FRIDAY

Don’t look now but this year’s Fridays on the Promenade concert series is already on its seventh offering. Up this evening from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Roth Fountain, corner of Fourth & Virginia streets, is Liquid Thin, a four-piece band that is hard to define. With jazz coming from the sax, blues and rock coming from the guitar and everything else streaming from the drummer and keyboardist, fusion may be the best classification. Playing all original songs, this is one band that is serious about music and seriously deserves your support. $2.

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How did an Irish/Filipino man become a successful country artist? Heck, I don’t know, but it has to have something to do with Neal McCoy’s voice. The singer brings 20 years experience, 11 albums and 20 charted singles to his 8 p.m. concert at WinnaVegas in Sloan, Iowa. $30.

SATURDAY

Rhonda of Rhonda’s Speakeasy, 212 Cunningham Drive, wants you to party in her parking lot come Saturday. For why, you ask? Because out there is where popular national blues touring artist Randall Zwarte is going to be. Opening the 7 p.m. show will be Sioux City’s own Kelly Quinn Band. $10 at the gate.

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We all know ArtSplash, the annual art show and sale along the riverfront, is all about art. Did you know it is also all about entertainment? Over eight hours of live performances go down on two stages this year. For example, Sioux City favorite Rockestra takes the main stage at 5 p.m. This 40-piece rock orchestra is fresh off of gigs at the Iowa State Fair. $5 at the gate.

In the mood for some live tunes this weekend? Here are my picks on where to go and what to hear:

FRIDAY

Forget about shows this Friday. Rest up. Saturday is where it is at.

SATURDAY

Blues guitarist Scott Holt spend 10 years cutting his teeth as a member of Buddy Guy’s band. He followed the solo road after that. Six albums later — including studio work with Little Feat and Tab Benoit — Holt brings his band to The Chesterfield, 1225 Fourth St., for a 9 p.m. show. $10 at the door.

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No, you have not somehow been transported back to 1996. Yes, that was the last time Sioux City-based Celtic folk rock group Jain Jeffer graced a stage, but this a reunion show that’s going down at the Sioux City Live Music Club (Eagles Club), 416 Jackson St. Guitarists Ray McAvoy and Jerry Kessler, vocalist Ruth O’Really and violin virtuoso Buckly Mills — in town from Nashville where he is a studio musician – take the stage at 9 p.m. $5 at the door.

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Each weekend Rhonda Capron, the namesake of Rhonda’s Speakeasy, 212 Cunningham Drive, books a regional band for customers who want to listen to live music and not pay a cover charge to do so. Noble. This Saturday at 5 p.m. she’s charging, but there is more bang for the musical buck going down. The annual Rhonda’s Rockfest features Board of Directors, Top Down, Toxic Brew, Going Nowhere and Small Change. $15 or $10 and two cans of food.

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If you have a sober driver you may want to considering heading up Highway 75 to Le Mars, Iowa, for the Summer of Underground music festival. Created as a way to highlight some of the lesser-known, more alternative bands that call Siouxland home, eight groups have been booked for the outdoor space around the Olson Event Center. And Remote, 66 Crush, Bullets for Babys, Lazer Rocket Arm, Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell, Killing Floor, 315 and Styles That Satisfy start at 2 p.m. $6

In the mood for some live tunes this weekend? Here are my picts on where to go and what to hear?

FRIDAY

Only one thing to think about for Friday. That’s the debut of this year’s Fridays on the Promenade outdoor concert series. Held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Roth Fountain, Fourth & Virginia streets, the 2009 version will offer eight post-work concerts for the small price of $2. First up is Kelly Richey, a blues guitarist/vocalist who has been called a female version of Stevie Ray Vaughn. A lawn chair and beer money would be good things to bring.

SATURDAY

I must confess I’m having problems separating hype from fact when it comes to Sioux City-based Christian metalcore band For Today. It is true the band’s 2008 debut, “Ekklesia,” sold over 10,000 copies and spent a quick two weeks on Billboard’s Midwest Heatseaker chart. Band management claims the new disc, “Portraits,” released last week, is currently “beating out such artists as U2, Beyonce, Linkin Park” on iTunes. This I could not verify. You be the judge of this local band’s talent when they play a CD release show at The Underground, 18th & Nebraska streets. Eight bands play from 4 to 10 p.m. $10.

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Two years ago local rock band Entrapment was warming up the Awesome Biker Night crowd as the opener for Firehouse and Warrant. Being together since 1996 takes a band places. This Saturday they play with Shallow Haze at a 9:30 p.m. gig at The Crosstown Cafe, 714 Lewis Blvd. Might be the fix you need until 2009 Awesome Biker Nights goes down next weekend. No cover.

