BY STAFF

The Black Lips

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy with Lauren Dragon Saturday · Madison Theater It seems almost incomprehensible that Big Bad Voodoo Daddy has been playing their amped up '40s/'50s Swing routine for close to two decades now. The contemporary big band launched in 1989 when vocalist/guitarist Scotty Morris and drummer Kurt Sodergren cooked up the idea of an alternative-edged Swing revival outfit and collected like-minded players from their Los Angeles environs (the band's lineup has shifted constantly over the past 19 years with only Morris and Sodergren remaining throughout Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's long timeline). BBVD gained a loyal following in L.A. clubs and lounges and self-released their first two albums, 1994's Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and 1995's Watchu' Want for Christmas?

BBVD was vaulted into the national spotlight when the trendy cult film Swingers featured the band's signature songs, "You & Me & The Bottle Makes Three Tonight (Baby)" and "Go Daddy-O," in the movie's soundtrack (the band subsequently got huge television exposure in diametrically opposed episodes of Lizzie McGuire, Friends and Scooby-Doo, in which they played themselves).

The band signed with Interscope and released Americana Deluxe in 1998 and This Beautiful Life in 1999, both substantial hits; BBVD went on to play the halftime show at the 1999 Super Bowl. After 2003's Save My Soul (for Vanguard Records), the band self-released a live album and a second Christmas-themed disc, Everything You Want for Christmas, both in 2004.

After an uncharacteristic four-year gap between releases, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is on the verge of finishing their next studio album, songs from which will undoubtedly be jolting the faithful into appropriately manic dance behavior on the band's current tour stops.(Buy tickets, check out performance times and find nearby bars and restaurants here.) (Brian Baker)

The Black Lips with The Raconteurs Tuesday · National City Pavilion

Although the Black Lips seem to satisfy all the physical requirements to be a raging Punk band, the Atlanta quartet sports a sound that hews closer to the early '60s Pop ethic of the Kinks and the Garage stance of The Standells, a combination the band has dubbed "Flower Punk." The Lips coalesced in 2000 with the defection of guitarist Cole Alexander and bassist Jared Swilley from the Renegades and a likewise move by guitarist Ben Eberbaugh away from the Reruns. After the addition of drummer Joe Bradley, the Lips self-released their debut 7-inch, "Ain't Comin' Back," and prepared for their first full-scale tour. On the eve of the tour, Eberbaugh was tragically killed by a drunk driver, but the Lips valiantly pressed on with new guitarist Jack Hines in honor of their fallen friend.

After the release of the Lips' sophomore album, 2004's We Did Not Know the Forest Spirit Made the Flowers Grow, Hines departed and was replaced by former Renegades guitarist Ian St. Pre. The band's past two albums -- 2005's Let It Bloom and last year's Good Bad Not Evil -- earned them increased national exposure in Rolling Stone and Spin and they made their national television debut last fall on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

The Lips' live show is often punctuated with a variety of the band's bodily fluids winding up on stage (not to mention the audience), although they claim they have dialed back some of the more outrageous aspects of their stage presentation. The Lips were tagged by the New York Times as the hardest-working band at last year's South by Southwest after playing an average of three shows a day over the course of the four-day festival. While the Black Lips might no longer be puking and pissing on stage, you can still expect an unflagging intensity from the foursome. (Brian Baker)

James McMurtry Tuesday · Southgate House For his second recent show in the Tri-state area, James McMurtry and his Heartless Bastards (no relation to the local Bastards) play the Southgate House Tuesday. I just saw these guys perform at the Ohio Folk Fest in Madison, Ind., and if you dig grit-heavy, twang-fueled roadhouse Rock, this is the gang to see. They also play every Wednesday at an Austin, Tex., locale -- they're a working band.

Supporting his fine new release, Just Us Kids, McMurtry continues his strong streak of blending dusty, rode-hard anthems with literate, topical lyrics. This guy is a storyteller, and a good one. Of course, you might expect the latter from the son of Larry McMurtry, the celebrated novelist of Lonesome Dove fame.

Behind a monotone but resonant drawl as flat as Lou Reed's would be if deadpanning his way 'cross the Texarkana panhandle, McMurtry spews disillusioned tunes of hard times and defeat spun through a blue-collar perspective, particular to this day, this age: Peter Pan-type men, characters aging, still lost. He attacks the Bush administration's corrupt, scorched-earth policies with vigor and bite in songs like "We Can't Make It Here Anymore" and "Cheney's Toy." It's good to see that other Texans besides the Dixie Chicks are embarrassed by W.'s uniquely arrogant, inept eight-year reign.

McMurtry carries himself with an ornery, hard-shelled grace. Just from the bantering way he handles audience requests, you can tell he doesn't suffer fools gladly. His plain-spoken verve gives his character-driven tales weight and dignity. And the stripped-down sound of his prairie trio (guitar, drums, and bass) lends his music a lean, lived-in texture that bleeds through both his electric and acoustic sides. James is no slouch on the guitar either, making his Fender snarl through open tunings with misanthropic glee.

With a positively Dylan-esque bitterness, James McMurtry gets pissed at the right things to get pissed about. I'll put it like this: If you're not outraged these days, you're missing a pulse. And McMurtry will tell you the same thing in song. (Buy tickets, check out performance times and find nearby bars and restaurants here.) (Gregory Gaston)

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