The Cloak Ox
Ben LaFond
Andrew Broder re-emerges with the Cloak Ox
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Turf Club on Thursday 7.14
Fog fans, take note: Andrew Broder is back in the songwriting saddle and he's bringing familiar faces Martin Dosh, Jeremy Ylvisaker, and Mark Erickson along for his new amble down the experimental rock trail. The Cloak Ox finds Broder lassoing his jagged, popping melodies to chugging locomotive drumbeats and shuddering, shrieking guitar wails, creating a stark basement vibe so dank you can practically smell the mold creeping up its concrete walls. Though the Cloak Ox have yet to release a proper record, Radio K has been spinning a few of their tracks in heavy rotation and repping the band since their very first gig, and their live shows sound incredibly polished given the limited time this band of pros has been playing together. For their Turf Club show, the Cloak Ox will be joined by a pair of bands who also excel at setting the midnight mood: stormy, spare rock trio Brute Heart and improvisational electro-brooders Votel (formerly H.U.N.X.). Members of Marijuana Deathsquads will also be on hand to spin tracks as BombPartySquad DJs. 21+. $6. 9 p.m. 1601 University Ave. W., St. Paul, 651.647.0486. —Andrea Swensson
Old Gray Mule and C.W. Ayon
Bayport BBQ on Thursday 7.14
The existence of a Southern juke joint within hailing distance of the St. Croix is as remarkable as the gritty, deep blues artists showing up there, including this latest pair. Old Gray Mule is Lockhart, Texas, guitarist C.R. (Charley) Humphrey, whose electric blues are sinewy and wickedly evocative of the hard-scrabble essence of the genuine article. His stinging instrumental grooves suggest the likes of North Mississippi icons R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough. In fact, Kimbrough's son Kinney played drums on OGM's new 40 Nickels for a Bag of Chips. New Mexico's Cooper Ayon will be on the skins for Humphrey here. Ayon is also known as One Man Band, whose stomping percussion complements his own squally blues guitar escapades. He sings too, a Delta whine that winds quivering knots with his guitar on his new one, Ain't No Use in Moving. His stunning version of "You Are My Sunshine" is positively harrowing. $5. 8 p.m. 328 Fifth Ave. N., Bayport; 651.955.6337. —Rick Mason
The Suburbs
Minnesota Zoo Weesner Amphitheater on Friday 7.15
"I dunno if the breakup really stuck, you know?" says Chan Poling of the Suburbs, reflecting on his band's decision to call it quits in the late '80s. "A little time goes by, those songs are too fun, and we're still friends." Poling went on to compose music for films and TV, picking up an Emmy along the way. His current musical project is the New Standards with John Munson (Trip Shakespeare, Semisonic) and Steve Roehm (Billygoat, Electropolis), which started out as a jam session with Munson, but has since morphed into a popular outfit that regularly plays theaters in the region. However, the rest of America still associates Poling with the Suburbs, and he hasn't ruled out creating new material with the surviving members of the band (guitarist Bruce Allen past away in 2009). "I'm always afraid of that," he muses. "People love 'Rattle My Bones' and 'Love Is the Law,' and you play a new song and they're like, 'What's this?' You're always up against the past.... There was so much great music from back then," Poling says of the '80s, "and it was about melody, and energy, and stuff like that." Modern acts seem to concur, as many have been influenced by the music from that decade. "It's so weird, I turn on the radio and I'll say, 'Oh, I remember that song,' and then say, 'Oh, it's brand new." In turn, the Suburbs will unleash a few new tracks. "I finally got to the point where I'm like, screw it," Poling says. "I've got a batch of really good new songs and one of the best rock bands that's ever played, so we're going to play some new stuff and see what happens, you know? What the hell." With the Suicide Commandos. All ages. $36. 7:30 p.m. 13000 Zoo Blvd., Apple Valley; 952.431.9200. —P.F. Wilson
Lakefront Jazz & Blues Festival with Buddy Guy
Lakefront Park on Saturday 7.16
Headlining the second annual Lakefront Jazz & Blues Festival, Chicago blues giant Buddy Guy has been singing and playing beautifully about getting old for longer than many musicians have had a career—and is still showman enough to make you see what captivated Jimi Hendrix and so many other guitarists. Last year's Grammy-winning Living Proof featured a sweet duet with B.B. King on the subject of sticking around, while Hip-O Select just reissued 1970's Buddy and the Juniors, a legendary off-the-cuff collaboration with Junior Wells and Junior Mance. But the place to start might be 2001's "going South" album Sweet Tea, where Guy basically covers the Fat Possum catalog through a stack of vintage amps—a true taste of his live explosiveness. With Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, the Lamont Cranston Band, Tim Mahoney, Jessy J, and more. All ages. $5.50/$10 at the gate. 12 p.m. Lakefront Park, 5000 Kopp Pkwy., Prior Lake; 952.447.4230. —Peter S. Scholtes
