Music Picks: Sky Saxon Tribute, Daddy Kev, Grace Jones, The Mekons

Also playing Wednesday:

CRYSTAL ANTLERS, MIKA MIKO, AUDACITY at Alex’s Bar; THE FRAY, JACK’S MANNEQUIN at the Verizon Amphitheater; BEDOUIN SOUNDCLASH, THE LIONS, ROOTBEER & PIGEON JOHN at the Roxy; TRASHCAN SINATRAS, BROOKVILLE at the Troubadour.

Deirdre O’Callaghan

La Roux: electro-pop dance fodder from England

Brett and Rennie Sparks, a.k.a. The Handsome Family

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THURSDAY, JULY 30

HONEYHONEY
at the Roxy

What kind of music would Jack Bauer listen to, assuming he ever had the time, after surviving yet another of his implausibly long days fending off terrorists on 24? It’s hard to say, but it’s clear that the actor who portrays him, Kiefer Sutherland, has a soft spot in his heart for the jangling folk-pop of Venice duo HoneyHoney, who are signed to his label, Ironworks. Their restful, tuneful songs are a world away from the frantic pacing and explosive punctuations of 24’s mindless hysteria. Suzanne Santo has an engagingly sweet voice on HoneyHoney’s recent full-length CD, First Rodeo, where the moods range from quaintly retro folk to mainstream pop. She and co-songwriter Ben Jaffe are terribly ordinary lyricists who rely too much on all the old clichés, but their melodies are winning enough to make up for the fact that they don’t have anything new to say. With HoneyHoney, it’s more about the way the swinging lilt in Santo’s voice and her violin adornments align with Jaffe’s nonflashy guitar, especially on the gently mesmerizing “Not for Long.” (Falling James)

Also playing Thursday:

GLORIA TREVI at House of Blues; THE SOUNDS at the Key Club; CASTANETS, WARMER MILKS at Spaceland; BILLY BOY ON POISON, SMASHUP BROTHERS, DIN CALIBUR, VAS DEFRANS, VINNIE LERRA, DANNY JOHNSON at El Rey Theatre; HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS at the Pacific Amphitheatre; JIMMIE VAN ZANT at the Canyon; WATKINS FAMILY HOUR at Largo at the Coronet; WAYNE “THE TRAIN” HANCOCK at the Mint; GRAM RABBIt, OLIVER FUTURE at the Troubadour; HOLY GRAIL, ILLUMINATION, SYNEKA at the Whisky a Go-Go.