Category: Music This Week

• Stacked show: A release event for cathartic Providence rockers Valoria’s EP From Me To You is a five-band affair, including the debut performance of the Jared Moore-led Paracress, whose lead single “Waste” shows a lot of promise. Rounding out the bill at the all-ages show are local favorites Paint the Town Dead, Under the Horizon and the cleverly named Good & You? Thursday, June 18, 7 p.m., Bungalow Bar & Grill, 333 Valley St., Manchester, $13, dice.fm.

• String thing: Enjoy an evening of classical-ized rock on a candlelit stage with Blue Violin, a unique tribute act that turns anthems like “Stairway to Heaven” and AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” into orchestral rockers. With live looping and wildly inventive violin solos from conservatory-trained Christopher Vuk, the show has been described as “Ed Sheeran meets Lindsey Stirling.” Friday, June 19, 7:30 p.m., Derry Opera House, 29 West Broadway, Derry, $32 and up, eventbrite.com.

• Grunge gang: Bike Week takes a ’90s rock turn as Small Town Titans hits a Lakeside popup stage that will fold its tent in a few days. With influences like Deep Purple, Audioslave and Foo Fighters, the York, Pennsylvania, trio is known for covering cool songs from the era with a unique touch, like Michael Jackson’s “Black or White,” and its barcode rock TikTok series Will It Riff?. Friday, June 19, 8:30 p.m., Madame’s Bardello, 70 Endicott St. North, Laconia, smalltowntitans.com.

• Happy ha-ha: During the early dark days of the pandemic, Jim McCue found a silver lining when he released a Dry Bar Comedy special and got three million views from quarantined fans looking to laugh. When live events returned, he opened an eponymous club that’s now celebrating a fifth birthday with McCue and many friends who’ve performed there. Saturday, June 20, 8 p.m., McCue’s Comedy Club, 506 Portsmouth Traffic Circle, Portsmouth, $25, eventbrite.com, 21+.

• Scots shot: Since Scotland and their Cop Slide ride is the hit of World Cup-captivated Boston, Cantrip — an Old Scots word for charm — fits the bill for a night of music. The trio includes Dan Houghton on pipes, whistles and guitar, fiddler Jon Bews, and Isle of Lewis-born Alasdair White, who’s played with a bevy of the best-known musicians from Scotland, Ireland and Breton. Saturday, June 20, 7 p.m., Blasty Bough Brewing, 3 Griffin Road, Epsom, $20, cantrip-music.com.

• Blue adieu: Celebrating a 60-plus-year career, Judy Collins is on her final Sweet Judy Blue Eyes tour, the name a nod to the breakup song that Stephen Stills wrote for her (his title itself a double pun). Collins is a legendary singer whose string of hits commenced with her cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” and includes “Send in the Clowns” and “Since You Asked.” Thursday, June 11, 7:30 p.m., Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St., Concord, $61.50 and up at ccanh.com.

• Bass man: Anyone who’s intent on eating all the yogurt in a container will get the title of Aaron Bilodeau’s new record Lid Licker. The Milford-based experimental bass player, who weaves live effects, vocal tracks and other groovy sounds into his sets, will mark the LP’s release at a Seacoast listening room. If the teaser song “The Passenger” is any indication, it’s good one. Friday, June 12, 7 p.m., Button Factory Stage, 909 Islington St., Portsmouth, $10, portsmouthnhtickets.com.

• All there: A pair of local favorites share the stage as the Faith Ann Band and J3ST perform. Now a trio, female-fronted TFAB is a raucous live act, with songs like the punchy “Say Less” and the slightly sinister love ode “Route 2” raising the energy. J3ST is an organ-forward band, with Tom Robinson playing a vintage Hammond, with guitarist Scott Solsky and Jared Steer on drums. Friday, June 12, 9 p.m., Penuche’s Ale House, 16 Bicentennial Square, Concord, thefaithannband.com.

• Dead ringers: Over the years, the unique tribute act Bearly Dead has been joined by everyone from Mike Campbell of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers to Jerry Garcia’s Wolf guitar, which BD’s Nick Swift once played on Garcia’s birthday. The band does Dead songs and honors each member individually, while also performing songs from prominent artists like Talking Heads and Phish. Saturday, June 13, 7:30 p.m., Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, $40, palacetheatre.org.

