Weekend Ideas: February 12, 2016

Great rock clubs come and go – and get remembered. In Somerville, Cuisine en Locale has transformed the old Anthony’s function hall on Highland Avenue into the Once Ballroom, essentially creating a funky, spacious new club. And on Friday, the venue pays tribute to another rock club from Boston’s past, Chet’s Last Call, a dive bar that brought underground rock to Causeway Street in the ’80s. Chetstock will honor recently deceased owner Richard “Chet” Rooney with a slate of Chet’s regulars that sports a Dogzilla reunion, Bim Skala Bim, Dogmatics, Pajama Slave Dancers, Liz Borden Group and Moose & the Mudbugs – with proceeds going to the Pine Street Inn and filming for a memorial documentary planned via Kickstarter. (At the other end of the spectrum, Cuisine en Locale hosts a Valentine’s Day family dance party on Sunday afternoon with Matt Heaton & the Outside Toys).

Friday’s other concert options include the return of the ethereal art-pop chanteuse Jane Siberry (who dispensed with most of her worldly possessions and temporarily changed her name about a decade ago) at Club Passim, soul veteran Lee Fields & the Expressions at the Sinclair, roots-rousers the Devil Makes Three and Langhorne Slim at House of Blues, and Irish group Solas at Beverly’s newly refurbished Cabot Theatre. And in Metro West, the Boston Bluegrass Union presents the Joe Val Bluegrass Festival, a three-day celebration at the Sheraton Framingham with local and national talent, capped on Sunday by the Del McCoury Band, making up for a weather-cancelled January concert in Cambridge.

Saturday’s highlighted by the Southern retro-soul of singer and recent Miranda Lambert boyfriend Anderson East (pictured above) at the Brighton Music Hall, as well as the mercurial Lauren Hill stirring the soul at the Paradise Rock Club both Saturday and Sunday. Also on Sunday, local star Ruby Rose Fox hosts her fifth annual Valentine’s Day show at Atwood’s Tavern while Bim Skala Bim moves to Johnny D’s – another club sadly about to close – for a Sunday ska double-header, split between openers Plate ‘O Shrimp and Pressure Cooker. And if you’re a blues fan — and want to help a local musician, the C-Note in Hull is hosting a Sunday afternoon/evening benefit for Quincy guitarist Sam Gentile’s medical bills and the lineup boasts Duke Robillard, Brian Templeton, Boston Baked Blues, Anthony Geraci, Rick Russell & the Cadillac Horns, Bruce Bears and Racky Thomas.


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