Category: Music This Week

• SNL Pals: John Mulaney plays the Lakes Region with a bill includes Fred Armisen, who was on hand the night Mulaney became the first comic to sell out Wrigley Field, along with SNL star James Austin Johnson. Mike Birbiglia and Nick Kroll were with the tour early on but later bowed out. Thursday, Sept. 10, 7:30 p.m., BankNH Pavilion, 108 Kimball Road, Gilford, $25 and up, ticketmaster.com.

• Two squared: The White Stripes began a few years before Sirsy, and while the upstate New York duo may not be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, their raw power is clear, with Rich Libutti’s Rickenbacker and Melanie Krahmer’s drumming and singing creating a sound larger than its parts. The show partners with a local charity that helps vets, first responders and others with PTSD through equine therapy. Friday, Sept. 11, 9 p.m., Shaskeen Pub, 909 Elm St., Manchester, sirsy.com.

• Body doubles: Born and raised near NBC’s Burbank Studios, The Edwards Twins — brothers Anthony and Eddie — are “celebrity illusionists” who transform into a range of stars in the course of their variety show. The rotating lineup includes Sonny & Cher, Billy Joel, Elton John, Neil Diamond, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Lady Gaga and Celine Dion, all sung live — no lip syncing. Saturday, Sept. 11, 7 p.m., Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, $45 and up, palacetheatre.org.

• Helping out: Honoring the memory of a local sports hero, Two To Lou Rocks raises scholarship money for students pursuing athletics or music in college. This year there are two tribute acts: Earth doing Black Sabbath, and Gypzy Mac with Stevie Nicks’ music. Rounding things out are Witch’s Brew, Preciphist, Hot Pasta, Aden Perin, Casey Clark and Krystn Elliot. Saturday, Sept 12, 3 p.m., Sandlots Sports & Entertainment, 56 North Road, Sandown, $25, eventbrite.com.

• Virtual reunion: Among tribute acts, Welcome Back My Friends – An Evening with Emerson, Lake & Palmer is special because it’s not. Drummer Carl Palmer, the only surviving member of the prog rock supergroup, drums along to footage of a 1992 Royal Albert Hall performance by his old group, as his ELP Legacy Band plays in sync along with him. Sunday, Sept. 13, 7 p.m., Colonial Theatre, 609 Main St., Laconia, $46 and up, etix.com (also Sept. 10, Tupelo Music Hall).

• Country pair: As summer approaches its unofficial end, Red Daisy Revival performs outdoors in the Lakes Region. Led by married duo Morgan Clark and Daniel Kassel, the band began during the pandemic and became a love story. They play upbeat, affirming country songs like “The Me I Wanna Be,” which proclaims in positivity, “You don’t judge my story by the chapter you walked in on.” Thursday, Sept. 3, at 6:30 p.m., Kelley Park, 41 N. Main St., Bristol, reddaisyrevival.com.

• First Friday: A packed lineup of four local bands anchors a downtown party. Supernothing’s reggae rock provides a perfect excuse for wearing board shorts one more day. They kick things off in Bicentennial Square, followed by multi-genre organ trio J3ST. In front of the Statehouse, SuperBug offers “an energetic, hard-driving, funk-punk beat,” with Bosey Joe closing things out. Friday, Sept. 4, at 4 p.m., City Plaza & Bicentennial Square, Concord, firstfridayconcord.com.

• Riot grrrls: Vermont-based feminist punk rock band Burly Girlies top a raucous bill with Snake Lips, Milk St. and 7/11 Jesus. Fronted by singer Rae Murphy, who started the band in an Essex Junction basement with bass player Morgan Vespa a few years ago, Burly Girlies evoke artists like Bikini Kill, Hole and Mannequin Pussy, and organize the biannual Femme Fest in Burlington. Friday, Sept. 4, at 8 p.m., BAD BRGR, 1015 Elm St., Manchester, $10, burlygirlies.bandcamp.com.

• String thing: Multi-instrumentalists Gabrielle Macrae and Barry Southern perform as The Horsenecks at a brewery in Epsom known for its patronage of traditional music. According to their website, the Astoria, Oregon, duo’s sound “weaves through layers of influence that include early Appalachian stringband music, classic country, bluegrass and original folk,” with fiddle, guitar and banjo. Saturday, Sept. 5, 7 p.m., Blasty Bough Brewing, 3 Griffin Road, Epsom, horsenecks.net.

• Good cause: Feast on unlimited barbecue, bid on a bevy of raffle items and enjoy music from Chris Gendron at the second annual Country Cookout for Charity. Held at a brewery born from restaurateur Michael Buckley’s love for western living, the event is a fundraiser for Tunnels to Towers, an organization begun after 9/11 to provide services to Gold Star and first responder families. Sunday, Sept. 6, at noon, Lost Cowboy Brewing, 546 Amherst St., Nashua, $75 ($25/child), 600-6800.

