Keith Urban
To date, country singer Keith Urban has delivered a whopping 19 No. 1 songs. He promises a new stage show for this summer's RipCORD World Tour 2016, which pairs him with Brett Eldredge and special guest Maren Morris. The tour comes on the heels of his eighth studio album release of the same name, which has already produced two singles, “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” and “Break On Me.” The album even features a foray into hip-hop as Urban teams up with Nile Rodgers and Pitbull on the infectious "Sun Don't Let Me Down." (Jeff Niesel), 7:30 p.m., $26-$60.75. Blossom.
George Delancey Quartet
Jazz bassist George DeLancey, a Cambridge, Ohio native, assembled an all-star cast of young players from the New York scene to play on his debut album, which Grammy winner Mark Wilder mastered at his Battery Studios. Expect to hear songs from it at tonight's show. (Niesel), 8 p.m., $12. BLU Jazz+.
Werk Out Competition
Each year, The Werks put together a nice twist on the typical festival bill: They hold a competition to get lesser-known bands onto The Werk Out lineup. Tonight, some great up-and-comers hold court at the Beachland, throwing down heaters for your votes. Essential Groove, Slap n’ Tickle, New Moon Rising, Psychic Relic and Bypass Circuit: You’re already looking at a fun show right there, and the competitive angle makes it all the more enticing. Come, dance, vote. The Werk Out happens Aug. 4-6 at Legend Valley in Thornville, Ohio. (Eric Sandy), 8 p.m., $10. Beachland Ballroom.
White Buffalo Woman
This local band recorded its latest self-titled endeavor at Ampreon, a Youngstown studio. "We wanted to keep that same sound," says Rutledge. "We recorded analog, on old sounding things. We wanted it to have a classic sound, for lack of a better term. We dig the old sounding thing." The band performs with plenty of swagger on the album. A plodding ballad like "Baby Please" features woozy vocals that would make Mick Jagger proud, and "You Will See" features a nasty mid-song guitar solo that nicely accompanies Rutledge's enthusiastic yelps. Though retro-leaning, the songs sound as contemporary as anything by Cage the Elephant or the Black Keys. (Niesel) 9 p.m., $10. Musica.
X_X
A Cleveland punk rock icon, John Morton of Electric Eels and X_X and The Styrenes fame recently became homeless after he left behind his New York home in the attempt to move to Canada. When authorities wouldn't allow him to cross the border, he got stuck in Niagara Falls and set up a gofundme site to receive financial help. He’s raised a few thousand dollars and somehow managed to make sure that the band's current tour took place as scheduled. Gotta admire his perseverance. The band, which formed in Cleveland in 1978, is touring in support of its new album, Albert Ayler’s Ghosts Live at the Yellow Ghetto. (Niesel), 8 p.m., $15. Beachland Tavern.
SATURDAY, JULY 16
The Julie Ruin
As a young feminist in the early '90s, Kathleen Hanna dabbled in spoken word before recognizing an unexpected source of power for her lyrics: punk rock, a genre known for sidelining female fans and musicians with its raucous, often violent culture. The resulting band, Bikini Kill, called young women to confront misogyny with a knee to the groin; numerous other “riot grrrl” bands followed. The Julie Ruin moniker began as Hanna’s solo effort in 1998, emerging as a self-titled collection of sample-driven bedroom recordings just as lyrically provocative as those by Bikini Kill. Hanna and fellow Bikini Kill alum Kathi Wilcox revived the Julie Ruin as a group effort in 2013. Their second album as a full band, Hit Reset, dropped last week, giving followers a deeper understanding of Hanna’s treacherous childhood and numerous battles with those attempting to trash her revolution. To match the searing subject matter, the band adds grating guitars and scorching synths to create no-nonsense post-punk. Hanna’s long-standing history as both a feminist and human rights activist makes this show just as pertinent now as it was 20 years ago. (Bethany Kaufman), 9 p.m., $15 ADV, $18 DOS. Mahall's 20 Lanes.
PUP
Canadian punk powerhouse PUP has basically toured nonstop since its inception as a band, but that’s never stopped the group from putting on a live show that matches the intensity of the studio work. Released earlier this year, their second full-length, The Dream Is Over, comes off as a full-speed-ahead bruiser of a record that still manages to show off the band’s extensive musical ability. The crowd will go crazy for newer favorites “DVP” and “If This Tour Doesn’t Kill You, I Will,” in addition to first-album cuts like “Reservoir” and “Mabu.” Local favorite Signals Midwest and Old Souls’ blazing pop punk will get the audience ready to lose its minds to the headliner. (Eli Shively), 9 p.m., $12. Now That's Class.
SUNDAY, JULY 17
The Coathangers
Originally formed as a joke, Atlanta punk trio The Coathangers have fully put their days of messy chord progressions and untamed yelps behind them with their 2016 LP Nosebleed Weekend. Razor sharp hooks with a garage-y edge are what the group does best, and standout tracks “Make It Right” and “Burn Me” are rousing, fun slices of punk attitude that would still sound at home on rock radio. Having just finished a run of dates with the legendary Refused, their live show is fine-tuned and ready to melt some faces by way of the intimate Mahall’s main stage. (Shively), 9 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Mahall's 20 Lanes.
Digable Planets
There is perhaps no artist as influential in the sphere of “conscious hip-hop” as three-piece Digable Planets. Formed in the early ’90s, the group released two seminal records (and won a Grammy) before breaking up — only to reform several times since 2005. The current reunion tour takes them through Musica in Akron tonight, where show goers can expect to hear decades-old hits like “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” and the anti-police leaning “Black Ego” (just in time for the RNC!) (Shively), 9 p.m., $20. Musica.
Ministry
Since 1980, Ministry has been a staple on the industrial rock scene. Led by politically minded singer-guitarist Al Jourgensen, a guy who ranted and raved for three albums against George W. Bush, the band built a cult following by refusing to give in to commercial demands. This month, Ministry comes to town to play the Agora in advance of the upcoming Republican National Convention, and as you can imagine, Jourgensen, doesn't care much for presidential candidate Donald Trump and his followers. Expect a particularly raucous performance from the veteran group. (Niesel), 6 p.m., $44.99-$712. The Agora Theatre.
Murs
From the Rhymesayers family, Murs has always flaunted deft skills in the lyrical department. Whether solo or as part of a group, Murs has dropped an incredible amount of tracks and albums, including last year’s Have a Nice Life, an upbeat and insightful twist on aging creatively in America. Murs performs in the pocket of philosophical and meaningful hip-hop, so if you’ve ever been curious about what sort of lyrics lie beyond the radio dial, this guy’s stuff is as fine a place to start as any. Check it out. (For those interested in digging deeper, rewind a bit and check out Murs and Slug’s collaboration, Felt. Three really good hip-hop albums.) (Sandy), 8:30 p.m., $16 ADV, $18 DOS. Grog Shop.
