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Chicago’s Joan of Arc is an art-rock act that emphasizes the art. The band’s frontman and sole fixture, Tim Kinsella, fashions himself as a curator, and the title fits: The project has produced more than a dozen records since its 1997 debut, A Portable Model Of…, and no two albums are alike. Joan of Arc has churned out albums filled with caustic second-wave emo, hazy New Age-style indie rock, and experimental guitar duets. The band has been on an oddball art path for some time, but Joan of Arc’s show tonight should play to the group’s rock side. The project is touring as a quartet, with Cap’n Jazz guitarist Victor Villareal on board, and Joan of Arc is preparing to record a new album with punk icon Steve Albini. Also, bassist Bobby Burg told Creative Loafing Tampa that the band has been practicing four songs by Owls, Kinsella’s short-lived post-emo act with most of Cap’n Jazz (including Villareal), for the tour, so Kinsella super-fans might as well set up camp outside the Black Cat now.
JOAN OF ARC PERFORMS WITH PILLARS AND TONGUES AT 9 P.M. AT THE BLACK CAT, 1811 14TH ST. NW. $12. (202) 667-7960.