• Hip-harp: The penultimate Levitt AMP Manchester Music Series event has Küf Knotz & Christine Elise melding hip-hop and classical harp music. The unique duo formed almost accidentally, after Elise saw Knotz perform in a Philadelphia club, met him in a grocery store a few months later and offered her services. They fully improvised their first performance together. Thursday, Aug. 27, 6 p.m., Veterans Memorial Park, 723 Elm St., Manchester, facebook.com/ManchMusicNH.

• Song man: Indiana-born and now New York-based Benjamin Louis performs in one of the region’s most music-friendly venues. Louis’s November 2025 single “Yesterday Is Good” is a soulful slow burner that fans of Leon Bridges will love, and he just released Music, an EP described as focused “on the passage of time, the weight of age, the pursuit of passion, and the depths of desire.” Friday, Aug. 28, 7 p.m., Pembroke City Limits, 134 Main St., Suncook, linktr.ee/benjaminlouis.

• Double play: The Juggalo and horrorcore scene has a two-day moment as Leathal Weekend returns for the ninth time. This year’s lineup has Onyx, Bizarre of D12, Lil Eazy-E, and Fury on Day 1, followed on Day 2 by Esham, King Gordy, First Jason (a metal project led by Ari Lehman, the young Jason Voorhees in the original 1980 Friday the 13^th) and Lyte. Friday, Aug. 28, and Saturday, Aug. 29, 7 p.m., Jewel Music Venue, 61 Canal St., Manchester, $50 and up, eventbrite.com.

• Lady laughs: Known for full-on charisma and zero filter from her tenure as a Daily Show correspondent, Dulcé Sloan is a powerhouse standup comic, as well as the author of Hello, Friends! Her 2024 memoir turns dating disasters and day-job chaos into entertaining reading (and listening — Sloan also narrates the audiobook). The brash, unapologetic comedian also hosted CW’s Great American Joke-Off. Saturday, Aug. 29, 8 p.m., BNH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord, $45, ccanh.com.

• Sunday best: The Shaker Village Music on the Green series continues with Caitlin Piper & Damian Bernardini. Piper is a Seacoast singer-songwriter who offers “sweet Jackson Browne swagger and Lake Street Dive sentimentality” on songs about love, resilience and connection. Bernardini is a stunningly talented guitarist who complements Piper with delicate yet complex lead riffs. Sunday, Aug. 30, 4 p.m., Canterbury Shaker Village,288 Shaker Road, Canterbury, shakers.org.

• Big aughts: Though best known for their early 2000s hits, The Fray, currently on tour with Dashboard Confessional, are still making music, with a new album that arrived earlier this year. A Light That Waits, according to a tour press release, “ushers in a renewed creative chapter defined by emotional clarity, cinematic songwriting” and the band’s “timeless sound.” Thursday, Aug. 20, 7 p.m., BankNH Pavilion, 30 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, $40 and up, ticketmaster.com.

• Booty shake: A groove-packed triple bill is topped by Sophistafunk, who served as Guy Fieri’s house band on one of his Food Network shows. The upstate New York group is known for high-energy, genre-blending live shows that mix funk, hip-hop and jam-band elements. Joining the raw, soulful affair are one-man band Lee Ross and Broken Harmony Syndicate. Friday, Aug. 21, 8:30 p.m., Jewel Music Venue, 61 Canal St., Manchester, $18 and up, theticketing.co.

• Vintage sound: Formed in 2004, Boston-based instrumental trio Otis Grove is known for a genre they coined, called Runk, a fusion of rock and organ funk played on old-school Hammond and Wurlitzer keyboards. They’ve logged more than 500 shows through the years, appearing with acts like John Medeski and Trombone Shorty. They perform at a Concord craft brewery. Saturday, Aug. 22, 6 p.m., Feathered Friend Brewing, 231 S. Main St., Concord, $5, featheredfriendbrewing.com.

• Cult faves: In the early ’90s, a rocked up cover of “Cat’s in the Cradle” catapulted Ugly Kid Joe into the charts, along with the snarling “Everything About You.” In their heyday, the SoCal band toured with Ozzy Osbourne, Def Leppard and Van Halen. Their latest album is Rad Wings of Destiny. They’re joined by Wheatus, a one-hit-wonder with a wonderful hit, “Teenage Dirtbag.” Saturday, Aug. 22, 7 p.m., Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St., Derry, $53 and up, tupelohall.com.

• Community: Music, art and activism merge at the Rebel River Music Festival, a free event in a bucolic setting that includes performances by Woody & the Rebel Alliance, Sara Leketa & The Nasty Women, Megan From Work, Maizy Rae of Fox & the Flamingos, and Pat Lynch, along with speeches from Congressional candidates Karishma Manzur and Paige Beauchemin. Sunday, Aug. 23, noon, Suncook River Campground, 2 Fanny Drive, Allenstown, sucookrivercamp.com.

