Mike D’s Top 5 Can’t Miss Shows of October

1. Monday, October 9: The 10th Annual Pronk Fest; 2 to 9pm; Free; All ages and kid-friendly; South Water St, PVD. As the leaves turn to die and the sweaters get broken out, we are upon the final big outdoor happening of the year. Pronk is turning 10 this year, and has at least 22 bands / performers out and about Providence celebrating. Some of the performers are familiar to us, such as Providence acts Big Nazo, Extraordinary Rendition Band, and the What Cheer? Brigade. As the event has grown over the years, so has the distance from which these acts travel, such as Seattle’s Filthy FemCorps and Damas de Ferro, who are traveling all the way from Brazil. Check out their website (providencehonkfest.org ) for updates on who and where and when, and also to read their manifesto.
2. Wednesday, October 11: Beach Fossils, Snail Mail, Raener; 8pm doors/9pm show; $15; All ages; The Met, 1005 Main St, Pawtucket. There are so many good indie rock shows in Providence this month and this is one of the best. Beach Fossils released their third studio album, Somersault, earlier this year. The record is great; my favorite track from the record is “Tangerine,” which is a blissful shoegaze, but pop gem. Snail Mail were one of the breakout bands for me this year at SXSW. The band (along with other bands such as Sheer Mag and PVD’s own Downtown Boys) were the focus of a New York Times article about how the new wave of up and coming (and achieving) rock acts are female dominated. Another wise writer called that this March (motifri.com/sxsw2017).  Check out the bands single “Thinning;” it will then live in your head for a few weeks.  LA’s Raener open the bill.
3. Monday, October 16: Davey Moore turns 40; 8pm to 1am; Free!; All ages?; Alchemy, 73 Richmond St, PVD. What’s unique about Davey Moore, the owner of Alchemy, is that he truly cares about the local music scene more than the bottom line of his business. He wants to give everyone, from the bands to the supporters who come to see them, the best experience possible and the opportunity to go forward. For several years, he has been running The Midday Social event. The event is a showcase of a couple of local bands and includes panels of local workers in various aspects of the music business. It gives the opportunity for all to mix and get to know each other. He is a great component of the RI music scene, and what else is unique about Davey is he’s fucking old. So come celebrate his birthday, and come check out the venue if you haven’t been yet. It’s the old Jerky’s space, above the old Club Hell, next to the old Spikes.
4. Wednesday, October 18: Phoenix, The Lemon Twigs; 7pm doors/ 8pm show; $38.50 GA / $42.50 Reserved Mezzanine; All ages; Strand Ballroom & Theatre; 79 Washington St, PVD. Finally, Phoenix has come to Rhode Island.  The band has been around for over 20 years, but has not played in town yet. The band is best known for the hits such as “1901” and “ Lisztomania” off their 4th album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. The band released their 6th record, Ti Amo, which moves away from their classic French pop sound, as they tried to focus on Latin roots and Italian disco. This show is the best of the upcoming shows at the newly renovated Strand Ballroom & Theatre (formerly Lupo’s). With the new sound system and killer new lights, this is the perfect spot for Phoenix. The Lemon Twigs won the 2017 Grulke Award, a prize given for best developing US act at SXSW yearly (last year was Anderson Paak). Their psychedelic jams are heavily balanced of the Beatles, but in a good way, such as Super Furry Animals. Get there early to make sure to check them out, too!
5. Saturday, October 21: Queens Of The Stone Age, Royal Blood; 7:30pm; $?; All ages; Agganis Arena, Boston. Queens Of The Stone Age are my favorite band of the last 20 years, and they never disappoint. I personally prefer the band when they groove as to when they jab. Their first single of their seventh album, Villains, was the track “The Way You Used To Do.” Like their old hit “Little Sister,” it falls under the jab category to me and still hasn’t grown on me. But their follow-up single, “The Evil Has Landed,” falls into that classic sooner riff zone that I love. I was afraid that I wouldn’t like the new record after hearing the first single and knowing that pop producer Mark Ronson (Bruno Mars, Adele) could have pushed them fully in that direction, but the record is pretty diverse and very good. Live, they are unstoppable. I think I have seen them more than 15 times at this point and hope to catch both the Boston and Portland shows. UK loud as hell duo Royal Blood open.

Also worth noting: Oct 5 — Black Uhuru / Soul Shot / DJ Mike Potatoes @ Parlor Newport; Oct 6 — MadeinTYO @ The Met; Oct 7 — Route.44 / Torn Shorts @ The Parlour; Oct 8 — Scurvy Dog Mega Show; Oct 10 — Modest Mouse / Metz @ The Strand; Oct 12 — Bash & Pop / Tall Teenagers / Gymshorts; Oct 13 — The Feelies @ The Met; Oct 13 — Ministry / Death Grips @ The Palladium (Worcester); Oct 17 — Ian Fitzgerald @ The Black Sheep; Oct 20 — Wolf Parade @ Royale (Boston); Oct 20 — Hairspray Queen @ Aurora; Oct 21 — World Inferno Friendship Society / Cactus Attack / McGunks @ The Met; Oct 22 — Guns N Roses TD Bank North (Boston); Oct 27 — 311 / The Pilfers @ The Strand; Oct 29 — Lil Peep @ The Met; Oct 31 — Highly Suspect @ Fete; Oct 31 — The Viennagram @ Shelter Arcade