It’s 1979, and President Jimmy Carter is trying his damnedest. So are some of the finest new bands to emerge since the British invasion. Elvis Costello has just released Armed Forces, Talking Heads have offered up Fear of Music, and Neil Young has turned out Rust Never Sleeps. Yet Graham Parker’s Squeezing Out Sparks beats them all. Alas, as he sang many contracts later in “3 Martini Lunch,” the record biz is a “good life if you’re winning; it’s a killer if you’re not.” For Parker, it’s often been the latter; witness his being lowered to a free show at Brit’s last Bastille Day. Luckily, his chops and lyrics remain as keen as ever, and this time at least people will deservedly have to pay. He’s touring behind a brand-new disc, Your Country, on the likeminded indie label Bloodshot. 318 1st Ave. N., Minneapolis; (612) 338-8100; www.finelinemusic.com
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