When Arish Ahmad Khan (King Khan) and fellow Canadian Mark Sultan (BBQ) collaborate on an album, you can expect a lot of 1950s-style doo-wop, ’60s-era garage with some ’80s punk thrown in for good measure.
Bad News Boys, the first album from King Khan & BBQ Show in six years, sticks to the formula. It’s good to see these guys back, especially after Khan’s own personal struggles. These guys always turn out an enjoyable batch of songs.
The duo plays a March 17 show at Lincoln Hall.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I97DnBVHq1Y
Diamond Rugs is sort of an indie super group made up of members from five different bands, including Deer Tick, Black Lips and Los Lobos. These type of side projects can become a little self-indulgent, which is OK as long as we’re invited to the party. I think Diamond Rugs does let us in on the fun on its new release Cosmetics.
The album veers from horn-filled soul to roots in the spirit of the Bodeans, Tom Petty and others. The full band is John McCauley and Robbie Crowell of Deer Tick, Ian Saint Pe (formerly of Black Lips), Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, T. Hardy Morris of Dead Confederate and Bryan Dufresne of Six Finger Satellite. (Separately, I’m looking forward to a new album from Morris sometime this year.)
These guys play an April 2 show at Lincoln Hall.
All the Young Punks 