TODAY, throw-back music is often thought of as containing elements of doo-wop or early R&B and soul, but Old Crow Medicine Show takes things back even further, performing a mix of original Americana and bluegrass and pre–World War II folk and blues covers. Established in 1998, the Nashville-based sextet unifies to create rousing, jangly works rich and vibrant in tone and emotion. Each song is driven with passionate down-home string playing and yelping vocals, of a similar vein to the soundtrack for O Brother, Where Art Thou?, transporting listeners back to a time long before auto-tuning and mixers.
Thursday Nov. 6
Rio Theatre
1205 Soquel Ave.
Santa Cruz
831.429.1812
$25
Little Feat
SERVING AS a veritable Rosetta Stone of dirty blues-rock, Little Feat has received a place in the rock & roll canon and can be reliably tied to every major performer in the genre who's worth a damn. An inspiration to the likes of the Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt and Led Zeppelin, the band has had an impact on rock history that transcends album sales. Little Feat is now run by founding member Bill Payne, the keyboard player and singer who has kept the band alive and vital since comrade-in-arms Lowell George passed away in 1979. For anyone with a yen for the grittiest roots of country/blues/rock & roll, this show is bound to be a treat.
EVER SINCE the 1999 duo album Blackout!, Method Man and Redman have been BFFs. Appearing on each other's albums, co-starring in the 2001 comedy How High and walking hand-in-hand through the Staten Island projects, these two blunt-smoking multimillionaires are hardcore rap's cutest couple. And with Blackout 2 set to drop in December, the two peas in a pod are on a honeymoon tour around the country. Adorable as they are, the Wu-Tang and Def Jam soldiers are old school hip-hop pioneers that bring rough and rugged lyrics around atmospheric beats and have earned their spots as rap royalty.