First Tracks XL IV: ‘Citizens on Patrol’

If the emails I get that tell me I'm a monster for sticking to one topic, band, artist, whatever at a time (and also I'm paying attention to music wrong) are worth worrying about (they aren't, but whatevs), we can certainly find a workaround in suggesting a whole mess of jams over the next week. Like a roundup, if you will. And you will. I'm trying to find a little something for everyone here. Enjoy.

The Bohemiacs
7 pm Thursday June 7. $2 for non-members.
Starlight Lounge at Montecito, 500 Rodeo Road, 428-7777
Believe it or not, our knowledge of accordion genius Romanovsky goes back a full 20 years to the days of now-defunct Shakespeare in Santa Fe. You may even remember him from the days of Design Center eatery Pastability (also defunct) where he'd accordion diners up while rollerskating. Either way—and setting aside how we just realized that time is a cruel bitch—Romanovsky joins forces with vocalist and violinist Hilary Schacht for worldly Bohemian tunes that we're all but sure will have French-ish influences. Susan Hyde Holmes of jazz act Alpha Cats will be there, too, bassin' it up.

Boris and the Salt Licks
8 pm Friday June 8. Free.
Tumbleroot Brewery and Distillery, 2791 Agua Fria St., 303-3808
It's been a little while since Americana musician Boris McCutcheon brought out the Salt Licks, but if other emails we've gotten are also worth their salt (swish), this show oughta be packed as hell. Dude's pretty big in the Netherlands, so …

Tonic Jazz Showcase
9:30 pm Friday June 8. Free.
Tonic, 103 E Water St., 982-1189
If you're more of a late-nighter, this is a good bet and features ragtime aficionado Westin McDowell bringing his guitar into the fray with jazzy experimentalists Casey Anderson (bass) and Loren Bienvenu (drums), plus Sarah Mohr on vocals.

Itchy-O
7 pm Saturday and Sunday June 9 and 10. $25-$30.
Meow Wolf, 1352 Rufina Circle, 395-6369
Totally bizarre and kickass Denver 50-piece (yeah, there are effing 50 of them) Itchy-O brings its innovative percussion-heavy electronic explosion back to Meow Wolf for two nights of insanity. See, the last show was so over-the-top and excellent that a single night simply couldn't hold the return of this theatrical stage act. With elements of funk, punk, techno, Latin rhythms and good old-fashioned weirdness, this one's for the dancers who are looking to expand their horizons; a pseudo-spiritual event unstuck from the constraints of time and space. Or something.

Mad Pow with Zeta, Patema and Grave Gods
7:30 pm Sunday June 10. $10.
Zephyr Community Arts Studio, 1520 Center Drive, Ste. 2
Local studio The Decibel Foundry takes over the little DIY space that could (and can) for a night of proggy acts from both near and far. We're loving Venezuela's Zeta, a dreamy and mathy post-punk quartet that reminds us of Militia Group Records-era dreamscape levels of instrumentation and melody—hard-hitting and dense but heavy in all the right places. Denver's Mad Pow wows as well with a futuristic take on post-punk that reminds us a little bit of Yes if they'd never been owners of a lonely heart. Albuquerque's Patema fits in nicely with a metal ballad style heavy on storytelling and shredding guitars and, for those longing for a more traditional (and evil) metal style, Santa Fe's Grave Gods (members of Fields of Elysium and Of All Forms) slay so hard it's insane. We're talking blast beats, breakdowns, pig squeals and guttural growls in the vein of Converge and their ilk. Grave Gods' Wolves Unworthy EP is one of the most brutal local things we've heard in some time. Expect local metal fans to swarm this mother, because damn, they know how to support.

You Knew Me When
8 pm Tuesday June 12. Free.
Cowgirl, 319 S Guadalupe St., 982-2565
By the time we loop back around to the eve of another well-crafted issue of SFR, the dulcet tones of Ouray, Colorado-based husband-and-wife duo You Knew Me When oughta help bring you back down from the metal high. We're not saying they're sleepy or anything, more like adorable and talented. Formerly from Nashville, You Knew Me When blends indie rock, country and folk for the kind of thing Santa Fe just loves. We're loving it, too and thinking a swirly frozen margarita might pair well with the thumping bass and vocal harmonies.