It has been six years since I last saw singer/songwriter Gillian Welch (accompanied as always by partner and lead guitarist David Rawlings), but the show was so special it feels like yesterday.
Welch and Rawlings are the rare example of performers who can be totally down-to-earth and funny between tunes, and then turn around and wham you in the heart with stark and aching songs. They’re masterful mood shifters.
The duo, which won a lifetime achievement award in 2015 at the Americana Music Awards, has a batch of acclaimed albums, my very favorite being “Time (The Revelator)” from 2001, as unique and powerful a record as “On the Beach” by Neil Young. With him they share a soulfulness, a kind of weary beauty.
“Sadly beautiful” could be one way to describe their sound, but it’s never mopey — their harmonies have a toughness to them. And Rawling’s way with a guitar is distinctively unpredictable and exciting; he wrings weird runs out of the fretboard, coaxing angular sparks and making them catch fire.
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings play out under the setting sun and rising dusk at the Pines Theater at Look Park on Thursdayat 7 p.m. Highly recommended.
Mazozma, MT Sullivan, Josh Brr (spoken word) and Vision Guest (Chris Carmody) team up for the latest in-store performance at Mystery Train records in Amherst tonight, Friday, at 6 p.m. It’s a free show, but donations are accepted for the traveling musicians.
Local singer/songwriter Abe Loomis celebrates the release of his second full-length album, “The Hoosac Line,” with a show at The Parlor Room in Northampton on Friday at 7:30 p.m. (Doors open at 7.) Loomis’ backing band is a who’s who of Valley talent — guitarists Dave Chalfant and Jim Henry, drummer Sturgis Cunningham and virtuoso fiddler Eric Lee.
Westfield metalcore superstars Killswitch Engage headline a heavy outdoor quadruple-bill that also features All That Remains, Volumes and Within the Ruins at Mountain Park in Holyoke on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
Blues man Joe Louis Walker welcomes longtime local vocalist Eva Cappelli to open for him at The Iron Horse on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Holophonor is a collective of young jazz musicians mentored by Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock, and its lineup includes the Valley’s own Miro Sprague on piano. Hear their original tunes, tight arrangements and improvisational flow at Gateway City Arts in Holyoke on Saturday at 8 p.m. Recommended!
The Pamela Means Band plays the cozy Montague Bookmill — a perfect place to see a concert on a summer’s night — on Saturday at 8 p.m. Austin & Elliott open the show.
The Surly Temple features guitarist Jim Henry, bassist Guy DeVito and drummer Doug Plavin, three go-to studio and live musicians who’ve worked with stars like Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Colvin, Dar Williams, Tracy Grammer and many others. This band is their own place to shine, as they rotate lead vocal duties on originals and covers alike. They’ve got chops to spare and they’re this month’s featured artist at the “Sundays In the Park” concert series at Energy Park in Greenfield on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. Bring blankets, chairs and a picnic if the mood strikes.
The Bad Plus, one of the most creative long-running trios in modern jazz, marks the end of an era, as founding pianist Ethan Iverson will soon be moving on (with awesome pianist Orrin Evans taking his place). See the original lineup make their last area appearance at The Iron Horse on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Highly recommended.