Music Picks: BB King and Buddy Guy, Silversun Pickups, Hard Summer, W.A.C.O.

FRAZEY FORD AT THE HOTEL CAFÉ
Frazey Ford moves beyond the rustic Americana style of her band the Be Good Tanyas to summon up a newfound soulfulness on her debut solo CD, Obadiah (Nettwerk). The Canadian singer claims to be influenced by Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack, and new tunes like "Bird of Paradise" have a nicely mellow retro-soul feel. The musical backing is polite instead of fiery, but Ford's tremulous vocals give the sleepy songs some real personality. Her lonely quaver imbues Bob Dylan's oft-covered "One More Cup of Coffee" with an eerie quality, and it's that weirdly enchanting singing style that sets Ford apart from most folkies. The catchiest original track is "Firecracker," whose clucking banjo line recalls the roots-country rambles of the Be Good Tanyas. (Falling James)

ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO & THE SENSITIVE BOYS AT EL REY THEATRE
The Austin singer-guitarist Alejandro Escovedo straddles two seemingly opposing worlds of rock & roll. On the one hand, he's been managed for the past two years by industry heavyweight Jon Landau, and mainstream rockers like Bruce Springsteen and Mott the Hoople's Ian Hunter supply guest vocals on his latest album, Street Songs of Love, his first on the major label Fantasy Records. On the other hand, Escovedo's roots are firmly planted in punk rock — he got his start in San Francisco in the late 1970s with the proto-punk oddballs the Nuns — and, even as he's evolved into a respected Americana songwriter, he's had his biggest impact in the underground scene. The two worlds collide on Street Songs, which was produced by Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T. Rex, Morrissey), who also helmed Escovedo's previous CD, Real Animal. While he's capable of penning gorgeous ballads, the best tunes on the past two albums are those that draw directly from his primal punk past, such as Real Animal's cautionary Sid Vicious ode, "Chelsea Hotel '78," and the new CD's seedily glittery "Tender Heart." The more middle-of-the-road tracks are certainly well crafted — especially thanks to lead guitarist David Pulkingham's soulfully snarling licks — but Escovedo is too good of a performer to be settling for so much Springsteen-style banality. Still, with such a deep and rich back-catalog, he and the Sensitive Boys should have plenty of ammunition in reserve for tonight's show. (Falling James)

PHOTO BY AUTUMN DE WILDE.

Whispertown 2000

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The Wiltern

3790 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90010

Category: Music Venues

Region: Out of Town

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The Greek Theatre

2700 N. Vermont Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90027

Category: Community Venues

Region: Los Feliz

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• Empire of the Sun (Band)
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EMPIRE OF THE SUN AT THE MUSIC BOX
While most artistic reinventions leave fans scratching their heads or pointing the finger, the transformation undergone by Empire of the Sun's Luke Steele makes perfect sense. In another life, Steele was the Dylan-voiced singer of Perth folk-pop weirdos the Sleepy Jackson. That band's second and, for the time being, last album, Personality, found Steele refining his mad eclecticism into Brian Wilson–worthy grandiosity, with his voice layered 30-fold atop orchestral, synth-embellished rock. Is it any surprise, then, that his next move was to team with a dance producer (Pnau's Nick Littlemore) and trade in the acoustic guitar for the headdress of a pop deity? And we mean "headdress" quite literally, given the bizarre dome-piece Steele has been wearing onstage and in interviews, which looks like it was made for a Thai princess's coronation ceremony. But again, there's a certain logic here. The duo's debut album, Walking on a Dream, is filled with the kinds of worldly genreless hits that MGMT used to trade in, and their live show is an elemental extravaganza built around the universal theme of (what else?) solar worship. Also Thurs., Fri. (Chris Martins)

BB KING, BUDDY GUY AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL
The blues are certifiably American music's single most critical style, and this showdown between BB King and Buddy Guy — two of the idiom's most visionary elders — should generate high-tension voltage enough to galvanize even the squarest of Bowl season-ticket holders. These cats may have aged, but don't think that's sapped a pair of formidable egos. While each played vastly influential roles in developing and popularizing the blues, the differences in their respective approach, execution and aesthetic are damn-near adversarial. King, who rose from Beale Street anonymity over 60 years ago to achieve unparalleled international renown, brings his trademark stinging, spare, jazz-informed sound, a marked and dynamic contrast to the Louisiana-born, Chicago-toughened Guy's exquisitely tore-down roughneck funk. Pitting Buddy's naked rampage against BB's elegant restraint qualifies as nothing less than an exhilarating tutorial in modern blues style, one perhaps best characterized as a clash supreme. (Jonny Whiteside)

Also playing Wednesday: THE JOY FORMIDABLE at the Bootleg Theater; PIZZA!, EVAN VOYTAS, OXALIS at the Bandshell; JOHN PIZZARELLI & JESSICA MOLASKY at Catalina Jazz Club; RUSH at Gibson Amphitheatre; CHOO CHOO SOUL at Levitt Pavilion Pasadena; JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS, CHERIE CURRIE at Pacific Amphitheatre.

THURSDAY/AUGUST/12

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, EAGLES OF DEATH METAL AT CLUB NOKIA
The evening's choice event that does not involve an overrated pop diva with a thing for grotesque outfits is, without a doubt, Josh Homme's benefit concert for Eagles of Death Metal bassist Brian O'Connor, recently diagnosed with cancer and currently undergoing treatment right here in L.A. Net proceeds from the tickets, which should not be easy to find at this point, will go to a fund for O'Connor's medical bills and living expenses endorsed by renowned musicians' charity Sweet Relief. (Gustavo Turner)