In the mood for some live tunes this weekend? Here are my picks on where to go and what to hear:

FRIDAY

If you were at Saturday in the Park back in 2007 you may have caught a Boston alt-rock/country band fronted by a brunette hottie wearing white cowboy boots. That would have been Sarah Borges, backed by the Broken Singles. Since that gig the band has swapped out guitarists and recorded a new disc. They come to the Sioux City Live Music Club (Eagles Club), 416 Jackson St., at 9 p.m. to update fans. Expect a little more rock, a little less country. Did I mention the new disc was reviewed by both Rolling Stone and the New York Times? $12 at the door.

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Ain’t no party like an old fashioned street dance party, or so my grandma told me. We’ll all get to find out at the annual Rockin’ In Summer. The show starts at 6 p.m. and features the sounds of two Iowa Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Famers, The Magnificent Board of Directors and The Rockers. The “other end of Fourth street,” the block of Fourth and Water, will be closed to traffic and filled with food and beer vendors. This free show goes down rain or shine.

SATURDAY

This band has been compared to Dave Matthews Band so many times it makes me want to start believing it. I can’t, but I can say Quartus, a local pop rock funk band packing plenty of jam and horn punch, is a solid bet to get the crowd moving during this 9 p.m. gig at The Chesterfield, 1225 Fourth St. The group has shared stages with everyone from The Nadas to Big Head Todd and the Monsters. Unknown cover at the door.

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This event isn’t about music, but I’m such a fan of it I’m going to suggest we all go see the Omaha-based professional Greek band, Ta Zorbas, performing throughout the afternoon and evening at Greek Fest, held at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Sixth and Jennings streets. This event is about food. Period. But I can say that the later this thing goes, the more it takes on the feeling of a college kegger. Go early for food. Stay late for fun dancing and sips of Ouzo liquor and Aris lager. FREE (unless you want to eat or drink).

Abraham Lincoln never looked so hip.Well, it’s not an actual Abe, just the statue that has decorated the south entrance of Grandview Park since 1924. But that fake Abe will be in the exact right place come July 4 if underground alternative music is his thing.

In the mood for some live tunes this weekend? Here are my picks on where to go and what to hear:

FRIDAY

Nothing cooking. This day should be spent resting up for the busy holiday weekend. Listen to your iPod.

SATURDAY

A good show with a sad history. The Second annual Shawn Blair Memorial and Violence Awareness Show goes down at 9:30 p.m. at Red’s Pierce Street Pub, 1919 Court St., featuring six acts, most representing the local hip-hop scene. The reason The Kelly Quinn Band, The Gateway Drug, Lazer Rocket Arm, Chad “Tiny” Severson, Vital Hourz and DJ Bowlz are coming together is to raise money for the son of Shawn Blair, a 22-year-old Sioux City man who was stabbed to death after a bar altercation in 2007. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted for a fund benefiting Shawn’s son.

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This show here could go one of two ways. First, it could become one of those magical music nights where people gathered at a local bar are unexpectedly treated to a small, yet really good showcase of local alt rock. Or, it could be that a bunch of drinkers are pissed that a bunch of musicians making noise are taking up valuable space around the pool table. We’ll see which one goes down when Man Eats Bear, Zing A Ling A Ding and Keith Misery show what they’ve got to the folks at Court Street Tavern, 2106 Court St., at 9 p.m. FREE.

SUNDAY

It has been 37 years since Asleep at the Wheel formed and began making the music that has won them seven Grammy Awards, if my count is correct. What makes them famous among country fans? That would be their brand of western-swing, boogie and roots music. Think tales of booze, women and big trucks. They’ll prove the accolades were well earned with a 8 p.m. show at the Sioux City Convention Center. $30 at the door.

MONDAY

The Offspring haven’t toured the U.S. in five years, but it doesn’t mean they have been absent from the charts. Three tracks from the band’s latest — and fifth — studio album have landed on Billboard. The band and those songs land at the Tyson Events Center for a 7 p.m. behind openers Street Dogs and Alkaline Trio. The Offspring, along with a few other bands, is credited with reviving mainstream punk rock in the mid-90s. They are pretty fly for some white guys. $29 reserved, $35 general admission at all Ticketmaster outlets.

Don’t look now but it appears the Sioux City Live Music Club is stepping up its game a bit.

While this idea to have a semi-private club where member dues fund semi-private concerts at the fully-private Sioux City Eagles Club, 416 Jackson St., has been a sucessful endeavor in this it’s first year, you’d have had to have been a serious music fan to recognize any of the classic rock, modern blues or alt-country names they’ve attracted to the space at the old First Edition.

