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Langhorne Slim: Philly boy plays weatherbeaten roots rock

Rob Thomas  —  8/11/2008 2:51 pm

Apparently singer-songwriter Langhorne Slim professes not to like Langhorne, the Philadelphia suburb he grew up in and from which he took his nickname. He should just be glad he didn't grow up in Nether Providence, Pa., instead.

Whatever his antipathy toward the place, Langhorne Slim has a good ring to it (and he is thin as a rail), nicely fitting the weatherbeaten, Southern-accented roots rock he plays. In fact, listening to Slim and his rock band the War Angels, you'd never guess he's actually from Pennsylvania rather than Mississippi. And you'd never guess he is a formally trained musician, although he swears music school was just an easy way to keep his parents happy and continue to play music.

Langhorne Slim and the War Angels will be at the High Noon Saloon, 701 E. Washington Ave. at 8 p.m. on Memorial Day. Tickets are $10 through the High Noon, B-Side Records, Mad City Music and Strictly Discs, or at the door, and The Builders and The Butchers (that's just one band, not two) open the show.

Radio-ready active rockers Saving Abel are out supporting their self-titled debut with a show at the Annex, 1206 Regent St., at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. They top a full and wide-ranging bill that includes neo-glam rockers EndeverAfter, the vaguely Coldplay-esque People in Planes, and angst-rockers Meriwether. Tickets are $11 through Ticketmaster and its outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 255-4646, or $13 at the door.

The World's Largest Bratfest is like Lollapalooza for local bands, with a slew of acts from Madison and around the region playing for free Friday through Memorial Day at Willow Island at the Alliant Energy Center.

Sunspot, Flame Shark, Mighty Short Bus, Super Tuesday and Jessi Lynn are just a few of the familiar names, but definitely make time for pop-rockers Clear Blue Betty (5:30 p.m. Friday), who are taking a year-long hiatus beginning in June.

Visit bratfest.com/liveatthefest.php for a full schedule, as well as a nifty media player that lets you sample some of the local talent.

Another bevy of local and regional acts will be at the High Noon Saloon at 8:30 p.m. Thursday for the Steel Bridge SongFest Pre-party. The SongFest, held in mid-June, raises money for Door County's historic Michigan Street Bridge, and this show gives a taste of what the festival will offer, including former Timbuk 3 frontman Pat McDonald, swampy blues rock from Little Marsh Overflow, and jam-rock from the Baghdad Scuba Review. The cover is $6.

Chicago singer-songwriter Brian Mazzaferri is pleased as punch that one of his songs was used as a backing track for an "Obama in 30 Seconds" ad. He's in town this weekend supporting his "All Roads Lead to Roads" CD, playing at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Brink Lounge, 701 E. Washington Ave., and then heading over to Bratfest at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

St. Louis rockers Ludo play the Loft, 827 E. Washington Ave., at 7 p.m. next Thursday, May 29, in support of the deeply conflicted major-label debut "You're Awful, I Love You." Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door, and Steel Train and Sing it Loud are also on the bill.

Alt-country singer-songwriter Tift Merritt drew a deservedly warm reception when she played the High Noon Saloon last month. But the real buzz coming out of the show was about opening act The everybodyfields, a Tennessee male-and-female duo who feature gorgeous harmonies, heart-wrenching lyrics and exquisite fiddle and steel guitar arrangements.

They'll be back to headline a show at Cafe Montmartre, 127 E. Mifflin St., at 8:30 p.m. next Thursday, May 29. Tickets are $10, and Martha Berner and Katie Sawicki also will perform.

Rob Thomas  —  8/11/2008 2:51 pm