Local music news & events
• Sibling sound: Sixteen years since their bracing major-label debut album, The Avett Brothers are still strong. A recent California show mixed “jittery punk bluegrass, Americana, roots rock and acoustic ballads … and a few jiggers of ragtime that could have come right out of Disneyland’s old Country Bear Jamboree,” wrote Leslie Dinaberg of the Santa Barbara Independent. Thursday, May 1, 8 p.m., Whittemore Center, 128 Main St., Durham, $72 and up at themusichall.org.
• Welcome back: One harbinger of spring’s arrival is the return of First Friday at Belknap Mill. Martin & Kelly perform the kickoff outdoor show in Rotary Park. Jilly Martin and Ryan Brooks Kelly combine for a first-rate country sound. The event also features works from artist Ignacio Cisneros, who blends abstract and realist painting and sculpture. Attendees should bring chairs and blankets. Friday, May 2, 5 p.m., Belknap Mill, 25 Beacon St. East, Laconia, belknapmill.org.
• Natural man: Few singer-songwriters espouse the need to commune with the Earth like Brett Dennen. On the title cut from his 2021 record See The World, he sings, “You don’t have to be rich to get around / There are mansions growing out of the ground.” It’s a reflection of the years he spent camping in the Sierra Mountains with his dad, who he remembers on his latest LP, If It Takes Forever. Saturday, May 3, 8 p.m., Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St., Derry, $35 at tupelohall.com.
• Here’s Johnny: The last time Rodney Brunelle brought his Counterfeit Cash tribute to town, the show sold out, so he’s playing a double this time. He’s also upping the ante music-wise. Along with recreating hits from The Man In Black’s early days, up to the Rick Rubin years and his cover of “Hurt,” there will be guest tributes to Hank Williams, Patsy Cline and others. Saturday, May 3, at 2 and 7:30 p.m., Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, $33 and up at palacetheatre.org.
• Coffee songs: Along with offering a deep dive into the bean scene, the New England Coffee Festival has an impressive slate of performers curated by New Hampshire Music Collective. Day 1 has blues band Walk That Walk, and Dwayne Haggins. Next up is country singer Whitney Doucet, Piped Music and Whatsername. DJ Ron See spins on both days. Friday, May 2, and Saturday, May 3, at 11 a.m., Eastern Propane Stage (Hotel Concord), 11 S. Main St., Concord, northeastcoffeefestival.com.