The 13th Floor Music Lounge in Florence, located above JJ’s Tavern, has been finishing up two weeks of renovations, and the venue is celebrating with a weekend of quality shows.
Vocalist/guitarist Thalia Zedek, known for her time in such groups as Uzi, Live Skull and Come, has a new album with her band just out on Thrill Jockey, titled “Eve.” Her gritty guitar is the music’s soul, combining with David Michael Curry’s mournful viola and Mel Lederman’s delicate piano (and a rhythm section) for a collection of songs that’s been called “bleak yet lovely,” whether they’re revving their engines (“Walking In Time” and “Afloat”) or quietly hypnotizing (“Illumination” and “You Will Wake”).
Sharing the big bill with Zedek and company are Devil Music (Boston ensemble led by Brendon Wood), Ebb’s Flow (local artist/poet Elan Gregory), Darklight (solo electric guitar soundscapes from William Theis of EYES and Hadoken) and Time (psychedelic electronic music from Michael Collins, ex-Prince Rama). That’s on Friday, starting at 9 p.m.
The Saturday night show features Mountain Movers (the mesmerizing fuzzed-out New Haven, Connecticut, band led by Dan Greene (Butterflies of Love), DALTHOM (the duo of Greg Dalton (Gary War) and Rob Thomas (Sunburned Hand of the Man) celebrating the release of “Frame Slip,” their debut album on Feeding Tube Records), Matt Valentine (from MV & EE) and Hadley’s own Carinae. It all starts at 9 p.m.
Both shows were curated by Acorns In the Blender, the newly formed production company from 13th Floor show booker and bartender (and local musician) Robert Robinson. He said in an interview earlier this week that the upstairs venue has been building a new soundproofing wall to separate it from the downstairs, while the club’s middle wall has been removed to open up the space. New lights have been added, too.
One thing hasn’t changed, Robinson said, good news for parched and sweaty showgoers on hot summer nights or any night: “As always, free ice cold water.”
Three-time Grammy winner Lucinda Williams started the year off with a new record, “The Ghosts of Highway 20,” and she takes the stage at the Academy of Music in Northampton Friday at 7:30 p.m. Buick 6 is the opening act.
The two-day “Amourasaurus” festival returns for its second run of end-of-summer fun. Lake Street Dive headlines both days, joined on Saturday by Mavis Staples, Look Park (the great new project from Fountains of Wayne frontman Chris Collingwood), Son Little and Christina Courtin (starting at 3 p.m.) and on Sunday by Josh Ritter & the Royal CIty Band, Thao & the Get Down Stay Down, Erin McKeown and The Suitcase Junket (starting at 3 p.m.). At the Pines Theater at Look Park in Florence. Gates open at 2 p.m. Check out amourasaurus.com for more info.
Eric Gaffney — co-founder of Sebadoh and the man behind Grey Matter, Fields of Gaffney, Gracefully Aging Hippy Soloists and others — will play a special acoustic set of originals and covers at JJ’s Tavern in Florence Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m. His merch table will be stocked with cassettes of two recent releases, “Ghost of Christmas Future” and “Land of Make Believe.”
Dance away the end of the summer with psychedelic indie-dance-pop band Rubblebucket at a standing-room only show Saturday at 8 p.m. at MASS MoCA’s Courtyard C in North Adams.
The mind-melting Melvins (which put out its new “Basses Loaded” album at the beginning of the summer) appears at Pearl Street Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Heavy Seattle trio Helms Alee opens.
“The Muppet Movie” has a soundtrack full of hits (“Rainbow Connection,” “Movin’ Right Along,” “Can You Picture That,” Gonzo’s tear-jerking “I’m Going To Go Back There Someday”) to go along with its fun and funny road story. You and your favorite folks can experience the whole magical thing under the stars when the 1979 classic is presented by Cinema Northampton, shown outside on the Forbes Library lawn on Wednesday around 7:30 p.m. (or whenever the sun has set). Bring blankets or chairs, snacks and family and friends. Free.