Part of the Brit-Blues invasion of the late '60s, Savoy Brown is the epitome of blues in the hands of the hippie generation. The group's 1969 hit "Train To Nowhere" had us Yankees in a swoon before Led Zeppelin completely took over. Three of the four original members of Savoy went on to form Foghat, but lead guitarist Kim Simmonds is still around calling the shots. (Gavin Paul)
Friday, November 20 at 9pm Venue: FitzGerald's Tickets: $20
A hip-hop hybrid of sorts, Innosphere pairs the jazz vocals of Nina Rae with the floating keys and production work of Kenny Keys for a rhythm-and-blues sound pulsating with a genuine perspective on "urban street life, family and intimacy." (Gavin Paul)
Alligator Records' family trio The Kinsey Report (Donald, Ralph and Kenneth) will serve up some rough n' tough Mississippi-bred pain to go along with Mama Rosa's famous baked pasta and eggplants. Vocalist/guitarist, Donald, saw some years with Bob Marley, and the funk/reggae certainly shines. Expect organ-saturated and achy guitar solos backed by gritty lines like, "I'm gonna tell you something brotha/This city, it ain't nobody's friend." The group rose to the top of the ranks in the '70 (its name does reference the infamous sexual behavior study by Alfred Kinsey during that period), but its current licks are just as danceable. (Gavin Paul)
Friday, November 20 at 10pm Venue: Rosa's Lounge Tickets: $15
Dylanisms abound at this split Americana bill headlined by the son of Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), Elvis Perkins. He's pushing a new set of tunes with a new band, but the music's got the same sense of loss and abandonment as his 2007 album, Ash Wednesday - which explored the wounds left from the death of his father from AIDS and his mother from 9/11. Meanwhile, A.A. Bondy aims his cathartic darts at broader targets on September's When the Devil's Loose, stripping his live sets down to a simple guitar-and-mic howl. (Gavin Paul)
Saturday, November 21 at 10:30pm Venue: Lincoln Hall Tickets: $16
Raheem DeVaughn is a Jersey born, DC raised R&B singer whose voice is equal parts D'Angelo and Donny Hathaway. In 2008 he received a Grammy nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for the song "Woman," and since then he's released one hit after another, including his highly regarded collaboration with Ludacris ("Bulletproof"). Earlier this month, Raheem performed with Ghostface Killah on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and he looked at ease in the spotlight as he commanded the stage with his majestic voice and charismatic demeanor. This show at The Shrine will be in promotion of his forthcoming album The Love & War MasterPiece, and it'll offer a great way to get up close and personal with a budding R&B superstar. (J. Min)
Sunday, November 22 at 9pm Venue: The Shrine Tickets: $20
Chris Palko aka Cage is an MC who has redefined the standard image of a hip-hop artist. His life has been one tragic experience after another (from mental and physical abuse to suicide attempts), and the perspective he's developed as a result has made him one of the most unique voices in rap today. Cage's newest album, Depart From Me, represents a significant stride forward, as he's opted to ditch sample-based production for a live more melodic sound. The recent change has freed him up as a lyricist, and he's really begun to be more innovative. Expect one of the more emotionally driven hip-hop shows of the year. Qwel of the Typical Cats will be opening along with Maker, who should be throwing down a live beat-set, so early arrival is recommended. (J. Min)
Clearwater (born Eddie Harrington) got his start by channeling Chuck Berry, but quickly set off on his own to record for hallmarks like Blind Pig and Delmark, garnering many a W.C. Handy nomination along the way with his aggressive modern electric blue. Two from the Brooks family, Lonnie and Ronnie, along with Jimmy Johnson, Otis Clay and Billy Branch, will support on a bill full of West Side heroes. (Gavin Paul)
At first glance, Portland's Blind Pilot appears just like every other indie-pop/folk duo in the Pacific Northwest: understated, guitar-heavy sound, smart and sensitive lyrics, the occasional bicycle tour. But spend a while with the group's mesmerizing debut, Three Rounds and a Sound, and you'll see that there is one major difference between these guys and all the rest: they're better. There's hardly anything close to a clunker on the succinct album, which is full of memorable melodies and sweet-but-not-too-sweet harmonies (you can tell it's a good album when your favorite song continually changes; currently, mine is the tender title cut, with the horn-laden "Things I Cannot Recall" close behind).
