FRIDAY, OCT. 7
Aqueous
With a new EP release right around the corner, Aqueous seems primed and ready to shred Cleveland. This is not a show to be missed. The Buffalo-based band has come through our city a handful of times each year (a pair of Grog shows in September 2014 and February 2015 are the must-hear Cleveland sets), and, by the looks of this past summer tour, they’re riding a really terrific wave these days. If you haven’t yet caught them, Aqueous falls in the jam band category — sort of a blend of Umphrey’s McGee’s well oiled progressive improv and moe.’s heartfelt upstate groove rock — and, over the course of the past seven years or so, they’ve become a real force. In our opinion, they’ve crossed the threshold of “local band does OK” to a Midwest/East Coast touring institution — a “third-tier” jam band, if you will, whose rise is a magnificent ode to improv in itself. (Eric Sandy), 9 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Beachland Tavern.
All Dinosaurs
This local band’s new album, Total Dissatisfaction, features abrasive guitar riffs and parched vocals as the songs straddle the line between hardcore and metal, placing the band in a category that defies categorization even if members admit that punk bands like the Bronx and Refused are big influences. The group might be too heavy for indie rock fans and too obtuse for metal bands, but that's we like about the band. At tonight's show, be sure to check out the unique vinyl pressings of Total Dissatisfaction that were made right here in Cleveland. 9 p.m., $5. Happy Dog.
"Spero Plays Nyro" — A Tribute to Laura Nyro
New York-based singer-songwriter Christine Spero fell in love with singer-songwriter Laura Nyro’s music when a friend of hers gave her a copy of Nyro's Eli and the Thirteenth Confession. A couple of years ago, Spero teamed up with drummer Peter O'Brien, bassist Scott Petito and multi-instrumentalist Elliot Spero to form the Christine Spero Group and pay tribute to Nyro. The group has become a sensation and performed at various music festivals. It now brings the tribute show to Nighttown. 8:30 p.m., $20. Nighttown.
Loudon Wainwright III
Perhaps best known now for his song “Daughter,” which appeared in 2007’s Knocked Up, Loudon Wainwright III was once pegged as “the new Dylan” as he came up in 1960s New York. That moniker still stands, as Wainwright (the father of Rufus) has built a dynamic canon out of 26 albums and decades of heart-stirring performances. (Wainwright has referred to his discography as a “tapestry.”) Tonight’s show at the Kent Stage should provide a nice, intimate setting for the singer-songwriter, giving the audience a chance to get up-close and personal with his indelible sound. For a primer, pick up Attempted Mustache, a pitch-perfect collection of Wainwright’s tunes circa 1973. (Sandy), 8 p.m., $30. The Kent Stage.
SATURDAY, OCT. 8
Grandmaster Flash with GZA & OC
Founded in 2006 to provide "an annual venue for hip-hop’s pioneers and independent and/or B-side soul artists,” the Keepers of the Art Music Showcase has brought artists as Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, KRS One, Big Daddy Kane, Buckshot, Whodini, Rakim, MC Lyte, EPMD, Masta Ace, J-Live, Asheru, Brand Nubian, Nice & Smooth, Das Efx and Slum Village to town. The group is behind tonight's showcase featuring hip-hop pioneer and turntable whiz Grandmaster Flash, the WuTang Clan’s The GZA and Diggin’ in the Crates’ O.C. (Niesel), 9 p.m., $15. Musica.
Kisha Bashi
A classically-trained violinist by trade, K. Ishibashi (known as Kishi Bashi) often dreamt of being a guitar-wielding rock star. It took years of backing artists such as Of Montreal and Regina Spektor before he embraced his violin as the very thing that set him apart. He dropped his psych rock project, Jupiter One, and turned into a classical one-man band. With the aid of a looper and a host of effects pedals, Kishi Bashi casts the shadow of an entire orchestra behind him using nothing more than his single instrument. To describe Kishi Bashi’s work as chamber pop or electro pop would be an underestimation of his musical multiplicity. On his newest release, Sonderlust, Ishibashi mashes the smooth disco flair of the Bee Gees with the youthful bounce of Vampire Weekend. Performing in a spectrum of arrangements from stag to full band accompaniment, Ishibashi has hinted that a Wurlitzer organ will join his entourage. (Bethany Kaufman), 9 p.m., $16-$75. Beachland Ballroom.
SUNDAY, OCT. 9
Coheed and Cambria
When Coheed and Cambria came through town in 2014 to play a sold out show at House of Blues in support of the reissue of 2003's In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3, the band put on a helluva show. The group assembled such an array of lights and sound equipment on the club’s relatively small stage, it looked like the group was ready to play an arena. The current tour, which includes tonight’s stop at the Agora, comes in the wake of the reissue of 2015’s The Color Before The Sun: Deconstructed. Even though the band won't play that album in its entirety, the concert promises to be another epic affair.7 p.m., $24.99-$1o4.99. The Agora Theatre.
