The band of Montreal is really the one-man universe of Kevin Barnes, no matter who else is onstage or on record with him. He’s the group’s singer/songwriter/frontman and always-moving-forward force, a restless creative spirit, everything else be damned. “I don’t see a therapist, I write music,” he once said to an interviewer.
Barnes and his current band, from Athens, Georgia, are on tour for of Montreal’s brand-new record, the month-old “Innocence Reaches,” and will play Pearl Street in Northampton Monday at 8 p.m. Opening the show is Ruby the RabbitFoot (also from Athens).
“Innocence Reaches” continues Barnes’ insatiable desire to investigate new ground (following his own muse, à la David Bowie and Prince) and give dance floors some earthquakes while he’s at it. The album’s lead-off singles, “Let’s Relate” and “It’s Different For Girls,” pump the low end with deep bass and buzzing synths, while among the catchy hooks, Barnes squeezes in lyrics like, “sending clicking sounds into the void / ’til I was clear of all reflexive anger” and “it’s different for girls / they are mercurial creatures / not a masculine dissonance / or sexual currency.”
I first heard of Montreal’s music in simpler times, aka 1997, when the band’s debut album, “Cherry Peel,” lit up my life with homey, heartfelt pop. The chord changes were unique, the stripped-down sound a breath of fresh air. But Barnes’ ever-revving brain started speeding for the stratosphere right away, launching into a series of concept albums (like the busy breathless kaleidoscopes “The Gay Parade” and “Coquelicot Asleep In The Poppies: A Variety Of Whimsical Verse”).
The band’s experimentation has never stopped accelerating, gathering up synthesizers and electronics, dissonant 20th-century classical music, crisp funk, loquacious lyrics, unpredictable structures and confessional songwriting, plus live shows that attempt to create unique experiences (with artistic help from Kevin’s brother David, aka “The Bee With Wheels”). They’re a band like no other.
Saxophonist Houston Person (backed by Northampton’s own Green Street Trio) and the Joe Velez Latin Jazz Quintet are the featured performers at “Retrofaire,” the open-air market to be held in the Armory Street parking lot (the space between Thornes Marketplace and the Northampton parking garage) in Northampton Saturday. The event runs from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the music starts at 2:30 p.m. In between the musical acts, NEPR hosts Tom Reney and Kari Njirii will discuss the history of jazz in the Valley. For more “Retrofaire” information, visit northamptonartscouncil.org
New Orleans’ legendary Dirty Dozen Brass Band will be the first artists on a fresh local stage, helping celebrate the grand opening of the new Gateway City Arts concert venue, The Hub, on Race Street in Holyoke Saturday at 8 p.m.
New City Soul — a local supergroup led by musical director Mitch Chakour — makes its debut, headlining a multi-band funk/hip-hop/R&B bill that also includes Evelyn Harris, Tang Sauce and Soul Magnets, at Millside Park in Easthampton Saturday at 6 p.m. The all-ages show is free.
It takes a mighty singer/songwriter to get compared to Bob Dylan, not just once but all the damn time, and that mighty one is Dan Bern. The prolific and dedicated troubadour (and novelist and painter) brings his acoustic guitar and harmonica and his political, heartfelt and often cuttingly funny songs to The Parlor Room in Northampton Saturday at 8 p.m.
The Z3 — the long-running trio of Beau Sasser on Hammond B3 organ, Tim Palmieri on guitar and Bill Carbone on drums — brings its show “Funky Takes on the Music of Frank Zappa” to the Iron Horse in Northampton Saturday at 10 p.m
Saxophonists Peter and Will Anderson are the guests at the Northampton Jazz Workshop at the City Sports Grille inside Spare Time Northampton Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. The open jazz jam follows at 8:30 p.m., so bring your instrument or your warmed-up vocal cords and sign up to sit in with the house trio.
Mike Peters, frontman of The Alarm (who made a big MTV splash with videos for “The Stand,” “68 Guns” and others), brings his “Spirit of ’86 in 2016” tour to the Iron Horse Wednesday at 7 p.m. Local ‘80s-loving vocalist/guitarist Scott Lawson Pomeroy opens.
Trombonist Steve Swell brings his all-star quartet (rounded out by alto sax man Rob Brown, bassist William Parker and drummer Gerald Cleaver) to the Music Recital Hall at Hampshire College in Amherst Thursday at 7:30 p.m. It’s the kickoff show for the 5th season of the Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares concert series.