Arts & Entertainment

Beat Goes On

SP brings the revolution to SF

FRI 10/22

If you were anywhere in England in the early '80s, from Handsworth to Brixton, you'd have heard the plangent, antiracist tunes of roots reggae band Steel Pulse wafting from passing cars, open tenement windows, and streetside boomboxes. Steel Pulse perfectly embodied its place and time: Conceived in the U.K.'s largest Jamaican neighborhood in the highly musical city of Birmingham (Led Zeppelin, Moody Blues, Traffic, and Pink Floyd were just a few of the brum-beat era bands that flourished there), the group gave voice to the dire circumstances of inner-city blacks, who were then suffering through one of the worst recessions in history under the iron fist of Margaret Thatcher and a cops-gone-wild legal system. Albums like 1978's Handsworth Revolution practically predicted the 1981 race riots in Brixton and Toxteth, setting simmering anger to music; it's no surprise that SP toured with punk-oriented bands of the era -- like XTC. But as activist as Steel Pulse was (and still is), its charged political sentiments were set to polished, singable/danceable pop-reggae stylings that sound as smooth today as they did a quarter-century ago. Steel Pulse performs at 8 p.m. Friday at the Culture Room (3045 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale). Tickets cost $19.99. Call 954-564-1074, or visit www.ticketmaster.com. -- Gail Shepherd

Suspicious

The legendary Curtis Salgado at Bamboo Room

FRI 10/22

By 1979, Northwest music legend Curtis Salgado was already a staple on the blues scene. In 1972, he formed his first band, Three Finger Jack, renamed the Nighthawks in 1974. In 1976, he joined the Robert Cray Band, helping build its -- and his own -- notoriety, but left before the band gained national attention in the early '80s. It was in 1979, having traveled to Eugene, Oregon, for the filming of Animal House, that John Belushi happened upon Salgado's show. An important moment in the marriage of film and music, Salgado became the inspiration for Belushi's character Jake "Joliet" Blues of John Landis' 1980 film, The Blues Brothers. On tour for his latest album, Strong Suspicion, Salgado heads to the Sunshine State. Friday at 9:30 p.m., he plays the Bamboo Room (25 S. "J" St., Lake Worth). Tickets cost $18. Call 561-585-2583, or visit thehoneycomb.com. -- Bryan Falla

Mandolin Man

Play it again, Sam

THU 10/21

It's a Bush Revolution! But not in the sense you might think. In fact, it's just another pun (the last, we swear) for a show at Revolution (200 W. Broward Blvd., Fort Lauderdale). And, thankfully, it's not the Bush we've all come to know and fear. Rather, it's bluegrass star Sam Bush, of New Grass Revival fame, who heads into town Thursday for some mandolin-driven rhythm and blues. Bush recently partook of the musical midlife crisis known as a Ringo Starr collaboration. So please -- be gentle. Show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $18 to $20. Call 954-727-0950. -- Jason Budjinski

Operation: Comeback

FRI 10/22

Queensryche must have had a bitch of a time being a prog-rock band during the height of '80s hair metal. But the band managed success with its 1988 concept album, Operation: Mindcrime. Friday, the 'Ryche is looking for some emo converts at the Pompano Beach Amphitheatre (1801 NE Sixth St., Pompano Beach). Show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $38. Call 954-523-3309. -- Jason Budjinski