Column for May 26, 2010

Idaho State University’s summer concert series (full schedule) kicks off this week with a concert on the quad (view on map), Thursday the 27th. Ryanhood is set to headline at 7:00 p.m., with The Bank Band opening at 6:00. Concerts are free and open to the public of all ages. Visit www.isu.edu/union/summer for their full schedule.

Ryanhood is an acoustic folk and rock duo, Ryan Green and Cameron Hood, based from Tucson, AZ. The guitar and vocal duo first played at ISU several years ago, opening for Better Than Ezra. Since that time, Ryanhood has toured with Jason Mraz and performed with Kelly Clarkson, Train, Third Eye Blind and more. They combine comedic banter and music, making for an entertaining and engaging performance.

The Tucson Area Music Awards have honored Ryanhood with best Band of the Year, Rock Band, Male Vocalist, Guitarist, Songwriter and more. They have a new album on the way, produced by Grammy-winning producer Ross Hogarth (Ziggy Marley, Melissa Etheridge).

Expect soulful, tight vocal harmonies and impressive guitar playing, reminiscent of Dave Matthews or John Mayer. Visit www.ryanhood.com.

Bank, an indie rock / pop band from Boise, ID, will open. Visit www.myspace.com/banktheband.

The Icon, an all-ages live music venue on N. Main Street in Pocatello (view on map), announced three concerts this week. On Thursday the 27th, Foundation (website), a hardcore rock band from Atlanta, GA, headlines with support from Rotting Out, Backtrack and Harms Way. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; tickets are $8 in advance through www.smithstix.com.

On Tuesday, June 1st, Corey Feldman & the Truth Movement, from Los Angeles, CA, is in concert at The Icon, supporting their recent release, “Technology Analogy.” VH!’s Daisy (Rock of Love) is scheduled to be there and local guitarist and singer / songwriter Travis Shipley is on the bill to open. Tickets are $10 in advance. Visit CoreyFeldman.net for more.

Wednesday, June 2nd, Good Old War, a rock trio from Philadelphia, PA, takes the Icon’s stage with Yukon Blonde, Audra Mae and Mess of Me. Find more on the headliner at www.myspace.com/goodoldwar. The Icon’s full schedule and links to ticket outlets are online at www.myspace.com/iconlive.

On Friday, May 28, Boy Eats Drum Machine, a.k.a. Jon Ragel from Portland, OR, performs at the Flipside Lounge on S. Main Street in Pocatello (view on map). He is a DJ, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist with four percussive recordings under his belt. The most recent, “Hoop + Wire,” released this year. For more, visit http://boyeatsdrummachine.com.

The Vinyl Perk, a coffee shop and record store on S. Main Street in Pocatello (view on map), has two concerts of interest this week. Friday the 28th, the locally-based Blind Autumn plays jazz / rock fusion. They mix funk, reggae, blues, and jazz, creating variety in their songs.

“Some of our songs could be considered straight-up rock while others are a lot jazzier,” said drummer Patrick Kennedy about their music. “We have an alto sax player which makes us different than a typical rock band. Right now all of our songs are instrumental, but we hope to add in some vocals in the future.” Read my interview with Blind Autumn for more.

And on Wednesday, June 2, see a special concert at The Perk with Tyler Fortier, an Americana folk rocker from Eugene, OR. The show starts at 6:00 p.m., free and open to all ages. Fortier’s most recent CD, “This Love Is Fleeting,” is a collection of beautiful folk with a country foundation and a little bit of rock ‘n’ roll. He also plays at The Cellar in Idaho Falls on June 1. For more, visit www.myspace.com/tylerfortier.

Swingshift makes their end-of-month return visit to Portneuf Valley Brewing, S. 1st Ave. in Pocatello (view on map), on Friday the 28th. Music starts at 8:30 p.m., free and open to the public of all ages. Swingshift plays jazz, vintage rock and pop.

On Saturday the 29th, two areas of music entertainment in the pub: on the main floor, a free show with singer / songwriter Pete Mason from Libbey, MT, plays indie acoustic folk. Visit www.myspace.com/waysideblue.

And upstairs in the loft of Portneuf Valley Brewing, Marcus Eaton makes a happy return to the area, playing contemporary rock with Kevin Rogers, starting at 9:00 p.m. There is limited seating; $10 tickets available now at www.marcuseaton.com.

A final grace note: tickets are on sale now for Rock the Falls 2010, a concert scheduled for August 26th at Sandy Downs in Idaho Falls (view on map). This year, Cinderella, Warrant, Kip Winger and Royal Bliss are on the bill; the concert will be hosted by VH1’s Ambre Lake. Advance tickets are available online at 78productions.com.

Linda Alexander
a.k.a. Lana Banana for Idaho Live Music
slowloosegravel@yahoo.com
http://slowloosegravel.blogspot.com
www.myspace.com/showmetheband