~PICKS OF THE WEEK~
06/21/2007
Gwen Stefani It is hard to believe it has been more than a decade since Gwen Stefani first entered public consciousness. But from practically the moment she entered, she was a household name. Exuding charisma, energy and a presence unmatched by almost any frontwoman since Debbie Harry, Stefani led her backing band — otherwise known as No Doubt — to a few million album sales before departing on a solo career that has seen her become an even bigger star, a fashion trendsetter and barrier-crossing celebrity on par with Madonna, except that there’s more to her than hype. Her sound — an eclectic mix of 80s new wave, modern hip-hop, dance, pop, rock, reggae and the kitchen sink — is as unclassifiable as her dressing style. She stops in at the Santa Barbara Bowl for a consecutive two night stay beginning June 26.
Don Rickles If you’re the only guy allowed to make fun of Frank Sinatra to his face — and not only live to tell about it, but elicit a laugh from Old Blue Eyes — well, that might make you the baddest man on the planet. Don Rickles, with his wrinkled bulldog visage, may not look like it, but ask anyone of certain age and they’ll tell you: no comedian commanded the respect he did. The ultimate insult comic, Rickles was an unofficial member of the Rat Pack back in the 1950s. To be insulted by Rickles is an honor, and the insultees will surely line up for the privilege when the legend himself picks up a mic at the Canyon in Agoura Hills on June 23.
Cadillac Angels Tony Balbinot is pulling off a pretty good ruse. Not that he is any way fake or something other than what he proclaims himself to be — the guy is as real as the dirt on his boots and the grease in his hair. But not everything about him is exactly as it seems. For example, he has been playing guitar for only 20 years. That is a hearty chunk of time, yes, but on record, with his band the Cadillac Angels, he sounds as if he came out the womb chopping a Gretsch. Although he was raised on a steady diet of Bo Diddley, Howlin’ Wolf and Slim Harpo, the Illinois native says he is just beginning to fully understand the inner workings of the music he built his career from. Cadillac Angels perform at the Deer Lodge in Ojai on June 22 and at the Beachcomber Tavern at Silver Strand in Oxnard on June 24.
DIGG | del.icio.us | REDDIT