FRIDAY, JULY 10
Nils Lofgren of the E Street Band
When you work for Bruce Springsteen, it’s hard to know exactly when you might be able to take time off. But longtime E Street Band multi-instrumentalist Nils Lofgren seems to have a pretty good
handle on navigating the system at this point. With no E Street Band gigs on the horizon, he's embarked on a short solo tour. As his recent Face the Music box set reveals, there’s no shortage of music to focus on. With 169 tracks (including 40 previously unreleased songs and rarities), Face the Music offers an incredibly comprehensive look at 45 years worth of work, collecting the initial recordings he made with his band Grin and the extensive amount of solo material that followed. He’ll be in town tonight for an evening of songs and stories at the Hard Rock Live. 8 p.m., $25-$45. Hard Rock Rocksino. (Matt Wardlaw)
The Ike Reilly Assassination
Veteran singer-songwriter Ike Reilly has said he thinks his new album, Born on Fire, sounds like it could have been made “somewhere between the mid-’60s and the early 2050s.”
It’s a strange description but also somehow appropriate as the album of crisp power pop tunes sounds both retro and contemporary. The album is a joint release between Rock Ridge Music and Tom Morello’s new label Firebrand Records. (Incidentally, both musicians hail from Libertyville, Ill. and the two have even toured together when Morello, the guitarist in hard rocking bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, has taken his folk-inspired Nightwatchman project on the road.) The album is Reilly’s first release on the label, and his longtime friend and Assassination guitarist Phil Karnats (Secret Machines, Polyphonic Spree) worked with Reilly and the band on production. 8 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Music Box Supper Club. (Jeff Niesel)
SATURDAY, JULY 11
EZTV/Jivviden/Terrain
Sixties pop and college rock come together in the music of EZTV. Still largely undiscovered, they offer a refreshing new sound on the indie pop radar of today. Beachy instrumentals and soft vocals come together to create something like a new age Beach Boys with a soft rock twist. Their debut Calling Out includes “Dust in the Sky” and “The Light,” both dreamy songs with So-Cal vibes. Chiming guitars and wistful vocals will leave you swaying with the music. (Hannah Wintucky), 9 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Beachland Tavern.
King Chip
Formerly known as Chip tha Ripper, Cleveland native King Chip is best known for his collaborations with Kid Cudi. Chip’s music is full of smooth beats, bumping bass, and spitting vocals. His most recent mixtape 44108 features tracks like “Old English," a collab with Cudi, and “7 AM on St. Clair,” an ode to his life growing up in East Cleveland. High energy rhymes and dirty, bass-filled beats are elements of his Cleveland based music. (Wintucky), 6 p.m., $17 ADV, $22 DOS. Agora.
SUNDAY, JULY 12
Southern Hospitality Blues Band
With an eclectic mix of traditional blues and soul, Southern Hospitality Blues Band has received praise and acclaim for its music. Emotional, gritty vocals mix together to create passionate blues music. Their most recent album, Easy Livin’, features songs like “Kind Lies & Whiskey," a 12-bar blues melody with mournful vocals, and “Don’t Feel Like Going There Today," a blues-reggae mix with memorable vocals. Keyboardist and vocalist Victor Wainwright belts his heart out on most of the tracks and gives SOHO’s music lots of soul. (Wintucky), 8 p.m., $25 ADV, $30 DOS. Music Box Supper Club.
Summerland 2015 with Everclear/Fuel/Toadies/American Hi-Fi
Now and again — and more often, it seems, these days — we all sort of need a shot of '90s alt-rock in our arms. There was something uniquely creative and innocent and guilty about the chart-topping anthems from that decade. This year’s tour brings together Everclear (the creators of the annual tour), Fuel, Toadies, and American Hi-Fi. So Much for the Afterglow remains an iconic footprint of U.S. rock ‘n’ roll in 1997, from its harmonized intro to Art Alexakis’ chugging power chords (“This is a song about Susan…”). Tonight, as in summers past and summers future, Everclear and their pals deliver the goods — building a sonic time machine for those who lived the 90s and those who relish how great that music was. It’s hard not to come down in favor of a night of beers and '90s alternative hits. (Eric Sandy), 5:30 p.m., $31 ADV, $37.50 DOS. Agora.
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