Music Forecast 9.3-9.9: Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds, Lauren Krum, Monzie Leo and the Big Sky, Wishbone Ash, Brent Best and more
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Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds
Brooklyn’s Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds have enough members to comprise the rhythm section of a high school band. Though each player is excellent, one stands out: lead singer Arleigh Kincheloe, who conjures a powerful mix of retro soul and blues. Her voice is reminiscent of a scratchier Amy Winehouse, and she knows just how to wind up her instrument and unleash it for maximum impact — usually just after a breathtaking sax solo, right before the drums drop. The band is on tour in support of its excellent The Weather Below and shouldn’t be missed at the Bottleneck.
Thursday, September 3, the Bottleneck (737 New Hampshire, Lawrence, 785-841-5483)
Lauren Krum
Lauren Krum is best-known for her role as co-lead singer of local country outfit the Grisly Hand. But Thursdays in September at Ça Va, you’re able to hear her pristine, prairie-wild voice curve around a different set of tunes. Instead of the usual folksy fare, Krum is treating the audience at Ça Va to renditions of pop and jazz standards, with the aid of guitarist and fellow Grisly Hand member Mike Stover. Ça Va doesn’t take reservations, so show up early for the first set at 8 p.m.
Thursday, September 3, Ça Va (4149 Pennsylvania, 816-255-3934)
Monzie Leo and the Big Sky, Twentythousand Strongmen, KC Rain Dogs
Roots and blues and folk, oh my! That’s what’s on the menu Saturday night at Westport Saloon. Lawrence weirdos Monzie Leo and the Big Sky — helmed by the titular Leo, a hulking, barrel-voiced force — lead the bill; if you haven’t sampled the raucous sounds of the band’s full-length, Sunsets, Sunflowers and Sons of Bitches, you’re missing out on the most animated punkgrass around. Twentythousand Strongmen is just one man, Mikee Pruitt, who delivers the volume of a small army. KC Rain Dogs is an acoustic four-piece specializing in old-time folk, with hints of Bessie Smith and Muddy Waters. Break out your boots and get ready to dance the weekend away.
Saturday, September 5, Westport Saloon (4112 Pennsylvania, 816-960-4560)
Wishbone Ash
Andy Powell is the only remaining original member of Wishbone Ash, the influential prog-rock band formed in England in 1969. Don’t let that bother you. Instead, use the band’s Sunday-night Knuckleheads show to immerse yourself in a bit of rock history: Wishbone Ash was one of the first bands to experiment with harmonizing guitar parts — a common practice today that was groundbreaking in the ’70s. The band is on the road now in support of last year’s Blue Horizon, an album filled with lush guitar work and infused with a few slivers of psychedelia. Sunday at Knuckleheads, rediscover an old favorite.
Sunday, September 6, Knuckleheads Saloon (2715 Rochester, 816-483-1456)
Brent Best
If you’ve heard of Brent Best, it’s likely because of his Texas country-rock band, Slobberbone, which he fronted for two decades before going on a kind of hiatus in 2004. (The band has reunited for multiple runs since then.) Slobberbone prided itself on rough-and-tumble music. And on Best’s long-awaited solo debut, Your Dog, Champ, he doesn’t distance himself from that hard-knock attitude — he just delivers it differently. The 11 songs on Your Dog present the lessons of a wiser, world-weary cowboy who still has a sense of humor and a few songs left to sing. Tuesday at RecordBar, discover a new side to this old dog.
Tuesday, September 8, RecordBar (1020 Westport Road, 816-753-5207)
