Music Forecast November 21-27: Those Darlins, Iris DeMent, Rusko, Third Eye Blind, and more

The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band
Reverend Peyton is not your average cleric. Well, technically, Peyton isn’t ordained, but everyone knows him as “the Reverend” or simply “Rev,” and his music is his gospel. Peyton rotates among a variety of guitars while his wife, Breezy, plays a washboard, and Aaron Persinger pounds away on a drum kit that includes an overturned 5-gallon plastic bucket. Put that way, the band may sound a little modest, but together they deliver an old-fashioned country-blues romp that would get even the quietest church mouse dancing.
Friday, November 22, at the Bottleneck (737 New Hampshire, Lawrence, 785-841-5483)

Ray Vietti of the Harmed Brothers
Though they aren’t related by blood, the four boys of the Harmed Brothers like to think of themselves as bound to one another by the religion of music. On Come Morning, the Oregon band’s latest full-length, singers Ray Vietti and Alex Salcido unpack their rough-edged, banjo-heavy songs with characteristic gravel-road weariness. It’s the kind of music that would feel right at home in a campfire setting. Tuesday, Vietta, a native Missourian, plays a homecoming gig at RecordBar. Joe Pug and Ryan Adams fans will find a kindred spirit.
Tuesday, November 26, at RecordBar (1020 Westport Road, 816-753-5207)

Iris DeMent
Iris DeMent has been blessed with one of those voices that plucks you out of your current time and place and transports you to another. She’s like the female version of John Prine — a vocal power so haunting and thrilling that it’s easier to listen with your eyes closed and imagine yourself at some abandoned cabin in the countryside, reveling in solitude. Last year, the Arkansas-raised DeMent released Sing the Delta, her first collection of original songs in 16 years. On it, the then-51-year-old folk singer offered a wealth of startlingly beautiful and timeless material, demonstrating that the years haven’t diminished her talent. The show is sold out, so be prepared to shell out for a ticket.
Saturday, November 23, at Knuckleheads (2715 Rochester, 816-483-1456)

Third Eye Blind
Few bands’ songs lodge themselves as resolutely in your brain as Third Eye Blind’s. I have a slightly paranoid theory that “Jumper” and “How’s It Going to Be” are government-funded songs filled with subliminal messages. That explains why Third Eye Blind garnered such massive airplay in the late ’90s. What was happening in the world in 1997? We’ll never know because so much of what we remember about that year is dominated by Stephan Jenkins’ dispassionate voice and the endless refrain of doo-doo-doo on “Semi-Charmed Life.”
Wednesday, November 27, at the Uptown Theater (3700 Broadway, 816-753-8665)

Rusko
It’ll be interesting to see if dubstep’s newest hero, the L.A. Englishman Christopher Mercer — better known as Rusko — is able to get a Monday-night crowd sweating and shaking at the Midland. Rusko is touring in support of his recent EP, Lift Me Up, a collection of songs that plants him at the fore of the D&B (drum and bass) movement. That might have something to do with Skrillex, the undisputed king of dubstep, signing Rusko to his OWSLA label earlier this summer. Either way, expect strobe lights and glow bracelets.
Monday, November 25, at the Midland (1228 Main, 816-283-9921)

Eddie Spaghetti
Despite his name, Eddie Spaghetti does not sing nursery rhymes (although that’s an option if his career as a country singer-songwriter ever fails him). The longtime Supersuckers frontman’s new solo album, The Value of Nothing, is full of enjoyable twang and guitars but also reveals a more serious side through his lyrics. For an artist who has seemed fixated on his persona more than his music in the Supersuckers, this is an unexpected and welcome change.
Monday, November 25, at Czar (1531 Grand, 816-421-0300)

Those Darlins
Those Darlins are about as sweet as Sour Patch Kids. Four years ago, the Nashville quartet released a self-titled debut of mostly raunchy punk-country jams with more attitude than ambition. There’s plenty of punch on the band’s latest offering, Blur the Line — not to be confused with Robin Thicke’s incorrigible Blurred Lines — but there’s also a sly undertone of aggression that blooms with sizzling guitar work and lead singer Jessi Zazu’s treacherous vocals. Those Darlins also know how to put on a live show that isn’t easily ignored.
Thursday, November 21, at RecordBar (1020 Westport Road, 816-753-5207)