With the holidays looming, we understand that you might only have the cash to attend one of this weekend’s three Social Distortion shows. So why not attend the gig whose opening band best suits your style?
• The Hedrons (Friday): Although this spunky co-ed quartet hails from Glasgow, Scotland, it’s adept at bashing out old-fashioned American rock ’n’ roll. Think a grittier Gossip, Lookout!-era Donnas or the garage-rock version of Lette
rs to Cleo—if not the second coming of Pat Benatar.
• Time Again (Saturday): This LA quartet is on Hellcat Records—the label founded by Tim Armstrong—so it’s no surprise that the band’s reggae-tinged punk tunes resemble Rancid. But that isn’t such a bad thing, especially when Time Again’s shifts from laid-back to ferocious are so ace.
• Girl in a Coma (Sunday): Sure, this San Antonio trio was hand-picked by Morrissey to open a few shows this fall, and you can guess which Smiths song the band named itself after.
But the group avoids being a Moz clone, by contrasting mooning vocals and dreamy tempos with jagged, bratty guitar rock and lovely harmonies. –Annie Zaleski
Social Distortion. With The Hedrons, November 30, 6 p.m., $30. With Time Again, December 1, 6 p.m., $30. With Girl in a Coma, December 2, 6 p.m., $30. House of Blues, 632-7600.
COMING TO TOWN
A Place to Bury Strangers
A Place to Bury Strangers
*** 1/2
No, your speakers aren’t broken ... at least, not yet. A few more spins through the distortion-saturated debut by this Oliver Ackermann (ex-Skywave)-fronted, Brooklyn-based trio—self-billed on MySpace as “the loudest band in New York”—and those James Taylor records might sound a lot fuzzier. Noisy as hell, but in the great tradition of Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine, the layers only enhance the melodies within. – Spencer Patterson
With The Pandas, Sparkler Dims. December 1, 9 p.m., $8. Bunkhouse, 384-4536.
Metro Station
Metro Station
* 1/2
If they sound like an ’80s-inspired electro-pop band discovered on MySpace, that’s because they were. If they sound like a bunch of 18-year-olds just discovering sex and synths, that’s because they probably are. And if it sounds like guitarist/vocalist Trace Cyrus is the son of Billy Ray and the brother of Miley,
well ... – Julie Seabaugh
Opening for Motion City Soundtrack with Mae and Anberlin. December 6, 5:30 p.m., $18-$20. House of Blues, 632-7600.