This Little Underground: New local releases + concert picks

LOCAL RELEASES

If you haven’t been keeping up with Orlando indie-pop star Marc With a C lately then — holy drama, mama — have you got some catching up to do. In a nutshell, it’s been a bombshell. Actually, a surreal chain of them that’s entailed devastating life upheavals and a stunning overhaul of the famous Marc With a C concept that’s built a considerable following over the past two decades. He’s been pretty open about everything, so scroll through his social media for the fuller story.

But, essentially, the “Phase II” chapter of Marc With a C’s career gets real and drops the act. It’s a sweeping sea change that jettisons the whole MWAC persona and shifts to the direct perspective of Marc Sirdoreus, the actual genderfluid person behind the iconic male veil.

Now, the new and true Marc With a C is finally out with the recently released Thanatophobia album. Marc’s always been an artist of extraordinary detail, but the launch of this new era is especially involved. Lyrically, Marc’s first-person explorations here draw from his deep well of recent IRL struggles. It’s a maskless journey into personal saga that’s acutely intimate and naked.

As for the music, MWAC devotees can breathe easy. Although his perspective has shifted dramatically, his musical instincts haven’t. A vibrant hive of pop, psych, folk and his unmistakable expression, these 11 tracks ring familiar with Marc’s touch.

To grandly mark the momentous new epoch, Thanatophobia is designed as an elaborate and high-concept work. The album comes with a companion piece titled Phobophobia to be played simultaneously for an augmented and surrounding experience.

Marc’s powers of examination, commentary and delivery are what made him a cult hero. Now, they’re all pointed directly at his own personal experience. As the debut of Marc coming out as his real self, Thanatophobia is an unflinching gaze into the inner world of a unique artist.

Thanatophobia now streams everywhere. And in yet another career development for Marc, the longtime DIY warrior is now releasing as a signed artist on notable indie label Needlejuice Records, where he’ll be among the likes of King Gizzard, Bryan Scary and MC Lars.

“Phase II” of Marc With a C’s career is a sweeping sea change that jettisons the whole MWAC persona and shifts to the direct perspective of Marc Sirdoreus, the actual genderfluid person behind the creative veil

CONCERT PICKS THIS WEEK

Of Montreal; Locate S,1; Someday

River: Of Montreal is proof that success and weirdness need not be mutually exclusive. Since emerging from the Elephant 6 boom of the 1990s, the legendary Athens psych-pop band has become and remained a major indie name for the past quarter-century, all while maintaining their wildly arty streak. (7 p.m. Saturday, March 19, The Abbey, $22)

BY BAO LE-HUU

MARC WITH A C | PHOTO BY VIKKA LEONI

Ministry, Melvins, Corrosion of

Conformity: OK, for real this time. After several COVID postponements since 2020, it looks like Ministry’s Industrial Strength Tour is finally coming through. It was originally intended as a 30-year celebration of their game-changing masterpiece album The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste (which, incidentally, was the first CD I ever owned and terrorized my parents with). But the industrial-metal pioneers have since released an entirely new album, Moral Hygiene. So, rewarding your pandemic patience, this show will be a twofer featuring both the hits and new material debuts. The bill’s further maxed out with openers who are legends in their own right, assuming you can get past Buzz Osborne’s cringey interview appearances with Proud Boy Gavin McInnes and Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld. (7 p.m. Thursday, March 23, Hard Rock Live, $39.50-$50.50)

Spirit and the Cosmic Heart, The

Dewars, Rickolus: Although not local, this pan-Florida bill is an excellent and diverse sampler of our state’s indie talent. Lakeland’s Spirit and the Cosmic Heart specialize in gorgeous indie pop that sounds like the Ocean Blue high on Lush. The Dewars are South Florida brothers whose fetching indie folk has garnered national acclaim.

Jacksonville’s Rickolus packs deep cred with a sterling career of long and wide span, from fronting standout 2000s indiepop band the Julius Airwave to his current post as the singer half of Hurricane Party alongside brilliant Fort Lauderdale rapper Bleubird. It’s a cross section of Floridian music as respectable they come. (8 p.m. Friday, March 24, Will’s Pub, $10-$12)

36 ORLANDO WEEKLY ● MARCH 16-22, 2022 ● orlandoweekly.com