Alberta Cross & Dead Confederate at Troubadour Saturday Night

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Dead Confederate
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Rarely do I go to see live music and watch every band on the line up, but this Saturday night will be an exception. Locals Red Cortez will kick off a fantastic evening of rock at the Troubadour headlined by Alberta Cross and Dead Confederate.

I stumbled upon both of these bands, entirely accidentally, at the CMJ music festival a couple years ago in New York City. Dead Confederate played a tiny, narrow bar that was transformed briefly into a music venue and simply blew my mind – I mean, jaw-droppingly good.

I sought out the one person mouthing all the lyrics to find out who they were and ended up hanging with them the rest of the night — dark and moody rock played by really nice guys from Athens, Ga. Their sound is a mix of Southern rock ala My Morning Jacket and Seattle grunge but neither label does them justice. “The Rat” was their big song of the moment, but they have a new album coming out now called “Sugar” and I can’t wait to hear  the new stuff. Here’s a sample, “Giving It All Away,” with Dinosaur Jr’s J Mascis doing the guitar solo at the end.

troubadour squareAlberta Cross headline the evening. I ran into them on the street that same night in NYC and they handed me their EP and I couldn’t stop listening to it! Particularly “Lucy Rider.” These UK guys are based out of New York but they maintain many of the elements that make Brit rock one of my favorite types of music – driving and relentless.  “Broken Side Of Time” is their new album and here’s a taste with “ATX.”

I love when there is a lineup so solid I can plant my feet for the night. See you there!

RR