1. Sat, Jul 11: B Dolan (Kill The Wolf Album Release), Dropdead, Ask The Dead, with special guests Sage Francis, Roz Raskin and more; 8pm doors / 8:30pm show; $13 advance / $15 day of; All ages; The Met, 1005 Main St., Pawtucket. 2015 has been a big year for RI’s B Dolan. He recently toured the country opening for Atmosphere, and now is releasing his new full length, Kill The Wolf. The record, which B has been working on for five years, has some pretty big named collaborators from all over the musical globe. From the familiar to Dolan indie hip-hop world artists like Aesop Rock, Buck 65 and Alias to not as familiar or similar artists like Kathleen Stubelek from Circle Takes The Square and Dave Lamb (RIP) of Brown Bird. B says he “turned up the production value by fusing live guitars, analog synths, violins and upright bass with formidable volcals and intricate lyrics.” For a sample, check out the exceptional first single “Jailbreak” video at his Facebook page and YouTube. And the openers are a mix of other genre-breaking RIers who made headway nationwide. Solid show from start to finish curated by B Dolan himself.
2. Thu, Jul 16, 17 & 19: R Kelly at Foxwoods. Talk about an evening of excess. Foxwoods presents three opportunities for you to have the night of the summer. An evening in New England’s small city of sins with no other than R & B icon and TMZ lightning rod R. Kelly. Don’t have tickets? Don’t want to pay for tickets? No worries, the party should be all over the casino after the show is over. Get a hotel room (preferably with a hot tub), ice some bottles of champagne in your hotel bathroom sink, and maybe grab some good 1am snacks (prepare as if you might be stoned, chocolate, marshmallows, etc). Start drinking outside the theater at the bar on the MGM Grand side of the casino, let R Kelly do his thing and rile up the sexed-up crowd, and when they get out there you are at the bar primed and ready to mingle. I can only imagine the debaucherous behavior that will go on in the hotels these three summer nights.
3. Fri, Jul 17: WBRU Summer Concert Series with Joywave, Jetty; 7pm; Free!; All ages; Waterplace Park, PVD. WBRU summer concert series is back and kicking off with its best of the year with Joywave and Jetty. Rochester, NY’s Joywave followed up break-out 2014 ep How Do You Feel with the 2015 full-length How Do You Feel Now. It’s so nice that they’re keeping up with how we’re doing. It’s a cop out to call them indie electronic, the band clearly has a ton of influences and weaves them in and out flawlessly. Check out their hit “Somebody New” on ‘BRU or YouTube. PVD’s indie r’n’b dance party Jetty are always a good time, so get there early. Other highlights of the series include Saint Motel (Jul 31) and newly crowned Rock Hunt champs Public Alley (Jul 24). Free, beer gardens, wackos, the smell of waterplace park, truly something for everyone.
4. Fri, Jul XX – Sun, Jul XX: 2015 Newport Folk Fest and all the after parties you could wish for; Newport. There are some pretty big headliners this year (Roger Waters, The Decemberists, maybe Bob Dylan?), but the best part of the folk festival is the talent in the middle of the day. The new acts on the way up. This year is loaded with acts like Jason Isbell, Shakey Graves and Leon Graves. But the set I am most excited for is the RI debut of Melbourne Australia’s Courtney Barnett. Her 2015 record, Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit is the standout record of the year for me. If you’re not familiar with her, check out the track “Depreston,” but really just take my word and buy the album. The fest is sold out so if you don’t have tickets, you will have to eBay or look for some of the artists to pop up in after parties. Deer Tick is playing Newport Blues Cafe Thu through Sun, and it’s a safe bet some of the talent from the fort will find its way on stage for a couple of those shows. There are some official after parties taking place at Jane Pickens Theater and Hope Underground. For a good share of RI talent that isn’t on the radar, check out spots in town like Jimmy’s Saloon. And for my favorite way to spend a Sunday, stop by Irish pub Fastnet late afternoon for a traditional Irish Session.
5. Tue, Aug 4; Faith No More, Refused; Blue Hills Bank Pavilion Boston. The two hottest tickets of the last couple of months were these two bands playing in smaller rooms than they should have been in Boston. So here we are, in a very large outdoor setting. I call it the Aquarium Arena, because unlike Great Woods, I can’t remember what it was called before banks rename it every other or so year. I am not a fan of this place to see a show, but the view of the Boston Harbor is nice and the talent on this night is off the charts and unavailable anywhere else in New England this year so… Faith No More is touring in support of their first record in almost two decades, Sol Invictus. Likewise, Refused just released their first album in almost two decades titled Freedom. While reviews are of the new Refused material are mixed, I saw with my own two eyes the band earlier this month and HOLY SHIT they sure still have it live. Singer Dennis Lyxzen is a non-stop machine, like Mick Jagger on crack. This has to be the best mini arena bill of the summer.
Also Worth A Mention: Jul 11 — Murder By Death at the Met; Jul 19 — Raekwon & Ghostface Killah at Lupos; Jul 20 — Detroit Cobras at Great Scott(Boston); Jul 21 — Liturgy at Columbus; Jul 28 — Windhand at AS220; Aug 1 — The So So Glos, Gymshorts, Littlefoot at The Met
More Posts by The Author:
Mike D’s Top 5 Can’t Miss Shows of July
Mike D’s Top 5 Can’t Miss Shows of March
Mike D’s Top 5 Can’t Miss Shows of February
Mike D’s Top 5 Can’t Miss Shows of January
Mike D’s Top 5 Can’t Miss Shows of November
