It’s been 35 years since the Young Dubliners debuted. With rocked-up songs that owed as much to Thin Lizzy as any trad band with a fiddle and bodhran, they were the West Coast counterparts to New York City’s Black 47.
“At the time, the term ‘Celtic rock’ didn’t exist,” band founder Keith Roberts said in a recent phone interview. “It was just … blending Irish music with other forms of music.”
Roberts, the last original member, seems bemused by his band’s longevity.
“The name tells you right away I didn’t plan it,” he said. “There’s no way when I was 22 that I thought, ‘Oh, yeah, Young Dubliners. That’s really gonna work when I’m 58.’ But it is what it is; I’m stuck with it. So, I have to pretend to be the Peter Pan of Celtic rock.”
The singer, songwriter and guitarist originally moved from Ireland to L.A. to chase a career in journalism. He buttressed an interesting but low-paying job doing research for NPR with odd jobs like driving an airport shuttle, which led to sound work on movie sets. One day, he bought an Irish bar in Santa Monica, mainly so the band he’d started could escape the pay-to-play gigs then dominating SoCal.
“I’d never intended on going on the road, I just wanted to own the pub and be the band on Saturday night,” he said. Weekend shows consisted of a headliner, the Young Dubliners and a band that later became Flogging Molly. “We got signed first and a year later they got signed, then Gaelic Storm…. It’s an interesting, fluky chain of events.”
They’ve solidified into a standard-bearer for the genre, playing all over the world, topping the bill on cruises, and every 18 months or so heading back to Ireland with over 100 Americans in tow. When Roberts was first approached with the idea of touring with a group of fans, “I couldn’t think of anything worse,” he recalled. “I eventually said, ‘Look, if I do this, I want it to be a normal tour.’”
So a plan was hatched that offers a balance of sightseeing and shows like an unplugged hotel lobby gig and a concert in a castle, with a sleepover.
“The Americans will have two days to just enjoy it like they are in Downton Abbey or something,” Roberts said, laughing. “Nobody wants to go to Ireland and see us play every single night…. This isn’t the Bruce Springsteen farewell tour. They’ve already seen us in America; they want to come and see Ireland with us.”
The Young Dubliners have made nine records and are close to finishing their 10th. The new album doesn’t have a title, but it’s shaping into an introspective effort. “Drive” was inspired by Roberts’ worry that he might not perform again, a thought shared by many musicians as the pandemic stretched on.
“My lyrics are all over the place and they definitely represent a lot of what happened,” he said. “We all sort of reinvented ourselves with skills we never knew we had during Covid, building furniture, making bread; I turned an old band trailer into a camper. The song is sort of uplifting about what would happen [and it] resonates now playing it to an audience.”
Another new song, “Look to the Stars,” pays homage to one of Roberts’ primary influences. “It’s absolutely got the Big Country riffs at the beginning, and I love them. They were probably the biggest — them and the Waterboys’ Fisherman’s Blues were probably what really pushed me out of just being a straight rock band and embracing the Irish stuff.”
Their current concert is a mix of old and new that begins with “a historical musical journey of the Young Dubs and how we wrote all our own stuff along the way,” Roberts said, followed by a portion “dedicated to the Irish Sessions album, where we did all the covers.” That trad-rich album included the bracing “Rocky Road to Dublin” and a lilting take of the Pogues’ “Pair of Brown Eyes.”
From there the music moves emphatically forward, Roberts continued. “If you only stay for the first half of the show, you’re going to miss out on a whole other part of our life,” he said. “I was joking about it the other day, saying if I was doing a farewell tour, this would probably be a pretty close set to what we would do.”
Young Dubliners w/ Rebel Collective When: Sunday, July 23, 8 p.m. Where: Bank of NH Stage, 44 S. Main St., Concord Tickets: $35.75 at ccanh.com
• Striking strings: A regional ensemble with a world music approach, Acoustic Nomads includes Maurizio Fiore Salas, a composer, guitar player and Venezuelan cuatrist who’s done workshops for Concord Community Music School, where his group will perform Around The World in a free early evening concert. The show is a celebration of the diversity offered in American music along with “the common threads that bind us together as people.” Thursday, July 20, 6:30 p.m., Concord Community Music School, 23 Wall St., Concord, ccmusicschool.org.
