Jerkwater Ruckus CD release
Valentine’s, Friday

One should always, as the great George Constanza once said, “go out on a high note.” And so, we say goodbye to longtime scenesters Jerkwater Ruckus, who will play their final show together on Friday night. The “high note”? Well, they are releasing a new CD at the same time. Plus, the original six members will reunite to raise one final ruckus. And, to judge from the farewell letter posted on their Web site, these fine fellows still like each other—which is a pretty good trick for a band that has been together four years. They like you, too: “Without all of you, the opportunity to go out and do what we do wouldn’t have been possible.” So, go to the show and return the love. (Sept. 17, 8 PM, $7, 17 New Scotland Ave., Albany, 432-6572)

David Bromberg Quartet, Sam Bush
The Egg, Saturday

This is being billed as a “co-headlining” show, and why not? Sam Bush was one of the folks behind the New Grass Revival, and has since spread the good news of multiculti roots music far and wide. His most recent album, King of My World, is being described as a seamless blend of “bluegrass, rock, jazz, reggae, folk and country.” A tall order. The “co-headliner,” David Bromberg, is a certified legend of instrumental music. His mix of blues, folk and bluegrass—and, obviously, his multi-instrument prowess—has made him a perennial concert fave. This tour sees the reunion of his quartet after a 20-year hiatus, so he’s got that going for him, too. No word on which artist will take the stage first; maybe they’ll have a pickin’ contest to decide. (Sept. 18, 8 PM, $26, Empire State Plaza, Albany, 473-1845)

Bayside
Saratoga Winners, Sunday

Aaah, emo—the genre of music where hipsters with dorky glasses and shaggy hairdos freely cry over the one who got away. Saratoga Winners hands out the Kleenex this Sunday when it hosts an all-day festival of emo bands, including Home Grown, Hawthorne Heights, Spitalfield, Denver Harbor, Halifax, the Start, and Number One Fan. Long Island natives Bayside (no, they’re not the Zack Attack), flying high off the success of their debut album Sirens and Condolences, headline. Let the whining commence. (Sept. 19, 3 PM, $13, 1375 New Loudon Road, Latham, 783-1010)

EngineDown, These Arms Are Snakes, SevStatik
Valentine’s, Monday

Curious to hear what happens when math-rock grows up? If so, you can check out Engine Down with These Arms Are Snakes downstairs at Valentine’s on Monday night. Some might call it emo or indie, but the rest of us simply call it rock & roll. EngineDown, who have former members of Denali, and These Arms Are Snakes, who have former members of legendary “Calculus Core” band Botch, will be extending their summer tour—a tour that saw the theft of EngineDown’s van, trailer, equipment and merchandise in Houston, and an appendectomy for Botch guitarist Ryan Frederiksen. If things get that crazy on stage, they may have to raise ticket prices. (Sept. 20, 8 PM, $10 door, 17 New Scotland Ave., Albany, 432-6572)

K Sonin CD release party
Fuze Box, Monday

To add to the accumulating mass that is Albums by K Sonin, the Complicated Shirt bass player is set to release yet another new album, Dead-End Mazes for a Buying Mood, on Monday at a celebratory Fuze Box show. For those of you who want a sneak-listen of the CD, it’s available on Sonin’s Web site, www.angelfire.com/indie/ksonin. Sesame Plexer (a new assemblage of musicians plucked from area bands Struction, Brevator, and Complicated Shirt), will open. The band are rumored to be releasing something or other as well—you’ll actually have to go to the show to find out whther or not this is a myth. Along with Sesame Plexer, Gay Tastee and P. Hill (two self-proclaimed dipsomaniacs) will kick off the night. (Sept. 20, 9 PM, free, 12 Central Ave., Albany, 432-4472)

Old 97’s, Chuck Prophet
Pearl Street, Tuesday

The latest from the Austin-
based alt-country quartet known as Old 97’s is called Drag It Up. It’s the band’s first for the newly formed New West label (their labelmates include such roots-rock heavies as Drive-By Truckers, John Hiatt, and the Flatlanders), and for longtime fans, it’s a welcome return to form following frontman Rhett Miller’s stolid attempt at pop-crossover success with his 2001 solo effort, The Instigator. On record, they travel the dusty old roads of that which we refer to as Americana, with just a hint of California sunshine and Brit-rock ennui; their live show is said to be akin to an old-fashioned hoedown. Chuck Prophet, another New West labelmate, will open Tuesday’s show with a set from his just-released album Age of Miracles. (Sept. 21, 7 PM, $18, 10 Pearl St., Northampton, Mass., 413-584-7771)

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