Category: Music This Week

Local music news & events

• Songbird: Since her early folk singing days, Judy Collins endures as one of music’s finest interpreters, in many ways due to her impeccable taste. She was the first to cover songs by Leonard Cohen and Randy Newman, and her version of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” was a breakthrough moment for that songwriter. So it’s significant that at 82 years old Collins has just released her first album of all-original songs, Spellbound. Thursday, May 12, 8 p.m., Colonial Theatre, 609 Main St., Laconia, tickets $29 to $79 at etix.com.

• Shredder: If contemporary praise is an indication, John5, performing with his band The Creatures, is a rock great. Slash called him “one of the most mind-blowing guitarists around” and Rob Zombie’s praise for him as a member of his touring band isn’t safe to print but is equally effusive. He’s written for everyone from Motley Crüe to Ricky Martin, and played with an equally diverse array of artists, from Rod Stewart to Lynyrd Skynyrd. Friday, May 13, 8 p.m., Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St., Derry, $40 at tupelohall.com.

• Singular: Formerly known as Ozzmosis, tribute act Blizzard of Ozz is led by convincing front man Mark Lavoie. Their upcoming show will include the first two albums of Ozzy Osbourne’s Randy Rhoads era, the singer’s most popular, played in their entirety, along with solo hits and some Black Sabbath favorites. The band is rounded out by drummer Mark George, Damiano Christian on guitar and bassist Paul Sylvia. Saturday, May 14, 8 p.m., Angel City Music Hall, 179 Elm St., Manchester, $10 at the door (21+).

• Freaky: Named after a pre-WWII Broadway musical, Hellzapoppin is a rock ’n’ roll circus sideshow aimed at mature audiences. The performance includes magic and illusion, acrobatic stunts, hand balancing, foot archery, sword swallowing, juggling, unicycling and bizarre, death-defying curiosities like a performer cut in half at the waist who walks bare-handed on broken glass while on fire. Sunday, May 15, 8 p.m., Wally’s Pub, 144 Ashworth Ave., Hampton Beach, $20 in advance at ticketmaster.com (21+).

• Countrified: Performing at a newly opened night spot, Nicole Knox Murphy is a local singer-songwriter who wears hometown pride on her (record) sleeve. The ubiquitous performer plays regularly throughout the Granite State, and her song “My 603” lists the reasons she loves it, from Hampton Beach to Mount Washington Observatory. In 2020, NKM released an ode to her Vermont roots, “The 802.”Wednesday, May 18, 8 p.m., Hare of the Dawg, 3 East Broadway, Derry, facebook.com/hareofthedawg.

Local music news & events

• Double play: Regional prowess is on display as Cold Engines and Trade share the stage at a show that was scheduled for Spring 2020 and postponed because, well, you know why. Fronted by guitarist Dave Drouin, the prolific powerhouse band has released 10 albums since forming mid-decade, most recently Flower Covered Hills, which dropped late last year. Concord-based Trade elegantly blends soul, jazz and funk elements. Thursday, May 5, 8 p.m., Bank of New Hampshire Stage, 16 S Main St, Concord, $15 at ccanh.com.

• Femme funny: Kick off Mother’s Day Weekend with Funny Friday, a trio of female comics dubbed Moms In Hats. It’s headlined by Vermont’s Maya Manion, who, her bio says, “travels as far as she can go in a night to perform, because no one will watch her kids for longer than that.” She’s joined by Worcester’s Cindy Gray and actress turned comedian Sara Poulin, a rising star on the Maine comedy scene; Randy Williams hosts. Friday, May 6, 7:30 p.m., Lions Club, 256 Mammoth Road, Londonderry, $10 at eventbrite.com.

• Ivory tickler: Returning favorite The Eric Mintel Quartet play jazz standards. An only child, Mintel spent a lot of after-school time at the family piano, teaching himself to play by transcribing theme songs from his favorite cartoons. One day, while rummaging through his parents’ record collection, he found an old Dave Brubeck 45 with “Take Five” backed by “Blue Rondo a la Turk” and was transfixed by jazz. Saturday, May 7, 7 p.m., Spotlight Room at the Palace, 96 Hanover St., Manchester, $29 at palacetheatre.org.

• Brunch music: A fixture for red letter days at this Henniker country inn, Brad Myrick & Eric Lindberg play smooth instrumentals for the Mother’s Day brunch crowd, reprising their Easter event from a few weeks back. Myrick is a gifted guitarist and scene booster who books venues throughout the state with the NH Music Collective agency and helps local acts document their artistry at Lakes Region recording studio The Greenhouse. Sunday, May 8, 11:30 a.m., Colby Hill Inn, 33 The Oaks, Henniker. See bradmyrick.com.

• Song master: Celebrating his 80th birthday, Gordon Lightfoot is a Canadian troubadour with a staggering catalog of songs amassed during his storied career. “Early Morning Rain,” “If You Could Read My Mind,” “Carefree Highway,” “Sundown,” “The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald,” “Canadian Railroad Trilogy,” and “Rainy Day People” are some of his hits over 50 years as a performer. Wednesday, May 11, 8 p.m., The Music Hall, 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, $48.75 at themusichall.org.

