Rock Picks: Stevie Wonder, Lucinda Williams, The Frames

Brandi Shearer at Amoeba Music Feeling burned by the near-pathological show-canceling of soul-belter Amy Winehouse? Then the singer you should get to know well is Brandi Shearer. Not only can Shearer stand up for lengths of time without wobbling, she has a heaven-sent, heart-shuddering vocal style that, like ol’ Wino, makes her sound worldly and seasoned well beyond her young years. Shearer’s just-out record, Close to Dark, was produced by Larry Klein (producer and ex-husband of Joni Mitchell, but you knew that) and will definitely appeal to fans of sultry ballads, with an emphasis on swooning melodies. When she delivers the line “My eyes flew open in the middle of the night” over and over, there’s even a ferocity that hints that Brandi Shearer may just be a tad crazy — just as we Winehouse fans like our singers. Starts at 2 p.m. Also at Tangier, 9 p.m. (Libby Molyneaux)

Also playing Saturday: T.I., CIARA, T-PAIN at Gibson Amphitheatre; BEYONCÉ at Honda Center; LEO NOCENTELLI, CAFÉ R&B at the Mint; COCKWIND, ANCHORS FOR ARCHITECTS at Pehrspace; FATSON JETSON, VELOURIA at the Scene; MINUS 5, JOHNATHAN RICE at Spaceland; CAROLYN EDWARDS, VOCO, LISTING SHIP at Taix; BRANDI SHEARER, RACHAEL CANTU at Tangier; MEDUSA, AUDIBLE MAINFRAME at Temple Bar; LOVE ME NOTS, WOOLLY BANDITS, VOODUO at Spike’s Bar & Billiards. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 Wanda Jackson at the Knitting Factory The king is dead, but the queen of rockabilly (and sometimes country) is alive and, as she says, still kickin’. Wanda Jackson’s place in musical history is already secure as one of the first and most feisty female rockabilly singers, with such classics as “Let’s Have a Party,” “Right or Wrong” and “Fujiyama Mama” (which was surprisingly popular in Japan despite, or perhaps because of, its references to Hiroshima and Nagasaki). One of the Oklahoma singer’s most haunting early tunes, “Funnel of Love,” wasn’t even a hit, but it blended Jackson’s feverishly romantic vocals with Roy Clark’s sublime guitar licks and still sounds timeless today. She could easily rest on her laurels, but she’s been fairly prolific in recent years, releasing a loving tribute to her old touring partner Elvis Presley, 2006’s I Remember Elvis, as well as recording an excellent live album, 2003’s Live and Still Kickin’, and a fine comeback studio CD, 2003’s Heart Trouble, where she was joined by the Cramps, Rosie Flores, Dave Alvin, Elvis Costello and other guest stars. The queen just got back from a show in Paris, where she sang with Little Richard and Tina Turner, two folks who recognize royalty when they see it. (Falling James) Also playing Sunday: T.I., CIARA, T-PAIN at Gibson Amphitheatre; BEYONCÉ at Staples Center; EDDIE SPAGHETTI, DEADBOLT, DEAD ROCK WEST, LONESOME SPURS, MAT KEARNEY, AUGUSTANA, ZEKE at Bergamot Station, noon; KORN, EVANESCENCE at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, 2 p.m.; M.D.C. at the Airliner; BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE at the Echoplex; YELLOWMAN at Malibu Inn; LEE HAZLEWOOD TRIBUTE with MIKE STINSON, CHARLIE WADHAMS at Tangier; PEACHFUZZ, ROLLING BLACKOUTS at Palmer Room. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3

New crispy minstrels: Brian Jonestown Massacre (Photo by Piper Ferguson)

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Gram Rabbit at Spaceland They’ve gone from strange to stranger, those Joshua Tree denizens known as Gram Rabbit. On their third album, RadioAngel and the RobotBeat, out November 17, they come out spitting, with lead singer and co-songwriter Jesika von Rabbit coming off like Grace Jones with a bunny fetish on the fed-up-with-technology electro-ditty “American Hookers.” Considering they go to sleep every night under a sky filled with more stars than the rest of us can only dream of, it’s not surprising their lyrics express a great deal of concern for “the world gone wrong.” They also come from a place with fewer teeth per capita than the rest of the state, hence references to priests smoking crystal meth and pit bulls. Even weirder is “The Rest of Us Sleep,” which sounds like video-game effects. My pick hit is “Fancy Dancy,” with what may be the best line of the summer: “Any way you slice it, it’s still bologna.” They even wrote a song about Landers, called “Landers,” which is some blips and plucks and pounds and maybe some voices. Bonus: Most of the new tunes are excellent for doing “The Robot.” (Libby Molyneaux) Also playing Monday: MARTIN KLINGMAN at the Bordello; ANAVAN at Pehrspace; MINOR CANON, SATISFACTION, THE PRIX at Viper Room.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

Playing Tuesday: THE SHEERS, SUKI EWERS at the Bordello; SUBHUMANS, PELIGRO SOCIAL, CECI BASTIDA at Knitting Factory; CLIPSE, LUCKY.I.AM at the Roxy; HEALTH CLUB at the Scene; KENNEDY, EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS at Silverlake Lounge; LAST VEGAS at Viper Room. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5

Stevie Wonder at the Greek Theatre Stevie Wonder had a pretty cool mom. Whereas most parents might grudgingly allow their kids with rock-star ambitions to practice occasionally in the garage, Lula Mae Hardaway fully supported her son’s dreams — and even co-wrote some of his earliest songs. And these weren’t just throwaway B-sides; she collaborated on such classics as “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours,” “I Was Made to Love Her” and “I Don’t Know Why” (which was covered by the Rolling Stones and more recently by the Brand New Heavies). After his beloved mother died last year, it inspired Wonder to get back on the road after a long absence. Although he performs locally at the annual Toys for Tots benefit, this tour is an all-too-rare chance to see him stretch out and play at least some of the many hits from his considerable body of work, including the mighty “Superstition,” with its insidiously sneaky, snaky bent-back riff; the still-compelling “Living for the City,” where he neatly summarized America’s racial and class divides in just a few poetic lines; the sophisticated arrangements of his Ellington tribute, “Sir Duke”; the sunny bounce of “Master Blaster (Jamming)”; and — geez — are we already out of space? Well, you get the idea. (Falling James) Lucinda Williams at El Rey Theatre The iconoclastic alt-country icon Lucinda Williams seems to be feeling slightly nostalgic as she approaches the 20th anniversary of her landmark eponymous album. But instead of slapping together an “Essential Lucinda Williams” best-of or even an elaborate multidisc retrospective, she’s attempting something more ambitious: performing five of her studio albums in their entirety — something like a live box set. She’ll kick off her five-night stand with 2003’s World Without Tears, and then travel backward in time with each subsequent show — from Essence to her breakthrough, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, and then Sweet Old World before returning to the beginning with 1988’s Lucinda Williams. (Well, her near-beginning — she’s avoiding her two early Smithsonian/Folkways albums.) This quintet of concerts provides a marvelous opportunity to journey back again to Williams’ Americana, stretching from “the melting snow of Minneapolis” to “down the Louisiana highway across Lake Pontchartrain.” Also Thurs., Sept. 6, & Sat.-Mon., Sept. 8-10. (Michael Berick)