Local music news & events
• Crooner cuisine: Enjoy supper and song as Steve Blackwood performs with his trio. The Detroit-born singer has a long blues resume, including a 2017 album of originals with guest guitarist Robben Ford; this time he’ll stick to the Great American Songbook. Thursday, Jan. 11, 7 p.m., Portsmouth Book & Bar, 40 Pleasant St., Portsmouth, $12 at bookandbar.com.
• Mood music: Boston-based rock quintet Long Autumn plays a no-cover downtown show. Fans of both New Order and Pearl Jam will enjoy the group’s layered, ethereal sound, which they bill as nu alternative dark pop. Songs like “A Million Reasons” and the Cure-adjacent “Surf Munk” pulse and quiver as the band does a stellar job of reproducing their studio sound on stage. Friday, Jan. 12, 9 pm., Shaskeen Pub, 909 Elm St, Manchester. See longautumnmusic.com (21+).
• Light it up: The official goodbye to Christmas is the 29th Annual Tree Burning at a roadhouse restaurant located a stone’s throw from Route 101. Returning to provide music at the holiday bonfire are Mixtape Heroez. Formerly Tapedeck Heroez, the rock covers band recently welcomed new singer Sinclaire Bennett and bass player James Ramsey, along with changing their name. Saturday, Jan. 13, 8 p.m., Auburn Pitts, 167 Rockingham Road, Auburn, auburnpitts.com.
• Reigning champs: Two-time Granite State Blues Challenge winners Frankie Boy & Blues Express perform in the Lakes Region. Once mentored by the legendary Luther “Guitar Jr.” Johnson — the band uses his amplifier on stage — the four-piece band made it to the semifinals in last year’s World Challenge in Memphis, offering a full-throated brand of the genre. Saturday, Jan. 13, 8 p.m., Tower Hill Tavern, 264 Lakeside Ave., Laconia. See facebook.com/FrankieBoyBlues.
• Tom time: For parents looking to get their kids rocking early, Rock & Roll Playhouse Plays Tom Petty is a good place to start. The national touring family concert series promises to let the young’ns “move, play and sing while listening to works from the classic-rock canon” like “American Girl” and “Don’t Do Me Like That,” and uses games, movement and stories to get them involved. Sunday, Jan. 14, noon, Bank of NH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord, $15 at ccanh.com.