Local music news & events

• Tidal dude: A newly opened Italian steakhouse hosts Chris Cyrus playing solo. Best known for leading disciplined jam band Slack Tide, Cyrus is a Berklee trained guitarist influenced by hippie rockers like Jack Johnson and John Craigie, as well as ’60s psychedelic rockers like Jefferson Airplane, The Doors and the Grateful Dead. He’s said that his band’s name reflects “the space between low and high tide [and] finding that balance.” Thursday, April 28, 6:30 p.m., Bellissimo, 194 Main St., Nashua. See facebook.com/chriscyrusmusic.

• Rockies roll: With their latest release, Singularity, Colorado trio Evanoff ups the ante on their jazz rock sound with a heavier array of songs like “Zizkov” and “Stare Mesto” — with the pivot to arena-grade metal, one wonders if the back room of a downtown bar can contain them. The new disc is a concept album, and their first full-length studio effort, that includes spoken word observations on technological dystopia and future dread. Friday, April 29, 9 p.m., Shaskeen Pub, 909 Elm St., Manchester, 21+. See evanoffmusic.com.

• Natural woman: With her fifth Grammy win for Best Global Music Album, Angélique Kidjo is now the most awarded African musician of all time and claims the most wins for any artist in the Global Music category, where she also received nominations for “Do Yourself” from her winning album Mother Nature, and for contributing to “Blewu” by Yo-Yo Ma. Kidjo recently appeared at the MusiCares tribute to Joni Mitchell. See her Saturday, April 30, 8 p.m., at The Music Hall, 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, tickets $48 and $62 at themusichall.org.

• Double time: Faithfully reproducing hits from the Billy Joel songbook, David Clark is a convincing doppelgänger at his grand piano. Most nights Clark leads his tribute act Songs In The Attic, but for a local show he’s all alone at the keyboard for an intimate solo performance. For those daunted by paying hundreds of dollars to see the real thing at Madison Square Garden, this is a reasonable substitute that also saves on the cost of gas. Saturday, April 30, 7:30 p.m., Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, $29 at rextheatre.org.

• Piano man: A singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Ben Folds is a wide-ranging talent who’s made both the pop and classical charts — his most recent album, Concerto for Piano and Orchestra hit No. 1 on Billboard. Folds is also an author and talk show host; he recently spoke with William Shatner — with backing from the National Symphony Orchestra — about the Star Trek star’s trip to space last year. Wednesday, May 4, 7:30 p.m., Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St., Concord, $55 and up at ccanh.com.

Local music news & events

• Beach party: Touring behind last year’s One Way Out, Melissa Etheridge stops by the Seacoast for a show promising a mix of hits and new-to-fans cuts that grew out of Etheridge’s Facebook Live shows during the pandemic. They featured an array of unrecorded songs spanning her career, like “Wild Wild Wild,” which stayed on the shelf because it dealt with gay relationships at a time when she wasn’t ready to come out. Thursday, April 21, 8 p.m., Casino Ballroom, 169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton Beach, $25 to $79 at ticketmaster.com.

• Funny lady: The Rex’s Friday Night Comedy event stars Kelly MacFarland, who’s appeared on appeared on Comedy Central, NBC’s Last Comic Standing and the 2019 Comics Come Home benefit show in Boston; she has sets on the Hulu show Up Early Tonight and the SFW web channel Dry Bar Comedy. MacFarland is inspired by comics like Joan Rivers, who had what she called “an aggressive … unapologetic” style. Friday, April 22, 7:30 p.m., Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, 18+, $25 at palacetheatre.org.

• New thing: For those familiar with his percussive acoustic guitar talents, the Senie Hunt Project is a change, a plugged-in blues rock power trio occasionally augmented by horns. The effort is a throwback to Hunt’s days playing in bands while attending college, before a transfer forced him to go solo and make his own musical layers. Check out the growling “Lovers on the Run” on his YouTube page for a taste of this new direction. Saturday, April 23, 8 p.m., Bank of NH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord, $24 at ccanh.com.

• Back home: Though he’s now in Nashville and officially retired from music, Tom Dixon still finds time for his New Hampshire fans once or twice a year. A current run of shows includes Dixon playing with from his full band, with fellow southern man J.D. Roberts opening. The two are also doing a few solo acoustic double bills around the region, including one Sunday afternoon (April 24) at Stumble Inn in Londonderry. Saturday, April 23, 9:30 p.m., Bonfire Country Bar, 950 Elm St., Manchester. See tomdixonmusic.com.

• Brunch sounds: Since forming over a decade ago, naming the sound of Red Tail Hawk has been elusive as the majestic bird that gives them a name. “Trees,” from their eponymous debut EP, was ethereal, bathed in lush harmonies, while Night Soup, their first full-length album, was studio polished, hook-filled and, again, widely varied. 2020’s Strokes was a groove-filled treat, while last year’s EP King Kong turned toward a soulful vibe. Sunday, April 24, 11 a.m., Rooftop at the Envio, 299 Vaughan St., Portsmouth, theredtailhawk.com.