• Lakeside music: Appearing in a renovated horse stable that dates to Lake Sunapee’s steamboat era, Ari Hest is a singer, guitarist and songwriter who marked two decades as a working musician in late 2021 with the release I Remember When: The Retrospective. In the recent past, he collaborated with Judy Collins on the Grammy-nominated album Silver Skies Blue; a bit of a pinch me moment for Hest, as his parents danced to Collins’ song “Since You Asked” at their wedding. Friday, July 21, 7:30 p.m., The Livery, 58 Main St., Sunapee Harbor, $20 at thelivery.org.
• Sans singing: A free concert has While My Guitar Gently Weeps, a local trio playing instrumental versions of Beatles songs. Paring the Fab Four down to three and stripping away vocals is a unique take in a world where seemingly every tribute variation already exists. The group includes Berklee-trained guitarist Neil Santos, who’s authored two guitar instructional books, bass player Edwin Huff and drummer Bill Kuriger. Sunday, July 23, 2 p.m., Benson’s Park, 19 Kimball Hill Road, Hudson. See whilemyguitargentlyweeps.band.
• Voice double: Fronted by American Idol alum Tristan McIntosh, The Linda Ronstadt Experience is a convincing recreation of the singer’s prime era. Reminding audiences of Ronstadt’s unparalleled stature as a song interpreter, along with looking the part quite well, McIntosh re-recreates hits like Warren Zevon’s “Poor Poor Pitiful Me,” Jackson Browne’s “Rock Me on the Water” and The Everly Brothers’ “When Will I Be Loved.” Wednesday, July 26, 7 p.m., Town Common, 265 Mammoth Road, Londonderry. More at londonderryartscouncil.org.
In Summer 2020, al fresco was the only option for fans of live music. One of the pandemic’s few silver linings, however, was mostly sunny weather for shows in parking lots and open fields during that moment of masking and social distancing.
This year, not so much; from May through a stormy Fourth of July and beyond, nature’s fury has remained relentless. To paraphrase Mick Jagger, what can a poor boy do to sing in their rock ’n’ roll band?
Even without a torrent of phone battery-draining AccuWeather alerts like we’ve had this year, seasoned New Englanders always keep an eye out for changing skies. It turns out the folks who fill the gazebos and bandstands in New Hampshire’s cities and towns all got the memo on preparing for the worst.
A quick check with a few of them revealed many well-crafted contingency plans.
For example, Bedford’s Family Concerts in the Park series began June 28 with the Dr. Harp Blues Revue Band, and predicted rain moved it indoors. Jane O’Brien is the Bedford Recreation Department’s sole full-time staffer; she runs the town pool and summer camps along with the weekly gazebo events.
“If we go inside, we go to Bedford Town Hall,” O’Brien wrote in a July 6 email. “My first concert we had inside, but the library happened to have their big room available, so we went there. We do it rain or shine, as I don’t have room to reschedule with everything going on around town.”
Belknap Mill’s biweekly Arts in the Park series happens Fridays in Laconia’s Rotary Park. It moves indoors to the mill’s historic museum for inclement weather. A performance from the Newmont Military band kicked things off on May 26; the series concludes on Sept. 8 with the ’50s-themed Rockin’ Daddios and a classic car show.
When reached by phone the morning of July 6, Belknap Mill Marketing Manager Jill Desruisseaux was in good spirits, as the series’ most recent event, a June 30 performance by the Catfish Howl Zydeco Band, had been a sunny one. “We had finally had some nice weather and a really decent turnout,” she said.
The overall season has been an even mix, Desruisseaux continued. “We’ve had four shows and only two of them have been outside. Normally in past years we’ve maybe had to move the first one inside, and then the weather has been amazing. This summer it’s a little different. Mother Nature is not in the mood to cooperate.”
Holding shows in the museum’s third-floor event space is less than ideal, but other options aren’t much better. Indoor crowds are always smaller, but rescheduling acts is too difficult.
“The Park is the perfect place to … get a little live music and continue on with your night,” Desruisseaux said. “Sometimes you feel a little more pressure to stay when you’re inside.”
Performers face their own set of challenges. A chat with a couple of bands well-acquainted with the summer music season, and a performer who also works as a booker, revealed just how difficult this year has been compared to others.
Studio Two, a Beatles tribute band that’s a mainstay of the summer outdoor concert season, has had to pare down its schedule to protect itself against last-minute, no-pay cancellations. “I know weather is unpredictable, but enough of those can cripple a tour,” founding member Stephen Murray said by phone. “After years of experience of doing this, I’ve come to the conclusion that the only way our band business can run is if the concerts that we play either have indoor venues or a rain date.”
