Local music news & events
• Song pull: Led by quirky Austin singer-songwriter Matt The Electrician, Family Game Night is a unique variation of a writers-in-the-round event. Natalia Zukerman, Kris Delmhorst and Erin McKeown join Matthew Sever to swap stories and share songs, the latter coming from “playful prompts” that result in “plenty of laughter, camaraderie and the occasional audience participation.” Thursday, July 10, 7 p.m., The Word Barn, 66 Newfields Road, Exeter, $25 at thewordbarn.com.
• Good mix: Blending elements of alt country and harmony-rich classic rock, Slim Volume is a breath of fresh air on the local music scene. At the core of the quartet is the songwriting team of Trent Larrabee and Jake DeSchuiteneer, who met as coworkers at SNHU’s Manchester campus, bonded over a shared love of ’60s bands, and found their mojo at Strange Brew’s downtown open mic. Friday, July 11, 7 p.m., Pembroke City Limits, 134 Main St., Suncook, slimvolume.band.
• Young gun: It’s been said that modern country music is a lot like Tom Petty in the 1970s, and Gavin Marengi is a good example. The Salisbury, Mass., native’s most recent album, Northbound, offers raved-up rockers like “Back to Boston” and the soulful title cut. On the latter he sings about being “with my old six-string in a bar in Boston without a drink,” which makes sense — he’s still in his teens. Friday, July 11, 7:30 p.m., BNH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord, $21 at ccanh.com.
• Summer fun: Canadian national treasure Barenaked Ladies top a ’90s throwback concert with Sugar Ray and Fastball, part of their Last Summer On Earth Tour. No worries, they called it that in 2022. Saturday, July 12, 7 p.m., BankNH Pavilion, 72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, $30 and up at banknhpavilion.com.
• King looper: The reference point for many one-person bands is Howie Day, who was looping long before every bar act in the country discovered it. A few years ago, Day was so impressed with a parody of his biggest hit “Collide” done by three CERN graduate students that he volunteered to re-record it with them himself. The result is just lovely, and it’s definitely worth checking out on YouTube. Monday, July 13, 7 p.m., Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St., Derry, $42 at tupelohall.com.