Category: Music This Week

Local music news & events

• Hometown bash: The Concord scene celebrates the holiday as Lucas Gallo & the Guise hold forth for a jammy night of music. The group includes Gallo and JamAntics mates Eric Reingold and Freeland Hubbard, along with Curtis Marden. Expect some of Gallo’s solo tunes and a few numbers from his old band among the upbeat jams at this party; surprise guests are a foregone conclusion. Thursday, Dec. 21, 7:30 p.m., Penuche’s Ale House, 16 Bicentennial Square, Concord. See lucasgallomusic.com.

• Holiday laughs: It’s a little bit of everything as comedian Kelly MacFarland hosts a seasonal soiree that promises holiday glow-ups, last-minute gift ideas, giveaways, a Yankee swap and an ugly sweater contest. Of course, there’s standup, with a lineup rounded out by Kathe Farris, Emily Ruskowski and Dan Crohn. MacFarland had an eventful year that included the supergroup Mother of a Comedy Show. Friday, Dec. 22, 7:30 p.m., Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, $25 at palacetheatre.org.

• Wishful fashion: Now in its 19th year, the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party is a fundraiser for Make-A-Wish’s New Hampshire chapter. To date, the annual event has amassed over a quarter million dollars for the charity. Entertainment happens in three locations, with DJ Terry Moran in the function room, beloved rockers Never in Vegas on the main room stage, and D-Comp playing outside. Saturday, Dec. 23, 7 pm., Derryfield Country Club, 625 Mammoth Road, Manchester, $20 at eventbrite.com.

• Maine thing: A two-day, three-show run capped by a couple of New Year’s Eve performances from Bob Marley is further proof that along with being a king of the region’s comedy circuit, he’s probably the busiest funny man in the country. Tuesday, Dec. 26, 8 p.m., Rochester Opera House, 31 Wakefield St., Rochester, $42.50 at bmarley.com.

• Celtic twist: Few bands connect with their audience quite like Enter the Haggis. A loyal “Haggis Head” fanbase has rewarded them, crowdfunding their last four albums. Bagpipe- and fiddle-forward, ETH blends the storytelling of traditional Celtic music with high-energy rock and rhythm. Wednesday, Dec. 27, 8 p.m., 3S Artspace, 319 Vaughan St., Portsmouth, $25 and up at eventbrite.com.

Local music news & events

• Holiday green: Celebrating its 18th year, Irish Christmas in America is a multimedia show with music, song and dance, and a cast that changes from year to year led by Sligo fiddler Oisín Mac Diarmada. Past members include Niamh Farrell, Séamus and Méabh Begley, Karan Casey and Michael Londra. It features fiddle, flute, uilleann pipes, harp and bouzouki, along with energetic Irish dancing. Thursday, Dec. 14, 7:30 p.m., Dana Center, 100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester, $45 and up at anselm.edu.

• Family band: Cape Breton musical ambassadors Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy return for a Celtic-themed Christmas show that includes seven of their children taking turns entertaining. McMaster’s fiddling has earned her an Order of Canada award along with a pair of Junos (husband Leahy has garnered three). Their performance is aimed at “the young and the young at heart.” Friday, Dec. 15, 7 p.m., Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St., Concord, $43.75 and up at ccanh.com.

• Retro foolery: It’s always a good time when Mike Girard’s Big Swingin’ Thing steps on stage, but the side project of the Fools front man offers even more at an upcoming Nashua concert. Along with reinterpreting rock ’n’ roll hits, the 20-piece big band will serve up a bevy of holiday selections. Saturday, Dec. 16, 8 pm., Nashua Center for the Arts, 201 Main St., Nashua, $39 at etix.com.

• Christmas magnetism: Inspired by the success of her analog album Memphis Magnetic, Morgan James recorded a live Christmas disc with curated nuggets like William Bell’s “Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday” and “Backdoor Santa” (from the 1968 Atco Records sampler Soul Christmas), along with standards and originals. She will perform from it and sing a few other seasonal selections at an upcoming show. Sunday, Dec. 17, 8 p.m., Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, $25 at palacetheatre.org.

• Helping out: Enjoy dinner and a holiday-themed performance from singer Sharon Jones, backed by an all-star band that includes pianist John Hyde, Mark Michaels playing guitar, Marty Ballou and Les Harris Jr. on bass and drums and sax player Marc Laforce. Monday, Dec. 18, 6 p.m., Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club, 135 Congress St., Portsmouth, $125 (includes dinner) at jimmysoncongress.com.

