Trey Anastasio jumps around the musical landscape the way he picks his guitar: unpredictably and with unerring precision.
The Phish founder and jam-rock god has collaborated with everyone from Les Claypool to Philip Glass over his two-decade career, dabbling in jazz, prog rock and other complex guitar improv. Some albums are more accessible than others, as his penchant for experimental compositions sometimes turns off Phish’s less rabid devotees.
Anastasio’s last solo disc, 2005’s “Shine,” followed a relatively straightforward path, eschewing the 10-minute-plus jams for pop melodies and tight songwriting. Fans can check out his latest musical whims when he visits Boulder’s intimate Fox Theatre Oct. 23-24, a couple weeks after his new studio album, “Bar 17,” hits stores.
Tickets for the all-ages show go on sale at 10 a.m. Sept. 9. ($45, foxtheatre.com)
DeVotchKa was on its way up even before it scored the “Little Miss Sunshine” soundtrack. The eclectic Denver-based quartet, which trades in everything from keening mariachi to Eastern European folk, had a sold-out tour under its belt and stacks of glowing notices for its latest EP, “Curse Your Little Heart.” But rerecording songs from its last few releases for “Little Miss Sunshine,” a Sundance hit that’s climbed to No.3 on the box office charts, has helped the band worm its way into more mainstream ears.
Before leaving for a two-night stint in New York, lead singer Nick Urata will play a solo acoustic set at Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret on Saturday ($10, lannies.com). Tickets for the band’s Oct. 28 set at the Boulder Theater will also go on sale Sept. 8. ($21.50, bouldertheater.com)
TV on the Radio will finally release its frustratingly delayed, hotly anticipated disc “Return to Cookie Mountain” on Sept. 12. The album is worth the wait, a genre-defying masterpiece that mashes indie rock, post-
punk and ambient electronics. A week after the new disc drops, the boys will visit the Fox Theatre. Tickets for the Sept. 19 all-ages show are on sale now. ($18, foxtheatre.com)
Xiu Xiu (pronounced “shoo shoo”) is one of the more distinctive bands to emerge in recent years, a nearly unclassifiable act with rotating members and songs full of bizarre subject matter. Led by songwriter Jaimie Stewart, Xiu Xiu is unafraid of taking on politics, sex and gender issues with unpredictable and polarizing results. Nonetheless, the group falls squarely in the indie category, as most of its fans are Pitchfork-reading hipsters who pride themselves on challenging music. Tickets for the band’s Sept. 23 show at the Larimer Lounge are on sale now. ($10, bigmarkstickets.com)
