Far be it from the Nightcrawler to over-scrutinize& but with the upcoming election, heightened security and all, is this really the best time for Ireland's Mark Geary to be shipping his Opium stateside?
Considering the fact that the poppy-inspired title has yielded a stunning, well-crafted collection of folk-pop tunes, Geary's new music is fast proving to be as universally appealing as it is potentially addictive these days.
"It's about escape and the notion of consequence," the album's architect explains, "[although it may] reveal some of my demons and drugs of choice."
A fixture in the NYC singer-songwriter scene who has opened for Elvis Costello, The Pretenders and Coldplay in days gone by, Geary has actually been gearing up for Opium for weeks now, traversing the U.S. in support. The album is his first studio effort since he scored and contributed to the soundtrack of the 2005 movie Loggerheads and put out his celebrated Ghosts in '04. This Saturday, Oct. 11, he concludes his stateside tour at Noho's Iron Horse.
And after a two-week respite, he'll pick things up again on the other side of the pond for a European trek that will nearly carry him into the year's end.
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Also Iron Horsin' around this month is one Bryan Greenberg, holding court at the storied nightclub on Monday, Oct. 13.
And while it would be equal parts highly speculative and downright irresponsible to accuse the Nebraska native of partaking of the occasional opiate, his career path—or perhaps more appropriately, paths—does suggest not only the use of some mind-altering substance, but a dash of masochism thrown in for good measure.
I mean, it's tough enough trying to earn a living as an actor or a musician—so what ever possessed him to simultaneously tackle both?
"Acting, it may be nailing a challenging scene, and in music, it may be seeing people sing my songs with me," explains Greenberg. "Ultimately, the two fuel each other and are both a special part of me." Greenberg appeared in the movie A Civil Action, starring John Travolta. He has another movie on tap with Kate Hudson, has guested on The Sopranos and has a recurring role as "Jake" on WB's One Tree Hill when he's not performing his patented blend of acoustic-driven soft-rock. To become a special part of Greenberg's Oct. 13 show—or at least purchase a ticket—kindly point your browser to iheg.com.
Similarly blurring the line between film and phonics these days is Band From TV—a pop-rocking collection of TV series cast members including James Denton (Desperate Housewives), Bob Guiney (Date My House), Bonnie Somerville (Cashmere Mafia) and Jesse Spencer (House).
Although fellow Housewife Teri Hatcher has also been associated with the project in gigs past, the obvious omission of her name on myspace.com/bandfromtv suggests that she won't be in the house—let alone performing—when the instrument-laden actors play Mohegan Sun Oct. 11.
While we're on the casino circuit, seminal '90s alt-rockers Smashing Pumpkins have also signed on for a night at the Sun. Billy Corgan and company are slated to take Mohegan's Arena Nov. 16 as part of the band's 20th-anniversary tour. Five days earlier (Nov. 11, for those of you who, like the Crawler, have noticed increasing lapses in memory and mathematical acumen during those same 20 years), the multi-platinum Pumpkins are releasing their first ever live DVD, If All Goes Wrong.
And rounding out this installment's national news, a band with more than a decade under its belt in its own right, Sevendust, will settle into Pearl Street's upstairs ballroom Sunday, Oct. 12. Ann Arbor alt-rockers Taproot have been tapped for opening duties, as have the recently reunited local metal-meisters Medicated Savage."
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