The Suggestions
July 13. Power pop rocker John Brodeur is one of the busiest musicians in the Capital Region, churning out tunes with such combos as Hector On Stilts, Guiltless Cult, and Five Alpha Beatdown from Iceland, but the Suggestions are his first and deepest love. 10pm. $5. Tess’ Lark Tavern. Albany, New York. (518) 463.9779.www.myspace.com/thelarktavern.
Boys Night Out
July 6. They brought you such post-punk-pop baubles as “I Was the Devil for One Afternoon,” “It’s Dylan, You Know the Drill,” and the classic “I Got Punched in the Nose for Sticking My Face in Other People’s Business.” Now the Great White Northern emo screamers are making some serious noise with their brand new self-titled disc on Frerret Music. With Emanuel, June, and Olympia. 7:30pm. $11, 13. Revolution Hall. Troy, New York. (518) 274-0553. www.revolutionhall.com.
Captain Squeeze and the Zydeco Moshers
July 7. Every day feels like Mardi Gras when Greg “Captain Squeeze” Speck straps on his accordion and wrings out some of those Louisiana-soul sounds. The Captain and his boys have recently released their fourth CD, Zydeco on the Radio, so get yourself to the Bayou Cafe Downtown early, fuel up on some jambalaya or red beans and rice, then work off those calories by letting the good times roll.10:30pm. $5. Albany, New York. (518) 462-9033. www.bayoucafe.com.
Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake
July 10. Call it punk, ska-punk or third-wave ska, these two bands will be touring the country together in July and August, mostly playing places like Baltimore and Dallas. Trust me—you are going to be sooooo sad if you don’t bring your dancing shoes to this one. With special guests Streetlight Manifesto and Against All Authority. 7:30pm. $21, 23. Northern Lights. Clifton Park, New York. (518) 371-0012. www.northernlightslive.com.
The Lee Shaw Trio
July 13. Elegant yet vibrant pianist Lee Shaw unquestionably owns the title of Queen of Jazz in the Capital Region, and that alone should warrant a visit with her if you haven’t been fortunate enough to grace her audience lately. When she’s in trio mode (with sublime bassist Rich Syracuse and drummer Jeff “Siege” Siegel), she raises the ante even higher. The program should include some work from her just released CD, Originals, which, naturally, features her own royal compositions. 7pm. Free. The Stockade Inn. Schenectady, New York. (518) 346-3400. www.stockadeinn.com.
John Hammond
July 26. Keeping alive the great blues traditions, John Hammond has been committed to both acoustic and electric roots tunes since the ‘60s. But it wasn’t until 2003, when he released Ready for Love with Los Lobos’s David Hildalgo handling the production chores, that he finally recorded a composition of his own. On his new CD, Push Comes to Shove, produced by soulful Philly bluesman (and former Skidmore College student) G Love, Hammond continues to channel his inner scribe, contributing five original tunes. 8pm. $25. Club Helsinki. Great Barrington, Massachusetts. (413) 528-3394. www.clubhelsinkiweb.com.
Boulder Acoustic Society
July 28. This unplugged quartet of multi-talented Colorado players has a command over a myriad of musical instruments, but all four of them have one thing in common: They all can make some pretty magical music on the tiny and sadly neglected ukulele. No big surprise, then, that this high-altitude combo will offer a special ukulele workshop at 3pm, before for their big evening concert at 8pm. $15; $12 members. (The workshop is $20; register in advance, and they’ll bring along a uke for you to play if you don’t have your own.) Caffe Lena. Saratoga Springs, New York. (518) 583-0022. www.caffelena.org.
