FIRESIDE BOWL LAWRENCE ARMS SERIES

The band reels off a mix of originals and bluegrass staples with an earthy verve seldom heard outside of field recordings. Banjoist Danny Barnes, upright bassist Mark Rubin and fiddler Ralph White revere the music and its traditions, yet there isn't a trace of sanctimony or pretension in their fiery playing. 31.īad Livers, Saturday at Lounge Ax: This Texas trio throws itself into bluegrass-hillbilly music with high-brow virtuosity and a low-brow sense of fun. While the music may not rise to the gloomy grandeur of Nick Drake or Leonard Cohen, 'Year of Mondays' proves Johnson's more than just J. Johnson's tunes luxuriate in a brooding melancholy intensified with acoustic guitars and string-bathed arrangements. bassist Mike Johnson steps out from beneath that band's shadow to showcase his own estimable songcraft. Mike Johnson, Friday at Lounge Ax: With his second solo LP, 'Year of Mondays,' Dinosaur Jr.

FIRESIDE BOWL LAWRENCE ARMS SERIES

Myers' booming vocals and sinuous harp are the perfect counterpoint to Funderburgh's exceptionally concise guitar riffs (as their fine series of discs for Black Top Records proves), while the Rockets provide backbeat-heavy grooves sporting plenty of Lone Star kick. Dishwalla opens.Īnson Funderburgh & the Rockets, Friday at Buddy Guy's Legends: You wouldn't think a young Texas guitar slinger and a veteran harpist from the heart of the Mississippi Delta would locate such mutually beneficial common ground on stage, but Anson Funderburgh and Sam Myers have been blues-playing partners since 1986. But paydirt ultimately came in the surprising form of last year's acoustic ballad 'Name.' Still, look for the Goo Goos to crank out a set of their trademark rock 'n' roar. Goo Goo Dolls, Sunday at the Petrillo Music Shell: Merging the Replacements' snot-nosed swagger with Cheap Trick's high-watt hooks, the Goo Goo Dolls have been mining radio-friendly power pop for nearly a decade. The conceit allows Connick to flash his fluency with jazz, Crescent City funk and rock. Connick's upcoming record, 'Star Turtle,' is - I kid you not - a concept record about an intergalactic turtle whom Connick escorts to various New Orleans music clubs. Harry Connick Jr., Saturday at the Petrillo Music Shell, Grant Park: Like Dinosaur Jr., Harry Connick Jr., has taken his dad's name and made it a veritable household word. Interstate Highway 80 and Harlem Avenue, Tinley Park. On its new record, 'Slang,' Def Leppard undergoes an alterna-rock makeover, accessorizing its musical bon-bons with beat box rhythms and industrial clatter. No doubt, he'll deliver one gem of American music after another with plenty of age-defying passion and grit.ĭef Leppard, Friday at the New World Music Theatre: In the '80s, this British outfit's blend of heavy metal bombast, Bay City Rollers bubblegum and Boston-style overkill was the apotheosis of the 'Hair Metal' movement. James Brown, Friday at the Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park: Though his voice has lost some of its elasticity, and his band isn't quite the furious funk dynamo it once was, James Brown remains an electrifying performer. Soul Coughing feeds your head and shakes your butt. The band's music is a captivating mesh of abstract sound, beefy bass grooves and guitarist-vocalist M. Soul Coughing, Wednesday and Thursday at the Double Door: New York's Soul Coughing explores uncharted realms of funk with unorthodox songcraft and highly imaginative sampling. Saturday: The Chicago Salty Dogs, Jazz Members Big Band, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, Candye Kane, Jimmy LaFave, Molly and the Makers, the Tailgators and the Marcia Ball Band. Individual listings are by Rick Reger unless otherwise noted.Īmerican Music Festival, Friday and Saturday at FitzGerald's: Friday: Charles Lane Jazz Band, Mem Shannon, Paul Cebar & the Milwaukeeans, Marcia Ball Band, Cornell Hurd Band, Blue Rodeo and Jimmy LaFave. Monday: Skalawags, Monsignors, Goofs and Adjusters. Sunday: Mad Butchers, Flux Skapacitor, Skandals, Spectre, Insyderz and Aks Mamma.

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