Local music news & events

• Old souls: A throwback blend of old-school jazz and contemporary hits, Postmodern Jukebox returns for a New England run that’s already sold out two of three venues, but good seats remain in the Lakes Region. Putting a new twist on the expression “everything old is new again,” the group recasts Radiohead’s “Creep” as a Dinah Washington turn and transforms the Spice Girls “Wannabe” into something else. Thursday, Dec. 7, 9 p.m., Colonial Theatre, 609 Main St., Laconia, $59 and up at etix.com.

• Channeler: The world will never replace Robin Williams, but Roger Kabler brings him to life in an anything but ordinary show. Kabler’s 2022 film Being Robin describes the chain of events that led him to create the tribute, starting with believing that he was possessed by the comic’s spirit. Friday, Dec. 8, 8 p.m., Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, $25 at palacetheatre.org.

• In state: It’s opening night in Rochester, as Joshua Guptel’s movie The Battle for Granite Records premieres. Filmed entirely in New Hampshire, it’s the story of a father and daughter trying to save a business and of the uphill battle faced by hip-hop artists in its early days. Guptel, also known as standup comic Jay Grove, launched Olive Tree Films a few years ago. Saturday, Dec. 9, 7 pm., Rochester Performance & Arts Center, 32 N. Main St., Rochester, $10 and up at eventbrite.com.

• Holiday rock: Born from a Trans-Siberian Orchestra covers show intended as a one-off, Wizards of Winter evolved into the first indie band in a genre that blends Christmas music and grandeur. Fifteen years later they’re a top concert draw. Sunday, Dec. 10, 3 p.m., Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St., Derry, $40 and up at tupelohall.com.

• Helping out: A weekly blues jam expands to benefit longtime New England performer Arthur James and his wife during a time of health and financial struggle. Hosted by Craig Thomas and Bluestopia, the event brings together the regional blues community and includes a raffle of a John Mayer-designed PRS Silver Sky guitar, donated by John Mann’s Guitar Vault, along with a 50/50 raffle. Sunday, Dec. 10, 6 p.m., Riley’s Place, 29 Mont Vernon St., Milford, $10; see facebook.com/events/560806412890214.

Local music news & events

• Christmas nuts: The Heather Pierson Trio is again playing Vince Guaraldi’s music from A Charlie Brown Christmas throughout the region, including an intimate show at a Lakes Region winery preceded by a complimentary tasting. Pierson’s performance includes other Guaraldi selections and holiday favorites. Thursday, Nov. 30, 7 p.m., The Loft at Hermit Woods, 72 Main St., Meredith, $25 and up at eventbrite.com, more dates at heatherpierson.com.

• Roots night: Fronted by a self-proclaimed reformed punk, Matt Charette & the Truer Sound rock across a range of genres. A good example is “Swinging,” a can-do love song that Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers fans should love, one of many gems from their latest long-player, Lo-Fi High Hopes. Also appearing are June Star, a Baltimore duo that features pedal steel guitar on many of their songs, and the twangy Girls on Grass. Friday, Dec. 1, 9 p.m., Shaskeen Pub, 909 Elm St., facebook.com/junestarband.

• Rhythm & whoops: Standup comedy is paired with soulful music as Steve Bjork and Sean Sullivan co-headline with support from Ken Murphy and Sean Tracey. The laughs are preceded by a set from Finesse, a Detroit-based singer whose blend of R&B and gospel has been called “uplifting and inspiring.” Saturday, Dec. 2, 6:30 pm., Rockingham Ballroom, 22 Ash Swamp Road, Newmarket, $25 at rockinghamballroom.club.

• Home-grown: The latest NH Music Collective Sunday Sessions show has Ryan Williamson along with the hArt of Sound, two area musicians performing original compositions. Williamson is a wizard at looping his way to a full band sound. Colin Hart cites influences from Radiohead to Muse to Nine Inch Nails, calling has project a “surreal alternative electronic rock brainchild.” Sunday, Dec. 3, 6 p.m., Bank of NH Stage (Cantin Room), 16 S Main St., Concord, $15 at ccanh.com.

• Country kid: Lee Biddle is a singer-songwriter with hardscrabble songs like “Lonesome Whistle Blues.” He inhabits the spirit of a Depression era ex-soldier on “Risky Whisky” but pays respect to his roots with “New England,” calling the region “my home, where I belong.” Wednesday, Dec. 6, 6 p.m., Saddle Up Saloon, 92 Route 125, Kingston, see facebook.com/leebiddlemusic.

