Category: Music This Week

Local music news & events

• Vocal versatility: A free al fresco performance from Sharon Jones will include selections ranging from jazz to soul to groove-steeped rhythm and blues. Jones, a Portsmouth native, is “arguably the Seacoast’s favorite performer” according to the region’s Jazz Society. Thursday, July 27, 6 p.m., First Congregational Church, 79 Clinton St., Concord, concordsfirstchurch.org.

• Metal man: Grunge didn’t eat hair metal in the early ’90s, according to Stephen Pearcy, who fronted Ratt in its salad days on the Sunset Strip. Rather, the culprit was record labels trying to squeeze every dime from the trend. “The scene,” he told Goldmine recently, “was totally flooded with cookie-cutter bands.” A box set of Ratt’s Atlantic recordings was just released, and Pearcy has been making solo albums since 2002. Friday, July 28, 8 p.m., Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St., Derry, tickets $50 and $55 tupelohall.com.

• Stars turn: Named after now-sober Alice Cooper’s 1970s celebrity drinking club, Hollywood Vampires is the world’s most famous cover band. Joe Perry, Johnny Depp and Tommy Henricksen back Cooper in a show rescheduled from May. Their latest album is a live recording. Saturday, July 29, 8 pm., SNHU Arena, 555 Elm St., Manchester, $45 and up at ticketmaster.com.

• Summer suds: A microbrewery situated near the Manchester airport hosts its annual Summer Block Party. The event has music from DJ Connexions, a regular bringer of beats and vibes to the brewery. It focuses on service industry people, with a pop-up industry night offering a discount to any servers and cocktail slingers who aren’t working. Enjoy a seasonally fitting “Bitchin’ Blonde” ale or their signature “West to East” IPA. Saturday, July 29, 5 p.m., Pipe Dream Brewing, 49 Harvey Road, Londonderry, pipedreambrewingnh.com.

• Green scene: A regular end-of-month happening, Jim and Jordan’s Irish Sundays are family-friendly affairs; kids 12 and under can attend free. Fiddler Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki and guitar player Jim Prendergast began hosting weekly sessions in 2012, moving to less frequent gatherings post-pandemic. Sets feature traditional selections and songs from Tirrell-Wysocki’s collection of solo efforts and albums with his band. Sunday, July 30, 4:30 p.m., Stone Church, 5 Granite St., Newmarket, $15 (suggested). See jordantwmusic.com.

Local music news & events

• Striking strings: A regional ensemble with a world music approach, Acoustic Nomads includes Maurizio Fiore Salas, a composer, guitar player and Venezuelan cuatrist who’s done workshops for Concord Community Music School, where his group will perform Around The World in a free early evening concert. The show is a celebration of the diversity offered in American music along with “the common threads that bind us together as people.” Thursday, July 20, 6:30 p.m., Concord Community Music School, 23 Wall St., Concord, ccmusicschool.org.

• Lakeside music: Appearing in a renovated horse stable that dates to Lake Sunapee’s steamboat era, Ari Hest is a singer, guitarist and songwriter who marked two decades as a working musician in late 2021 with the release I Remember When: The Retrospective. In the recent past, he collaborated with Judy Collins on the Grammy-nominated album Silver Skies Blue; a bit of a pinch me moment for Hest, as his parents danced to Collins’ song “Since You Asked” at their wedding. Friday, July 21, 7:30 p.m., The Livery, 58 Main St., Sunapee Harbor, $20 at thelivery.org.

• Sans singing: A free concert has While My Guitar Gently Weeps, a local trio playing instrumental versions of Beatles songs. Paring the Fab Four down to three and stripping away vocals is a unique take in a world where seemingly every tribute variation already exists. The group includes Berklee-trained guitarist Neil Santos, who’s authored two guitar instructional books, bass player Edwin Huff and drummer Bill Kuriger. Sunday, July 23, 2 p.m., Benson’s Park, 19 Kimball Hill Road, Hudson. See whilemyguitargentlyweeps.band.

• Voice double: Fronted by American Idol alum Tristan McIntosh, The Linda Ronstadt Experience is a convincing recreation of the singer’s prime era. Reminding audiences of Ronstadt’s unparalleled stature as a song interpreter, along with looking the part quite well, McIntosh re-recreates hits like Warren Zevon’s “Poor Poor Pitiful Me,” Jackson Browne’s “Rock Me on the Water” and The Everly Brothers’ “When Will I Be Loved.” Wednesday, July 26, 7 p.m., Town Common, 265 Mammoth Road, Londonderry. More at londonderryartscouncil.org.

