Happy Thanksgiving everyone! This week we take a look at a number of artists who’ve hit the scene in the last five years and seem to be getting bigger and better with every album. It’s a long weekend so with the extra free time why not go to an extra show!
Kongos + The Joy Formidable
This Saturday you can head down to Metropolis and check out Kongos, four brothers from an obviously very musical family whose last name happens to be, you guessed it, Kongos. Talk about the easiest discussion ever for what the band name should be. Also how great is it that all of them can say the band’s named after them.
Ok enough digressing, let’s talk about the band. Last June they released their latest album Egomaniac and this fall they’re on their way through North America in support. Give them a listen and you can hear the musical influence that their birthplace of South Africa has had on these four guys who grew up in Arizona.
Joining them will be Welsh rockers The Joy Formidable who are currently on tour on our side of the pond in support of their third studio album Hitch which was released last June. This band has the versatility to play simple acoustic songs, stirring ballads and when need be kick some ass as a powerful rock band that sounds a lot bigger than its three members.
Kongos and The Joy Formidable play Metropolis, 59 Ste. Catherine Street East, Saturday, October 8th, 8:00pm (Doors at 6:30pm), $29.50 to 38.30 through the box office.
Tom Odell
For those who aren’t too stuffed with turkey you can keep the long weekend going on Monday night at Théâtre Corona where English singer-songwriter Tom Odell will be playing as part of his current tour that spans our continent in order to support of his most recent album Wrong Crowd released last June.
Tom has keen sense at crafting pop tunes, choruses that stick in your head and piano melodies that always feel right. If you don’t know him then I suggest you watch this video because you also get the added bonus of seeing Kevin Spacey climb stairs over and over again.
Tom Odell plays Théâtre Corona, 2490 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Monday, October 10th, 8:00pm (Doors at 7:00pm), $27 ($30 day of the show) through the box office.
Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox
If you casually surf YouTube for long enough you’ll probably come across a clip or two by the music collective Postmoden Jukebox who are known for taking current rock and pop hits and reworking them into jazz, swing and other early 20th century forms of music. Started in 2011 by jazz pianist Scott Bradlee, this ever changing lineup of musicians has had a series of viral hits which has allowed them to transcend our computer screens and enter the real world in the form of a live tour.
This Saturday they’ll be coming to Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier which is an appropriate venue considering that at it’s root this is a professional jazz show. Perhaps the initial reason people click on a clip is because of the song title but the reason they stick around is because of the interesting arrangements and high level of musicianship.
Now please click on this clip because of the title!
Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox plays Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, 175 Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest, Saturday, October 8th, 8:00pm. $53 to $254 through the box office.
* Featured Image: postmodernjukebox.com
Know a band or an artist that should be featured in Shows This Week? Maybe a show FTB should cover, too? Let us know at music@forgetthebox.net. We can’t be everywhere and can’t write about everything, but we do our best!
