featuring the return of the wonderfully warped Dr. Octagon (aka Kool Keith and Dr. Doom). One of the original Ultramagnetic MCs, Kool Keith released one of the best leftfield hip hop hits of the 90's, Dr. Octagonecologyst (which also helped put producer Dan the Automator on the Map). With 7L (voted "Best DJ" two years running in the Boston Phoenix Reader's Poll) and Esoteric, Project Move, Kabir, Starrs and Murph and Detroit Red.
MiddleEast Downstairs
18+ $18 / $20 dos, 9pm
Dr. Octagon: website | myspace | wikipedia | Mike Relm's Return of Dr. Octagon Megamix | purchase
7L & Esoteric:website | myspace | purchase
Project Move:myspace | purchase

Saturday 9/30
Ladytron & CSS
Don't tell Ladytron, but we're really going to this show to see São Paulo's internet-famous party band CSS. Bostonist's not sure we get it ("lick lick lick my art tit"?) but we're certain we'll have a good time not getting it.
Avalon
18+, 7 pm, $18.25
CSS ("Cansei Der Sexy"): website | myspace | Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above video | shaky live video of the same song

Beantown Jazz Festival
Jazz on three stages all day Saturday. Performers on the Sovereign Stage include saxophonist Kenny Garrett and the Christian McBride Situation featuring DJ Logic, Oliver Lake (sax), and Patrice Rushen (keyboards). The Marsalis Music stage will feature legendary drummer and Miles Davis alumnus Jimmy Cobb and the rootsy jazz/blues/gospel/country sound of guitarist/vocalist Doug Wamble. And the Global Stage includes performances by Lionel Loueke with his Gilfema Trio and master Cuban pianist Omar Sosa and his funky Latin jazz.
Three stages along Columbus Ave. at Mass. Ave.
Free, noon to 7p.m.
Beantown Jazz Festival: website

Sunday 10/1
Massive Attack
Has it really been fifteen years since Massive Attack arguably "invented" trip hop with their amazing 1991 album Blue Lines? Even if the group would reject that claim, they certainly helped define the sounds with their mid-90s masterpieces Protection, Mezzanine and Tricky's Maxinquaye (three of Bostonist's favorite albums from the period). And while it looks like we have to wait another five months for the release of their new album Weather Underground, we can catch the Bristol crew this Sunday right here in Beantown.
Orpheum Theatre
$35 - $39.50, 7:30 pm
website | myspace | wikipedia | Karmacoma video on YouTube | Protection video on YouTube

Erin Anguish, Matt Durutti, C. Fernsebner helped pull together this week's picks