Local music news & events

• Feel like redo: After what he thought was his final tour in 2019, Peter Frampton came back from a diagnosis of inclusion-body myositis. Thus, his current run is dubbed the Never Say Never tour, as the guitar hero whose LP Frampton Comes Alive broke records in the mid-’70s returns to perform his biggest hits. Thursday, July 13, 8 p.m., Bank of NH Pavilion, 72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, $35 and up at ticketmaster.com.

• True veteran: Early in his career, Tom Rush was the first to record songs by Joni Mitchell and Jackson Browne. Later, his own “No Regrets” became a standard, with covers from Emmylou Harris and Midge Ure, among others. He’s been touring for more than 50 years and remains one of the funniest and most engaging performers around. Friday, July 14, 8 p.m., 7 p.m., Nashua Center for the Arts, 201 Main St., Nashua, $29 and up at etix.com.

• Good cause: Memorializing a local sports hero, the Two to Lou Festival raises scholarship money to help students pursue athletics or music in college. Past years have featured premier tribute acts, and this time around it continues, with all-star act Beatlejuice covering the Fab Four, and Cars doppelgangers Panorama. Preciphist and River Sang Wild are among a dozen performers rounding out the bill. Saturday, July 15, noon, Sandlots Sports & Entertainment, 56 North Road, Sandown. Tickets $25. More at twotolou.com.

• Heavy metal kids: An unholy trinity of core (death, metal and hard), Devitalized is a young Massachusetts band inspired by acts like Alpha Wolf and Chelsea Grin. The latter is featured on their latest single, “Godslayer.” The band describes itself as having “a heart of gold and a taste for blood,” with music that “features rebellious themes inspired by … collective backgrounds in bullying, abuse, poverty, addiction, mental illness, and more.” Sunday, July 16, 7 p.m., Nashua Garden, 121 Main St., Nashua, $39 and up at etix.com.

• Long players: Over 25 years, Utah rockers Royal Bliss have released six albums; their latest, the aptly titled Survivor, dropped in the spring. Support for an area show is provided by Royal Thunder and New Monarch. Wednesday, July 19, 8 p.m., Bank of NH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord, $23.75 and up at ccanh.com.

Local music news & events

• Al fresco fiddling: The second in a series of free outdoor shows has the New Hampshire Fiddle Ensemble, a community orchestra that includes players of all abilities. Music in their shows range from Celtic to country to folk and bluegrass. Thursday, July 6, 7:30 p.m., Eagle Square, Main St., Concord. See nhfiddleensemble.org.

• Beat-dropper: A lengthy bill of dubstep purveyors is topped by Codd Dubz, a Long Island DJ well-known for his chopping skills, using a channel fader or crossfader to switch up sounds. For a good example, check out “Slice & Dice” on Soundcloud or stream his latest EP, Finesse the World.. Also appearing are Sqishi and Brainrack, along with local performers Draza, Steak and Txrran. Friday, July 7, 8 p.m., Jewel Music Venue, 61 Canal St., Manchester, $25 at eventbrite.com.

• Nineties redux: Quirky Canadian alt-rockers Barenaked Ladies resume their Last Summer on Earth tour, with fellow VHI favorites Del Amitri and Five for Fighting. BNL is still making new music; the band released the single “Lovin’ Life” recently from on their 2021 album Detour de Force. Saturday, July 8, 7 p.m., Bank of NH Pavilion, 72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, $29 and up at ticketmaster.com.

• Heritage act: Powerful bloodlines are on display as the Allman Betts Band comes to town, with a lineup including guitarists Devon Allman and Duane Betts, sons of Allman Brothers Band members Gregg Allman and Dicky Betts, and Berry Oakley Jr., son of the Allmans’ original bass player. Their sets include songs from two original albums released by the band, and classics like “Whippin’ Post,” “Ramblin’ Man” and “One Way Out.” Sunday, July 9, 7 p.m., Nashua Center for the Arts, 201 Main St., Nashua, $39 and up at etix.com.

• Boozy bluegrass: Genre-bending roots trio Stillhouse Junkies have New England roots. Mandolin player Fred Kosak was a Boston high school teacher before following his muse to Durango, Colorado, and fiddler Alissa Wolf studied at Berklee. Along with upright bassist Cody Tinnin, they often hit the stage in custom-stitched Dickies overalls. The band name comes from a distillery near their Rocky Mountain home base. Wednesday, July 12, 7 p.m., The Word Barn, 66 Newfields Road, Exeter, $14 to $25 at portsmouthnhtickets.com.

