[state of the union] Stephen Steinbrink & French Quarter, tonight @ Great Scott
Welcome to State of the Union, your weekly recap of 50 Bands, 50 States happenings, both locally and nationally.In this space every Monday we'll tell you what 50 States bands are in town, releasing new music, or just doing something noteworthy. Photo above by Nick Coultas.
Tonight at Great Scott, our Arizona pick STEPHEN STEINBRINK will be bringing his brand of melancholy experimentation to our fair city, and of course, it will knock your tube socks right the fuck off. We've throwing so much of our support behind the gig, the Allston venue is allowing the Boston Phoenix to "present" it, so we'll be there to join in on the revelry.
Steinbrink is the best thing to come out of the 'Zona since either the Apache Kid or Kerri Strug (it's a toss-up), and since the Supreme Court hasn’t struck him down yet he’s still standing and still confessing his sins to the world at large. Point your fingers at the President, everybody: Steinbrink's music could bring peace (or at least peace of mind) to the world. For us, the crusade begins in Allston.
In this year's 50 Bands 50 States feature, our own Barry Thompson wrote that Steinbrink's previous music “could be mistaken for Death Cab For Cutie revisiting its glossless roots,” but described his new record, I Drew a Picture as “an assemblage of offbeat testimonials sprinkled with unobtrusive sonic experimentation.” Some states required hours of debate, but not Ariozona; we settled on Steinbrink and his French Quarter rather quickly and happily.
Steinbrink will be joined by his national tour mates Emperor X, and will get some local support from Phoenix favorites and 2012 BMP Best New Act gents Yale, Massachusetts. All in all, it’s sure to be one hell of a show.
Doors are at 9pm, it’s 18-plus, and costs only $7.