Briefs

The Indigo Girls with special guest Brandi Carlile

Date: Saturday, Jan. 26, 9 pm

Venue: Saenger Theater, 6 S. Joachim St., 208-5600

Tickets: $45.50/$40.50/$35.50 available at the Saenger Box Office and through Ticketmaster

In the early ‘90s, The Indigo Girls (Amy Ray and Emily Saliers) were a breath of fresh air in a male-dominated industry. They proved girls can rock as well as boys and as the decade progressed, they became feminist icons and representatives of the equality movement.

With the release of their tenth studio album (“Despite Our Differences), they rekindle their folk rock sound. The release is filled with the philosophical lyrics and beautiful harmonies that have made them an Americana treasure.

The album features guest Brandi Carlile, a local favorite. Signed to Columbia in 2004, Carlile was later named one of the “10 Artists to Watch in 2005” by Rolling Stone. When her second album “The Story” was released, the title-song made its way onto the soundtrack for “Grey’s Anatomy” and on to radio stations across the nation. It has received tons of local radio play, with many moved by the heart-wrenching song.

Wu-Tang Clan

Date: Wednesday, Jan. 23, doors at 8 p.m.

Venue: Soul Kitchen, 219 Dauphin St., www.soulkitchenmobile.com

Tickets: $45 available at Soul Kitchen, Mellow Mushroom and 1-800-594-TIXX

This New York-based hip-hop militia brought the public into the 36 Chambers in 1993 with “Enter the Wu-Tang.” With a roughneck sound and kung-fu cuts, Wu-Tang Clan exploded onto the national scene, while gathering an army of fans all under the leadership of RZA (pronounced Rizza).

Their debut was followed by a two-disc release “Wu-Tang Forever,” considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, and a solo album from each member. Wu-Tang has become a phenomenon and a way of life for many with the group spawning books, video games and a successful clothing line (Wu-Wear).

Currently, Wu-Tang Clan is touring in support of their latest release “8 Diagrams.” For this one, the Clan supposedly had 40-50 songs ready to record, but only 14 were used in the end. In a time where hip-hop has become generic, “8 Diagrams” is setting an excellent example for many rising artists.

The Electric Experiment

Date: Thursday, Jan. 24, 9 p.m.

Venue: Monsoon’s, 9 N. Jackson St., 438-5500

Tickets: $5 at the door

Monsoon’s is usually closed on Thursday nights, but it seems as if an exception has been made for the Mobile/Nashville hybrid band The Electric Experiment. Comprised of Christian Grizzard (bass/vocals), Clint Parris (keyboard/vocals), Corky Hughes (guitar) and Adam Abrashoff, Electric Experiment jammed the BayFest masses with their eclectic sounds. Their debut album “Life on the Blue Dot” was co-produced by four-time Grammy winner Trina Shoemaker and has been gathering quite a bit of attention.

Auburn jam guru Wildman Steve has taken a liking to this group and spins their song “Going to the Sun” WQNR 99.9. On the local front, Electric Experiment’s “Standing Still” has been getting radio play on 106.5 The Pirate. Electric Experiment has a slough of shows confirmed for the Mardi Gras season. Until then, pick up “Life on the Blue Dot” online at iTunes and CD Baby and locally at Dr. Music and Satori.

The Rundown

In 2003, the United States was already neck-deep in the Iraq Conflict. Once again, American entertainers such as The Vandals, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Kid Rock travelled to far away lands to give back to the men and women who were literally giving their lives for their country. During the early days of the conflict, Mobile’s The Ugli Stick made the decision to see the world by joining the numerous musicians and comedians travelling overseas to entertain U.S. troops.

“Two reasons were that: one, we honestly wanted to travel and secondly, and the more serious reason was to kinda give back to the people that were protecting us and all that patriotic stuff,”Ugli Stick guitarist Dale Drinkard says. “We thought it would be really cool to go. We’ve all had really close friends that were in the military at some point in time and my grandfathers, both of them”

In 2003, Ugli Stick applied with Armed Forces Entertainment and waited. Recently, Ugli Stick’s manager Kathy Kemp got the news that they had been accepted, and the band began making preparations for their three-and-a-half week “Southwest Asia” tour from Feb. 10 – March 5.

There’s not too much they can divulge concerning their tour dates, but Drinkard did say that they would be playing locales such as Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti and Qatar. Even though The Middle East is not the safest place in the world for Americans, Drinkard feels that patriotism is a worthy shield.

“I can only speak for myself; I have no apprehensions,” Drinkard explains. “I love to travel…The Middle East is a little more extreme. I sincerely think that if something happens to me while I’m over there, at least I can say that I did something for my country, even if it is as minor as entertaining the troops, which to a lot of people means a lot. To me in view of what they do, what I’m doing is very insignificant. If something were to happen in that process, I’d feel pretty patriotic about what I’m doing. I really am happy to go over there. Like Bootsy Collins said, ‘I’m scared, but I’m not afraid.’”

Drinkard also plans on doing quite a bit of blogging while on this tour, so keep up with them at www.theuglistick.com. Or go say bon voyage to them at the Top of the Bay on the ESho Feb. 2.

Stephen Centanni is Lagniappe music editor. Contact him at scentanni@lagniappemobile.com.

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