FRIDAY, AUG. 25
Mourning (A) BLKstar Record Release
We’ve written about this band a lot, and with good reason: Mourning [A] BLKstar offers the community fresh surprises nearly every day. We’re thrilled to remind you that their debut album, Blk Muzak, is out now, awaiting eager ears. It’s a perfect entry point for a show like tonight’s, where James Longs, LaToya Kent and Kyle Kidd’s enveloping vocals wrap around RA Washington’s dynamic beats. They’ve been playing shows and festivals all over town for more than a year now (they topped our 2017 Bands to Watch list), and each show is another surreal, enigmatic experience that treats listeners to a heady, groovy experience. (Eric Sandy), 9 p.m., free. Now That's Class.
Donald Fagen and the Nightflyers
A quintet of young musicians that singer-keyboardist Donald Fagen met near his Woodstock home, the Nightflyers, who will back Fagen for tonight's show, include singer-guitarist Connor Kennedy, singer-drummer Lee Falco, singer-bassist Brandon Morrison, singer-keyboardist Will Bryant and singer-saxophonist Zach Djanikian. The band name stems from The Nightfly, the solo album that Fagen issued some 35 years ago. It yielded the hits, “New Frontier,” a tune that features a prominent jazz guitar riff, woozy horns and Fagen’s typically laconic vocals, and the swinging “I.G.Y.” Expect to hear these songs along with a slew of Steely Dan songs. 8 p.m. Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park.
Rusted Root
During the last 25 years, Rusted Root has played on some big stages supporting acts such as Santana, the Grateful Dead, Dave Matthews Band, the Allman Brothers Band, the HORDE Festival and the Jimmy Page/Robert Plant reunion tour. Its music has been featured in films like Ice Age, Twister and Matilda as well as in TV shows like New Girl, Ally McBeal, Charmed and Chuck. The band’s music even found its way into Enterprise Rent-A-Car commercials. Rusted Root played Cleveland a handful of times in 2015 as it toured to mark 25 years as a band. The group must've picked up a good head of steam because it continues to relentlessly tour. (Niesel), 7 p.m., $22-$32. House of Blues.
Yellowstone Apocalypse/Oregon Space Trail of Doom
The guys in this local band featuring drummer Joe Tomino and guitarist Mike Sopko possess some serious credentials. Tomino used to play in the avant garde jazz act birth and in the indie rock the Champion Bubblers in the late '90s before moving to New York for 15 years. A founding member of the bands such as Sopko/Laswell/Pridgen, Glimpse Trio and Golden Measure, Sopko has played with underground musicians such as Bill Laswell, Mike Watt, Dosh, Thomas Pridgen, Tyshawn Sorey, Simon Lott and Jamie Saft. Tomino had a concept for a band that was loosely based on meditation and breath, and he and Sopko decided to give it a go. The band's self-titled debut has an epic metal feel to it. As the band puts it on its Bandcamp page, where you can stream several tracks and download the music, it's a blend of "devastatingly heavy, painstakingly slow and joyful noise." 8:30 p.m., $10. Beachland Tavern.
SATURDAY, AUG. 26
Beachland Summerfest with Lighthouse and Whaler/The Floorwalkers/Maura Rogers & the Bellows/Miss Macy and the Low Pay Daddys/Lawton Brothers/Holden Laurence/Bro Dylan
Some of the city's best indie rock acts will converge on the Beachland today for its annual Summerfest celebration. Headliners Lighthouse and the Whaler just announced that they'll release a new EP and hit the road this fall. They've been a legitimate national act for a few years now and don't play locally too often. The folk-y Maura Rogers & the Bellows and the funky Floorwalkers will also be highlights on this terrific bill. (Niesel) 3 p.m., $10 ADV, $14 DOS. Beachland Ballroom.
SUNDAY, AUG. 27
The Alarm
When we last spoke with Mike Peters, he was on a series of tours that found him in one-man band mode, surrounded by an expansive collection of instruments, including drums that he could play with his feet, and an acoustic that could go electric with a quick flick of a switch, alternating between several microphones scattered across the stage, singing into each one and connecting with the audience from different angles. Now, fans will finally see that whole band playing for the first time in many years here in the States. Peters and the members of the Alarm — featuring a three-piece version of the current lineup with guitarist James Stevenson moonlighting on bass for the current tour in place of regular bassist Craig Adams and drummer Steve “Smiley” Barnard — are knocking down a heavy load of more than 40 dates spread across two months. (Matt Wardlaw) 8 p.m., $25 ADV, $30 DOS. Music Box Supper Club.
Kaki King/Uno Lady
The Neck is a Bridge to the Body, the latest effort from indie act Kaki King. The undulating “Anthropomorph” features what sounds like handclaps and soaring synthesizers, turning the song into the album’s centerpiece. Tonight’s show in support of the disc will feature a new multi-media performance that uses projection mapping to present the guitar as an “ontological tabula rasa.” Glowing Pictures, a company best known for its work with Animal Collective, David Byrne, Brian Eno, Beastie Boys and TV On the Radio helped produce the visuals. (Niesel), 8 p.m., $20 ADV, $25 DOS. Beachland Ballroom.
Midnight Oil
In 1986, the Midnight Oil guys spent several months in touring the Australian Outback and playing to remote Aboriginal communities where many of the native people lived in extreme poverty. That experience would inspired the songs on 1987’s Diesel and Dust, an album that focused on white Australia’s need to come to terms with the treatment of Australia’s indigenous people. While it became the Aussie band's biggest hit, the group will dig deep into its catalog for this show, one of the final dates on its first U.S. tour in 15 years. (Niesel) 7 p.m., $57-$77. House of Blues.