Local music news & events

• True calling: Though an Oscar-nominated actor is its front man, Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters isn’t a side project. Thornton played in bands as a kid, and even was a roadie for a bit with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, among others. “I’m not that big on movies,” Thornton told a writer a few years back. “I always thought I’d play music or play baseball, but I made money at acting, so I thought, ‘I guess I better do that.’” Thursday, June 29, 7:30 p.m., Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester, $39 and up at palacetheatre.org.

• Mardi gras: After a blues band included an accordion on an album, it became Catfish Howl Zydeco Band, adding crawfish boils and New Orleans parties to its calendar, with a washboard player for fuller effect. The raucous six-piece plays a bucolic evening set on a waterfront stage. Fans can bring lawn chairs and refreshments for the show. Friday, June 30, 6 p.m., The Belknap Mill, 25 Beacon St. East, Laconia, belknapmill.org.

• Southern rock: A downtown restaurant and bar hosts Black Stone Cherry, a band that woodshedded its first album in the Kentucky Headhunters’ practice house; their drummer is the son of Headhunters guitarist Richard Young. The group just released a video for “Nervous,” the second single from Screamin’ at the Sky. The new album, due in September, is their first with new bass player Steve Jewell. Saturday, July 1, 9 p.m., The Goat, 50 Old Granite St., Manchester, $29.50 at ticketmaster.com, 21+.

• Reel time: A series of concerts on the green kicks off with the Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki Trio playing traditional Irish music and Celtic-themed compositions. The summer-long series starts a day early due to the holiday, then happens every Tuesday through mid-September. The Wholly Rollers, Liz & Dan Faiella, Hot Skillet Club and Peabody’s Coal Train are among the acts due to perform in the coming weeks. Monday, July 3, 4 p.m., Shaker Village Garden Barn Green, 288 Shaker Road, Canterbury, call 783-9511 for more.

• Bandstand roots: With what’s billed as “fun and funky arrangements of familiar music,” North River Music is an Americana band performing in a variety of configurations. The full five-piece will appear at a free show for listeners on lawn blankets and beach chairs, who hopefully will only require umbrellas to shield the twilight sun — yes, it’s been an unruly summer thus far. Wednesday, July 5, 6 p.m., Bedford Village Common, 15 Bell Hill Road, Bedford. More at northrivermusic.com.

Local music news & events

• Idol music: Since winning American Idol and hitting with his song “Home” 11 years ago, Phillip Phillips has risen steadily in the pop music world. He recently released Drift Back, his first new LP in five years. Thursday, June 22, 8 p.m., Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St., Derry, $40 to $45 at tupelohall.com.

• Rusted dude: Closing out Market Days Concord on Friday is Michael Glabicki’s band Uprooted performing songs from his old group Rusted Root. The band rose to prominence with H.O.R.D.E, a 1994 caravan with a who’s who of the jam band scene. Set highlights include “Ecstasy” and “Send Me on My Way,” a mid-’90s hit that became ubiquitous in later years, from TV ads to kids’ movies. Friday, June 23, 8 p.m., Market Days Main Stage, near 24 S. Main St., Concord, marketdaysfestival.com.

• Rolling party: Best known for hosting the inebriated pub crawl Three Sheets, Zane Lamprey brings his standup act to town. When the network it was on folded, Mark Cuban re-launched the show as Drinking Made Easy. “Comedy is just showing your vulnerability,” Lamprey said recently of how he approaches his craft. “I don’t like to make fun of other people.” Saturday, June 24, 2:30 p.m., Backyard Brewery and Kitchen, 1211 S. Mammoth Road, Manchester, $25 to $40 and up at eventbrite.com.

• Local loudness: An all-day celebration of heaviness is back for another year with Seacoast Metal Fest 2. Appearing are Wired for Sound, Nova Koi, 25 Cent Habit, Gods Go First, Damaged Goods, Mystik Angel, Lethal Creed, Day to Attend, Wreckless and Daisy Cutter 6. The event also includes comedy from Eric Hurst, Mike Gray and Robbie Partridge. Sunday, June 25, noon, The Governor’s Inn, 78 Wakefield St., Rochester, $10 at the door; for more, see facebook.com/sabookingne.

• Country girl: The summer-long Henniker Concert Series continues with the Shana Stack Band, selected based on a recent poll of concertgoers’ preference for country music. The group won back-to-back New England Music Awards Best Country Act followed by Band of the Year in 2014 and 2015. They’ve opened for national acts at Bank of NH Pavilion, along with regularly playing the venue’s side stage. Tuesday, June 27, 6:30 p.m., Community Park, 57 Main St., Henniker, henniker.org