Music Forecast December 27, 2012-January 2, 2013

Sonic Spectrum Tribute to the Rat Pack
Class is coming out the ass at this special holiday-season edition of the Sonic Spectrum Tribute Series. “The Rat Pack is the main focus, with some tracks from other crooners as well,” organizer Robert Moore says. That includes a set from the Sammy Bacon Juniors, which is not an item on the Wendy’s dollar menu but rather a group featuring members of Deco Auto, the Quivers and Dolls on Fire. Also performing: Anna Cole (backed by members of Latenight Callers and the Jorge Arana Trio), Jerad Tomasino of Everyday/Everynight, Hampton Stevens and Barclay Martin.
Sunday, December 30, at RecordBar (1020 Westport Road, 816-753-5207)

The Good Times Tour
Well, first off: best tour name of the year. And how good those times will be depends a lot on your partiality to the soulful R&B sounds of the 1970s. At the top of the bill is the Chi-­Lites, most famous for hits like “Have You Seen Her” and “Oh Girl.” Opening is Bloodstone, a soul-funk act originally from Kansas City that briefly dented the Billboard charts in the ’70s, and Kharizma, a local 11-piece R&B act.
Saturday, December 29, at the Midland (1228 Main, 816-283-9921)

Bill Goffrier
The Embarrassment, a group of Wichita smart alecks that tasted underground fame playing twitchy post-punk in the early 1980s, is correctly remembered as one of Kansas’ musical treasures. Many fans of the band followed singer and guitarist Bill Goffrier on to Big Dipper, the acclaimed, nervy guitar-pop act that he slid into in 1985 after moving to Boston. In November, Big Dipper released Big Dipper Crashes on the Platinum Planet, its first new album of songs in two decades. It’s full of weird, wry pop-rock tunes and is a bit reminiscent of Guided By Voices. That makes sense: GBV frontman Robert Pollard is a huge Big Dipper fan, and Big Dipper named a song on Platinum Planet after him (“Robert Pollard”). Goffrier performs here with a new collaborator, Karlee Dean, but I wouldn’t be surprised to hear cuts from his various other endeavors.
Saturday, December 29, at RecordBar (1020 Westport Road, 816-753-5207)

Sam Billen, with the ACBs, Shy Boys and Jordan Geiger
If you count ACBs guitarist Andrew Connor (who heads up Ghosty), this bill boasts five of the best, say, 10 songwriters in the Kansas City–Lawrence scene. Lawrencians Jordan Geiger (of Hospital Ships) and Sam Billen favor a more orchestral kind of pop; the Shy Boys and the ACBs strip theirs down to the bare elements. The common denominator among them is a gift for crafting smart melodies.
Thursday, December 27, at the Replay Lounge (946 Massachusetts, Lawrence, 785-749-7676)

New Year’s Eve

The Rainmakers
Local roots-rock legends the Rainmakers played New Year’s Eve last year at Knuckleheads, and it sold out, so it might be wise to get a ticket sooner rather than later. This year, the bill also includes gritty blues from Watermelon Slim & the Workers. With the Belairs.
Monday, December 31, at Knuckleheads Saloon (2715 Rochester, 816-483-1456)

Murder By Death
A show by the aptly named group Murder by Death (murder ballads are its forte) isn’t what jumps to mind for a New Year’s Eve celebration. But the Bloomington, Indiana, quintet has cultivated a nice, bubbly fanbase in Lawrence. And local indie acts Cowboy Indian Bear and Y(our) Fri(end) ought to add a little life to the evening.
Monday, December 31, at the Granada (1020 Massachusetts, Lawrence, 785-842-1390)

Nug Life New Year’s Eve
You’ll have to ignore the unbelievably terrible name, if you can, but this party has a lot of potential. I saw the reggae dudes in the New Riddim move some serious asses one random Friday night at Harling’s earlier this year. And the 1990s-R&B-themed Booty Jamz is on the rise as one of Westport’s best dance parties, even though it is totally biting the style of my on-hiatus DJ duo Pussy Monster. (Just kidding — Pussy Monster played only two shows, and nobody paid any attention.) Also on hand: DJ Clockwerk and Pocket Change.
Monday, December 31, at Riot Room (4048 Broadway, 816-442-8179)

The Golden Republic
Five years after splitting, the Golden Republic reunited for a couple of one-offs in 2011. The glammy pop-punk quartet does it again here with friends in Thee Water MoccaSins, who don’t often play together, owing to geographic constraints.
Monday, December 31, at RecordBar (1020 Westport Road, 816-753-5207)