Tonight’s Pick: Silver Apples at the Rock and Roll Hotel

With his white hair and penchant for tie-dye, visual artist and Silver Apples co-founder Simeon Coxe resembles someone’s hippie burnout uncle more than an experimental musician who was way ahead of his time. Coxe—along with Silver Apples’ other half, the late Danny Taylor—spent the late ’60s with a homemade synthesizer making records that laid the groundwork for what later became krautrock, space-rock, and much of dance music. After the release of its 1969 album Contact, Silver Apples faded unceremoniously into obscurity. However, a German label’s mid-’90s bootleg release of the band’s records caused a new generation to discover the group, prompting Coxe to record and tour again. Silver Apples performs with the Moon Upstairs at 8:30 p.m. at the Rock and Roll Hotel, 1353 H St. NE. $10. (202) 388-7625. ---Maggie Serota