November 9, 10, 23. Unabashed in their love for beat music, The Rhodes bring it back with youthful vengeance. The quartet—Derek Daunicht on larynx and guitar, David LaViola on vocals and drums, Robb Sciortino on treble guitar, and Nick Imperial on bass—pays musical tribute to heroes like the Fab Four and Gerry and The Pacemakers with sweet vocal harmonies and twangy tunes. This month, they rock and roll across the Hudson, cueing it up at Vassar hang Juliet’s Billiards (November 9), The Barking Frog in Beacon (November 10), and Muddy Cup in New Paltz (November 23). Catch the cool video at their MySpace page of the group playing Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village, then go to sponsor site musicnation.com and help them score a record deal. Times and prices vary. www.myspace.com/therhodesmusic.
Metal/Rock Mash-Up
November 16. The tireless bookers at The Chance complex in Poughkeepsie have outdone themselves for this gig, which boasts a dozen stoked bands in just two of their three live-music clubs. In the big room of The Chance Theater, local slayers Eradicate lead the horde, followed by the metal mayhem of Assault, Antipathy, Catacomb, Casimir, and Suffocation. In The Loft, modern rock rules with Revel at Midnight, Steve Schultz, The Cringe, This Condition, Turncoat, and the London Souls. (Ulster’s own Underground Take Down rocks out on November 9, and don’t miss The Misfits on December 2.) 7pm, The Chance Theater; 8:30pm, The Loft. $7. Poughkeepsie. (845) 471-1966; www.thechancecomplex.com.
Friends of Fiddler’s Green Concerts
November 16 and 30. This folk concert series is being presented by the Hudson Valley Folk Guild and includes a great variety of nationally known and international performers in all genres of folk music. The guild’s season runs twice a month from September through December, then resumes in March through early June at the United Methodist Church in Hyde Park. The Straight Drive Bluegrass Band (November 16) features Terry McGill on banjo and vocals, Jen Larson on guitar and lead vocals, Ron Feinberg on fiddle and vocals, Jim Treat on bass, Ben Fraker on mandolin, and Dave Hampton on guitar and vocals. Bill Vanaver (November 30), music arranger and co-leader of the Vanaver Caravan, is widely known for his instrumental work on five-string banjo and many more exotic instruments and for his vast knowledge of traditional American and world music. 8pm. $8, $6 guild members. Hyde Park. (845) 483-0650; www.hudsonvalleyfolkguild.org.
Johnny Unstoppable
November 24. Johnny Unstoppable is a post-emo band that began as a vehicle to take the songs of lyricist Chris Victor beyond the acoustic guitar he wrote them on. This Oasis show supports an excellent new CD, Life with Two Feet on the Ground (Cricket Music, 2007), which stars Victor and his band mates, Chris Heitzman (guitar), Guthrie Lord (bass), and Andy Shutty (drums). Victor describes the quartet’s sound as “hitting that thing beating in your chest, that little place in your brain that makes you bob your head uncontrollably.” We’re so there. 11pm. $5. New Paltz. (845) 255-2400;
www.myspace.com/johnnyunstoppable.
Jim Weider’s Project Percolator
November 24. Project Percolator is Weider’s trip into a powerful guitar-driven groove band (with an awesome 2006 CD to prove it). His blues/rock roots still show, but highlights of funk and jazz shine through and show Weider’s mastery of his Telecaster. The latest incarnation of the band includes Rodney Holmes on drums, Mitch Stein (of the Steve Kimock Band) on guitar, and Steve Lucas on bass (Bruce Cockburn). Weider, who for a time ably stood in Robbie Robertson’s guitar shoes in The Band, is among a select group of musicians with an endorsement from Fender. This jam is highly recommended. 9pm. $20, $25. Towne Crier Cafe, Pawling. (845) 855-1300; www.jimweider.com.
