THURSDAY, JUNE 18:
There are some whose ambition cannot be contained even in
the broad, liberal confines of Ivy League schools. Bill Gates is the classic
example. Then there’s Dave Longstreth, the virtuosic frontman of the
Brooklyn-based avant-rock outfit Dirty Projectors. Since
dropping out of Yale, he’s forged a music career so successful that icons like
David Byrne have been happy to collaborate with him. Most recently, the band
played an intimate fundraiser in New York headlined by Bjork, who performed
songs Longstreth wrote for her. He has a knack for taking hardcore punk riffs,
distilling them down to their melodic essence, and building from there with
everything from West African picking patterns to layered vocal harmonies to
R&B cool swagger, with remarkably visceral effect. The group is touring in
support of its new album, Bitte Orca, which was
released this month. (Click below to see video of the band's performance earlier this month, opening for TV on the Radio at House of Blues.) Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré opens the show at
the Somerville
Theatre (55 Davis Square, Somerville. 617.625.5700) at 7 p.m. Get
tickets ($18) at www.worldmusic.org or by calling 617.876.4275.
THURSDAY JUNE 18: Dirty Projectors at Somerville Theater
