Alt-country heroes Old 97's play a Good Medicine and Numbskull show on April 8 in The Siren 

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I've been a fan of Old 97's for decades. As far as I'm concerned, they were the original alt-country act of the mid-'90s, but maybe that's because they were the first alt-country act I heard. Their debut, Hitchhike to Rhome, was unlike anything else, and they've gone on to a long and storied career. If I'm counting correctly, their upcoming record, American Primitive, will be their 13th.

I recently watched the video for the album's first single, "Where the Road Goes," and it finds frontman Rhett Miller in good form. It has some cool vintage footage of the band playing live shows from early in their career, reminding viewers just how enduring they've been. The single also features R.E.M.'s Peter Buck on guitar.

Recorded in a little more than a couple weeks in Portland, the album has a sense of urgency, and Miller delivers typically punchy narrative songs in which he examines complex questions of love and mental illness. Of the first single, Miller explained in press materials, "It revisits some of the darkest moments of my life, including a suicide attempt at age 14 that by all rights I shouldn't have lived through and yet somehow did. In a way, it's like a spiritual travelogue that rolls back through all the places that shaped me for better or worse and ends up in this beautiful place that I felt so thankful to experience."

This week, Good Medicine and Numbskull present Old 97's at The Siren on Monday, April 8 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $30 at goodmedicinepresents.com) with Holler Choir opening.

Good Medicine, Numbskull, and KCBX present Americana singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sierra Hull at BarrelHouse Brewing on Friday, April 5 (6 p.m.; all ages; $32 at goodmedicinepresents.com). She's only 32, but she's already had an enviable career. She made her Grand Ole Opry debut at 10, played Carnegie Hall at 12, then landed a record deal with Rounder at 13. Her 2008 Rounder Records debut album, Secrets, peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Top Bluegrass Albums chart.

Her most recent album, 25 Trips (2020), hit No. 1 on the charts. The title "nods to a particularly momentous year of her life, including her marriage to fellow bluegrass musician Justin Moses and the release of her widely acclaimed album Weighted Mind—a Béla Fleck-produced effort nominated for Best Folk Album at the 2017 Grammy Awards," which also hit No. 1.

"There's a lot of push-and-pull on this record, where in some moments I feel like everything's happening so fast and I wish I could slow it all down so I can really enjoy it," Hull explained in press materials. "But then there are also times where I'm looking forward to the day when the craziness has died down a bit, and life's a little calmer."

Might be a while. Hull is hotter than a pistol.

Good Medicine and Numbskull present Paul Cauthan at BarrelHouse Brewing on Sunday, April 7 (6 p.m.; all ages; $45 at goodmedicinepresents.com) with Hogslop String Band (the Saturday show is sold out). The contemporary outlaw country artist is known for songs like "Cocaine Country Dancing," "Country as Fuck," and "Caught Me at a Good Time." He's a hoot who's nicknamed "Big Velvet" thanks to his rich baritone. Definitely one of my faves.

Good Medicine and Numbskull also present hitmaker Jim Messina in concert at Castoro Cellars on Tuesday, April 9 (7 p.m.; all ages; $50 at goodmedicinepresents.com). He was a member of Buffalo Springfield as well as Poco before forming the soft rock duo Loggins and Messina with Kenny Loggins. I checked out a recent set list and he's playing a mix of his hits like "House at Pooh Corner," "Your Mama Don't Dance," and the Poco song "You Better Think Twice."

Finally, Good Medicine and Numbskull present Circles Around the Sun at The Siren on Thursday, April 11 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $27 at goodmedicinepresents.com). The group plays "instrumental cosmic disco space" music with "post-rock, surf-rock, jazz-funk, and good old-fashioned psychedelia" sounds.

The Siren

Blending rock and country, Daring Greatly plays on Friday, April 5 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; free). The band won the 2023 San Diego Music Awards Song of the Year for "Never A Goodbye," along with nominations for Best Rock Artist and Best Rock Album for Gird Valley.

Cover act That's What She Said! kicks off Saturday, April 6, with an afternoon dance party featuring classics and pop from the '60s through the '90s (2 p.m.; 21-and-older; free) followed later that night by Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band Red Hot Tribute (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $20 at tixr.com). Expect hits like "Californication," "Scar Tissue," "Give It Away," and more.

Get your country fix when Jesse Daniel with opener Brit Taylor plays on Sunday, April 7 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $20 at tixr.com). "California country boy Jesse Daniel returns to the Siren with rising star Brit Taylor in tow," the club announced. "Foot stompin', line dancing Sunday night fun!"

Finally, Joey Harkum with opener Devin and the Relatives plays on Tuesday, April 9 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $15 at tixr.com). Harkum is known for "deep, poignant lyrics which tell stories of happiness, love, loss and sadness," according to press materials. I checked out his video for "Life Is A Gift," and he's got a truly engaging and quirky sound. Made me go out and get his album, The Art of Revenge.

Fremont Theater

Don't forget it's the Shabang Battle of the Bands Tour: San Luis Obispo this Thursday, April 4 (doors at 6:30 p.m.; all ages; $15 at prekindle.com). Squaring off is Plywood Love, Margot Sinclair, Juniper Honey, Suburban Dropout, and Krooks competing for $1,000 and a spot at the Shabang Music Festival on Friday and Saturday, May 3 and 4, at Dairy Creek Golf Course.

