Backbone > Ear Whacks
Nightlife Highlights for August 2002

Laurel Masse
August 2: The Rosendale Cafe hosts a consistently stellar musical line-up, from Samite of Uganda to Dewey Redman, and Gail Ann Dorsey. Next up: the smoky-voiced Laurel Masse, a founding member of The Manhattan Transfer, who recently landed in Ulster County. Her steam-fired band includes local heroes Vinnie Martucci (piano), Mark Dzuiba (guitar), T. Xiques (drums), and Steve Rust (bass). (The same combo also backs Masse on her next live WAMC performance, August 28.) 8pm. 658-9048.

Savion Glover with TiDii
August 3: The young prophet of America’s indigenous dance makes a rare Albany appearance at The Egg with TiDii, a troupe featuring the nation’s most talented young tappers and a live jazz ensemble. Glover’s choreography in the Broadway smash “Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk” catapulted him to the top of the tap dance world, capturing the 1996 Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards. 8pm. $34/$28/$24/$18. (518) 473-1845. www.theegg.org

Cornershop
August 4: On their sunny Summerstage debut five years ago, Cornershop took the entire audience on a boogie pilgrimage to the ashram. Expect the same this go-round as Tjinder Singh’s brilliant Asian-Brit rock outfit blends the chants of India with funky rock and world beats. Wear your dancing sari. Opening will be British newcomers South, and The Avalanches, Australia’s wide-eyed dreamer DJs. Central Park Summerstage, Rumsey Playfield, NYC. 3pm. Free. www.summerstage.org

Teri Roiger & John Menegon
Tuesdays in August: The consummate host and hostess of Hudson Valley jazz bless Kingston’s Armadillo restaurant as they lay down a Latin groove every Tuesday, with help from “Mariachi” Mark Dzuiba on guitar. 7pm. Free. 339-1550.

Drala
August 9: According to master spiritual musician Steve Gorn, his group Drala is “music for contemplation and the celebration of mind, body, and spirit.” Hard to top that, but Gorn has cubed his karma with musicians David Nichtern on guitar/keys and Bill Buchen on tabla/percussion. Nichtern, who wrote “Midnight at the Oasis,” has worked with Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Garcia, Grisman, and others. The performance is a benefit for Sky Lake, the Buddhist center that was formerly CedarHeart Lodge, and a nifty place to see and hear just about anything. 7pm. $20. Rosendale. 658-8556. www.sky-lake.org

SummerSongs
August 10: Songwriters Severin Browne (Jackson’s brother), Freebo, Steve Gillette & Cindy Mangsen, Penny Nichols, Tom Prasada-Rao, David Roth, Cosy Sheridan, and Artie Traum will be the featured performers for a show at the Colony Cafe in Woodstock that caps off a week of teaching and performing at SummerSongs, the highly-successful songwriters camp held each summer in Ashokan. (Also at the Colony in August: Woodstock Guitar Project on the17th and Drummers of Ghana on the 25th.) 8pm. $17.50. 679-5342.

American Hi-Fi
August 10: Taking a break from the Vans Warped Tour, the Boston-based quartet brings its brand of guitar-dense pop to The Chance in Poughkeepsie. Led by former Veruca Salt drummer Stacy Jones, American Hi-Fi catapulted to alt-pop stardom last year with the hit “Flavor of the Weak,” off its eponymous debut CD. Opening for AH-F will be local funk-rock favorites, the Fuzzies. $10. 471-1966. www.thechancetheatre.com

Spin Cycle Lava/Jim James Band
August 24: Kingston’s West Strand Grill has long been overlooked as a happening regional music venue. The West Strand persists in snagging national acts (The The, Spearhead) while tenaciously supporting the local rock scene in their “rathskellar” club room downstairs. Fire-breathing heavies Spin Cycle Lava headline at the Grill on the 24th, but opening act The Jim James Band currently has more buzz than a Friday happy hour. (FYI: No one in the band is named Jim or James.) 10pm. Kingston. 340-4272. www.weststrand.com

—Wavy Davy