Get Close 

Thursday

It's not often that you can find a free show from the Absynth Quartet but tonight is one of those rare nights. AQ4 will be up at the Mad River Brewing Co. Tap Room doing its polka-dot grass thing at 6 p.m. Bring the kiddos down to groove along. Out of Chicago comes the immensely talented The Claudettes, who have recently put out a really good EP called Pull Closer to Me: The Claudettes, Live in the Piano Room, which was born out of an accident at a small music festival last year in Connecticut. After the power went out at said festival, the band improvised and went acoustic for the rest of their set in the middle of the crowd and, after a standing ovation, they realized they were onto something. Out of that experience came the idea to record the acoustic-based record they're on the road with now, while working on their upcoming album due later this year. I gave a listen to their EP and the band definitely sounds at home playing around with dynamics and weaving in and out of gentle breaks and swelling crescendos. They tip their collective hat nicely to T. Rex, Pink Floyd and Otis Redding among others on these recordings. They'll be stopping by Eureka this evening at The Palm Lounge around 9 p.m. and they're only asking $5 for a cover, which is well worth it. Pick up a copy of their EP and welcome them from the Windy City.

Friday

It's Arts Arcata! this evening, so stroll around the plaza and check out the many local musicians providing the soundtrack to your night. I bumped into local bass superhero Dan Davis at the penultimate Crabs game of the season and, after a brief baseball chat, he informed me that Wild Otis would be rocking away at The Mad River Brewing Co. tonight at 6 p.m. So if you're not feeling the Arcata vibe, head on up ol' Blue Lake way and check out these rootsy rockers for free. Leave a tip if you enjoy their tunes. I've been talking Dead a lot lately due to Jerry's recent birthday and the many celebrations that have taken place for that occasion. I've also been politely reprimanded from some of my Dead Head friends for not finding the time yet to watch the new Dead documentary Long Strange Trip, which I swear I'll get around to. To get back on track here, you've got another chance to hear the Dead tunes courtesy of Hardly Deadly and Rosewater, who are sharing the stage at The Jam in Arcata around 7 p.m. from what I could tell. Seems like an unusually early start time but hey, gotta make time for "Fire on the Mountain" and "Morning Dew," right? It's only $10 for this show, so get in and get groovin'. The Last-minute Men return to Cafe Mokka at 8 p.m. to play their international tunes. It's a free show and kids are welcome. Swedish pysch-rockers Dungen are in town and playing two sets at The Miniplex in Arcata. They've put out their ninth album called Häxan, which was commissioned as an instrumental score to Lotte Reiniger's 1926 film The Adventures of Prince Achmen (don't worry, I'm not cool enough to have ever seen it either) by the Swedish Film Institute. The band will be playing some of their original compositions from this new release along with songs from their earlier albums, as well. Showtime is at 8:30 p.m. and has a $20 ticket price. Colin of new local band Daily Driver shares that they're headlining their first show at The Logger Bar tonight. It's a "banjo-driven pop-grass dance-machine" from Arcata comprised of brothers Colin and Cameron of the No Good Redwood Ramblers, along with Lyndsey Battle. They're joined by local dark alt-folk duo Electro Saloon (featuring my better half) at 9 p.m. and this one's free as well. Fresh off their show on the big stage at The Folklife Festival, The Trouble are at The Palm Lounge in Eureka tonight playing with "heavy minimalist" funkers Peach Purple at the same time and for $5.

Saturday

As of press time, I think the Yes We Cann Parade and Hullabaloo is still on in Arcata, which parades through town and ends up at the Arcata Ballpark with music starting around 3:20 p.m. with local artists Dynasty One, Winstrong, Silver Hammer, The New Traditions and B Swizlo's Hip Hop Lounge. If you took part in the parade, I think you get in for free, otherwise it's $20 for the festivities. Honky tonk/soul band The Detours return to the Mad River Brewing Co. Tap Room at 6 p.m. It's a free show, so buy 'em a beer or leave 'em a tip. Avant-psych rock is on the bill again at The Miniplex tonight with Seattle duo Zen Mother and local dune-trippers White Manna who are gearing up to tour Europe before too long. This show's at 9 p.m. and $7 gets you in the door. If you had a good time at the Yes We Cann Hullabaloo, there's an afterparty at Humboldt Brews in Arcata at 9:30 p.m. with Cold Blue Water, Rosewater and DJ Livingearth. The ticket price is unclear at the moment but I know you'll save $5 when you show your wristband from said Hullabaloo.

Full show listings in the Journal's Music and More grid, the Calendar and online. Bands and promoters, send your gig info, preferably with a high-res photo or two, to [email protected].

Andy Powell is a congenital music lover and hosts The Album of the Week Show on KWPT 100.3 FM Tuesdays at 6 p.m. He still finds email pretty amazing.