Hammond organ maestro Booker T. Jones was a 17-year-old senior in high school when he co-wrote and recorded one of the most famous instrumentals ever: “Green Onions.” The funky 12-bar blues adds some cool swagger to any situation. For example, it’s the song the deejay played at my sister’s wedding when the bridal party walked into the reception. My smiling blushing grandmother was automatically badass with “Green Onions” bumping out of the speakers.
But as great as that 1962 hit is, Booker T. and his tight group The MG’s wrote countless other catchy soulful instrumental classics. One of my favorite records as a kid was our family’s beat-up copy of “The Best of Booker T. & The MG’s” on Atlantic, flawless from the first needle drop to the final run-out groove: “Hip-Hug-Her,” “Slim Jenkins’ Place,” “Jellybread,” “Tic-Tac-Toe,” not to mention the wildly groovy “Can’t Be Still” — never has a song been more accurately titled.
Jones is in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. If you’ve seen Otis Redding’s iconic set from the Monterey Pop concert documentary, the energetic musicians all around him are none other than Booker T. & The MG’s. They were the house band for the legendary Stax record label.
But it’s not all about the ‘60s — in the last decade, Jones has worked with the Drive By Truckers, Neil Young, and most spectacularly The Roots, who backed him up on his strong 2011 album “The Road From Memphis.”
Booker T. Jones and his current band will appear at MASS MoCA in North Adams on Saturday at 8 p.m., playing funky stuff old and new, outdoors under the stars. A perfect summertime show.
“House of Leafies,” the summer concert series curated by and featuring local theatrical band The Leafies You Gave Me, is back for another installment, this time with special guests Lexi Weege, Scubaphone and Sodada at the Arts Block Ballroom at Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield on Friday at 7 p.m. All ages are welcome.
The Valley Music Showcase bi-monthly band competition continues with Pinedrop, She Said, Belle of the Fall, Headband, and Flathead Rodeo as the contestants and Inneraction as the special guest act opening and closing the show, at New City Brewery in Easthampton on Friday at 8 p.m.
Shokazoba is Northampton’s own “Conscious Fusion Funkestra,” putting political lyrics to Afrobeat-inspired grooves. They’re throwing a “Bish Bash” with deejay friend Studebaker Hawk at Bishop’s Lounge in Northampton on Friday at 10 p.m.
Draco and the Malfoys are a Harry Potter-themed “wizard rock” band that sings original songs about the wizarding world from Draco’s perspective. Expect Harry Potter-inspired snacks and other activities when the group performs a free show at the Sunderland Public Library on Saturday at 5 p.m.
Dramatic rock ensemble Eddie Japan call themselves “melancholic pop classicists,” and their smartly dressed sound combines male-female vocals with the prominent trumpet of Eric Ortiz, dual guitars and a confident rhythm section. The Boston-based group won top prize at the 2013 Rock ’n’ Roll Rumble and their brand-new record “The Golden Age” was co-produced by Cars keyboardist Greg Hawkes, who will join the band onstage for the album release show at The Iron Horse on Saturday at 7 p.m. Worcester group The Curtis Mayflower will start off the night.
Drummer Alex Snydman (at right) has a new album due out this fall entitled “Sound Love,” just completed his masters at CalArts and is working on a number of drum education books. Snydman returns to his Valley stomping grounds with a new trio — with pianist Keelan Dimick and bassist Ben Tiberio — for a show at The Iron Horse on Sunday at 7 p.m. Eli Catlin is the opening act.
The Celebration of the Arts in Amherst features live local bands Carinae and Mad Habits, local short films curated by A Good Night’s Sleep, and visual art from Amherst-area artists, at AmherstWorks in Amherst on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
The Stray Birds, a harmony-powered Americana trio whose latest record is “Magic Fire” (produced by Larry Campbell), return to The Iron Horse on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Local group Eavesdrop will start off the night.
Holly Bowling is a solo pianist famous for covering the music of Grateful Dead and Phish. She’ll take the stage at The Iron Horse on Thursday at 7 p.m.