30 Days Out: a look at upcoming concerts

Twice monthly, my blog 30 Days Out spotlights upcoming music shows and events of note, shining a light into some less well-lit corners, where some fascinating artists schedule performances. I do my best to give ample advance notice so that you can adjust your budget and calendar in a way that lets you get you to the show.

This collection of upcoming shows features a free local gathering; a rock legend revisiting his most celebrated material; a jam-band supergroup of sorts; and a band putting a fresh and unexpected twist onto 70s classic hard rock.

Artist: Jazz Jam
Venue: Barley’s Taproom
Date: Thursday, Oct. 23, 9 p.m. (and every week at this time)
Door: FREE
This long-running weekly series featuring “house band” Alien Music Club provides one of the best local opportunities to take in hard-bop and other substyles of jazz. After a somewhat structured set by the band, the evening is opened up to walk-on performances. You never know who’s going to show up: when respected jazz musicians are in town, they might stop by Barley’s. You might witness a young, local up-and-coming vocalist or player take the spotlight. And remember that musicians can be tourists, too: some of them bring their axes along when they travel. Barley’s is first and foremost a taproom and restaurant, so there’s plenty of chatter going on during the music. But to check out music that’s fascinating and unpredictable, it’s the go-to place.

Artist: Brownout Presents Brown Sabbath
Venue: Asheville Music Hall
Date: Saturday, Oct. 25, 10 p.m.
Door: $12 advance / $15 day of show
In the proud tradition of Dread Zeppelin and Hayseed Dixie — but avoiding the comedic trapping inherent in those acts — Austin Texas’ Brownout re-envision the work of 1970s dark lords Black Sabbath. Employing a musical style that’s one part funk, one part Tijuana Brass-styled horn section, and one part proto-heavy metal, Brownout unearths the melodicism buried deep within tunes like “N.I.B” and “The Wizard.” Who knew that Ozzy Osbourne and his pals wrote tunes that were catchy and danceable? The members of this Grupo Fantasmo spinoff certainly know. Put on that black t-shirt and come join the fun. Josh Blake’s Jukebox opens.

Artist: Trigger Hippy
Venue: Grey Eagle
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 29, 9 p.m.
Door: $15 advance / $20 day of show
What do you get when you take The Black Crowes’ drummer Steve Gorman, keyboardist/vocalist Jackie Green (from Phil Lesh & Friends, among other regular gigs), Joan Osborne (a star in her own right, plus a key member of The Dead), and a crack rhythm section? You get Trigger Hippy. And this collective isn’t simply a “let’s let our hair down and take our shoes off,” get-together-and-see-what-happens enterprise: The Nashville-based group recently released its self-titled debut album, a well-regarded set of songs, most of which — contrary to the jam stereotype — clock in at under the six-minute mark. Trigger Hippy’s twin lead vocal attack may lead older listeners to think of Delaney and Bonnie, but the rootsy music is grounded in the here-and-now. Opening act TBA.

Artist: Dave Mason’s Traffic Jam
Venue: Orange Peel
Date: Saturday, Nov. 8, 8 p.m.
Door: $28 advance / $30 day of show
British guitarist-songwriter-vocalist Mason was a founding (and then on-again-off-again) member of groundbreaking rock-jazz-folk band Traffic. Along with Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood, Mason helped create the soundtrack for England’s so-called Summer of Love. His folky (British variant, that is) songs fit in well with the proto-hippy aesthetic of the era, and a number of his compositions have gone down as standards (“Feelin’ Alright” has been covered by Joe Cocker and many others, to cite the best-known example). For this tour, Mason presents re-imagined and updated arrangements of some of his best-loved material from the ’60s and ’70s, plus some newer material.

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