Local music news & events

• Sense of place: An immersive experience, A Journey to the White Mountains in Words and Music is a collaboration between writer Howard Mansfield and composer Ben Cosgrove. A reflection of how 19th-century landscape painters helped expand awareness of New England’s wilderness, the content is based on a chapter from Mansfield’s Chasing Eden: A Book of Seekers, published in 2021, and driven by Cosgrove’s music. Thursday, April 14, 7:30 p.m., Bank of NH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord, $24 at ccanh.com.

• Throwback guy: Few acts dominated late 1960s Top 40 radio like Gary Puckett & the Union Gap, who reeled of a string of hits including “Lady Willpower” and “Young Girl,” the latter an early example of conscious songwriting — sort of. The group racked up six gold records and sold more vinyl in 1968 than any other act in the music business, including The Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Friday, April 15, 7:30 p.m., Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester, tickets $39 to $49 at palacetheatre.org.

• Progressive rock: Digging into classics and deep tracks from Yes, Genesis, ELP, Rush and others, ProgJect includes veteran musicians like drummer Jonathan Mover (Alice Cooper, Marillion, GTR), Mike Keneally on guitar (Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani), along with Saga singer Michael Sadler, Ryo Okumoto on keyboards (Spock’s Beard, Asia, Phil Collins) and Matt Dorsey playing bass (Sound Of Contact, Beth Hart). Friday, April 15, 8 p.m., Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St., Derry, $40 at tupelohall.com.

• Bring the funny: A comedy showcase is headlined by Johnny Pizzi, who also does magic tricks in his act. A native of East Boston, he brings a decided regional flavor to his standup, while offering observation of life as a parent and granddad, along with the challenges of aging. Pizzi is joined by Jason Merrill and Scott Higgins. Merrill is also promoting the show, dubbed Shooting From the Hip Comedy Night. Saturday, April 16, 8 p.m., Cello’s Farmhouse Italian, 143 Raymond Road, Candia, $30 at eventbrite.com.

• Well read: A live broadcast of local music spotlight radio show Granite State of Mind has singer, songwriter and band leader Hunter Stamas in conversation with host Rob Azevedo. Stamas also performs at the event, drawing from her group Hunter’s growing catalog. Their most recent release is 1960, which helped garner them a New England Music Award for best act in their home state at last year’s confab. Wednesday, April 20, 6 p.m., Bookery, 844 Elm St., Manchester, more at wmnhradio.org.

Local music news & events

• Heartfelt: Fresh from winning a Grammy for the 2021 collection, Bela Fleck brings his My Bluegrass Heart album to the Capital City. The banjo master was joined by a who’s who of roots music on the effort, including mandolinists Sam Bush, Sierra Hull and Chris Thile; fiddlers Michael Cleveland and Stuart Duncan, fellow genre-hopper Edgar Meyer on bass, and guitarists Bryan Sutton and Molly Tuttle. Thursday, April 7, 7:30 p.m., Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 S. Main St., Concord, tickets $39 to $69 at ccanh.com.

• Funkytown: Parliament-Funkadelic offshoot Danny Bedrosian & Secret Army plays a downtown Manchester show, with support from Jabbawaukee and Married Iguana. Bedrosian led the massive Super Motha Child as a teenager before joining P-Funk. Secret Army is a three-piece, focused on tighter grooves, “getting a lot of sound out of just a few people,” the Lawrence, Mass., native once explained. Friday, April 8, 8 p.m., Shaskeen Pub, 909 Elm St., Manchester, $15 at the door and the show is 21+.

• Brew-to-do: A Nashua nano-brewery celebrates its sixth anniversary with an afternoon of music featuring local favorite Charlie Chronopoulos, preceded by a set from Dan Carter. Chronopoulos released the stark Chesty Rollins’ Dead End a couple of years ago. A “Northern rock and soul” record that observed the daily life struggles he sees in his home state, it was also a reflection of his choice to pursue an artist’s life there. Saturday, April 9, 1 p.m., Millyard Brewery, 25 E. Otterson St., Nashua, millyardbrewery.com.

• Momentous: Covid-delayed since late January, Mindset X finally marks 18 years as a band and an upcoming album at a hometown show. The new record’s first single, “For The Love Of War,” dropped earlier this year, the product of the prog-rockers’ first studio sessions with new guitarist Lucian Davidson. It’s a hefty, toothsome number that recalls early Black Sabbath and proto Metallica. Saturday, April 9, 8 p.m., Angel City Music Hall, 179 Elm St., Manchester, $10 at the door, 21+, more at angelcitymusichall.com.

• Tale teller: Though his songs are a joy, a big part of a Todd Snider show is his raconteur side. In the autobiography I Never Met A Story I Didn’t Like, he remarks on the ease of playing country songs. “You just strum around the ‘Johnny B. Goode’ chords until you get to the part where everybody stops and the singer yells the chorus, which is usually a slogan of some kind, like ‘ain’t goin’ down ’til the sun comes up.’” Wednesday, April 13, 7 p.m., The Music Hall, 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, $30 and $32 at themusichall.org.