thu 03/27
Bad Boys Jam: 9 p.m. Brothers Lounge.
The Brothers Kaschak/Seasons/Tom Evanchuck: 8:30 p.m., $8. Beachland Tavern.
Vicki Chew/John McGrail: 8 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern.
The Dope Show featuring Ski Mask Malley/Doxxbaby/Astronut K.I.: 8:30 p.m., $10. Grog Shop.
Chris Hatton (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge.
Demi Lovato/Cher Lloyd/Fifth Harmony: Twenty-one-year-old singer Demi Lovato has successfully made the transition from child actor to pop superstar. Her third album, 2011's Unbroken, delivered the smash hit "Skyscraper," a breathy piano ballad about how she feels like she's made of glass. It's a heavy-handed metaphor but it really connected with listeners. Simply entitled Demi, her latest album features the usual quotient of overproduced pop tunes ("Heart Attack") and pretty ballads ("Neon Lights") designed to ensure she keeps up with like-minded acts like Katy Perry and Christina Perri. 7:30 p.m., $29.50-$59.50. Quicken Loans Arena. (Jeff Niesel)
John McCutcheon: 8 p.m., $25. Nighttown.
Jeremy Porter & the Tucos/The Drexels/Dutch Babies: 9 p.m., $5. Now That's Class.
Rehab/Angels Cut/Insane E/Breezeway/Wizzle: 6:30 p.m., $14 ADV, $17 DOS. Agora Ballroom.
Running Dog Labor Exchange: 9 p.m. Mahall's 20 Lanes.
fri 03/28
All Dinosaurs/Shit-box Jimmy/Two Hand Fools: 9 p.m., $5. Happy Dog.
The Wally Bryson Group: 9 p.m., $20. The Winchester.
JP & the Chatfield Boys/Run Boy Run/The Luckey Ones: Rooted in one of the most traditional genres of American music, Run Boy Run, who share tonight's bill with JP & the Chatfield Boys and the Luckey Ones, manages to bring a fresh flavor to good ol' bluegrass music. Female vocals coupled with violin and mandolin combine to create an almost trancelike atmosphere of nostalgia that's both beautiful and made of pure Americana. The group of five formed in 2009 and last year's So Sang the Whippoorwill garnered national acclaim, even catching the ear of Prairie Home Companion host Garrison Keillor. Gems such as "So Sang the Whippoorwill" (same title as their album) and "Little Girl" suggest the band's interest in music from another time. The singing is very understated and doesn't take the spotlight off the lovely music. 9 p.m., $10. Beachland Tavern. (Liz Trenholme)
Crown Larks/Ma Halos/Banging Fragiles: 9 p.m., $5. Now That's Class.
Sammy DeLeon Latin Jazz Sextet: 8:30 p.m., $10. Nighttown.
Demo Down Battle of the Bands: 7 p.m., $8. The Foundry.
Disco Inferno: 9:30 p.m. Brothers Lounge.
Hanzel und Gretyl: 7 p.m., $13 ADV, $15 DOS. Agora Ballroom.
John Hardy Band: 9 p.m. Thirsty Cowboy.
Into the Blue: Grateful Dead Revival Night: Regardless of your take on the Dead, the band maintains a damn important stature in the rock 'n' roll canon. Into the Blue revives that spirit and lends it the respect Jerry and Co. rightfully deserve. Anyone interesting in hearing — and seeing — great music flow from the stage should check out what these guys are doing. Fellow musicians and artists, in particular, will glean plenty of inspiration from the shows. "There's a structure to everything that's going on, and then there's that intense improvisation inside that structure," guitarist and singer Dan Shramo says. Every time Into the Blue performs, they're trying to do things a little bit differently and add at least a handful of new tunes to the catalog. "There's a certain energy that takes over... You kinda get sucked into a different place. We do our best to really bring that out," he says. 9 p.m., $12. Beachland Ballroom. (Eric Sandy)
Eddie Money: 8:30 p.m., $27 ADV, $30 DOS. House of Blues.
