Brandi Carlile, Gregory Alan Isakov

The Egg, Thursday

Born in Washington state, Brandi Carlile might have you thinking she hails from somewhere farther south. The 28-year-old had already made her mark in the Americana field with her first two releases before teaming with guru/producer Rick Rubin for last fall’s Give Up the Ghost, an album that threatens to take her out of the niche and into the general consensus. Carlile is joined on her current tour by Gregory Alan Isakov, the South Africa-via-Philadelphia performer who’s made his mark at numerous modern folk and bluegrass festivals. Isakov is currently supporting his latest CD, This Empty Northern Hemisphere. (Feb. 4, 7:30 PM, $25-$35, Empire State Plaza, Albany, 473-1845)

Barrence Whitfield

Barrence Whitfield and the Monkey Hips

Positively 4th Street, Friday

Your moment of Zen should come sometime late Friday night, just when you think you’ve sweated out that last drop and Cannot. Dance. Any. More. At which point, Barrence Whitfield and his band will play one more song, and you will feel the power of soul music shake your limbs like they ain’t never been shook before. It ain’t just a threat: Whitfield—née Barry White!—is a world-class R&B howler and a whirlwind of a live performer who doesn’t just deserve comparisons to Wilson Pickett and to Little Richard, he earns them, each and every night. Boston’s finest comes to town with his band the Monkey Hips; the Knights of Fuzz open. (Feb. 5, 8 PM, $5, 87 4th St., Troy, 687-0064)

John DeVries

King’s Tavern, Friday

Forget will.i.am’s proclamation at the end of that silly Black Eyed Peas’ Grammy performance with the BDSM masks and robot dancers—here’s evidence that we’re living in the future: Word on this super rare solo performance by Agitpop/Magnolias/Mercury Rev/Cellophane jack-of-all-trades John DeVries came to us through a tweet directing us to a Craigslist post. We’re not yet sure if the future is a place where communication is easier, but it’s clearly a place where legendary Bob Dylan collaborators and Vic Chesnutt producers drop by when the spirit moves them. Behold—and keep refreshing that Twitter feed. (Feb. 5, 8 PM, $7, 241 Union Ave., Saratoga Springs, 581-7090)

Randy Brecker

Van Dyck, Saturday

One hundred words is hardly enough space to summarize the impact this trumpeter/flugelhornist has had on the history of jazz, or to even list half of the acts with whom he’s performed. One half of a duo he carried out with his brother, saxophonist Michael Brecker, until the time of his death, Randy Brecker has lent his horn to musicians as diverse as Jaco Pastorius, Bruce Springsteen, Frank Sinatra, Blue Öyster Cult, and Parliament-Funkadelic. His latest album, Nostalgic Journey: Tykocin Jazz Suite, leads him back to his Polish roots for a collaboration with film composer Wlodek Pawlik. In true Van Dyck form, he’ll play two separate shows Saturday night. (Feb. 6, 6:30 and 9 PM, $24, 237 Union St., Schenectady, 348-7999)

Patti LuPone, Mandy Patinkin

Proctor’s Theatre, Saturday

It would seem that fabulous is the only proper way to describe this pairing of two of Broadway’s very best performers. In an evening that’s being billed as “much more than a concert,” Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin, lifelong friends and masters of musical theater, will reunite for the first time since their legendary co-staring turn in Evita. The night’s set is said to be a selection of love songs drawn from some of Broadway’s best-loved productions, but honestly, these two could sing the Yellow Pages and it would be worth the price of admission. (Feb. 6, 8 PM, $20-$65, 432 State St., Schenectady, 346-6204)

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