Where Do I Go Now?

Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll From Here

Comments (0) By Nick Catucci Tuesday, Mar 4 2003

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ELECTRIC SIX
April 7
Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey Street, 212-533-2111

photo: Statia Molewski

Zoinks!: a Shaggy-haired Jesse Malin

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Now that their sax-honking Taco Bell-and-disco arson anthem "Danger! High Voltage" has shot up the Brit pop charts, Detroit's former Wildbunch have naturally denied that its falsetto backup vocals are Jack White. But that in no way diminishes their over-the-top fusion of Aldo Nova, Falco, Michael Sembello, and "Urgent"-era Foreigner. The five other songs that've leaked out are all perfect—the one about nuclear war in a gay bar no less than the one where their girl is "white like the night." Hmmm . . . (Eddy)

'THE GREAT AFRICAN BALL'
April 12
Manhattan Center Studios, 311 West 34th Street, 212-485-1534

This annual Eastertime event has quickly become a reliable highlight of New York's year in music. As I've said many times, Youssou N'Dour is a magnificent singer who has long run one of the finest bands in the world—tight, wild, virtuosic, propulsive, and somehow never stale. In the normal 90-minute setting they're always worth seeing. But this late-night marathon lasts more than twice that long, with N'Dour almost never off the stage. Although it always draws, I've never seen it sold-out, which means you won't get mobbed and can decide to go at the last minute. What "don't miss" means. (Christgau)

IBRAHIM FERRER
April 17
Beacon Theater, 2124 Broadway, 212-307-7171

This lanky, Kangol-sporting singer—who was shining shoes for a living when fortune called—was the sweetest revelation to emerge from the multiplatinum Buena Vista Social Club phenomenon. The septuagenerian's recently released second solo album demonstrates that not only does he croon ballad-y boleros as though they were an intrinsic part of his genetic code, but that he can swing, too. (Gehr)

DANIEL JOHNSTON+KIMYA DAWSON
April 19
Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard Street, 212-219-3006

With only acoustic guitars and shaky, on-edge voices, these larger-than-life singer-songwriters take your heart to a place the fat kid playing dodgeball in gym class knows all too well. It's cold, sad, and lonely there, but it's also beautiful, and it's comforting to know you've got company. Johnston's mental illness can make for uneven performances, but if he gets all the way through "Speeding Motorcycle," it's worth it. (Phillips)