• Engines roar: It’s Bike Week in the Lakes Region, and active rock stalwarts Leaving Eden are always a mainstay at the annual gathering. Their performances over the week — they’re there every day — include a couple by their alter ego Silver Springs, an excellent Fleetwood Mac tribute band. Lead singer Eve Gynan does a great job as Stevie Nicks, along with belting out powerful hard rock. Sunday, June 14, 8 p.m., Hawg’s Pen Café, 114 Route 11, Farmington, leavingeden.com.

• Summer songs: A season of weekend music kicks off with Katie Dobbins, an inspirational singer-songwriter who also organizes the Hermit Woods Winery regional showcases. The summer series at a family farm’s outdoor beer garden welcomes solo acts like Amanda McCarthy (June 11), Dan Fallon (June 18), and Dakota Smart (June 26) Thursday through Sunday all month. Thursday, June 4, at 5:30 p.m., Beans & Greens Farm, 245 Intervale Road, Gilford, beansandgreensfarm.com.

• Metallic KO: For those who like their sounds on the heavier side, Martial Law tops a five-band underground metal bill. The Nashua-based groove metal band, fronted by bullhorn belter Brandon Benson, released the aggressively-minded EP A Means to Control a few years back. Rounding out the relentless night of rock are Art of Aggression, Overtime Fightcore, Fallen Monarch and Vauli. Friday, June 5, at 7 p.m., Jewel Music Venue, 61 Canal St., Manchester, $15, ticketleap.com.

• Musical kings: One of the area’s better-known Elvis impersonators stretches out for the Legends Tribute, an evening of country-leaning music from Johnny Cash, George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Roy Orbison and Neil Diamond along with the King of Rock ’n’ Roll. Robert Black is a Rhode Island-based singer who also possesses Presley’s distinctive Comeback Show sideburns. Saturday, June 6, at 6 p.m., Fulchino Vineyard, 187 Pine Hill Road, Hollis, $29, fulchinovineyard.com.

• Get psyched: Sounds from the galactic zone take the spotlight at Souls of Psychedelic Rock. Four local bands perform, including The Whole Loaf, Vales End, The Cherry Fog and Lee & Dr. G. The latter is guitarist Lee Durham teaming up with Louisiana-born Brandon Gauthier, who fell in love with a 100-watt Fender amp as a teenager and has kept it turned up since. Saturday, June 6, 7 p.m., Terminus Underground, 134 Haines St., Nashua, $15, newhampshireunderground.org.

• Hard rockers: Multiple subgenres of heavy music converge at the Backwoods Metal Fest, with more than two dozen area bands performing over two days. On the bill are Burt Bacharach Band playing grindcore and blurcore, False Gods doing stoner, doom and sludge, prog metal from Vrsa, Dent with old-school garage rock and punk, and local favorites Sick Dude Hell Yeah. Friday, May 29, 3:30 p.m., Henniker Brewing Co., 129 Centervale Road, Henniker, $20-$40, eventbrite.com.

• Special night: The Laugh Attic open mic becomes a showcase for the night as Josh Day tapes his new special May Day there. Day got his start over a decade ago when a paddleboarding accident left him paralyzed for a while. After surviving a broken neck, breaking a leg on stage made more sense. Danny Pee, Alex Williams, Mike Dupont, Krister Holler and Sarah May round out the bill. Friday, May 29, 8 p.m., Strange Brew Tavern, 88 Market St., Manchester, $20, eventbrite.com.

• American music: A member of the New Orleans Traditional Jazz Camp’s piano faculty, Heather Pierson is more than qualified to make her new album Alone At Last, a collection of original ragtime piano compositions. There are plenty of interpretations of the genre’s classics around, but Pierson is among a small group of pianists writing new material, which fans can hear at a release show. Saturday, May 30, 6 p.m., Hermit Woods Winery, 72 Main St., Meredith, eventbrite.com.

• Granite debut: Born and raised in Connecticut, Suave-Ski found his rapping muse after his parents sent him to live with family in Texas to address his troublesome teenage tendencies. He credits hip-hop with saving his life, and upon returning to New England after high school Suave continued making records and touring. A Concord show is his first in New Hampshire. Saturday, May 30, 6 p.m., Penuche’s Ale House, 16 Bicentennial Square, Concord, $5, mocgmedia.com.

• Classic funk: Prior to joining with George Clinton, keyboard player Danny Bedrosian led Sweet Motha’ Child, a funk band with over a dozen members that played the region during the Millennium-straddling years. After that, Bedrosian got with P-Funk. SMC made a new album a couple of years ago and is now in the midst of a reunion tour in support of the funky, horn-forward effort, called 7. Sunday, May 31, 7 p.m., Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St., Derry, $35, tupelohall.com.