Blues rock singer and guitarist Jimmie Vaughan & The Tilt play on Tuesday, April 9 (8 p.m.; all ages; $32 to $62 at prekindle.com). The four-time Grammy winner absolutely rips on his Fender Stratocaster, and though I consider him a blues artist, he's got another take on his sound.

"When I talk about country and blues, they're the same thing," he said in press materials. "Muddy Waters and Hank Williams, Webb Pierce and Jimmy Reed. When I was a kid, I didn't understand the difference. Everybody was always asking me, 'Why do you want to play blues? Why don't you play country?' But I would listen to the country guys, and they would be doing a Jimmy Reed song. They're playing the same lick. And Ray Charles, Little Milton, Guitar Junior, Lonnie Brooks, B.B. King—they all did country songs. Is Bob Wills country blues or jazz? And the answer is, it's American music. I'm tired of trying to pigeonhole everything. I want to bring it together; it comes from the same place."

Finally, standup comic Steve Treviño on his Good Life Tour takes the stage on Thursday, April 11 (8 p.m.; 12-and-older; $41.50 to $51.50 at prekindle.com).

SLO Brew Live presents at Rod and Hammer Rock

So apparently, SLO Brew Rock is now called Rod and Hammer Rock, but SLO Brew Live is still producing the live music at the club. It's a mouthful. This week SLO Brew Live presents two shows at Rod and Hammer Rock starting with London bar band Bar Italia on Friday, April 5 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $18 at ticketweb.com). The trio has a fuzzed-out garage rock sound. They're touring in support of their new album, The Twits, which they describe as "raucous, mystic, unkempt, occasionally sinister, and wholly committed."

Ready to trip out? SLO Brew Live and (((folkYEAH!))) present LSD & The Search for God on Thursday, April 11 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $25 at ticketweb.com), with jjuujjuu opening. LSD got its start in 2005, "dosing San Francisco with hypnotic shows built upon swirling guitars, otherworldly drones, fuzzed-out pop melodies, and dreamy vocal harmonies," their bio explains. Get ready for some psychedelic shoegazing.

Cal Poly Arts

Cal Poly's got a couple of terrific shows this week starting with four-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, actress, author, and mental health pioneer, Jewel, at the Performing Arts Center on Saturday, April 6 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $77 to $297 at pacslo.org). Her backstory is sort of incredible. She grew up in Alaska on a homestead that didn't even have running water, and she started her performance career singing and yodeling with her father, Atz Kilcher. At 15, she got a partial scholarship to study operatic voice. After graduating, she moved to San Diego and began performing in cafés and clubs, and for a while, she apparently was homeless. Atlantic Records eventually took notice, and now she's sold over 30 million albums. Her concert will follow the celebration of the Grand Opening of the Performing Arts Center Trust Automation Plaza.

Singer-songwriter Bruce Hornsby and New York-based classical-pop ensemble yMusic present BrhyM in Cal Poly's Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, April 9 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $56 to $74 at calpolyarts.org). Hornsby, a gifted pianist, may be best known for his album and its title track The Way It Is. The song was the most-played song on U.S. radio in 1987. He and yMusic will showcase "new collaborative compositions plus other favorites from Hornsby's illustrious catalog," according to Cal Poly Arts.

More music ...

Thanks to the Seven Sisters Folklore Society, you can enjoy an evening of traditional music with Bruce Molsky at the historic Octagon Barn Center this Friday, April 5 (6 p.m. jam with the concert at 7 p.m.; all ages; $25 presale at eventbrite.com or $30 at the door). No Depression magazine describes the Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist as "an absolute master." The interpreter of the Southern Appalachian songbook plays banjo, fiddle, and guitar.

"Performing and teaching traditional music are the biggest things in my world," Molsky said in press materials. "For me, being a musician isn't a standalone thing; it informs everything I do in my life. It's always been about being creative and being a part of something much bigger than myself, a link in the musical chain and part of the community of people who play it and love it."

The SLO County Jazz Federation presents award-winning NYC-based pianist and accordionist Ben Rosenblum and the Nebula Project at SLO's Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church this Saturday, April 6 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $30 general admission, $20 for Jazz Fed members, and $10 for students). They incorporate accordion into jazz and integrate sounds from Brazil, the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe. They're currently touring in support of A Thousand Pebbles (2023).

Long Man Productions and the Clark Center present a 35th anniversary tribute honoring Roy Orbison on Saturday, April 6 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $20 to $48 at clarkcenter.org). Wiley Ray and the Big O Band will pay tribute to the celebrated singer-songwriter of hits such as "Oh, Pretty Woman," "Only the Lonely," and "Crying."

Sixties rock, pop, and soul cover band Unfinished Business is celebrating its 20th anniversary on the Central Coast this Sunday, April 7, with a gig at Blacklake Golf Resort in Nipomo (1 to 4 p.m.; all ages; free, though VIP Champagne tables may be reserved by contacting Blacklake at (805) 343-1214, Ext. 2). During its tenure, the band has played "1,000 gigs all over the Central Coast and has also traveled as far as Monterey, Bakersfield, and Pasadena over the past 20 years," according to band leader Ed Miller. Δ

Contact Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey at [email protected].