TURN IT DOWN!

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Thursday, Oct. 4, @ Mac’s Bar, 2700 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing. All ages, $10, $8 adv., 7:30 p.m.

Lansing-based indie-rock band Elliot Street Lunatic has been (for the most part) defunct for a few years now, aside from occasional reunion gigs. Two years ago, the band played its two LPs in full at the Robin Theatre at two separate shows, and then last year they played a surprise show at The Avenue Café. During its initial run, the band played the 2013 Common Ground Music Festival and also warmed up stages for Rooney, Of Montreal, Tokyo Police Club and the Verve Pipe. This year, the harmonious alt-rock group returns to Mac’s Bar for another rare appearance. The all age bill also includes The Patient Zeros, Devin & The Dead Fret, and The War Balloons. As for Elliot Street, the band is fronted by songwriter Jason Marr, who now plays guitar in Young Pioneer, an emerging Michigan-based indie-pop group.

Sunday, Oct. 7 @ Robin Theatre, 1105 S. Washington Ave., Lansing. $15 per session, $25 for both.

In 2010, Flat, Black & Circular co-founder Dick Rosemont moved to Santa Fe with his wife, photographer and film-maker Jane Rosemont — but has returned periodically for various events, including the vinyl shop’s 40th anniversary party last year. This weekend, Rosemont returns to Michigan to host a presentation on the music and culture he came of age in: the 1960s. Rosemont—who’s famously flashy shirts was chronicled in the new short film “Shirts!” (a doc produced by Jane Rosemont), chatted with City Pulse about his audio-visual talk at the Robin.

How did you decide to break up the 1960s in the talk? Dick Rosemont: Culture doesn’t happen in 10 year increments. To me, 1960 to 1963 was essentially a part of the ‘50s. 1964 and forward is what most people think of when people think of the ’60s—culturally and musically. The dividing line happens to be two things that were very close together: John F. Kennedy’s assassination and the rapid rise of The Beatles.

Do you trace back and detail the effects of both occurrences? I pose the unanswerable question, “Did JFK’s assassination help that rise?” There was a pall over the country and even though The Beatles were aimed at young people, kids aren’t immune to the mood of the country. I put things in context and it’s not just music.

What facets of the Beatles career come up in your talk at the Robin? When the Beatles put out “Sgt. Pepper” and stopped touring, they didn’t have to worry about playing this complex music live—and there were no singles released from the album. That was the beginning of the album era versus the 45 era. Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” was inordinately long for AM radio, but it was a hit. All of a sudden, A.M. radio loosened up and would play “MacArthur Park” or “Hey Jude”—they were over six minutes. Before that, it was all threeminute songs. Things were changing.

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