That may soon change. Especially if the name-recogintion factor keeps rising as it does with these two June shows.

First, a Saturday in the Park alum.

Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles introduced themselves to Siouxlanders at the 2007 SITP festival. Remember the band’s mix of punk and country and Sarah’s cute bright red boots? Now they are on the road supporting a new album, “The Stars Are Out,” that NPR called “a reminder of how much fun music can be.” They play at the Sioux City Music Club on June 5. $8 in advance; $12 day of show.

Now, onto Mark Selby.

Selby, who can play an arsenal of instruments, is out on the road attempting to step out of the studio and the writer’s room. Selby is well known as both a studio musican — playing for the likes of Kenny Rogers and Wynonna Judd — and a songwriter. He co-authored the 1998 Kenny Wayne Shepard hit “Blue on Black” and the Grammy Award winning tune “There’s Your Trouble” recorded by the Dixie Chicks. He plays June 27. $8 in advance; $12 day of show.

To purchase tickets or for more info on these Sioux City Music Club gigs, contact Brent Stockton at brent@nightlifesux.com

In the mood for some live tunes this weekend? Here are my picks on where to go and what to hear:

In the mood for some live music this weekend? Here are my picks on where to go and what to hear:

FRIDAY

Metal fans, you are in luck. Up and coming Portland, Ore., trash ‘n roll quartet Stonecreep is coming to a venue near you. The Chesterfield, 1225 Fourth St., to be exact. The band has good underground buzz and is out supporting its fourth indie album. Calous and Killing Floor open the 9 p.m. show. Cover at the door.

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Ever wonder what happens to former reality TV music show stars? “Nashville Star” finalist Shawn Mayer can answer that when she stops at The Gathering Place in Cherokee, Iowa, for an 8 p.m. performance. The show is part of a tour where the 22-year-old May City, Iowa, native is out raising her profile and money for veterans. I’m told her band features a few Northwest Iowa musicians. $25 (it’s for charity).

SATURDAY

Christian metal fans, you are in luck. Up and coming Sioux City, Iowa, God rock band For Today is performing in town for the first time in about seven months. The band has been on a national tour and enjoying having sold over 9,000 records. The venue is The Underground, 1807 Nebraska St., a sort of creepy daycare center turned religious youth club. $10 at the door.

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The semi-private Sioux City Music Club, 416 Jackson St., returns this weekend to offer a show by Too Slim & The Taildraggers. Listening to Too Slim, as one review put it, is like taking a journey through the history of American music. The group’s latest album charted as high as No. 9 on Billboard’s blues charts. $8 at the door.

In the mood for some live music this weekend? Here are some suggestions on where to go and what to hear:

FRIDAY

If you were up at Saturday in the Park’s Second Stage about, um, seven years ago, you were treated to an afternoon of hip-hop headlined by Soulcrate Music of Sioux Falls. I’m not sure the group has been back to Sioux City since. Like a fine wine this trio keeps getting better and better. Locals The Gateway Drug and Lazer Rocket Arm open the hip-hop showcase starting at 9:30 p.m. at The Chesterfield, 1225 Fourth St. $5.

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Every so often we have the chance to step out of our comfort zones and experience something truly new. The Los Tigres del Norte show at the Sioux City Convention Center, 401 Fourth St., is such a time. This band has won many Grammy awards, sold over 38 million records and somehow landed at this venue for a 9 p.m. gig. The $40 ticket price may be steep, but this band is considered legendary for it’s Northern Mexico-style music.

SATURDAY

Consider this gig a taste of Omaha. Not only will Midwest Dilemma perform, so will Brad Howshaw & The Seven Deadlies. Each of these groups took home Omaha Entertainment & Arts awards this year: MD for Album of the Year and BH for Best Singer/Songwriter. For $5, this 9 p.m. show at the Eagles Club, 416 Jackson St., shouldn’t be missed.

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I say the Midwest Dilemma show shouldn’t be missed, but also on Saturday is the fourth annual Battle of the Bands at The Chesterfield. Another show that shouldn’t be missed. What to do, what to do. This event showcases eight up and coming local bands, each performing for 30 minutes. Rock and punk will be the flavor of the night. Scheduled to battle are: Psychosober, Ten Ton Goldfish, 66 Crush, Daisy Makes the Grade, Lazer Rocket Arm, The Magdalene Smiles, Dead Mans Hand and Truckstop Mamas. If it comes down to it, I’d support local first, especially considering cover is only $7. Battle begins at 8 p.m.