Rebel Collective will perform in Henniker on July 25.
This year’s Henniker Concert Series began on June 16. The Tuesday twilight event showcases local acts like Rebel Collective (July 25), Not Fade Away (Aug. 1) and Nick’s Other Band, a beloved hometown group that closes things out on Aug. 29. The shows are always rain or shine.
Acoustic roots band Peabody’s Coal Train was the first act to perform in Henniker this year. “They asked us to kick off the summer series and sure enough, the thunderstorms were rolling in,” guitarist Jason Teaster recalled in a phone interview. The show was relocated to the town’s community center, right behind the bandstand.
“We still had a packed crowd, but it was a more intimate show,” Teaster said, adding, “people were hungry for live music, and we fed them. It was a hat tip to the committee for having that backup plan ready.”
Guitarist Brad Myrick is both a booker and a performer. Experience has taught him to plan for outdoor shows. Back in 2016, “I had a weekend with seven concerts in three days, and I think six of the seven got rained out,” he said by phone. “I lost like two thousand bucks, which for me at the time was just … I couldn’t do it.” That lesson guides Myrick at NH Music Collective, the booking, artist development and production company he co-runs with two other partners.
Given the seemingly endless precipitation, there’s not been much discussion this year about the other side of extreme weather. Plans are needed, however, not just for rain but also for excessive heat. Every now and then Studio Two’s Fab Faux have a need to remove their vintage Beatles suit jackets.
Another problem is ensuring that expensive acoustic instruments don’t get sun-bleached. It’s one thing to be a hot guitar player, quite another to play a hot guitar.
“We’re asking outdoor venues to have tent cover,” Myrick said, recalling that at one open-air gig, “I had to keep turning out of the sunlight after every song.”
That said, rain is still top of mind for everyone trying to mount or play an outdoor show. Myrick is keeping his fingers crossed for The Sunflower Festival, an August event in Concord that will feature a bevy of NH Music Collective performers. “I think I have 16 musicians over two full weekends,” he said.
Unlike a lot of performers and town music organizations, NH Music Collective has mostly dodged the wet and wild weather thus far. “We’re lucky as a company in that we have not lost too many shows,” Myrick said. “I know a lot of musicians that have had cancellations, just by watching people on social media.”
Music outdoors
Here are some of the places you can find regular (and free!) outdoor (weather permitting) musical performances. Know of any concert series we missed? Let us know at adiaz@hippopress.com.
Multiple days
• Concord Parks and Recreation (concordnh.gov) presents concerts on several days in multiple locations throughout the city.
On Sundays at 10 a.m., acoustic concerts will take place in White Park (in inclement weather Merrimack Lodge, which will be open from 9 a.m. to noon during concerts). Concerts include Andrew North on July 23, Hometown Eulogy on Aug. 6, Paulie Stone on Aug. 13, Steve Blunt on Sept. 10 and Ben Harris on Sept. 17.
The Nevers Band (classic orchestral) has two Tuesday night concerts at 7 p.m. left in a series played around the city: July 25 at the New Hampshire Statehouse and Aug. 8 at Kiwanis Riverfront Park (behind Everett Arena).
Thursday night concerts at 7 p.m. in Eagle Square include Freese Brothers Big Band on Aug. 3, Jah Spirit on Aug. 10 and Club Soda on Aug. 24.
The Concord Public Library also has a live performance on the schedule: David Shore’s Trunk of Funk will play on Wednesday, Aug. 16, at 6 p.m. at Prince Street at the Concord Public Library.
Sundays
• The Friends of Stark Park (550 River Road in Manchester; starkpark.com) have a series of concerts at the Stark Park Bandstand on Sundays at 2 p.m. Upcoming shows include Another Tequila Sunrise (Eagles tribute) on July 23, Love Dogs on July 30, Reminisants on Aug. 6, Swing Times Five on Aug. 13, Wolverine Jazz Band on Aug. 20 and Compaq Big Band on Aug. 27.
Tuesdays
• Amherst’s Concerts on the Green (amherstnh.myrec.com) run on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. at the Amherst Village Green (2 Main St.). Upcoming shows include Bass Quintet on Aug. 1, Glitter and Camo on Aug. 8, and the Amherst Town Band on Aug. 15. A show on Tuesday, July 25, with the Bat Magoon Band will take place at the Baboosic Town Lake Beach (25 Broadway); $5 cover for non-Amherst residents.
