Local acts are springing into action

By Jonathan Perry, Globe Correspondent  |  May 8, 2009

With so much great local music happening this week, we thought a little spring cleaning was in order. Much like that annual take-inventory-and-tidy-up ritual, we're clearing out and polishing up a few items you might find useful as you plan the week ahead.

The band wasn't broke so there was no need to fix it, but on its third album, "Diving for Gold," local folk-roots supergroup Session Americana made some big changes. First of all, founding bass player Kimon Kirk has picked up stakes and moved to the West Coast, paving the way for newbie Jon Bistline, whose song "I Can't Get Out" opens the new disc.

Secondly, the collective's usual emphasis on old covers and ancient tunes plucked from the public domain has been set aside - for the moment at least - in favor of newer, original material that gives the whole endeavor a slightly more modern feel (including Bistline's engagingly excellent track, which is anchored by great harmonica and percussion).

Session Americana also enlisted local legend Paul Q. Kolderie, who's helmed sessions for the Pixies, Radiohead, Hole, and Dinosaur Jr., among others, to produce the disc. And "Diving for Gold" sounds gorgeous - a fun, fresh take on old-fashioned, and timeless, music. The band will celebrate the CD's release with a pair of shows next Thursday and Friday at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge. Tickets are $10 (advance) and $12 (door). www.lizardloungeclub.com

Local stars old and new will share the Club Passim stage for this month's installment of Celtic Music Monday, sponsored by the BCMFest. "Celtic Roots, New England Branches" will bring together Halali fiddler-vocalist Lissa Schneckenburger, a Maine native who now lives in Boston; veteran fiddler Frank Ferrel, who's been a fixture on the local scene for four decades; and Susie Burke and Dan Surette, who have been blending contemporary and traditional folk and acoustic music for 20 years. Tickets are $12; $6 for members of Club Passim, WGBH-FM, and WUMB-FM. 617-492-7679, www.clubpassim.org

Not that it was ever dead or in need of resuscitation in the first place, but nevertheless, the Boston-based label Polk Records hosts a "Rock N Roll Revival" at Church next Wednesday. With a measly $5 cover and five bands including Hayburner, the Bynars, Gypsy Cab, Gyby and the Buzzkills, and Daniel Harris, it's a can't-miss cure for your mid-week blahs. www.churchofboston.com

"I'm going to cry," said T.T. the Bear's co-owner Bonney Bouley as she watched Joyce Raskin and Chick Graning of the Providence band Scarce deliver a heartfelt mini-set Sunday in honor of longtime T.T.'s music booker and bartender Jeanne Connolly, who died Feb. 16 at age 51 after a lengthy battle with colon cancer. Bouley, who had tears in her eyes for much of the afternoon, wasn't alone in that sentiment. And with good reason.

More than a dozen local and semi-local musicians and friends gathered to play, remember, and pay tribute to Connolly, whose musical tastes - judging by the eclectic sample of artists, who performed mostly acoustic sets - were as wide as her influence on the local scene.

"She was a great light on the Boston music scene," Willie T, half of the veteran blues-rocking duo Willie T & Doctor X , said from the stage. "When no one else would give us the time of day, she was there." The hearty applause - from fellow musicians like Shods' singer-guitarist Kevin Stevenson, garage-soul belter Andrea Gillis, MEandJOANCOLLINS frontman Bo Barringer, and others who crowded into the club on an overcast afternoon - offered testimony to the truth of Willie T's remarks.

Also on hand was Connolly's brother, David Sheehy, who at the outset of the day announced the establishment of an annual music scholarship at the Cambridge Rindge & Latin School in his sister's name. Sheehy thanked everyone for the outpouring of support, and then it was on to what Connolly loved most: the music.

Know about something cool on the local music scene? E-mail Jonathan Perry at roughgems@aol.com.