• Free green: Enjoy traditional Celtic music in a bucolic setting as On The Lash performs a show courtesy of the Capitol Center for the Arts. The Michigan-based band has been praised by critics for blending “classical dexterity with the nuance and excitement of traditional music” while staying rooted in the Irish heritage sound. The quartet released Fireside, a debut EP, in April 2025. Thursday, Aug. 13, 6:30 p.m., Riverfront Park, 11 Canal St., Penacook, ontheleashband.com.

• Phattened up: Expanding his hip-hop catalog into full band, Cody Pope & The Keyholders perform a downtown show. The recently formed group includes DJ Myth on turntables, Axile Beighley and Ian Smith on bass and drums, along with Fredo Benevides playing guitar and keys, interpolating Pope’s songs. The night opens and closes with ceremonial “drum machine vibes.” Friday, Aug. 14, 8 p.m., Shaskeen Pub, 909 Elm St., Manchester, $5 at the door, 21+, keyholdersband.com.

• Sister act: After playing music together in their childhood home, Natalie & Brittany Haas made names for themselves in the trad music world — Natalie as a go-to cellist and collaborator with Alasdair Fraser, and Brittany an acclaimed fiddle player working with Darol Anger, Steve Martin and with breakout bluegrass stalwarts Crooked Still. The two join forces as HAAS. Saturday, Aug. 15, 7 p.m., Word Barn Meadow, 66 Newfields Road, Exeter, $63 and up, thewordbarnnh.com.

• Parrot power: Carrying on Jimmy Buffett’s brand of trop rock, Changes In Latitudes is a tribute act led by Steve Kareta, who found the role accidentally in 2000 at a wedding afterparty in Hawaii. Friends urged him to do it full-time, and 25 years later Kareta still bops on stage barefoot and smiling to sing “Margaritaville,” “Fins” and “Cheeseburger in Paradise” for Buffett fans. Saturday, Aug. 15, 8 p.m., Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester, $30, palacetheatre.org.

• Join together: Named after the host band, the Folksoul Music Festival is an all-day event with a New Orleans flavor, hosted by musicians Fred Simmons and Leslie Vogel on their own grounds. This year’s lineup includes gospel flavored Long Journey, Back O’ Town, a Cajun trio led by Pete and Linda Simoneaux, Low Lily, and Ivychum Trio — Pati and Ken Cloutier and Richard Doherty. Sunday, Aug. 16, 10:30 a.m., Mountain and Driscoll roads, Greenfield, $20, folksoul.com.

• Tribute era: The backstory of tribute act Kanin Wren’s Taylor Swift Experience sounds a lot like that of the recently hitched über-star, albeit sans sold-out stadium shows. Wren first picked up a guitar at age 5 and has performed since her teens. The award-nominated concert stops at Swift’s every era, from country hits to pop songs that have been quoted in Congress — costumes and all. Thursday, Aug. 6, at 7 p.m., LaBelle Winery, 14 Route 111, Derry, $45, labellewinery.com.

• And company: The Allman Brothers Band’s longest-serving bassist and Dead & Company member, Oteil Burbridge is jam band royalty as a sideman, but an upcoming show has his center stage. Earlier this year Burbridge released an album with singer Lamar Williams Jr., who joins him along with Melvin Seals, Steve Kimock, Jason Crosby, Johnny Kimock and Tom Guarna. Friday, Aug. 7, at 7:30 p.m., Nashua Center for the Arts, 201 Main St., Nashua, $57 and up, etix.com.

• Local hero: Saturday Night Live veteran and Late Night host Seth Meyers returns to his hometown for an evening of standup comedy to benefit a pair of New Hampshire charities. He also did fundraisers for CASA of NH and Granite State Children’s Alliance in 2018 and 2023, and told WMUR recently that a return every few years also prods him into writing a bunch of new jokes to tell. Friday, Aug. 7, at 8 p.m., SNHU Arena, 555 Elm St., Manchester, $63 and up, ticketmaster.com.

• Nineties night: A pair of hard-edged tribute acts perform in Concord. Opiate brings Tool’s dense, prog-metal alchemy to the stage, from early Undertow cuts to sprawling later epics. Frontman Rick Kinsella channels Maynard James Keenan’s brooding low register, while the band eschews note-perfect mimicry for hypnotic time signatures and heavy atmospherics. Alice, a tribute to Alice In Chains, opens. Saturday, Aug. 8, at 8 p.m., BNH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord, $31, ccanh.com.

• Roots outdoors: From the early ’90s through an amicable split in 2003, Say ZuZu toured hard and constantly, crossing the country in a converted school bus. In 2019 the Seacoast band reunited to play a few shows and got a label deal that led to 2023’s No Time To Lose, their first studio LP in 21 years. They hit the stage only in bursts, like an al fresco show at one of their favorite old venues. Sunday, Aug. 9, at 7 p.m., Stone Church, 5 Granite St., Newmarket, stonechurchrocks.com.