• Derry Parks and Recreation’s Summer 2023 Concert Series (derrynh.org) takes place in MacGregor Park (64 E. Broadway) on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Upcoming shows are Mo Bounce (funky & danceable) on July 25, The Slakas (classic/modern rock) on Aug. 1, PizzaStock presents Second to Last Minute and the Glue Band on Aug. 8, Beatlejuice on Aug. 15, and Brandy on Aug. 22.
• Hampstead’s Meetinghouse Park Concert series (hampsteadconcerts.com), sponsored by Hampstead Cable Television, takes place Tuesdays at 6 p.m. behind Hampstead’s Town Hall (11 Main St.). Upcoming shows are Chickenshack Bluegrass Band (rock & country influenced) on July 25, Tru Diamond (Neil Diamond tribute) on Aug. 1, North River Music (Americana sound of rock, bluegrass and country) on Aug. 8, Mark209 (country) on Aug. 15, Martin and Kelly (country) on Aug 22, and Studio Two (Beatles tribute) on Aug. 29.
• Henniker’s Summer Concert Series (henniker.org) runs Tuesdays at the Angela Robinson Bandstand (57 Main St.) starting at 6:30 p.m. Food trucks and restaurants will attend the concerts to sell eats for the evening, according to a press release. Admission is free (donations accepted). Upcoming shows include Rebel Collective (Irish rock) on July 25, Not Fade Away (Grateful Dead tribute) on Aug. 1, Emily’s Garage Band (funky soul classics) on Aug. 8, Cold Chocolate (folk/funk/bluegrass) on Aug. 15, Kotoko Brass (party music with a global flair) Aug. 22, and Nick’s Other Band on Aug. 29.
• Nashua’s SummerFun (nashuanh.gov/546/summerfun) programming includes concerts at Greeley Park Bandshell (100 Concord St., Nashua). Shows are on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. The upcoming schedule includes Scenes the Band (Billy Joel tribute) on July 25, American Legion Band on Aug. 1, Tru Diamond (Neil Diamond tribute) on Aug. 8, Bel Airs (doo wop) on Aug. 15, and After Hours Big Band on Aug. 22.
• New Boston’s Concerts on the Common series (newbostonnh.gov/recreation/pages/concert-common) has three more shows on upcoming Tuesdays from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Chairs and blankets are welcome, and the Rail Trail Grill concession stand will feature hot dogs, hamburgers, soft drinks and snacks for sale, with proceeds benefiting the New Boston Rail Trail. The town’s community church will offer a dessert table. Upcoming shows include Hickory Horned Devils (old-time, bluegrass, Americana) on July 26, Tattoo (acoustic jam band) on Aug. 8 and The Island Castaways Band (Jimmy Buffett tribute) on Aug. 22.
Wednesdays
• Bedford Parks and Recreation’s Family (bedfordnh.myrec.com) Concerts in the Park run on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. in Bedford Village Common Park. Upcoming shows include Roxanne and the Voodoo Rockers on July 26, Bedford Big Band on Aug. 2 (this show starts at 6:30 p.m.), and the Manchester Community Music School on Aug. 9.
• Hampstead’s remaining concert in the Ordway Park Concert series (hampsteadconcerts.com), sponsored by Hampstead Cable Television, takes place at the Main Street-located park at Route 121 and Depot Road on Wednesday, July 26, at 6 p.m. with Key Elements (classic and soft rock covers from the 1970s and 1980s).
Londonderry Concerts on the Common Featuring Martin and Kelly. Courtesy photo.
• The Londonderry Arts Council’s (londonderryartscouncil.org) Concerts on the Common series takes place on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. In the event of inclement weather, most will take place inside the cafeteria of Londonderry High School (295 Mammoth Road). Upcoming shows include The Linda Ronstadt Experience with Tristan McIntosh on July 26, Delta Generators (blues) Aug. 2, Foreigners Journey (tribute to Foreigner and Journey) on Aug. 9, and Studio Two Beatles Tribute on Aug. 16.
• Merrimack’s Summer Concert Series (merrimackparksandrec.org) will host weekly concerts at Abbie Griffin Park (6 Baboosic Lake Road, Merrimack) on Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m. Upcoming shows include Marc Berger & Ride (country folk) on July 26, The Twangtown Paramours (Americana, folk and blues) on Aug. 2, The Slakas (classic/modern rock) on Aug. 9, Will Parker Children’s Concert on Aug. 16 (concert from 6 to 7 p.m.) and Crescendo’s Gate (rock) on Aug 23.
