I know you're looking for the rock, and on Friday night there's plenty to be had at Graceland because Cursive is in town all the way from Omaha, Nebraska, and they're playing an early all-ages show with the Blood Brothers and Criteria. What luck!
If you're not familiar with Cursive, they're a quintet featuring Tim Kasher (who has also worked with another Omaha superstar, Bright Eyes). Their latest record, The Ugly Organ (released earlier this year on Saddle Creek Records), is full of dramatic, energetic songs, and while so many indie rock bands might leave it up to the guitars and drums to sonically explore their frustrations, Cursive throws in a cello to add a deeper, lusher layer, filling out the sound even further. It can get pretty intense, especially when you add in Kasher's heart-busting-through-his-chest pained vocals.
Being the fan that I am, I'm quite embarrassed to admit that I've never witnessed a Cursive show (tragic, I know), so I can't vouch for their live performance myself, but reliable sources (uh, my friends) tell me it'll be worth the 10 bucks. I won't miss them this time, that's for sure.
But wait--if Cursive's on Friday, and the sold-out AFI show at the Paramount Theatre is on Sunday, how on earth would it be a true rock-and-roll weekend without at least one bitchin' show on Saturday night? Hmmm... Saturday night... I wonder what you could do Saturday night... (Ahem. Kane Hodder. Cough, cough. Blue Sky Mile. Sorry, I couldn't resist.)
Need more? You can hear my personal picks for the week on 107.7 The End every Monday and Friday at 5:30 pm during DJ No Name's Afternoon Experiment.
