Be sure to check out our constantly updated concert calendar!

Monday, June 23

Jaded Incorporated
SCHOOL NIGHT AT BARDOT
Jaded Incorporated is Mayer Hawthorne and fellow Michiganite 14KT, aka Kendall Tucker of the hip-hop collective Athletic Mic League. Although they're longtime collaborators, this is the duo's first project together. Coining the term “beat wave” on their debut, The Big Knock, they draw from synthesizer-based postpunk and new wave, with a nod to ghettotech and booty (see the title track for the latter). The Big Knock doesn't have Hawthorne's heartbreak or Tucker's soul-driven R&B – not even on “Monster,” which includes a late-'90s J Dilla beat. Instead, it has a Thomas Dolby – like buzz and a metronome beat, exemplified by “Coconut Sofa.” Still, Hawthorne's humor surfaces in the robotic honks of the storytelling “Half Moon Bar OK.” It wouldn't be a huge stretch for these two to top off their sharp suits with robot helmets. – Lily Moayeri
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Tuesday, June 24

Doug Paisley
HOTEL CAFE 
Low-key, straightforward and earnest are a few words that might describe Doug Paisley. On his latest record, Strong Feelings (No Quarter), the Toronto singer-songwriter presses the reset button on the country/folk-rock/roots thing with a burnished batch of heartfelt tunes that steer miraculously clear of the saccharine, relying instead on Paisley's fine instincts for the plainspoken powerful. A tad more ornately arranged than the minimalist glories of 2010's much-praised Constant Companion, the new album is a richly textured experience shaded with rolling, funky elegance by guest organ/piano man Garth Hudson of The Band. Paisley seemed to pop out of the box with startlingly assured songwriting and radio-ready singing chops, and he proves once again the timeless appeal of a well-crafted song sung and played like it really means something. – John Payne

Wednesday, June 25

Sly & Robbie
ECHOPLEX
Rarely has any rhythm section been blessed with the electrifying natural synchronicity that has always characterized drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare's ineffably appealing music. The dubwise duo first joined forces a lifetime ago in Kingston, and instantly began making significant contributions to dub and reggae during the idiom's feverish mid-'70s pinnacle. With an estimated 200,000 session and production jobs to their credit, they have never broken their momentous stride, continuing an extraordinary artistic crusade that has only increased the potency of their chronically mesmerizing skills. These critical dub spearheads have a profound, nigh on sacred dedication to the groove, and the other seven cats riding along in the Taxi Gang band are certifiable zealots with an equal measure of mysterioso dub power. Expect nothing less than an earful of downright alchemical prowess tonight. – Jonny Whiteside
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Ian McLagan
THE MINT
Ian McLagan made his bones with the oft-underrated '60s rock band Small Faces and continued on with the more stylistically erratic Faces, laying down rollicking keyboard parts whose R&B authenticity counteracted bandmate Rod Stewart's more commercial instincts. The British piano man later was a part of The Rolling Stones, particularly on the 1978 Some Girls tour, where he occasionally traded licks with fellow keyboardists Nicky Hopkins and Ian Stewart. McLagan has since gone on to front his own group, The Bump Band, penning songs with former bandmate Ron Wood. On recent releases such as Live at the Lucky Lounge and United States, McLagan and pals disburse a merrily rocking sound that draws equally from blues, R&B, soul and classic rock. – Falling James

Thursday, June 26

Fuck Buttons
EL REY
U.K. electro duo Fuck Buttons met in art school and over the past decade, on only three albums, have created aural masterpieces. Using the simplest of instruments, such as children's toys and Casio keyboards, Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power build a mélange of rigorous and angular sounds that mesmerize. Unlike many of their electronic counterparts, Fuck Buttons need no antics or grand gesticulations to rev up their audience; the music speaks for itself. But they're not above enhancing the live experience, and this tour features a stimulating visual show that has already wowed at their European dates, with pulsing lights and projected images that throw the duo into mysterious silhouette. They're playful, they're aggressive, they'll have your aliens-do-exist imagination running wild. – Britt Witt

Kaveh Rastegar
BLUE WHALE
What could be better than touring the world alternately with a trendsetting jazz group (Kneebody) and an Italian pop star (Luciano Ligabue)? For bassist Kaveh Rastegar, what's better is to keep doing the former while spending more time in Los Angeles at the forefront of all things musically interesting and happening. His recent projects include writing for Bruno Mars, Cee Lo Green, Meshell Ndegeocello and De La Soul, and he'll be performing with Sia (as musical director) and John Legend this summer. At Blue Whale, he's enlisted keyboardist Jeff Babko, drummer Louis Cole and guitarist Timothy Young, playing music from Rastegar's soon-to-be-released solo album and arrangements of his favorite songs, with maybe something by The Clash's Mick Jones, as it's his birthday. Yes, you should go. – Gary Fukushima

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