Normally, when a band slips up onstage, they have no one to blame but themselves. When The Communicators and Strung Like A Horse headline a two-night co-bill at The Southside Social this weekend, however, it could easily be the ground beneath them that’s at fault.
“We’re actually going to play on the bowling alley [lanes],” says Communicators drummer Jonathan Susman, who founded Gig City Productions, the organizer of the event. This will be the first live music the Chestnut Street venue has hosted since opening in March.
If you go
What: Freedom Fest ’15 featuring The Communicators and Strung Like A Horse When: 9 p.m. Friday, and Saturday, July 3-4 Where: The Southside Social, 1818 Chestnut St. Admission: $15 single night, $25 both nights Phone: 423-708-3280 Venue website: www.thesouthsidesocial.com
“The idea is that people could still bowl around us while we’re playing to add some visuals to it,” Susman adds. “I think it might be neat-looking, but we’re not sure about that, how it will work out logistically. We’ll see, but that’s the goal.”
The Communicators is a band/music project consisting of a core group of artists and a rotating cast of guests who join forces to tackle theme shows based on particular periods of music or noteworthy albums. Strung Like A Horse is a local punk/garage/bluegrass quartet that has secured a slew of bookings at national festivals this year, including Phases of the Moon and Summer Camp.
This weekend’s shows mark the first time the two bands have been featured together since December 2011, when they collaborated on a start-to-finish performance of Beck’s 1996 album “Odelay.”
On Friday night, July 3, The Communicators will open for Strung Like A Horse. On Saturday, July 4, the two will swap places.
SLAH’s set will consist of barn-burning, furiously paced original material. The Communicators will perform a mixed offering featuring selections from the soundtrack to “The Big Lebowski,” including Kenny Rogers’ “Just Dropped In” and Bob Dylan’s “The Man in Me,” as well as a handful of patriotic songs that are “a little tongue-in-cheek.”
“We’ll definitely do some [Bruce Springsteen], but it’ll be more like ‘Born To Run” than ‘Born in the U.S.A.,'” he says. “Last year, we did The Vines’ ‘Get Free.’ I’m sure we’ll do that again and Rage Against the Machine’s ‘Freedom.’ It’s stuff like that.”
Although he’s not sure what form it will take, Susman says members of SLAH likely will put in a guest appearance during The Communicators’ set. Even though SLAH’s schedule has been increasingly packed lately, a reprisal of the partnership is long overdue, he says.
“The energy they bring is such a spectacle, visually and musically. They really have gotten a honed-down sound and style of playing that is theirs. It’s a lot of fun to play with those guys because they really bring great energy to the stage.”
Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @PhillipsCTFP.