• Milford Recreation (milford.nh.gov) holds its Sounds on the Souhegan concert series on Wednesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Emerson Park. In the event of rain, concerts will be moved inside to the Town Hall auditorium. Upcoming shows include Cover Story (top 40) on July 26, Shana Stack Band (country/Southern rock) on Aug. 2, The Bel Airs (’50s and ’60s) on Aug. 9, Sheepdip Band (classic rock tribute) on Aug. 16, Bedford Big Band (this concert takes place at the Stage at Keyes Memorial Park) on Aug. 23, and Studio Two Beatles Tribute (rock ’n’ roll) at Aug. 30 (also at the Stage at Keyes Memorial Park).
• Pelham Community Spirit’s Summer Concerts (pelhamcommunityspirit.org) on the Village Green in front of the town’s public library will take place on three upcoming Wednesdays from 6 to 8 p.m.: The Casuals on July 26, 4EverFab (Beatles tribute) on Aug. 9 (evening will also include a Cruise Night, $5 car registration), and Standard Tuning on Aug. 26.
Kotoko Brass. Courtesy photo.
Thursdays
• Auburn Parks & Recreation “Rock This Town” Summer Concert Series takes place at the Circle of Fun Playground (1 Bunker Hill Road in Auburn) on two upcoming Tuesdays from 6 to 8 p.m.: Off Duty Angels on July 20 and Emily’s Garage Band on Aug. 17.
• Raymond’s Summer Concert Series (raymondnh.gov/programsforeveryone) runs Thursdays at 6 p.m. at the Raymond Town Common. Upcoming shows include The Singing Trooper Daniel M. Clark on July 20; Keith Belanger (piano bar sing-along) on July 27; a “surprise night” on Aug. 3; Kitchen Party on Aug. 10, and EP Rock (Elvis Prestley tribute) on Aug. 17.
• Salem’s summer concert series at Field of Dreams Community Park (48 Geremonty Drive, Salem; fieldofdreamsnh.org) runs on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. except for Fridays, July 21, and July 28. Admission is free and open to the public and chairs and blankets are welcome. Upcoming shows include 4EverFab (Beatles tribute) on July 21, Salem Boyz on July 28, North River Music (Americana sound of rock, bluegrass and country) on Aug. 3, Something Else on Aug. 10, and B-Street Bombers on Aug. 17.
Friday
• Manchester (manchesternh.gov) has two upcoming concerts at Veterans Park in the city’s downtown on Elm Street on two Fridays at 6:30 p.m. Food trucks will be available to purchase food from. Marc Berger and the band Ride will perform on July 21. Roots of Creation will perform on Aug. 11.
Daily
• Hampton Beach has a nightly Sea Shell stage series (hamptonbeach.org) with performances from 7 to 8 p.m. and 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. most nights. Performances are weather-dependent. Upcoming shows include Caroline Gray (country) on Thursday, July 20; Maddi Ryan (country pop) on Friday, July 21; The Shakerz Band (’60s through ’90s rock) on Saturday, July 22, and The Bel Airs (doo wop and vintage rock ’n’ roll) on Sunday, July 23. On Sunday, Aug. 13, catch the Polka Festival from 3 to 9 p.m. On Saturday, Aug. 19, a Reggae Fest runs from 3 to 9 p.m. The shows continue through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 4, when GemsTones (’50s music) finish up the season.
Ever a relatable comedian, Juston McKinney tries to find the local angle wherever he performs. His latest YouTube special, On the Bright Side, was filmed in Concord. It begins with a story about a The Price Is Right contestant from Massachusetts winning a trip to the Capitol City.
The prize came with a round-trip flight — between Los Angeles and Manchester. “She’s gotta go all the way out and come all the way back,” McKinney joked. “She didn’t win a vacation; she won the longest tax-free liquor run in history!”
For a July 13 show at Labelle Winery, some anecdotes will come from closer to home. “My grandfather ran McKinney Dairy in Derry, and that’s where he met my grandmother,” the comic said in a recent phone interview. The punch line: “So she ended up marrying the milkman!”
