Caitlin Cary, Lo Fine
Iron Horse Music Hall, Northampton, Mass., Thursday

No, the Whiskeytown reunion is not happening anytime soon. While Ryan Adams was hogging a lot of ink, Caitlin Cary began making albums again, and it seems that her recent work got even Adams’ attention. Much like her vocalist-violinist role in Whiskeytown, Cary’s paced country pop still stands serenely juxtaposed to her former bandmate’s work. Cary released her full-length solo debut, While You Weren’t Looking, to critical accolades in 2002, and her latest, I’m Staying Out (Yep Rock), has earned steady praise as well. In his No Depression review, Silas House says I’m Staying Out “comes as close as any album has this year, not only to perfection but also to simple elegance.” In the past year Cary has toured as a headliner, opened for Lyle Lovett and sung with Mary Chapin Carpenter (two of her idols); and tonight (Thursday), she will grace the Iron Horse stage, in Northampton, Mass., touring for the first time with same core of musicians who played on her record: Superchunk drummer Jon Wurster, new Jayhawk keyboardist Jen Gunderman, and guitarists Brian Dennis and Dave Bartholomew. Northampton’s equally refined contemplative twangers Lo Fine will open. (Aug. 14, 7 PM, $13, $10 advance, 800-THE-TICK)

Hanson, Teitur
Northern Lights, Friday

The three boys who MMM Bopped their way into the nation’s hearts in 1997 are coming back around on their Acoustic ’03 Tour in support of their third studio album, Underneath. Zac, Taylor and Isaac Hanson are brothers from Tulsa, Okla., who started harmonizing around the kitchen table when they were just wee tykes. Their first release, Middle of Nowhere (which contained the infamous “MMMBop”), earned them three Grammy nominations and three Top-10 singles. Those once fresh-faced boys are now older (they’re all of 22, 20 and 17) and more mature, and their voices have undoubtedly dropped. They’ve opted to forgo the larger theaters and arenas for this tour, instead playing smaller venues, so the audience, according to the boys, can become more intimate with the music. You too can become intimate with Hanson’s music when they play Northern Lights tomorrow (Friday). Danish-bred troubadour Teitur (the old man of the evening, at 25) will open the show. (Aug. 15, 7:30 PM, $20, 371-0012)

The Berkshire Mountain Music Festival
Ski Butternut, Great Barrington, Mass., Friday-Sunday

The 6th Annual Berkshire Mountain Music Festival kicks off tomorrow (Friday) at Ski Butternut with an impressive lineup of more than 50 bands set to jam, jazz, rock, and otherwise groove across five stages. The surreal sounds of the Flaming Lips, the New Orleans funk of Galactic, and the pride of the annual Telluride bluegrass festival, Sam Bush, will all find their way to a stage over the three-day event. Also scheduled to appear are the Roots, Greyboy Allstars, Medeski Martin and Wood, the Addison Groove Project, and the Charlie Hunter Trio, among many, many others. Plenty of food vendors will be on hand, and camping is an option. (Aug. 15-17, $60-$150, 877-423-3787)

Get Up ’N Dance
Pepsi Arena, Wednesday

Disco is back. Well, maybe it’s back. Judging by the numerous booty-shakers at the recent Chic show, it is, at least, still very much beloved. If you can find your inner groove thing—we hope you haven’t misplaced it—then put on your boogie shoes and check out the Get Up ’N Dance show at the Pepsi on Wednesday. Tickets are being sold only for the permanent arena seating; except for 10 rows of VIP seats in front of the stage, the rest of the arena floor will be left wide open for dancing. Anyone with a ticket can go to the floor and boogie on down. KC and the Sunshine Band are top-billed, but the rest of the lineup is equally old school and righteous: two of the Pointer Sisters (Bonnie and June), the Village People, Thelma Houston, one of the Weather Girls (Martha Wash), Maxine Nightingale, Anita Ward and the Trammps. Go on, burn the mutha down. (Aug. 20, 7:30 PM, $39.50, $76 for limited VIP seating, 476-1000)

CARAMA 2003
Central Park, Saturday

It’s CARAMA time again, and this year’s multicultural Caribbean carnival, sponsored by the Caribbean American African Alliance of the Capital District, will take place in Schenectady’s Central Park on Saturday, from noon until 8 PM. The event is in the style of the annual West Indian parade held in Brooklyn on Labor Day, and the parade (beginning at noon) will feature brightly costumed dancers and trucks emitting Caribbean music. At 2 PM, the live-entertainment portion of the festival gets under way, and this year features Guyanese superstar Terry Gajraj, the relocated Ghanian ensemble the Prophet Band—many members of which were in Odadaa! and made their way to these parts when Yacub Addy relocated the Ghanian band nearby—and Haitian-born singer Jahsh B. Also, local dance troupe the Belly Jam Dancers will perform. And of course, expect Caribbean delicacies, as well as other ethnic food, and vendors selling products from the multiple cultures represented at the event. (Aug. 16, noon-8 PM, free, 346-7625, www.carama.org)

ELENI MANDELL

Eleni Mandell, See Girl Run
The Larkin, Monday

Though Eleni Mandell’s gritty, torchy take on songwriting most often draws comparisons to other female performers such as PJ Harvey or Liz Phair, those references are misleading. Her artistic lineage is more beholden to Tom Waits via Chuck E. Weiss, who was Mandell’s songwriting mentor. If you haven’t heard of Weiss, it’s little surprise: Waits has proclaimed Weiss his favorite artist, but the cowriter of “Spare Parts” keeps a comparatively low profile, and his greatest exposure may have been as the titular Chuck in Rikki Lee Jones’ “Chuck E.’s in Love.” Mandell’s previous albums evoked similar Beat-inspired scenes as Waits and Weiss, but limned them with subtle references to more modern pop and punk works. (Jon Brion produced an early album, and former members of X have backed her in the studio.) Her newest, Country for True Lovers, further illustrates the ways in which she has carved out her own style, by taking on a convincing Grand Ole Opry vibe—even throwing in a Merle Haggard cover for good measure. See Girl Run will open. (Aug. 18, 8 PM, $5, 463-5225)

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