MONDAY NIGHT, RAW

Lydia Lunch blesses Orlando with her presence again this week. Consider yourself warned

BY SHELTON HULL

Whether working solo, in a duo, with a full band or larger ensembles, Lydia Lunch has performed thousands of gigs around the world. The next is set for the Timucua Arts Foundation on Monday night, and joining her for the evening is longtime friend Joseph Keckler — a writer, musician, composer, current artist-in-residence at Dartmouth and a veteran of NPR’s Tiny Desk. Together, they’ll be weaving cathartic amalgams of music, spoken word and projections.

Lunch will also be the guest of honor at a pre-show reception earlier in the day at the Orange County Regional History Center. Lest ye forget, the History Center is currently hosting the Figurehead: Music & Mayhem In Orlando’s Underground exhibition. And head Figure Jim Faherty and Lunch go back decades.

“The Figurehead exhibition is fantastic,” says Lunch, who features prominently in the show. “He’s put on so many shows, brought so many people to Orlando. It’s a good thing that he’s getting recognized, and all the other people involved in Figurehead.”

Lydia’s relationship with Jim Faherty began by chance, with a letter that prompted her to call him.

“I called him,” she says, “and he didn’t believe it was me calling him. So we started booking shows with him, and I gotta give it to the guy for booking 30 spoken-word performances with me and Exene Cervenka — ‘Rude Hieroglyphics.’ I don’t think I’ve had 30 shows in the state since! I don’t know how he pulled it off, but that’s how it started.”

Lydia Lunch is one of the most compelling public speakers working in any discipline in our lifetime, having released some three dozen albums over the past 40-plus years, in addition to countless EPs, singles, live recordings and collaborations with artists ranging from Einstürzende Neubauten to Sonic Youth. She’s also released a number of books and comic books, at least 16 spokenword albums, and boasts an extensive CV in experimental film dating back to 1978. Not to mention Beth B’s acclaimed documentary, Lydia Lunch: The War Is Never Over, which premiered in 2019.

2019 was also when Lunch launched “The Lydian Spin,” a weekly podcast where

The Ecstasy Of Oblivion

7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 30

Timucua Arts Foundation 2000 S. Summerlin Ave. timucua.com $25 she leverages the vast array of personal and professional connections she has accumulated. The podcast offers a more accessible version of an artist some folks find superintense and in-your-face. Though it may seem odd to say, time has mellowed Lydia somewhat as it becomes increasingly clear that she was right all along. About everything. music@orlandoweekly.com

Having maintained personal and professional connections to Florida since the 1980s, and having waged holy war against rightwing thugs since before she was old enough to drive, Lunch shares our general concerns about the state’s political trajectory. And you will hear a whole lot about that on Monday.

Lunch’s fanbase is fiercely, ferociously loyal, in part because she’s been so loyal to her fans from day one — which, for her, was June 2, 1959, a Tuesday, when she was born in Rochester, New York. She moved to New York City at 16, arriving right in time to witness the first stirrings of punk and the inceptions of new wave, No Wave and what would become hip-hop. She was there in the middle of the action as a teenager, and she’s still there today, 45 years later.

To call Lunch precocious would be an understatement. Her first band was Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, who enjoyed an outsized influence on pop culture, despite only releasing a handful of tracks (totaling about 12 minutes in duration) across their three years of existence. They ended in 1979, but Lydia Lunch was just getting started. Over the following five decades, she has been positively epicentric within circles of iconic women creators including Debbie Harry, Poly Styrene, the Breeders, Kim Gordon and Exene Cervenka.

Lunch was, and remains, a feminist icon, whose influence can be felt across the spectrum of public life, not that she would say so.

Her relationship with the Sunshine State dates back to the late 1980s, at least. Her “Harry Crews” project with Kim Gordon and Sadie Mae was named after the iconoclastic cult novelist, Grit Lit luminary and prototypical Florida Man.

She’s been in and around Central Florida longer than most people currently living here, and she has watched its cultural scene evolve dramatically in that time. Essential to that evolution, of course, has been promoter Jim Faherty, whose legacy she has figured in prominently over the years, and vice-versa. Monday night is an occasion to celebrate both these legends, neither of whom will ever retire. Thankfully.

Local Releases

While Emerging Shadows is a brandnew band, it’s comprised of longtime players whose backgrounds span the Orlando music map. In addition to other individual credits, vocalist-drummer Joshua Jauz and guitarist Kevin Tuck are both in local electronic act Protosynthesis, and bassist Aaron Mellick has a full CV that includes Afrobeat flagbearers Bengali 600, live beat band One Drop and ska traditionalists Control This. But resist the temptation to try and project what a joint between these three minds would sound like. With a stylistic sprawl like that, the Frankenstein possibilities are mind-boggling at best and horrifying at worst. And those probably wouldn’t come too close to what Emerging Shadows actually are.

While they do indeed have a hybrid sound that’s a merger of post-metal and indie rock, Emerging Shadows’ recently released maiden single “Mudlarking” is a pretty coherent debut. The song is brooding, melodic and heavy, occupying a space similar to Tool’s moodiest moments. “Mudlarking” is up on Bandcamp now but is scheduled to be released on all major streaming platforms on Feb. 3.

