Barbara Lieurance, Sarah Warren
Arts Center of the Capital Region, Thursday

When pianist Barbara Lieurance and cellist Sarah Warrant take the stage of the black-box theater at the Arts Center in Troy tonight (Thursday), it will mark Impulse Response’s first show of its third season. Working to “foster the performance of free music, improvisation, experimental, sound art, noise, and other contemporary musical genres considered outside the mainstream,” Impulse Response features world-renowned performers and composers and local artists (who may themselves be world-renowned), and Lieurance and Warren fall into the nonlocal category. Solo pianist Lieurance is back this season, after having wowed audiences last year with her concert of rarely performed piano works by John Cage, Curtis Smith and Helmut Lachenmann. She’ll perform works by Morton Feldman and Henry Cowell this time ’round. Joining Lieurance will be Sarah Warren, a graduate student of RPI’s Electronic Arts department, who performs music of the electronic and acoustic sort on traditional and not-so-traditional instruments. The steel cello that Warren will play tonight is of the homespun variety, and she’s continually modifying the instrument to create certain sounds. (Sept. 12, 8 PM, $5, $3, 273-0552)

Quiet Riot, Hypnotica, Untamed
Northern Lights, Friday

Remember the good old days when rock & roll was all about big hair, makeup, and groupies? Well you can relive a little bit of that glorious decade known as the ’80s when veteran heavy-metal glam-rockers Quiet Riot take the stage tomorrow (Friday) night at Northern Lights. Kevin DuBrow and the rest of the boys will attempt to rediscover a little bit of their former glory as they churn out all your old favorites and some new material from their latest album, Guilty Pleasures. So dust off your crimping iron, dig your leather pants out of the closet, and fire up the Trans Am. Quiet Riot are coming to town. And girls, don’t forget to rock your boys. (Sept.13, 7:30 PM, $15, $12, 371-0012)

Phantom Planet, Superdrag, OK Go
Valentine’s, Friday

Los Angeles-based Phantom Planet have been making some noise for a while—the band opened some Guided by Voices shows and have toured on their own extensively—and their fame is not due entirely to that awkwardly cute Jason Schwartzman fella from Rushmore (although the well-bred drummer’s presence—son to Talia Shire, nephew to Francis Ford Coppola—doesn’t hurt any). And vocalist-guitarist Alex Greenwald was a Gap model and played a sociopath in the black comedy Donnie Darko. One more, and then we stop: Bassist Sam Farrar is the son of singer-songwriter John Farrar, who claims the fame of penning “You’re the One That I Want” and “Hopelessly Devoted to You” for 1978’s Grease. And there are a coupla other guys too (maybe their parents were in commercials): guitarists Jacques Brauther and Darren Robinson. Phantom Planet have two releases: 1998’s Phantom Planet Is Missing (yeah, they’re all on set), and the pop-rock gem that they released this past winter, The Guest. And there’s another pleasure when PP play Valentine’s tomorrow night: the long-awaited return of Superdrag. OK Go will open. (Sept. 13, 8 PM, $10, 432-6572)

The Charms, Thee Ummmm, the Lawn Sausages
Artie’s Lansingburgh Station, Saturday

If you’re looking for garage rock these days, you could do worse than to poke your head into Artie’s Lansingburgh Station. Seems the titular proprietor’s got himself a distinct soft spot—or a grease spot—in his heart for the stuff. And on Saturday, he’s booked himself a doozy of a bill chockful of the ’50s-influenced, straight-ahead, gutty rock & roll that gives delinquents the world over that warm-fuzzy feeling: The bad girls of Boston’s the Charms (it’s actually a coed outfit fronted by a couple of women, but we just love the phrase “bad girls”) bring significant buzz and a Farfisa, which is nice. Albany’s own Thee Ummmm will bolster the bluster, and the Lawn Sausages will entertain and alarm all in attendance. (Sept. 14, 9 PM, $3, 238-2788)

2002 Lake George Jazz Weekend
Shepard Park, lake George, Saturday-Sunday

The Lake George Arts Project will present the 2002 Lake George Jazz Weekend in Shepard Park this weekend, a free concert that will feature three bands on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s show includes Two for Brazil, an inventive Brazilian jazz duo from Chicago; New York City jazz vocalist Tulivu Cumberbatch; and Stefon Harris, a multi-award-winning vibraphonist described by Jazz Times as “one of the brightest musicians of any time.” As for Sunday’s lineup, the Ray Alexander Trio, known to many as the house band of the Sagamore hotel, will get things started; then the Richie Cole/Alto Madness Quartet return to Lake George following a 15-year absence; and the Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, a 20-piece ensemble based in Boston and led by innovative composer and trumpeter Mark Harvey, wrap up the festivities. (Sept. 14-15, 1-6 PM, free, 668-2616)

The Jackinany Picnic
Artie’s Lansingburgh Station, Sunday

Though summer shows some signs of slipping, it is—by our reckoning—still picnic season. And the folks at Sunday Morning Coming Down Productions, who produce the “real country” radio show on WRPI, are making hay while the sun shines. Actually, they’re making BBQ, but who wants hay? Sunday Morning Coming Down’s DJ, Jeff Burger, will host the “Capital Region’s greatest in Americana, alt-country and obscure country” at Artie’s Lansingburgh Station on Sunday, and he’ll make sure you get your feed on, too. The Coal Palace Kings, the Kamikaze Hearts, knotworking and Chest’r will provide the musical accompaniment and, we suspect, Artie will have ample libations in various flavors available for purchase. As an added bonus, you might just have the opportunity to find out what a jackinany is. (Sept. 15, 2 PM, 238-2788)

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