From Dr. Dog’s farewell tour to the Saharan sounds of Mdou Moctar and the triumphal return of gospel to the Hudson Valley, here are six shows to pencil in this September.
Dr. Dog | September 8
You know what they say: Every dog has its day. And after 22 years, critically adored Philadelphia-based, psychedelic-tinged indie pop band Dr. Dog is calling it one, at least they are when it comes to being the reliable road hounds that they’ve always been. The group recently announced that, although they have no plans to disband, after one more US performing excursion, this fall they’ll be retiring from touring. Fortunately for the dogged devotees who dwell in and around our area, one of the treasured stops on the band’s farewell jaunt is this date at new Capital Region venue Empire Live. With Bowerbirds. (Gogol Bordello goes nuts September 14; Unearth arises September 24.) 7pm. $25, $28. Albany.
Mdou Moctar | September 11
The return of live music, cautious as it’s been, has been a well-earned reward after a long and difficult 2020. And for many listeners, the reappearance of Tuareg guitar god Mdou Moctar and his band, who play Gateway City Arts center’s music hall this month, feels like the icing on the musical cake. Moctar recently released his fifth studio album, Afrique Victime (Matador Records), which has drawn rabid raves. From the venue: “All patrons will be required to wear a mask AND provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination (two weeks past second shot) OR proof of a negative COVID PCR test [received within 48 hours prior to the show] to enter.” With Pure Adult. (Tank and the Bangas bump September 14; Yo La Tengo rocks out September 17.) 8pm. $17.50-$20. Holyoke, Massachusetts.
Live Skull/Thalia Zedek Band | September 17
Live Skull were Sonic Youth’s main rivals at the tail end of New York’s no wave scene during the early and mid-1980s, trading in a brand of dark art rock that’s similarly experimental but rooted less in the spiky dissonance of DNA and more in the sprawling post-psych of Pere Ubu. The newly reactivated band has released two albums on the Bronson Recordings label, 2019’s Saturday Night Massacre and last year’s Dangerous Visions; the latter combines new recordings with a 1989 BBC Peel Session. They land at the reopened Tubby’s this month, where they’ll be joined by sometime vocalist Thalia Zedek (Come) and her band. (Algiers arrive September 10; Honey Radar and Mountain Movers share the bill October 1.) 8pm. $13. Kingston.
Hudson Valley Gospel Festival | September 18
Hallelujah! The second annual Hudson Valley Gospel Festival graces Bowdoin Park, bringing with it the Hudson Valley Gospel Festival Choir directed by Dr. Mary McLymore with music directed by Reverend Tarrence Motley-Epps. Sharing the stage with the choir will be the Jazz Pioneers, the West Point Gospel Choir, the Bethel Church of God in Christ Praise Team, Angels Without Wings from the Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, and more. A returning component of the grand event is the “Walk Through Gospel History” segment, which takes attendees on a musical journey through the rich roots of gospel music. 1pm. $15 (or $10 for students, seniors, veterans, and active-duty military personnel; children under five are free). Wappingers Falls.
Average White Band | September 24
In the 1970s, Scottish-born jazz funksters the Average White Band ruled the AM airwaves with the booty-shaking Top 10 disco smashes “Pick Up the Pieces” and “Cut the Cake”; two decades later, their music became the raw material for many a hip hop hit when it was sampled by the likes of Public Enemy, Erik B and Rakim, the Beastie Boys, TLC, Ice Cube, Tribe Called Quest, the Beatnuts, P-Diddy, Too Short, Christina Milan, Mark Ronson, and many others. September finds the brassy outfit back at it again, taking the funky party to the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater for an assuredly dance-packed evening. (Gypsy celebrates Stevie Nicks September 25; Stella Blues honors the Grateful Dead October 1.) 8pm. $37.50-$55. Peekskill.
JD Simo/GA-20 | October 3
Formerly of jam-fest faves SIMO, singer-songwriter JD Simo has worked with such artists as Jack White, Phil Lesh, Luther Dickinson, Chris Isaak, Blackberry Smoke, Cowboy Jack Clement, and director Baz Lurhmann (Romeo + Juliet) on the soundtrack to his forthcoming Elvis Presley biopic. Now based in Nashville, Simo has hit the trail to flog Off at 11, his 2019 solo debut. Mining a more garage-y, hard blues-rockin’ path for this coheadlining show at Daryl’s House are Boston trio GA-20, who were cofounded in 2018 by guitarists Pat Faherty and Matthew Stubbs (Charlie Musselwhite, Antiguas) and recently released a whole album of raw Hound Dog Taylor covers. (Roomful of Blues returns September 10; the Yardbirds do some blueswailing September 16.) 7pm. $15, $20. Pawling.
This article appears in September 2021.
