30 Days Out, June 2022 #2: George Clinton, Imij of Soul, Vision Video, Pinkest Floyd
Two tribute bands helping audiences relive the old days in style, one giant of funk, and a new band applying a modern spin to a beloved subgenre. Those are the highlights of the coming 30 days in Asheville live music, a calendar featuring a heady mix of local, regional and international talent.
Event: George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic
Venue: Salvage Station
Date: Thursday, June 30, 6 p.m.
Door: $55 advance / $60 day of show
Clinton and his P-Funk projects are sometimes described as the Afro-funk answer to Frank Zappa. While there’s merit to that description, it only scratches the surface. The grooves are deep, the funk is, well, funkified in the extreme, and the playfulness/silliness is never far from the surface. A heckuva lot of fun, and one wonders how many more opportunities we’ll have to see the likes of this outfit. Go! The Motet opens.
Event: Imij of Soul
Venue: Isis Music Hall
Date: Friday, July 8, 8:30 p.m.
Door: $12 but per Vegas-style venue rules, floor-level seats require a minimum additional $20 per person in food and/or drink
Asheville-based guitarist Bill Altman has already showcased his ability for presenting classic works in an authentic manner via his Pink Floyd tribute band Floyd Philharmonic. His newest project, Imij of Soul applies the same degree of care and creativity to the catalog of the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
Event: Vision Video
Venue: The Grey Eagle
Date: Wednesday, July 13, 8 p.m.
Door: $15
Dramatic goth rock might seem to have comer and gone, but this Athens, Georgia outfit believes otherwise. And so will you when you see and hear them. With a nonbinary approach to aesthetics (hey, it’s not the ‘80s any more) the group is compelling and supremely effective at what they do. An act to watch.
Event: Pinkest Floyd
Venue: The Orange Peel
Date: Friday, July 15, 8:30 p.m.
Door: $15
This show has been postponed for nearly two years (for exactly the reason you’d guess). This Charlotte-based Pink Floyd tribute band understands what made the Floyd special, and delivers it in high style. To give you an idea of the level of talent on display here, note that several of this group’s musicians also play in a band that pays tribute to Peter Gabriel-era Genesis. Yeah: that ambitious stuff. They got this.
I’ll be on a book tour for most of these dates, so I won’t see you at the show, but tell ‘em I said hi!
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4500-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he taught a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.