Metroland Online - Noteworthy

Mike Ness and Social Distortion have been kicking ass and taking names for some 30 years now, but that’s not the main reason we’re psyched about tonight’s show. The highlights, we think, are on the undercard: First, there’s English folk-punker Frank Turner, whose politically charged pub anthems have had him repeatedly called the “next Billy Bragg” (though we happen to think there’s room for both of them). And in the middle slot is Lucero, the Memphis-based cowpunk act pegged by some as the southern Hold Steady. The band’s latest, 1372 Overton Park, was their first for a major label, after more than a decade in the business. But yeah—Social D. This should kick much ass. (Oct. 28, 8 PM, $30, 1208 Route 146, Clifton Park, 371-0012)

Nikki Yanofsky

Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Friday

The press release says Nikki Yanofsky “debuted to an adoring crowd at the Montreal International Jazz Festival in 2006.” She’s now 16 years old . . . what? Adoring crowds at 12? Clicking around YouTube confirms that Yanofsky is a prodigy, and that she hasn’t let fame get in the way of developing as a singer. She’s solid on standards like “Lullaby of Birdland,” where her voice and technique make up for the absence of experience, but also playful and assured with more pop material. The fact that Phil Ramone produced her latest album, Nikki, is also a good sign. (Oct. 29, 8 PM, $15-$35, 2nd and State streets, Troy, 273-0038)

Priscilla Herdman and Anne Hills

Eighth Step, Saturday

Priscilla Herdman and Anne Hills have been singing together on-and-off since 1987, when the two got together for Herdman’s Darkness Into Light. Each have had the kind of rambling folkie careers that include countless collaborations, children’s records, charitable projects, tributes to legends like Pete Seeger and Phil Ochs, and enough material to fill several sing-along books, but their paths keep converging. And there’s good reason for this. Herdman’s and Hills’ voices were meant for each other. Both have put out solo records in recent years, but that shouldn’t keep the two from revisiting their deep shared catalog. (Oct. 30, 7:30 PM, $22, Proctors, 432 State St., Schenectady, 346-6204)

Richard Thompson

The Egg, Saturday

Earlier this year, Richard Thompson appeared on an episode of the Sundance Channel show Spectacle: Elvis Costello with . . . as part of the best single-program talent lineup of its two seasons. Aside from Costello and Thompson, this particular installment featured legends Nick Lowe, Allen Toussaint, and Levon Helm, as well as comparative newcomer Ray LaMontagne. And with all this mighty talent assembled on one stage, Thompson still managed to come off looking like a god among men when he played his 1982 song “Shoot Out the Lights,” wrangling his electric guitar like, as one YouTube commenter called him, a “beast.” Thompson is touring with a band in support of a new album, Dream Attic. Just go see the dude; you will not be sorry. (Oct. 30, 8 PM, $34.50, Empire State Plaza, Albany, 473-1845)

Styx

Palace Theatre, Saturday

It’s nearly impossible to discuss the band Styx without making some reference to their early-’80s rock-theater project Kilroy Was Here. But let’s be fair—Kilroy was original singer Dennis DeYoung’s baby, and he’s been out of the roster for more than a decade. The Styx who will visit Albany this week are concentrated (thankfully, some might say) on the hard-rock hits of their late-’70s prime. With the guitar tandem of Tommy Shaw and James “J.Y.” Young still at the helm, the band are revisiting the first of their four consecutive multi-platinum albums from that era, in their entirety: Pieces of Eight, featuring the Shaw-penned hits “Renegade” and “Blue Collar Man,” and The Grand Illusion, featuring the DeYoung smash “Come Sail Away” (which will be handled by current vocalist Lawrence Gowan). Domo arigato, gentlemen. (Oct. 30, 7:30 PM, $22-$69.50, 19 Clinton Ave., Albany, 465-4663)

Also Noted

Acacia Strain

Tonight (Thursday) at Jillian’s, it’s a Zappa happening with Project/Object featuring Ike Willis and Ray White (8:30 PM, $20, 432-1997). . . . The B3nson Records crew offer up their annual Halloween Spectacular at Valentine’s tomorrow (Friday); Beware! The Other Head of Science, Sea of Trees, Around the World and Back, Sgt. Dunbar and the Hobo Banned are scheduled to perform (8 PM, $7, 432-6572). . . . Clever to a fault, these metal kids: The “To Catch a Predatour” tour, featuring the Acacia Strain, the Red Chord, Terror, Gaza, and the Contortionist, hits Northern Lights on Friday (7 PM, $15, 371-0012). . . . Lost Radio Rounders celebrate the enduring legacy of Folkways Records at Caffe Lena on Saturday, with guest appearances from George Ward and Railbird’s Sarah Pedinotti (8 PM, $17, 583-0022). . . . moe. have rescheduled their Halloween show at the Washington Avenue Armory for Dec. 4, owing to a family illness. . . . At the Linda on Saturday, Alex Torres and his Latin Orchestra celebrate their 30th anniversary, and a new CD, Añejo (8 PM, $11, 465-5233). . . . Michael Franti and Spearhead had to postpone last week’s appearance at Northern Lights, but if you can’t wait for the rescheduled date (in January), you can see the band pull a two-night stand at the Calvin Theatre in Northampton, Mass., this Monday and Tuesday (8 PM, $32.50, 413-586-8686). . . . Equal Vision Records band Mozart Season will play Bogie’s on Wednesday with L.A.-based LetLive (6 PM, 482-4393).

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