From South Africa with love
Welcome to these parts, Jinny Sagorin. Four years ago, Sagorin came to Boston from Cape Town, where she was a singer, actress, and artist, and married a neurologist from Newton (also a native South African). It is as a singer that we tip you to Sagorin tonight. Sagorin -- joined by pianist Doug Hammer and percussionist Steve Chaggaris -- performs at 8 at Scullers Jazz Club. She comes to us with the praise of Amanda McBroom (singer-songwriter of "The Rose") who says, "Jinny has the rare vocal gifts of earthy grace and unearthly poetic beauty in her sound and in her presence. She will touch your heart." Sagroin's debut solo CD, "It's For You," has songs by Kurt Weill, Joni Mitchell, the Beatles, Noel Coward, Joan Armatrading, Leonard Bernstein, McBroom, and Queen's Freddie Mercury (!). No, she doesn't do "Bohemian Rhapsody"; she does "Love of My Life," one of Queen's most gorgeous, swelling, sad songs. That's where Sagorin is at home, although she favors more sparse arrangements. She possesses a beautiful voice and covers a wide range of material. Should be an emotionally rich evening. (Some of the proceeds go to the Partners AIDS Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, where her husband works.) Tickets: $18.
400 Soldiers Field Road, 617-562-4111.
Casting a glance downward
Let us now praise "shoegazer" bands. First, a definition: The term "shoegazer" came to be applied to certain bands, mostly British, that existed during the 1980s and 1990s. My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Swervedriver, Spaceman 3, and Swell were called shoegazers because, well, lots of times their members stared at the floor (or at their fretboards) and paid practically zero attention to pumping up the audience. (In that respect, you might consider the Cars an original shoegazer band.) This no-show-biz approach became a "negative" in some eyes -- not Go!'s -- because some people thought proper bands ought to cavort, smile, and banter with the audience. Others thought the emotion conveyed in the music was enough, thank you very much. We bring this up because the newish Boston band Scuba does so on its website. And a listen to its demo disc, "Hate It When You Laugh," suggests it's playing in the same ballpark as the aforementioned shoegazers. It's a graceful disc. The music should swell and subside, in a lovely manner. Scuba is at the Middle East Upstairs with support from Ara Vora, the Pilot Light, and Didi Mao. The 18-plus show starts at 9. Tickets are $8.
472 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, 617-864-3278.
Americans in foreign lands
Dave Eggers is one of America's most gifted and exciting young writers. So what does Dave Eggers have to say about Tom Bissell? "There's no more gifted and exciting young writer in America than Tom Bissell." Kirkus Reviews even tosses the term "almost Dostoyevskian" Bissell's way, and we remember from our college reading that that's darn fine praise. Bissell's "God Lives in St. Petersburg" is a series of six short stories, all of them finding Americans abroad not exactly being happy tourists. For instance, a journalist finds himself stranded in wartime Afghanistan as he tries to seek medicine for a sick colleague; a young man returns from a stint in the Peace Corps to find his relationship with his girlfriend has radically changed; the son of an American ambassador loses himself in the underworld of a Central Asian city. Bissell (inset) joins Newtonville Books for its "Books and Brews" series tonight. The free reading and signing starts at 7:30. Then, amble on down the road to Ariadne, where you can partake of literary discussions and quaff one or two with the author.
Newtonville Books, 296 Walnut St., Newton, 617-244-6619.Ariadne, 344 Walnut St., Newton, 617-332-4653.
Rotating rock and hip-hop
What's in a name? Berklee College of Music's student-run CD label is called Heavy Rotation, which to us here at Go! sounds like Wishful Thinking. Frankly, our favorite label name ever is Stiff, a stiff being record biz slang for a complete failure. You see, if you start out with a stiff, there's nowhere to go but up. Go! has always been a fan of lowered expectations. At any rate, Heavy Rotation is at Berklee, and tonight at Berklee Performance Center the label is throwing its fifth annual showcase for three of its bands: Fluttr, Via Audio, and Godbody. Fluttr features a lovely guitar/electric cello mix and the sultry vocal stylings of Kara Trott. Via Audio plays airy pop with a hint of aggression, and Godbody is a hip-hop duo featuring MC Sense and producer/MC Amadeus. (Must be smart fellas if one is claiming sense and the other is borrowing from that Mozart dude.) Berklee is a big hall for club acts, but the price is cheap ($5), the acoustics should be great, and there areno age restrictions. It starts at 8:15.
1400 Massachusetts Ave., 617-266-1400.
Events can always be canceled, rescheduled, or sold out; call to confirm. Go! can be reached at go@globe.com or by calling 617-929-8257.
