Sharon Jones hails from James Brown’s hometown of Augusta, Georgia, and practices the same kind of proto-funk R&B the Godfather of Soul developed in the mid-’60s: soul exhortations over spare, popping rhythm with just a little chitlin-circuit bottom. On Dap-Dippin’ with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, her recent record for Brooklyn’s Daptone Records, Jones leads an eight-piece band through a confidant variation on this vintage sound, spiking it with a bit of Stax-style pleading and updating it just enough to include a Jam-Lewis cover with the Janet Jackson hit “What Have You Done For Me Lately?”
The 40-something Jones had apparently been making her living as a wedding singer before the folks at Daptone made her an in-demand figure among underground audiophiles who worship vintage soul sounds. Local DJ/crate-digger collective Memphix fits the category and will be hosting Jones’ set at the Hi-Tone Café Monday, May 17th, where she’ll be appearing with labelmates The Sugarman 3.
For rock fans, the best bet may be at the Young Avenue Deli on the same night, where the Elephant-6-identified Of Montreal headline what should be a strong triple bill. The psychedelic pop band has a new record out on indie Polyvinyl, Satanic Panic From the Attic, which has been getting glowing reviews. They’ll be joined by Chicago’s The M’s, who push retro-rock forward a decade with nods to T.Rex and Mott the Hoople, and locals Vending Machine, whose lovely bent-pop might be one of the local scene’s hidden treasures. —Chris Herrington
If you are a fan of all things vintage, then you’re probably well acquainted with Deke Dickerson, a West Coast roots musician who has fused elements of rockabilly, Western swing, traditional country, and mid-century rock-and-roll into a rollicking red, white, and blue parade of American guitar styles. Dickerson can segue from a classic murder ballad into the kind of eerie surf-rock that defines modern noir. He’ll do a free 5 p.m. set at Goner Records in Cooper-Young on Sunday, May 16th. Later that evening, he’ll be playing another free show down the street at the Glass Onion with Amy & The Tramps. Can’t beat the price for either show.
If you need a good solid dose of Southern punk with a little German garage tossed in, you’ll want to drop in at the Hi-Tone Café on Saturday, May 15th, to see Tyler Keith & The Preacher’s Kids and The Dutch Masters. When the Dutch Masters played their debut set at the Buccaneer, the floors literally shook. Redondo Beat, a German garage group with a Phil Spector fetish, will be joining the local rockers. —Chris Davis