Live, the duo expands to a sextet for added oomph; while we preferred the shady setting of the band's afternoon set at Lollapalooza, Lincoln Hall should be a fine venue for this kind of musical experience. Indie-folk artist Laura Veirs supports. (Ben Rubenstein)
'Slowcore' husband-and-wife duo Sin Ropas revels in the shadows: the couple releases music in small batches of vinyl, renounces MySpace friends (even Tom is not a pal) and can't even claim a true home, bouncing among Germany, North Carolina and Chicago. The music is unsurprisingly difficult, including layers of electric squall amid tinny moments of folk and blues, but anybody who listens closely enough will be able to connect the dots to Chicago indie staples Red Red Meat and Califone (which vocalist Tim Hurley spun off from). (Gavin Paul)
Wednesday, November 25 at 9pm Venue: Schubas Tickets: $10-$12
Toronzo is an unsigned, bold Chicago underdog, a status which he and the Cannnonballs detail on My Woman's (2006) soul-rallying cry, "Not Born To Lose." Cannon croons, "Ain't got B.B. or Buddy saying I'm the best since Stevie Ray," later hammering his point home with the chorus, "But I was born to play the blues." Plainspoken, but the truth. He and his band have been together now for eight years, fiddling with everything from organ-drenched raucous numbers to downtrodden porch-cries. (Gavin Paul)
Thursday, November 26 at 9:30pm Venue: B.L.U.E.S. Tickets: $7
Kings Go Forth is an up-and-coming funk collective based out of Milwaukee. The group's only been together for two years now, but has managed to make enough strides to snag a three-record deal from the highly regarded Luaka Bop label - home to luminaries like Shuggie Otis, Os Mutantes, Tom Zé and Jim White, to name a few. The 10-piece band boasts three vocalists (Danny Fernandez, Matt Norberg and Black Wolf), each of whom bring a different style to the table, from Motown-esque soul ballads to groove-friendly disco hooks. This show at the darkroom will be the band's first time as a headliner, so you can expect non-stop energy from beginning to end. Like minded contemporaries The Diplomats of Solid Sound will open. (J. Min)
Friday, November 27 at 9pm Venue: darkroom Tickets: $8-$10
This show is an L.A.-centric blitzkrieg of buzz bands. Local Natives attack with handclap Talking Heads covers and other lovelorn tales disguised with names like "Airplanes," while Silverlake's Fool's Gold wields adds rhythms sourced on the coasts of West Africa a la Vampire Weekend (but a whole lot cooler). Edward Sharpe and his Magnetic Zero crew of 12 deliver the final blow, tumbling out of a big hippie bus armed with an endearing folk grab bag of clamors and yelps. (Gavin Paul)
Friday, November 27 at 10pm Venue: Lincoln Hall Tickets: $12
Momentus Music's Sarah Potenza blends the rock punch of Bonnie Raitt with the dirty-blues soul of Janis Joplin and sends it home with an Emmylou Harris wink. By her guitar-and-pipes lonesome, she's earned spots on best-of Acoustic Chicago compilations. But consider it a shame if you don't catch her with her full backing crew, The Tall Boys. (Gavin Paul)
Friday, November 27 at 10pm Venue: Morseland Tickets: $5
Since signing with the famed Ubiquity label in 2006, NOMO has added new life to the contemporary funk scene with its globally influenced rhythms and raw, visceral performances. Elliot Bergman, the group's frontman and a current Chicago resident, has been keeping the octet miles ahead of the curve by incorporating lush ethereal sounds by way of his many homemade instruments. NOMO's newest album, Invisible Cities is another step forward for the group, as its spiritually minded grooves fall somewhere between Fela Kuti and Earth Wind and Fire. This show at Schubas will be your best chance to catch the act live before it goes back out on tour. Latin American psychedelic pop-outfit Allá will open. (J. Min)
Friday, November 27 at 10:30pm Venue: Schubas Tickets: $12