Anna Nalick/The Strange Familiar: 8 p.m., $20-$50. Musica.
John Perry (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge.
Red Sun Rising/The Acid Cats/The Brothers Band: 8 p.m., $15. Tangier Cabaret.
Tease Box/The Village Bicycle/These Violent Young Lovers: 9 p.m. Mahall's 20 Lanes.
Vertical Scratchers/Boogarins/Nowhere/Jivviden: 9 p.m., $8. Grog Shop.
Jim Volk/Dan Bankhurst/George Foley & Friends: 5:30 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern.
JT Woodruff (in the Locker Room): 6:45 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Mahall's 20 Lanes.
sat 03/29
Mike "Mad Dog" Adams featuring the Flyin' Jays and the Reese Dailey Band: 1:30 p.m., $35. Tangier Cabaret.
Adams Ale/Gypseydaze: 9 p.m. Beachland Tavern.
The Baker's Basement/Johnny Habu and the Rebel Salmon: 9 p.m., free. Mahall's 20 Lanes.
Moises Borges/Kevin Smith: 8 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern.
Matt Hectorne & the Family Tree/Sonny Brae/Kenneth W. Smith Jr.: 8 p.m., $8. Musica.
Improv Jazzy Noise Show with Comfort Food/Fish Thighs/Lull Novak Orange/J Guy (in Club Atlantis): 10 p.m., $5. Now That's Class.
Mark Leach: 9 p.m., $5. Thirsty Cowboy.
Jimmy McGuire (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge.
Newshoes, Midnight Passenger, Erienauts, Yosemight, Essential Groove, Bullet Party, Scott Larson Band: 6:30 p.m., $5. The Foundry.
Nightmares on Wax (DJ set): 10:30 p.m., $12. Grog Shop.
Peach Kelli Pop/Nights/Heavy Sweater: 9 p.m., $5. Happy Dog.
Porno Mags/The Public/Let Em Run/My Pet Monster: 9 p.m., free. Now That's Class.
Todd Rundgren: Classic rocker Todd Rundgren has been popular in these parts throughout his entire career. Even when the singer-guitarist released weirdly conceptual albums such as 1973's A Wizard/A True Star, he could still count on Cleveland fans to care. Rundgren, who just played in town at the end of the last year when he held down a two-night stand at the Agora, has a reputation as a consummate producer (he's the guy turning knobs on albums such as Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell and XTC's Skylarking) and has enough hits in his own catalog (recognizable tunes include the poppy "Hello It's Me" and the sporting event anthem "Bang the Drum All Day") to keep more conservative classic rock fans happy. 8 p.m., $27.50-$59.50. Hard Rock Rocksino. (Niesel)
Stick to Your Guns/Terror/Hundreth/Counterparts/Expire: 6 p.m., $14 ADV, $16 DOS. Agora Ballroom.
Sugar Magnolia: The perennial Pink Floyd tribute band, Wish You Were Here, shares a few members with this longtime Grateful Dead cover band. Sugar Magnolia brings the full Jerry Garcia-led effect to Northeast Ohio and beyond several times each year, giving fans intimate and rare engagements since forming in 1995. "We're doing it because we love playing the music and sharing it with the fans," says singer-bassist Eroc Sosinski. "The guys in the bands are fans themselves, so it was a natural outlet following Garcia's death. For the band — and many others on tour these days — maintaining the Dead's grassroots spirit and dazzling musicianship is an inspirational core." A hallmark of the Grateful Dead was the band's ability to cultivate a tight-knit symbiosis with fans and shine a light on the idea of the live performance as a source of energy. Sugar Magnolia makes sure that people remember those fundamentals and have a good time gettin' down while doing so. Tonight's show will no doubt accomplish all of the above. 9:30 p.m. Brothers Lounge. (Sandy)