• Blues power: Until he stumbled into a Chicago nightclub in the early 1990s, Johnny Burgin planned to be a writer. But the city’s blues scene captivated him, and before long he was playing in a band and sharing stages with legends like Sam Lay, Billy Boy Arnold and Pinetop Perkins. Thursday, May 21, 7:30 p.m., Brickhouse Restaurant & Brewery, 241 Union Square, Milford, johnnyburgin.com.

• Laugh tonight: A night of standup is headlined by Jay Chanoine, with Klia Ververidis and Rick Gauthier. Friday, May 22, 7 p.m., American Legion Post 81, 169 Bound Tree Road, Hopkinton, $20, eventbrite.com.

• Guitar hero: Early on, guitarist Quinn Sullivan knew his destiny. His parents taught him the Mt. Rushmore of rockers: Beatles, Stones, Dead, Allmans. It was a vital inculcation; Sullivan picked up a guitar at age 3, guested on Ellen at 6, was mentored by blues giant Buddy Guy when he turned 8, and as a teenager he played with rock music giants at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival. Friday, May 22, 8 p.m., Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St., Derry, $40 and up, tupelohall.com.

• Country man: The outdoor venue behind Town Cabin Restaurant & Deli is now open, with Willy Chase one of four weekend performers (Sunday Ave. plays Friday, Justin Federico’s on Sunday, with Taylor Hughes on Memorial Day). Chase is nearing completion of a long-awaited EP; a teaser from one of its tracks is on the socials — “Pushin’ My Luck” is a great drink and regret song. Saturday, May 23, 6 p.m., The Barnyard, 285 Old Candia Road, Candia, candiabarnyardvenue.com.

• Rock doll: With her first official live album set for release next month, Samantha Fish has a pair of upcoming shows in New Hampshire.Sunday, May 24, 7 p.m., Nasha Center for the Arts, 201 Main St., Nashua, $55 and up, etix.com.

• Dolly smart: Since emerging from a hiatus in 2017, indie-rock stalwarts The Mammals are still going strong. Last year’s expansive LP Touch Grass Vol. 1 & 2 was a call to community for the activism-minded group, called “a party band with a conscience” by the Boston Globe. An upcoming listening room show benefits the local chapter of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Thursday, May 14, 7 p.m., Stone Church, 5 Granite St., Newmarket, $25, stonechurchrocks.com.

• Local lights: One of the better About web pages belongs to Happy Just to See You, where the moody rockers list artists they’ve been compared to “by people of various levels of intoxicated.” It includes Counting Crows, Pixies and “this band from the 90s, I’m blanking on the name.” A release show with openers Megan From Work and Slim Volume celebrates a new album, Last Week’s Horse. Friday, May 15, 8 p.m., BAD BRGR, 1015 Elm St., Manchester, $10, evenbrite.com.

• Heavy music: Fans with VIP tickets to an upcoming show by post-metal rockers A World Worth Burning will receive a bootleg CD from their debut performance last November. The instrumental band, formed by members of Vigil, has an album due in June. A dreamy preview track, “Speak No Evil,” came out last month. Koga NH and Z/28 open the show. Saturday, May 16, 8 p.m., Terminus Underground, 134 Haines St., Nashua, $15 and up, newhampshireunderground.org.

• Old-timey: With a mix of bluegrass, old-time string band and blues music, Any Which Way is led by folk scene veteran Scott Heron with, according to Heron’s website, “a rotating lineup of stellar musicians.” A guitar, fiddle and upright bass rendition of the old standard “Walk That Lonesome Valley” is a tasty treat. They’re at a live music hub that recently rolled out a new food menu. Saturday, May 16, 7 p.m., Pembroke City Limits, 134 Main St., Pembroke, theanywhichway.com.

• Soothing duo: Musicians and friends Brad Myrick & Tom Pirozzoli share an afternoon of songs at an art gallery that’s not far from jazz guitarist Myrick’s home. It’s also where Pirozzoli, a folk singer and painter, has shown several works of art, including his still life “Kitchen Window.” Their duo show promises “spontaneous interplay, a touch of the world, and a whole lot of fun.” Sunday, May 17, 5 p.m., Two Villages Art Society, 846 Main St., Contoocook, twovillagesart.org.