Music Forecast 2.27-3.5: 2 Chainz, Katy Guillen and the Girls, Maria the Mexican, Black Joe Lewis, and more

Screenland at the Symphony: The Wizard of Oz
I first saw The Wizard of Oz when I was in middle school, on a boring afternoon spent at my grandmother’s house. She stocked only the classics on VHS, and watching some doe-eyed girl in pigtails sing about rainbows in black-and-white seemed like punishment. (Though it did look better than Citizen Kane.) By the end of the film, I was enchanted. I shoved the video in my backpack and wore it out on my VCR at home. Judy Garland has that effect on many Americans of a certain generation. On Thursday night, the Kansas City Symphony shows Garland’s landmark performance as Dorothy on the big screen, with a live orchestra accompanying the original Oz recordings. Experience the classic 1939 film like never before — or take someone who never has and introduce her to the magic.

Thursday, February 27, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts (1601 Broadway, 816-994-7222)

2 Chainz, Pusha T

Despite a little kerfuffle with the law over drug possession in Oklahoma City last August, Tauheed Epps — better known as 2 Chainz — didn’t have a bad 2013. He scored three Grammy nominations for his debut record, Based on a T.R.U. Story, and his second studio album, released in September, B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time, was met with critical acclaim. So far, reviews of 2 Chainz’s tour have marked it as entertaining and bawdy, so prepare for a wild night. (If you were in attendance at the November Sprint Center show with 2 Chainz and Tech N9ne, you don’t need to be told.) Pusha T and August Alsina open.

Thursday, February 27, the Midland (1228 Main, 816-283-9921)

Black Joe Lewis

If you prefer that your blues slowly soothe and sizzle, your guitar play gently and your singers possess a melodic voice, then Black Joe Lewis is not for you. But if you’re into feral guitar riffs, savage drumbeats, and bat-out-of-hell singing, then get to Knuckleheads Friday. Lewis and his band (formerly known as the Honeybears) are touring in support of their full-length Electric Slave, a monstrous record that swings into speakers like King Kong smashing into a building. Electric Slave‘s tracks blend scuzzy garage rock with carnal guitar notes that recall Jack White. Lewis, with his ferocious yowling, practically chews your ear off.

Friday, February 28, Knuckleheads Saloon (2715 Rochester, 816-483-1456)

Katy Guillen and the Girls, Maria the Mexican, the Philistines, Chris Meck & the Guilty Birds

The Midwest Music Foundation presents the final installment of its SXSW concert fundraisers on Saturday, fêting a handful of diverse and talented acts. Katy Guillen and the Girls is one of Kansas City’s hottest blues-rock acts, and we have a feeling that Guillen’s star is just beginning to rise. Sisters Maria and Tess Cuevas have been making music since they were children playing with their grandmother in the legendary Mexican folk band Mariachi Estrella. Now, the two perform as Maria the Mexican, with a folk-pop sound and songs in both English and Spanish. Psych-rockers the Philistines, and Chris Meck and the Guilty Birds round out the bill.

Saturday, March 1, the Brick (1727 McGee, 816-421-1634)

Amos Lee

Two kinds of people like Amos Lee: Those who listened to popular music in the 1970s and those who wish they had been born sooner so that they had experienced music in the 1970s. Lee has built his career evoking that era’s trademarks with his folksy songwriting, lazy-Sunday-morning singing and a touch of melodic funk. That’s what you hear on Lee’s latest, the predictably titled Mountains of Sorrow, Rivers of Song. It’s not a bad album. It’s enjoyable, relaxing, inoffensive — the kind of neutral CD you’d play on your car stereo while driving around with your least favorite relatives.

Tuesday, March 4, the Uptown Theater (3700 Broadway, 816-753-8665)