Music blog idolator.com recently staged a virtual cage match between former Concrete Blonde singer Johnette Napolitano and Arizona's governor, Janet Napolitano.
Although no clear victor emerged, the site said Janet was "hoping to get more troops at the borders," while Johnette was "hoping to get more tunes into Borders."
Idolator's humor can be pretty hit-and-miss, much like the new album from Johnette, who plays Club Congress on Saturday.
The album, a solo effort called "Scarred," is a mixed bag of originals, covers and spoken-word poetry.
While originals such as "Amazing" see her testing her gravelly pipes, she takes a risk covering Coldplay's "The Scientist," to mild success. "Scientist" is a peculiar choice for Napolitano, since she doesn't really deviate all that much from the structure of the original except to stretch it out a little acoustically.
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She also becomes the three-millionth musician to cover the Velvet Underground's "All Tomorrow's Parties" — this time adding a thunderous rainstorm of chunky guitars and drums.
Napolitano's vocals have grit, and it'll be interesting to see how she sounds in the tiny Congress.
Opening will be local act Little Black Cloud, featuring Cathy Rivers, with doors opening at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online through hotelcongress.com/club.
– Kevin W. Smith
Portland's Menomena leans toward soft, experimental psychedelia that you might find in the quieter moments of a Flaming Lips album.
The three-piece, which sometimes trades in vocals for floaty instrumentals, hits Solar Culture on Friday.
Opening will be Chicago's All Smiles, which is the latest acoustic project from former Grandaddy guitarist Jim Fairchild.
The all-ages show costs $10 and begins at 9 p.m.
– Kevin W. Smith
