Music Forecast 6.12-6.18: PorchFest KC, Logic, Lauryn Hill, Trombone Shorty, Allah-Las, Jackie Greene, and more

Mark Mallman

In Minneapolis — and possibly in his hometown of Milwaukee and certainly in a few rabid cult circles — Mark Mallman is something of a legend. His albums are marked by a terrific extraterrestrial rock-pop weirdness. But what Mallman is most famous for are his one-man music marathons, during which he performs nonstop for a record-breaking span. In 2010, it was 78 hours; in 2012, Mallman took the marathon on the road for eight days and hacked a MIDI brain controller so that even when he was sleeping, he was making music with brainwaves. Yeah, dude is crazy — so don’t fall asleep on him.

Thursday, June 12, the Replay Lounge (946 Massachusetts, Lawrence, 785-749-7676)

PorchFest KC

PorchFest isn’t a new concept — it originated in Ithaca, New York, in 2007 — but it’s novel here. The idea: You and a group of friends or your family park your car somewhere in the West Plaza neighborhood and amble around as musicians play from the porches of generous, music-loving residents. More than 70 local and out-of-town artists are on the bill, and you’ve heard of quite a few of them. The lineup skews toward Americana and rustic folk, with local favorites Old Sound, Blackbird Revue, Maria the Mexican, Rural Grit Allstars and Good Time Charley, but be on the lookout for a few surprises, including San Francisco’s Quinn DeVeaux (delivering smooth R&B) and Hawaii’s Fayah (blending roots with reggae). Bring a lawn chair, a blanket and some sunscreen.

Saturday, June 14, West Plaza neighborhood (porchfestkc.com)

Logic

Fighting for credibility from the lack of blacker skin/It’s kinda funny how your pigment determines how people perceive you, Maryland rapper Logic spits on “Roll Call.” Skin color is a near constant theme for the 24-year-old as he marches through his acclaimed mixtape Young Sinatra: Welcome to Forever, chewing on the tough history of his parents’ biracial relationship and drug addiction. But even as Logic struggles to find peace with his identity and his ambitions, Forever remains eloquent and confident.

Sunday, June 15, the Granada (1020 Massachusetts, Lawrence, 785-842-1390)

Allah-Las

The self-titled full-length from L.A.’s Allah-Las couldn’t be more chill if it was vegging on a couch in front of a whirring fan, sipping vodka lemonades and burning incense. That’s what the surfy, jangly, psychedelic release is perfect for, and the four dudes who make up the band make no apologies for it. If you were born too late for the garage-blues era of the late 1960s and early ’70s, let Allah-Las wash over you Tuesday night.

Tuesday, June 17, the Riot Room (4048 Broadway, 816-442-8179)

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

It has taken me a long time to like Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. The Australian singer-songwriter has a demanding voice: a deep, all-consuming instrument that refuses to sink into the background. Yet, with Cave’s latest record, Push the Sky Away, I finally get his genius. It’s a purifying collection, meant to be consumed deliberately. L.A. rock band Warpaint opens.

Wednesday, June 18, the Midland (1228 Main, 816-283-9921)

Guided by Voices

Touring again with the classic mid-1990s lineup, Dayton, Ohio’s Guided by Voices might be music’s greatest argument for quantity trumping quality. Lead singer Robert Pollard has pushed out two full-length albums already this year — February’s Motivational Jumpsuit and May’s Cool Planet — and the former contained no fewer than 20 (short) songs. But it’s impossible to argue against a band this good at doing what it knows best: lo-fi garage rock with a slick punk edge.

Wednesday, June 18, the Granada (1020 Massachusetts, Lawrence, 785-842-1390)

Jackie Greene

Listening to Jackie Greene is like saying yes to french fries with your cheeseburger: It’s a no-brainer, the obvious right decision. But what if someone asked you to choose between Greene and fries? Easy: Go with Greene. For one thing, his sun-soaked Americana is so much healthier. Greene, who has played with Levon Helm and stepped in as lead guitarist for the Black Crowes, is touring in support of an upcoming full-length, due later this year.

Wednesday, June 18, RecordBar (1020 Westport Road, 826-753-5207)

Lauryn Hill

I still get chills when I hear the heavy-bodied beats on “Lost Ones,” the opening track of Lauryn Hill’s groundbreaking 1998 debut, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Then I hear “Ex-Factor” and I get literal goose bumps on my skin. And by the time “To Zion” is playing, I’m practically useless: dry-throated, eyes shut, jaw locked, trying to get my life back. I imagine I’m not alone in this visceral response to Miseducation, which remains one of the few albums that beautifully finds the intersection of classic soul and modern R&B with an unpretentious, emotional honesty. It’s the only solo album Hill has ever released, and on Monday at the Uptown Theater, you can experience it live. (But be prepared to wait. Ms. Hill is notoriously slow to the stage.)

Monday, June 16, Uptown Theater (3700 Broadway, 816-753-8665)

Honeyhoney

I still love Honeyhoney’s 2012 album, Billy Jack, a collection of songs so varied and witty that it has become a permanent sing-along-at-the-top-of-my-lungs alternative to the radio in my car. On that record, the Los Angeles-via-Nashville duo — lead singer and fiddler Suzanne Santo and guitarist Ben Jaffe — drags lonely, dusty, western twang into a casual blues affair. Santo’s voice cuts through ghostly string arrangements like wind whipping through the empty prairie. And in a live setting, these two have a surprisingly robust energy and warm chemistry.

Monday, June 16, Czar (1531 Grand, 816-421-0300)

Trombone Shorty

At 28 years old, Troy Andrews, known around the world as Trombone Shorty, isn’t a child anymore, so the term “child prodigy” — ascribed to him as he was growing up in New Orleans and touring Europe with his older brother’s band — doesn’t apply anymore. Still, you’ll doubtlessly find plenty to be impressed with when Andrews stops by Crossroads KC on his latest tour, in support of last year’s Say That to Say This. The brass man blends jazz, blues and rock for a supercharged, heavy-swinging sound.

Tuesday, June 17, Crossroads KC at Grinders (417 East 18th Street, 785-749-3434)