This Little Underground

Being in the same room as a roots underground icon like Alejandro Escovedo (Oct. 27, BackBooth) is already honor enough. But this time, the intimate setting allowed him to do a Storytellers-style performance where he and his band did it all – from plaintive heartbreakers and open-hearted twangers, all the way up to barn-torching rockers like "Chelsea Hotel '78" that made it feel like timber might start falling from the ceiling. It was an up-close and in-the-moment show to an extraordinarily appreciative crowd. These people knew how lucky they were.

Afterward, I waded through the gathering downtown Halloween insanity to see inventive genre-smashers Why? play (The Social). I walk into what I believe to be the usual premier rock club that I've been in literally a thousand times. But from the sounds issuing from the speakers and the sight onstage, I've clearly walked into a slumber party in some high school chick's bedroom. Turns out, it was Daytona's Kitty Pryde - yes, one of those Internet "stars," which nutshells everything. I don't know her real age – she thinks it's cool to keep it a mystery, apparently – but, judging from my at-least-intermediate understanding of the arc of human social development, this is teen-girl shit. All fine for your postered up bedroom and all, but the only ones who want to see a performance defined by giggly fuck-ups and nerve-shaving teenage blather are either aesthetically stunted or have a mean sense of humor. And did I see promising local beatmaker Grant up there with her? Damn, dude, what are you doing?

> Email Bao Le-Huu