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

1.Sunday, September 4: Scurvy Dog Parking Log Mega Show II; 2pm; Free; 21+ but children with parents welcome; Scurvy Dog, 1718 Westminster St, Providence. Here we are at the end of the summer, and running out of options to be outside and drunk while listening to music. Here is your chance to do so and catch another Scurvy Dog Parking Mega Show with some of the best gritty rock, punk and metal acts from the area. The day starts off with Delta Bayou by way of the Blackstone upstart Craig Wreck and finishes with Providence mainstay Sasquatch and the Sickabillys. Other local highlights include blues rock empresarios The Silks and garage punks The Sleazies. There are also some out- of-town acts such as Montreal’s hillbilly Bloodshot Bill and Cincinnati’s Lung. On Lung’s site, they invite people to “come up with a good description and we will pay you mad cash” in place of where a bio would go. I plan on taking off the next two months and getting to the bottom of that for them in search of mad cash, but for now its a duo doing indie electric cello rock with drums. Check the Facebook event page for set times and more info, such as whether your child and/or dog are invited.

2. Thursday, September 8: Guitar Wolf, Hans Condor; 7pm doors; $12 advance / $15 day of; All ages; Fete, 103 Dyke St, Providence. I will never forget the first time I saw Guitar Wolf. It was at the old Met Cafe, mid ’90s, opening for underground garage legends Phantom Surfers and local shitkickers The Scared Stiffs. The room was already packed before a band played a single note, and there stood Guitar Wolf on stage, posturing and posing as if that might be as important as the music. Before they could go on, they needed someone to jump on stage and tune their guitar (pretty sure it was Josh Gravel from Shotgun Flu). In the meantime, the bass player took a Rolling Rock, paused, then hoisted it in his mouth and chugged the entire bottle while not using his hands. He then paused again to stare at the empty bottle then smash it over the monitor and began the trashing. Were they good? No, they were not. But in a short few years they went from trash to kick ass. If you like garage punk rock and/or roll, do yourself a favor and make it out to see them.

3. Saturday, September 10: Fine Malt Vintage One Year Anniversary Party featuring Thirstin Howl III, Dirty Hank, Reason, Everybody Luv Black; 8pm doors/9pm show; $13 advance / $15 day of; All ages; The Met, 1005 Main St, Pawtucket. The “Polorican” Thirstin Howl III has come back to Rhode Island. One of the best rappers of the Oughts, Thirstin never really got the fame that he deserved. While critically acclaimed and well-received by the underground, he might have been better served coming up 10 years earlier or 10 years later in today’s climate. His tracks are unforgettable and he rhymes with ease and hilarity. “I Still Lives With My Moms,” “Polorican,” “I Wanna Watch” all still stand out and survive the test of time. Perhaps his most memorable song is one that I can’t really put its title in this column. Yes, it does have the f-word, which I might be able to get if it weren’t the fact that its a verb about sleeping with cartoon characters. I will never forget when that song came on shuffle and I was downstairs getting laundry while my son was upstairs able to hear it. It was the longest 20 seconds of my life. Anyway, this show celebrates the year anniversary of Fine Malt Vintages. Great shop with a ton of cool vintage sports jerseys, various ’70s and ’80s beer shirts, and plenty of Polo to get geared up for this show. Fine Malt is located over at 1986 Broad St in Cranston.

4. Thursday, September 15: Danny Brown, Maxo Kream, ZelooperZ; 8pm doors/9pm show; $25 advance / $28 day of; All ages; Lupo’s, 79 Washington St, Providence. I can’t listen to Danny Brown when I am driving because it feels like it can give me a panic attack (check out the song “When It Rain” to get an idea of what I mean). Good hip-hop is supposed to make you uncomfortable. While I love many of the hip-hop heads that Danny works with such as A$AP Rocky, Schoolboy Q, Kendrick Lamar and others, what stands out about Danny Brown is his individuality. His prose, content and vision puts him in context with musicians like Kool Keith, Betty Davis or George Clinton. Danny’s performances live are always great, I definitely recommend checking this out.

5. Saturday, September 17: 95.5 WBRU Exposure presents Cymbals Eat Guitars, Field Mouse; 8pm door/9pm show; $12; 21+ only; The Parlour, 1119 North Main St, Providence. Cymbals Eat Guitars released their first single “Wish” for the new record Pretty Years back in May and it serves as a tremendous tease for a long-awaited album that doesn’t drop until September 16.  The track (which I highly recommend you download) oozes ’80s sleaze in such powerful ways.  The horns, teeter back and forth and at times on top of each other, with tones of yacht rock and no wave sax solos blaring. Their follow-up 4th of July, Philadelphia (Sandy) hints toward this record likely having a ton of range, a heavier track recounting his 4th and the pains of growing up and holidays not being what they were in the process. “How many universes, am I alive and dead in?” could definitely also give me a panic attack if I were stoned, in theory, if I did that sort of thing, in theory. Anyway, love the new songs and can’t wait to hear the new record and see it live.

Worth noting — September 4: Robert Ellis / Smith & Weeden / John Farone @ The Met; September 9: Marian Hill @ The Met; September 9: Bim Skala Bim / The Copacetics @ Firehouse 13; September 14: Craig Wreck / Cowboy & Lady / Zack Slik / Divey @ The Met; September 16: Nada Surf @ The Met; September 17: The Feelies @ The Met; September 17: The Dictators @ The Parlor Newport; September 20: CHVRCHES @ Lupo’s; September 23: The Devil Makes Three / Lost Dog Street Band / The Huntress And The Holder Of Hands @ Lupo’s; September 23: Julien Baker @ Aurora; September 27: The Dear Hunter / Eisley / Gavin Castleton @ The Met; September 27: Goblin Cock @ The Parlour; September 30: Jeff The Brotherhood @ Fete