McKinney primarily performs in New England, which keeps him nearer to his family; he lives in Newmarket. This makes for a lot of repeat business, forcing him to keep his act fresh. “I try to tell people that if you give me a year and I come back, I’ll have an 80 percent different show.”
It can be a double-edged sword for fans with a favorite bit; the memory bank can only be so full before it overflows. Consider a recent comment on Facebook. “It said, ‘I saw you 20 years ago, and I’m still laughing at your Old Navy button fly joke.’ I have no freaking idea what the Old Navy button fly joke is,” McKinney recalled. “I gotta message the guy … because if it’s really good, I’m gonna do it again.”
Another side effect of keeping to the region is making the rest of the country feel slighted. “People are getting mad that I’m not leaving,” he said. “They’re literally like, ‘Oh, you’ve got something against South Dakota?’ So I’m trying to get out a little bit, just to give something to these fans. I just did Ohio, and now I’ll do Detroit. I usually try to do Vegas every couple of years.”
To enjoy family time with his wife and two teenage sons, McKinney maintains a light summer schedule.
“I have a house with a water view … yeah, we put an above ground pool in the backyard,” he joked. “My whole trick has been balancing being a dad with being a comedian. Not looking back when these years have passed and going, ‘Oh, my kids are going to college [and] I’ve been on the road 40 weeks a year.”
Unsurprisingly, McKinney mines his home life for laughs — to a point. “Sometimes my wife will cut it right in the bud and go, ‘You’re not doing a joke about that,’” he said. “I get in this argument about how I’m gonna frame the joke, and finally I’ll say, ‘Alright, I’ll make it about my friend.”
On the other hand, McKinney’s boys can be a bit more agreeable about inspiring his standup.
“I’ll say something funny, and they’ll say, ‘You should do a joke about that.’ As long as it’s not at their expense, and they’re not the butt of the joke. My kid the other day WTF’d me in a text because I was late. I go, ‘You don’t WTF your parents!’ He goes, ‘Dad, I didn’t spell it out, it’s just the abbreviation.’ I’m like, ‘So is FU; don’t you put it in a text to me.’ He’s like, are you going to do a joke about that?’ I go, ‘I don’t know, but you’re gonna get in trouble if you do it again.’”
He tends to avoid flashpoint topics like politics, but in McKinney’s hands, even the war in Ukraine can provide a chuckle. In On the Bright Side, he observes that their draft age tops out at 60. “That’s kind of pushing it; I mean, I go to bed at nine thirty. I got a CPAP machine; I’m gonna need an outlet,” he said. “Is that a problem?”
This idea would never work in the United States, McKinney added. “We can’t get 18- to 60-year-olds to go to work, let alone go to war,” he said. “We should draft people into jobs.”
Juston McKinney When: Thursday, July 13, 7:30 p.m. Where: LaBelle Winery, 14 Route 111, Derry Tickets: $40 at labellewinery.com
• Feel like redo: After what he thought was his final tour in 2019, Peter Frampton came back from a diagnosis of inclusion-body myositis. Thus, his current run is dubbed the Never Say Never tour, as the guitar hero whose LP Frampton Comes Alive broke records in the mid-’70s returns to perform his biggest hits. Thursday, July 13, 8 p.m., Bank of NH Pavilion, 72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, $35 and up at ticketmaster.com.
• True veteran: Early in his career, Tom Rush was the first to record songs by Joni Mitchell and Jackson Browne. Later, his own “No Regrets” became a standard, with covers from Emmylou Harris and Midge Ure, among others. He’s been touring for more than 50 years and remains one of the funniest and most engaging performers around. Friday, July 14, 8 p.m., 7 p.m., Nashua Center for the Arts, 201 Main St., Nashua, $29 and up at etix.com.
• Good cause: Memorializing a local sports hero, the Two to Lou Festival raises scholarship money to help students pursue athletics or music in college. Past years have featured premier tribute acts, and this time around it continues, with all-star act Beatlejuice covering the Fab Four, and Cars doppelgangers Panorama. Preciphist and River Sang Wild are among a dozen performers rounding out the bill. Saturday, July 15, noon, Sandlots Sports & Entertainment, 56 North Road, Sandown. Tickets $25. More at twotolou.com.
