keb’ mo’

Keb’ Mo’

The Egg, Friday

The American Roots & Branches Series at the Egg continues this weekend with a performance by blues singer, songwriter and guitarist Keb’ Mo’. Mo’ can sing, Mo’ can play guitar and Mo’ can act. Since buying his first guitar (a Silvertone from Sears at age 12), Mo’ has released 11 albums and has been awarded three Grammys. Also, over the course of his career, Keb’ Mo’ has appeared on more than 15 television shows and composed songs for a handful of films. Tomorrow (Friday), Mo’ will play tracks from his recently released disc, Suitcase, an album, he says, that “represents life happening in all of its shades and shapes.” Brendan James, who has been compared to James Taylor and—coincidentally—was requested by Carly Simon to perform with her at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert, will open. (June 30, 8 PM, $28, Empire State Plaza, Albany, 473-1845)

Linn Brown

Caffe Lena, Saturday

Linn Brown, the San Francisco-based folk mainstay, will be coming to Saratoga this weekend and bringing along her “songs about hearts . . . lost, broken and on the mend.” Brown came up through the folk ranks in the time-tested way, starting out with a songwriter’s collective in Urbana, Ill., where she sang backup for Dan Fogelberg; touring the country and playing coffeehouses from Boston to Ithaca, eventually ending up in the Bay Area; and opening shows for Livingston Taylor. In addition to gigging around and offering music lessons for developmentally disabled kids, Linn also has found another way to pay the bills: She has written themes for TV news shows and local TV stations, and won awards for this work. We’re not sure which is cooler: the fact that she does this, or the fact that she admits it. We don’t like our folkies too musically pure. (July 1, 8 PM, $12, 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, 583-0022)

Mission of Burma

MASS MoCA, Saturday

It would be easy to write Mission of Burma off as just another cog in the wheel of the reunited alternative ’80s band machine. But compare Burma’s reunion to that of fellow Bostonians the Pixies, and the creative success of Burma’s reunion becomes obvious. While Frank Black and Kim Deal cash in on the touring circuit while simultaneously teasing fans with the hint of new material they don’t plan on delivering, the reunited Burma have produced two critically acclaimed albums. Their latest album, The Obliterati, has some critics screaming that the band actually have surpassed the creative highs of their original run. Don’t take the critics’ word for it, though; get yourself out to MASS MoCA and judge for yourself. (July 1, 8 PM, $26, 1040 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, Mass., 413-662-2111)

Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon, Phil Lesh and Friends

Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Sunday

Some people just won’t let things rest. Ever since Phish called it a day two years ago, fans of the long-running hippie-jam band have been circulating rumors about the group’s inevitable resurrection. So when Phish head Trey Anastasio announced that Phish bassist Mike Gordon would be joining his band (along with Marco Benevento and Joe Russo, otherwise known as the Benevento-Russo Duo) for a summer tour, the Phishheads went wild. Trey is still plugging his Sony Records debut, Shine, so odds are this weekend’s show will be heavy on the solo jams, but with Gordon in tow, there’s a chance they’ll dip into the Phish bag of tricks. (Word has it they’ve also been including songs from the Oysterhead project in recent sets.) Also appearing on Sunday’s (very early) bill: Phil Lesh and Friends. (July 2, 5 PM, $54, $30, Saratoga Spa State Park, Route 9, Saratoga Springs, 584-9330)

Paul Simon

Doubleday Field, Tuesday

Celebrate this Fourth of July at the most American of all locales: a baseball field. Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, to be more precise. That’s where Paul Simon and his band will stop on their tour in support of Simon’s latest album (yep, he’s still putting them out), which he released in May. Surprise, which was recorded with renowned producer Brian Eno, is Simon’s first studio album since 2000’s You’re the One, but his 10th solo album in all. Allmusic.com says: “Simon doesn’t achieve his comeback by reconnecting with the sound and spirit of his classic work; he has achieved it by being as restless and ambitious as he was at his popular and creative peak.” For a sample of the new album, catch Simon on The Late Show With David Letterman tomorrow (Friday) night. The Cooperstown show (which will go on rain or shine, so be prepared) is a family affair: Kids under 12 get in free with a paid adult. Jerry Douglas, best known for his involvement with Alison Kraus and Union Station, will open the show with the help of his band; Douglas is touring in support of his new disc, The Best Kept Secret. (July 4, 7:30 PM, $50, Doubleday Field, Cooperstown, 607-547-9571)

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