Above: Okkervil River is at the Bottleneck in Lawrence on Friday with Fourth of July and Suzannah Johannes. Tickets to the all-ages show are $12. Doors open at 8 p.m.
Knucklehead’s Web site calendar says of Bruce Robison: “A longtime hometown favorite in Austin he’s had several No. 1 hits as recorded by other musicians: ‘Angry All the Time’ (Faith Hill and Tim McGraw), ‘Travelin’ Soldier’ (Dixie Chicks) and ‘Wrapped’ (George Strait) all hit No. 1, and he had another Top 5 hit with Strait’s version of ‘Desperately.’ ”
All true, but Robison’s fans probably know that the best cover of “Wrapped” was by his wife, Kelly Willis, a fellow singer/songwriter (and user of Claritan). They also know that the reason he’s a go-to songwriter among mainstream country superstars is that he writes songs that stay away from the made-for-radio formulas. Robison will be at Knuckleheads, the East Bottoms honky-tonk by the railroad tracks, on Saturday night. Show time is 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door. The show is a “release event” for “The New World,” his brand-new CD. Visit knuckleheadskc.com (816-483-1456).
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The RecordBar, 1020 Westport Road, is featuring two of the most flamboyant bands in our local music scene on Friday night:Alacartoona performs an early happy hourshow starting at 6 p.m. Cover is $8. Later that night, the disco-glam/punk troupe the Ssion headlines a show that also features psychedelic rockers Mythical Beast. Show time is 10 p.m. Cover is $7.
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Photo courtesy of MySpace/Meredith Gutshall
Indie-folk singer-songwriter (and high school English teacher) Sara Swenson is throwing a CD-release party Saturday night at RecordBar, 1020 Westport Road. Cover is $5. Greg LaFolette (of the Khrusty Bros.) opens at 7 p.m.
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Tower of Power performs in the Star Pavilion at the Ameristar Casino on Saturday night. Doors open at 7 p.m. Show time is 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 to $45. If you’re younger than 21, you’ll need an adult escort to get in.
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A busy street corner in suburban Kansas will be rocking some world rhythms Sunday. Afro-pop star Awilo Longomba will perform at the Roxy Bar & Grill, 75th Street and Metcalf Avenue (behind the bank). Doors will open at 3 p.m. for a live jam session; Longomba will perform starting at 9:30 p.m. It will be the final show of his U.S. tour. An entertainment magazine in Australia, where he toured a few years ago, called him “the star of a new generation of soukous and ndombolo artists, with infectious music, great dancing, catchy song lines and one of the best live shows in the world.”

What? No mention of BridgeFest at The Beaumont on Friday? I'd be going just for Kathleen Edwards if I wasn't already going to Okkervil River.
Posted by: Paul J. | September 11, 2008 at 08:51 AM
Got a separate post on that coming up ... I hope they can move it inside; it's supposed to deluge on Friday.
Posted by: Tim Finn | September 11, 2008 at 09:01 AM
Pretty sure I heard/read somewhere they already made the decision to move it inside the Beaumont.
Posted by: Paul J. | September 11, 2008 at 09:17 AM