Local music news & events

• Blues rocker: Discovered at 16 by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics, Joanne Shaw Taylor has an impressive list of adherents including Stevie Wonder and Jimmy Cliff. With a string of blues chart-topping albums, she’s often boxed into the genre, but Taylor said recently, “I’m a soul singer and a pop-rock writer and it all just kind of jumbles together, because I’m hugely influenced by blues.” Friday, Nov. 24, 8 p.m., Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St., Concord, $34.75 and up at ccanh.com.

• Dead revival: Spending an evening with Zach Nugent’s Dead Set delivers more than a tribute act. Prior to launching the effort, which grew out of a weekly residency in Burlington, Vermont, Nugent was in ex-JGB member Melvin Seals’ band. Beyond that, the guitarist is a lifetime fan of the jam band standard setters. When he was 8 he received a Dead-themed elementary school graduation card. Saturday, Nov. 25, 8 p.m., Nashua Center for the Arts, 201 Main St., Nashua, $33 general admission at etix.com.

• Super group: Rock, funk and soul all-star group A Band of Killers was created by Johnny Trama, a Boston guitarist who’s played in Dub Apocalypse, Toussaint & The China Band and many other area acts. It features Tim Gearan on lead vocals and guitar, keys player Darby Wolf, Sonya Rae Taylor on vocals, Mark Hickox and Thomas Arey on bass and drums and guitarists Ryan Taylor and Kevin Barry. Saturday, Nov. 25, 6 pm., The Stone Church, 5 Granite St., Newmarket, $15 at portsmouthtickets.com.

• Song painter: With a voice that one writer enthused “goes down like red wine over good conversation,” Anna Paquin has five albums to her credit, with a new EP due next year. Sunday, Nov. 26, 1 p.m., Contoocook Cider Co., 656 Gould Hill Road, Contoocook; see nhmusiccollective.com.

• Still standing: In the early days of MTV, The Fixx reeled off a string of hits, including “Red Skies,” “Stand or Fall” “Saved by Zero” and the smash “One Thing Leads to Another.” Lead singer Cy Curnin and guitarist Jamie West-Oram also contributed to Tina Turner’s Private Dancer album, appearing in her “Better Be Good to Me” video. Their classic lineup is still intact, apart from a few changes at bass. Tuesday, Nov. 28, 7 p.m., Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St., Derry, $40 and up at tuplelohall.com.

Local music news & events

• Purple like: Get funky with LoVeSeXy, New England’s top Prince tribute act. The six-piece band also covers Prince-adjacent acts Morris Day & the Time and Sheila E. Backing vocalist Jodee Frawlee does a great job with the latter, as well as with Prince’s duet partner Sheena Easton, on “You Got the Look” and “Love Bizarre.” Thursday, Nov. 16, 8 p.m., LaBelle Winery, 14 Route 111, Derry, $40 at labellewinery.com.

• Storyteller: A common thread running through 1970s rock, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter plays a solo concert that will include reminiscing about being a founding member of Steely Dan; he played on their first three albums before leaving to join the Doobie Brothers in 1974. Baxter got his start in Boston with psychedelic rockers Ultimate Spinach, and his session work includes Joni Mitchell and Rod Stewart. Friday, Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m., Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, $39 and up at palacetheatre.org.

• Tail-wagger: Whether covering old-school soul or doing an original like “Without You,” Fox & the Flamingos can get a party started. Fronted by fluffy-tailed singer Maizy Rae (she often sports one, along with furry ears), the group charms with vintage favorites like “Tell Me Something Good” and “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.” Their reinvention of The Beatles’ “Ticket to Ride” is a revved-up delight. Saturday, Nov. 18, 9:30 pm., Peddler’s Daughter, 48 Main St., Nashua (21+); see linktr.ee/foxandtheflamingos.

• Soft rock: Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock formed Air Supply after touring together in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar in 1975. They topped the Australian charts soon after the musical closed; big hits include “Lost in Love” and “All Out of Love.” Sunday, Nov. 19, 7 p.m., Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St., Concord, $68.25 and up at ccanh.com.

• Indie songs: Judging by the musicians she’s collaborated with, singer-songwriter Leslie Mendelson is truly special. Her most recent studio album was produced by Peter Asher, who guided Linda Ronstadt into superstardom, with a band including Jim Keltner and The Section’s Leland Sklar and Waddy Wachtel. Sunday, Nov. 19, 7 p.m., The Press Room, 77 Daniel St., Portsmouth, $15 to $20 at eventbrite.com (21+).