Music Forecast 4.9–4.15: Futurebirds, the Quivers, Robben Ford, Charlie Parr, and more

Futurebirds
Before Sturgill Simpson’s Metamodern Sounds in Country Music last year, there was 2013’s Baba Yaga, by Futurebirds. Any Simpson fan should recognize the similarities in sound: Futurebirds, from Athens, Georgia, delivers the same brand of neo-psychedelic country, with tracks washed in reverb and twang. Futurebirds’ latest tour anticipates the band’s forthcoming album, which has been a long time coming. (Everyone in the quintet writes, so maybe the problem is simply too much good material.) The new album is still without a title or a release date, but we’ll be ready for it when it arrives.

Friday, April 10, the Riot Room (4048 Broadway, 816-442-8179)

Robben Ford
If you’re a guitar nerd, then Robben Ford needs no introduction. You know that the California blues musician is widely considered one of the country’s greatest living guitarists. You know that he cut his teeth playing with George Harrison and Joni Mitchell in the mid-’70s, that he performed on the Kiss album Creatures of the Night, and that he played with Miles Davis in the late ’80s. You know that the man, despite five Grammy nominations, has yet to take home one of those statues. You know that his latest album, Into the Sun, is one of his top releases to date — a serious achievement, considering Ford’s impressive catalog. And if you’re not a guitar nerd? Well, now you know: Ford’s Sunday-night show at Knuckleheads is well worth your time.

Sunday, April 12, Knuckleheads Saloon (2715 Rochester, 816-483-1456)

Hearts of Darkness, the Phantastics
Friday at the Bottleneck, Hearts of Darkness emerges from its winter hibernation with an armload of brand-new songs. That alone should be enough to get you out, but if you need more convincing: The all-star 15-piece Afrobeat and hip-hop fusion band gets support from Lawrence’s own masters of funk, the Phantastics. We can’t think of a better way to spend a Friday night than with this perfectly matched bill. Wear your dancing shoes and prepare to sweat.

Friday, April 10, the Bottleneck (737 New Hampshire, Lawrence, 785-841-5483)

The Quivers, Mad Kings, Jason Vivone and the Billy Bats
Nothing suits whiskey drinking better than a slew of bands that know how to party. Saturday night at Westport Saloon, don’t plan to sit still: This triple bill doesn’t do ballads. Jason Vivone and the Billy Bats awaken your soul with some spirited blues rock, Lawrence’s the Mad Kings crank the volume up even more, and the Quivers shake and stomp and pound (and also pound those liquor shots right alongside you). Quivers lead singer Terra Skaggs has a voice that could scare away your worst nightmare, and if you haven’t seen that band live, this is your chance to right a wrong.

Saturday, April 11, Westport Saloon (4112 Pennsylvania, 816-960-4560)

Charlie Parr
Minnesota’s Charlie Parr has the look of a man who spends a lot of time on the road. The 47-year-old wears a long scraggly beard, big eyeglasses and, usually, an oversized flannel shirt and work boots. He doesn’t stand out in a crowd, and you wouldn’t notice him at a bar. But appearances can be deceiving. Onstage, Parr is magnificent. Though the easy categorization is “blues and folk musician,” he makes songs that recall a time before every little thing got labeled — a time before records, even. Last year’s Hollandale captures a sound as primitive as the Midwestern prairies that Parr calls home. Wednesday at RecordBar, don’t miss this understated talent.

Wednesday, April 15, RecordBar (1020 Westport Road, 816-753-5207)