Weekend Ideas: June 18, 2015

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A rocking weekend for shows, indoors and out. Gogol Bordello ranks among the world’s most robust, eclectic rock bands, which means the gypsy punks led by the charismatic Eugene Hutz deserve better than a co-headlining turn with the more pedestrian Celtic rockers Flogging Molly. But a good time should be had by all when the two groups team up at the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion on Friday. The atmospheric Wisconsin indie-pop group Phox hits the Brighton Music Hall the same night to make up for a snowed-out February date. Here’s Phox live and here’s a jump to my interview with singer Monica Martin.

Actually, it’s a real girls’ night out Friday with Miss Tess & the Talkbacks at Johnny D’s Uptown and the second of three nights of Girls in the Garage – Boston! at the Lizard Lounge (including Petty Morals, the Charms and the Dents on Friday, then Saturday sports the Downbeat Five, Andrea Gillis Band, Axemunkee and Cujo with Jen Trynin).

Saturday’s even stronger. Local rockabilly legend Sleepy LaBeef celebrates his 80th birthday with a bill including Gillis and Marc Pinansky at Johnny D’s. British folk-rock pioneer Richard Thompson holds court with his electric trio at the Wilbur Theatre behind his Jeff Tweedy-produced new album Still before joining Wilco the following weekend at the Solid Sound Festival at North Adams’ MASS MoCA.  Up at Lowell’s Boarding House Park, Ani DiFranco dazzles with her own pointed songcraft and acoustic guitar sparks, while the eccentric country-soul band the Mavericks return mid-state to Indian Ranch on the lake in Webster. Perhaps Saturday’s best road-trip catch, however, will be orchestral indie-rockers San Fermin (which recently sold out the Sinclair) with Aussie indie-folk duo Luluc at the Cape Cinema, a cozy movie-seat theater in Dennis with stars on its curved ceiling. It last hosted great concerts a few years back with the likes of Bon Iver and Dirty Projectors. Here’s my recent San Fermin interview with the group’s locally raised leader Ellis Ludwig-Leone.

If you prefer to cruise the Boston Harbor on Saturday evening, roots reggae stalwarts John Brown’s Body team with the local Ethiopian-rooted Debo Band to kick off the Rock and Blues Concert Cruises, setting out from the World Trade Center pier in the Seaport. Jazz pianist Bill Charlap charms fans with his trio at the Regattabar the same night as well. And if you’re road-tripping near Portsmouth, N.H., on Sunday, you can catch California songstress Jessica Pratt at that quaint city’s new 3S Artspace before she hits Great Scott on Tuesday and Solid Sound the next weekend. You can jump to my interview with Pratt here. Mission of Burma also plays the 3S Artspace next Wednesday as a tuneup to its opening slot with the Foo Fighters at Fenway Park next month.


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