Here are musician Ken Beasley’s top music picks on the Lower East Side for this weekend:
ANDREW VLADECK – Fri Dec. 9 | 10pm at The Living Room
The last time we highlighted songwriter/banjo-picker extraordinaire Andrew Vladeck, he was performing as part of The Lo-Down’s CMJ showcase back in October. He’s back on the Lower East Side tomorrow, at the Living Room, and he’ll be followed by another great band (of which he is a regular member), Balthrop, Alabama. Formed by brother/sister team Pascal and Lauren Balthrop, Balthrop, Alabama offers up super-fun tunes, with left-of-center themes, and accompanies them with live illustratons. FREE//154 Ludlow St.
HEATHER CHRISTIAN – Sat Dec. 10 | 11pm at Rockwood Music Hall
Sometimes it can be quite frustrating to realize how overwhelmingly pop singers outnumber musical artists, but Heather Christian is one of the sly artists who can trick you into thinking she’s pop if she wants. If one moment she’s singing a melancholy song of personal hurt, the next she is pulling you along a flapper-esque jaunt that’s downright danceable. FREE//196 Allen St.
CORY BRANAN– Sun Dec. 11 | 10pm at the Mercury Lounge
There’s distortion in the barn, and we like it! Cory Branan comes to us from Memphis, Tenn., and in the best possible way, sounds like it. Branan bounds from song to song, each laced with traces of a different musical hero. “Tall Green Grass” certainly has a nod to John Prine, but “A Girl Named Go” could be mistaken for a Ramones’ B-side. “The Prettiest Waitress in Memphis” pulls off the unexpected by amazingly sounding like a mixture of the two. He’s already been on Letterman, so if he’s good enough for Dave… $8 Advance, $10 Door//217 E. Houston St.
Splitting his time between performing and producing, contributor Ken Beasley primarily plays with his own roots/rock band, Ken Beasley & Co., as well as the power punk outfit, Missy Sport, while also curating the Underground at the Abrons music series on the Lower East Side.