Concert Picks This Week

Rod Hamdallah: Besides snowbirds and actual migrating birds, Atlanta garage rocker — and former Legendary Shack Shaker — Rod Hamdallah has become a reliable winter visitor to our area in recent years. Well, it’s January, so here he comes again like clockwork. Hamdallah paints his garage rock in thick blues and soul strokes. Go see one of his rousing performances live and it’ll be pretty obvious why he was J.D. Wilkes’ go-to guitarist for years. (7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, Uncle Lou’s, price TBA)

The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band: When this scrappy Indiana act first emerged on the scene in the 2000s, I wasn’t sure if all their old-timey getup and punk energy amounted to much more than schtick. Since then, however, they’ve only gotten deeper, honing their country-blues sound to become pre-eminent and decorated champions of American roots. Between the Reverend’s hot finger-picking slide guitar chops and Breezy Peyton’s high-energy washboard percussion, their folk revivalism always stomps the floorboards with octane and spirit. With their latest album — the concentrated and muscular Dance Songs for Hard Times — they’re riding perhaps the finest work of their career. (8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, Tuffy’s Music Box, $15)

Local Music Merch Swap: As part of us coming into our own as a city, Orlando has recently dug into and celebrated its own oft-overlooked history. Thankfully, that movement’s also been gaining momentum in the Orlando music scene. Few happenings will manifest that spirit more than the third annual Local Music Merch Swap organized by Orlando Music History, the excellent and active Facebook group run by Michael Lothrop, a deep veteran of the Orlando music community and longtime champion of local culture (and occasional OW photographer). A congregation of native music heads bringing their stashes of old local band merch to swap and share, the affair will be part bazaar, part living history museum and a prime opportunity to grow your own local music collection. In addition to the merch swap — which is free and open to all — there will also be a ticketed showcase of notable homegrown musicians Mike Dunn, Tierney Tough, Tanner Jones and Chase Bauduin. (8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27, Stardust Video & Coffee; swap is free, concert is $10-$12)

Tenci, Fast Preacher, Zoya Zafar: Powered by the distinctive style of Jess Shoman, these Chicago indie darlings have been increasingly perking up tastemakers’ ears ever since debuting in 2020. Tenci intrigued early on with a left-field indie-folk sound that sometimes bordered on outsider country. Then they followed up with their recent sophomore album (A Swollen River, A Well Overflowing) which tantalized with even greater possibility, broadening their sonic horizons in turns simultaneously more assured and more eccentric. This concert will be an opportunity to catch an exciting act on their way up. Be sure to show up early to catch the arresting torch mystique of Zoya Zafar and the creamy dream funk of Fast Preacher, both exceptional homegrown acts. (7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27, Henao Contemporary Center, $12-$15) baolehuu@orlandoweekly.com

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 25

Wicked

The Dr. Phillips Center becomes a gateway to the Emerald City as Wicked arrives in the City Beautiful. The hit musical delves into the backstory of iconic screen villain the Wicked Witch of the West, and how she may not be as evil as we were led to believe in the Wizard of Oz. Wicked continues a seemingly eternal run on Broadway, where it will celebrate its 20th anniversary in October, even as many other long-lasting shows take their final curtain calls. This touring production of Wicked, part of the Dr. Phillips Center’s AdventHealth Broadway in Orlando season, takes audiences on a journey through the ups and downs of an unlikely friendship between witches Elphaba and Glinda, played by Lissa DeGuzman and Jennafer Newberry respectively. You’ll never see Dorothy and co. the same way again.

Through Feb. 12. Walt Disney Theater, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave., drphillipscenter.org, $53.75$173.75. — Gabby Macogay

Anberlin

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 25

Originally set for last month, but postponed because of COVID — still a thing! — Tampa Bay alternative rockers Anberlin take over the Social starting Thursday for their postponed three-night stand, intended as a 20-year anniversary celebration for the band. Anberlin tackles a different album on each night of this mini-residency: Never Take Friendships Personal, Cities and New Surrender. Besides the nightly album airing, there will also be plenty of crowd-pleasers and deep cuts from other platters thrown in. Even the rockers among us are getting old; might as well mark the occasion with some (more) hearing loss. 7 p.m., The Social, 54 N. Orange Ave., foundation-presents.com, $35. — Matthew Moyer

SATURDAY, JAN. 28

Zora! Outdoor Festival of the Arts

The annual Zora! Festival, honoring the life and art of author and Eatonville’s own Zora Neale Hurston, is in full swing, and this weekend sees the centerpiece event, the Outdoor Festival of the Arts, happen. The two-day event is really cooking on the Saturday, featuring an international marketplace, food and drink vendors and exhibitors including Bronze Kingdom, Florida Historical Society, Eatonville Public Library and area artisans. Live music will come courtesy headliners Cherrelle, Tony Terry, Franchise Band and Mr. Glenn Wiley. As a sidebar, the Festival also hosts Afrofuturism lectures at Seminole State College of Florida on Wednesday and UCF’s downtown campus on Friday. 9 a.m., Zora Neale Hurston National Museum of Fine Arts. 344 E Kennedy Blvd., Eatonville, zorafestival.org, $20-$100. — MM

SUNDAY, JAN. 29

Trae Crowder

Politically speaking, Florida is the hottest of the many hot messes in America today, and Trae Crowder is coming to the Improv this weekend to tell us about ourselves. His “Liberal Redneck” persona is one of the most original comedic gimmicks in recent memory, and he’s made a national name for himself by calling out conservatives with the vituperation they deserve, in language they speak. Crowder tends to bypass the cheap pop, using razor-sharp phrasing informed by a keen eye for observation that any anthropologist would envy. The current tour takes him through a number of alt-right hubs, and tickets are selling even faster than pitchforks and tiki torches. Seriously though, politics aside, the man is hilarious, and cool as all heck. By all means, catch Crowder’s set, and also go buy his book before the governor has them ground to pulp, then burnt to ashes and buried, probably under a Superfund site. 6 p.m., Orlando Improv, 9101 International Drive, theimprovorlando.com, $32. — Shelton Hull

Okapi

This writer caught Okapi in November of last year, on an anxiety-ridden election night. A packed Stardust Video seemed as good a place as any to pass the time before the much-vaunted “red wave” hit. The wave