Quinn Arlington Waters has a sense for the dramatic in both his professional career having studied and worked as an audio engineer, producer and videographer – notably under the tutelage of Grammy winner David Ivory (The Roots), and his personal life has also seen its share of drama, particularly when he was shot last year while smoking a cigarette in his car around Northern Liberties. With that history, it should come as no surprise that Waters, who performs under the moniker Caffeine Machine, brings that cinematic sense into his music. Marked by the use of instrumentation: viola, violin, cello, trumpet, and guitar, his work stirs the pot showing off his ability to build anticipatory tension in sound. However, while he certainly grasps a sense of cinematic timing, the music doesn’t fall hostage to an artist attempting to go big at all costs. It simply heightens narrative style lyrics and vocals that are spoken/sung from a man whose life has left him with stories to tell. The sci-fi-natured synth-pop of Time Ghost a.k.a. Matt Cannon, who has previously been produced/recorded by Waters, is set as the opener. Connie’s Ric Rac, 1132 S. 9th St., 8pm, $10, 21+ – Michael Colavita