• Heavy metal kids: An unholy trinity of core (death, metal and hard), Devitalized is a young Massachusetts band inspired by acts like Alpha Wolf and Chelsea Grin. The latter is featured on their latest single, “Godslayer.” The band describes itself as having “a heart of gold and a taste for blood,” with music that “features rebellious themes inspired by … collective backgrounds in bullying, abuse, poverty, addiction, mental illness, and more.” Sunday, July 16, 7 p.m., Nashua Garden, 121 Main St., Nashua, $39 and up at etix.com.
• Long players: Over 25 years, Utah rockers Royal Bliss have released six albums; their latest, the aptly titled Survivor, dropped in the spring. Support for an area show is provided by Royal Thunder and New Monarch. Wednesday, July 19, 8 p.m., Bank of NH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord, $23.75 and up at ccanh.com.
For fans of original local music, the show always starts early at Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, on the venue’s Hazy Little Stage. Situated just beyond the Gilford amphitheater’s entrance, the second stage hosts some of the region’s finest local talent, with each act chosen to complement the headlining performer.
Upcoming are the countrified Not Leaving Sober ahead of Sam Hunt on July 7, and blood harmony band Town Meeting prior to Counting Crows’ July 14 show. In August, singer-songwriter April Cushman precedes Jelly Roll, with jam band stalwarts Supernothing playing prior to a Slightly Stoopid and Sublime with Rome double bill.
In a perfect pairing, the concert season closes out on Sept. 30 with ’90s acolytes Donaher teeing off for the Goo Goo Dolls. The Hazy Little Stage’s full schedule can be found on the venue’s website.
Providing the prelude to Dave Matthews Band’s July 11 show is The Gravel Project, a Boston band offering a vintage rock and soul sound that pairs with the bill-toppers like a salted pretzel and a cold IPA. On guitar and vocals, Andrew Gravel leads a novel configuration of his brother Jordan on keys, drummer Dave Fox and Eguie Castrillo playing percussion.
Gravel has been the band’s one constant since it began in 2013, though for the past six years he, his brother and Fox have formed its nucleus.
“The fact that we call it a project means we’ve got other people who come and play with us from time to time,” Gravel said by phone recently. “It kind of describes the whole nature of it.”
Playing without a bassist is uncommon but wasn’t always the case. The choice came out of necessity; a few years back, when their then-bass player didn’t make it to a couple of gigs, Jordan crafted a low end on his keyboards.
“We were like, ‘that was actually really good,’” Gravel recalled; they kept at it after that. “It was an organic direction for us at the time … then it brought a level of consistency to the lineup that we hadn’t felt prior.”
Live at Wellspring, released in February, is the first album to include a female voice in a prominent role. Having another vocalist “was something I always wanted to explore,” Gravel said. “A lot of these songs [are] meant for more than one singer.”
Though the vocalist who appeared on Wellspring is gone, with a rotating roster now accompanying the band (American Idol alum Erika Van Pelt joins them in Gilford), the added element on the live LP made Gravel realize that a woman on stage made a big difference. “It opened the band up for us, and there’s definitely a commitment to keep that role filled.”
The Gravel Project has played Meadowbrook’s side stage before; last year they opened for Tedeschi Trucks Band. Like DMB, that slot reflected Gravel’s influences as a performer “Nineties rock was the soundtrack to my childhood, but even before that, in the eighties, when I was younger, my parents were always just playing tons of Beatles in the house,” he said. “A lot of Allman Brothers, Led Zeppelin … that stuff kind was from the very beginning real close to my heart.”
Early on, Gravel played a Fender Stratocaster. These days he toggles between two Gibson guitars — the iconic Les Paul, and a hollow body ES-335.
“That’s a big part of my sound, the vintage Gibson thing,” he said. “I’m also a sponsored artist by Two-Rock, which are these amazing amplifiers made out of California. They capture the spirit of the Sixties Blackface Fender sound [and] take it a little bit further.”
To extend the theme, Jordan plays both Hammond B3 and Fender Rhodes organs. “He loves, just like I do, the vintage gear,” Gravel said. “I mean, you just can’t beat it.”
Gravel is pleased to be opening DMB’s two-night stand. “It’s certainly an honor to be involved,” he said. “It’s such a loyal fan base that loves good music, and we’re excited to bring something that’s different [but] closely enough related. I think all his fans are certainly into great songs, and they’re also into extended jams and improvisation.”
The Gravel Project When: Tuesday, July 11, 5:30 p.m. Where: Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, 72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford More: thegravelproject.com Ticket for Dave Matthews Band required – $74 and up at livenation.com
Featured photo: The Gravel Project. Courtesy photo.
