Leftover Salmon
Spotlight show • "Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass" is one of the best descriptions for a band's sound since The Chicago Daily Tribune first used the word "jazz" in 1915. Last year, Leftover Salmon released "Aquatic Hitchhiker," its first since 2004. It's also the first album that included contributions by banjo player Andy Thorn. While Thorn may never fill the shoes of Mark Vann, who died in 2002, he is "a great player and fun to hang out with," said Vince Herman, the jam band's singer, guitarist and mandolin player. During a recent interview, Herman said the first time playing with Horn "was haunting. It felt like playing with Mark." He said the "band limped along for a few years," but "playing with Andy makes it feel so right."
When • Friday, March 1, at 9 p.m.
Where • Park City Live, 427 Main St., Park City
Tickets • $20 at SmithsTix
Darwin Deez
Spotlight show • As a rule, I never ask musicians to name their genre, because they usually resent the question and start railing about being pigeonholed. When I interviewed Darwin Deez, he happily told me what he does without prompting: "Indie pop-rock." Darwin Deez (real name is Darwin Smith) is returning to Kilby Court after a previous star-making appearance in Salt Lake City. "We did have a really good show there last time," said the Asheville, N.C., resident and Wesleyan University alum. In February, he released his second album, "Songs for Imaginative People," named for his creative tendencies. "I'm susceptible to romantic fantasies," he said. "I pay attention to [dreams]." Besides performing a casual, fanciful style of guitar-pop that utilizes computers and electronics, Deez is known for dancing during his shows. "I did tap-dancing lessons for a while," he said. "The rest is natural." Hang Time and Caged Animals are also on the bill.
When • Friday, March 1, at 7 p.m.
Where • Kilby Court, 741 S. (330 West), Salt Lake City
Tickets • $10 in advance, $12 day of, at 24Tix
Reckless Kelly
Spotlight show • Brothers Willy and Cody Braun — leaders of the Red Dirt-inspired alt-country group Reckless Kelly — were born and raised in Idaho. They started the band while in Oregon and, for the past 15 years, they have resided in Austin, Texas. "There is a pretty good music scene here," said Willy during a recent telephone interview. "There are 300 bars with live music every night." The group's last album, "Good Luck & True Love," was released in 2011, and the road warriors have booked studio time in March. Willy said the subjects will be familiar territory. "Lots of stuff about the road and heartbreak," he said, adding that the band will focus on mellower material — maybe. "But I could write three good rockers by the time March comes around." Opening the show will be frequent tour companion Micky & the Motorcars, featuring Micky and Gary Braun, younger brothers of Willy and Cody. Appropriately, the tour is called "Tour Better Than One."
When • Saturday, March 2, at 8:30 p.m.
Where • In The Venue, 579 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $18 in advance, $20 day of, at SmithsTix
Menomena
Spotlight show • Danny Seim, one of the member of the Oregon indie-rock duo Menomena, has a direct connection to Utah. "My dad was born in Salt Lake City," he said during a recent interview. Seim said his family was religiously tolerant, but he did have a "crazy uncle" who liked to antagonize his Mormon neighbors. His license plate read "YRULDS." Fortunately, "Not all of my family are jerks." The experimental band is touring behind its 2012 album, "Moms," a concept album that admittedly "sounds heavy," said Seim. "My mom died when I was 17. I am 34 now. [Bandmate Justin Harris] was going through the death of his grandmother." The band is still dealing with the amicable departure of founding member Brent Knopf, though it presented a good opportunity for the two remaining members. "There is always a clutter of ideas in the band," Seim said. "We went at it like an experiment. With two, there's not an odd man out."
When • Saturday, March 2, at 9 p.m.
Where • Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $13 in advance, $15 day of, at 24Tix
Greensky Bluegrass
Spotlight show • Can someone please tell Paul Hoffmann and the other members of Greensky Bluegrass that the Red Iguana is open on Sundays? During a recent interview, I accidentally told Hoffman, the band's mandolin player, that the restaurant was closed on the Sabbath. My bad. The Michigan-based bluegrass band is not bluegrass in the strictest sense. Hoffman said it falls somewhere between The Lumineers and Beyoncé. In the ensemble's early days, a spirited cover of Prince's "When Doves Cry" was an attempt to win over fans at bars where bluegrass was often ignored. "People would hear it and say, 'Hey, I do like the banjo,' " Hoffman said. Even today, the band, which also sprinkles a liberal helping of traditional songs in its sets, has fun arranging pop songs for bluegrass bands, with the banjo often taking the synth parts. "I am a sucker for pop music," Hoffman said. Ryan Montbleau Band opens.
When • Sunday, March 3, at 8 p.m.
Where • The State Room, 638 S. State St., Salt Lake City
Tickets • $15 at thestateroom.com
Salvador Santana
Spotlight show • Latin instrumentalist and keyboardist Salvador Santana has an impressive pedigree. He is the son of Carlos Santana and the grandson of Saunders, a blues icon, and Jose Santana, a legendary violinist and mariachi bandleader. In a phone interview, Salvador said his father taught him how to drum when he was 3. "My father thought it was imperative to learn rhythm and tempo," he said. But it was the piano, which he discovered at age 7, that turned him on. "It resonated with me. It made sense." After leading the Salvador Santana Band for a half-decade, Santana went on his own and released the genre-defying "Keyboard City" in 2010. It received rave reviews for the way his spoken-word vocal style flowed alongside his jazz- and blues-inspired compositions. Santana is releasing new songs off a forthcoming EP, including "Into the Light" and a song dedicated to his grandmother, "Mi Tesoro." "I'm honoring my lineage and history," Santana said. "I'm at a place where I'm learning so much. I don't really want to settle."
When • Tuesday, March 5, at 6:30 p.m.
Where • In The Venue, 579 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $11.50 at SmithsTix
Recycled Percussion
Recycled Percussion, finalists from the TV show "America's Got Talent," specialize in repurposing household items (buckets, trash cans and even a washing machine) to create their own brand of rock.
When • Friday, March 1, at 7:30 p.m.
Where • Covey Center for the Arts, 425 W. Center St., Provo
Tickets • $20-$35 at coveycenter.org
The New Electric Sound
Local rockers The New Electric Sound, The Brocks and The Atomics take the stage.
When • Friday, March 1, at 6:30 p.m.
Where • Velour, 135 N. University Ave, Provo
Tickets • $8 at 24Tix.com
Sybarite5
This classically trained string quintet juxtaposes Stravinsky with Radiohead and Dvorák with Led Zeppelin.
When • Monday, March 4, at 7 p.m.
Where • Salt Lake Community College Taylorsville Redwood Campus, 4600 S. Redwood Road, Taylorsville
Tickets • $10 at door
Marshall Crenshaw
Singer-songwriter Marshall Crenshaw is touring to promote his first studio album in more than six years, "Jaggedland."
When • Monday, March 4, at 8 p.m.
Where • State Room, 638 S. State St., Salt Lake City
Tickets • $20 at thestateroomslc.com
Adrian Legg
This English guitarist is known for his unique electric-acoustic hybrid guitars and his finger-picking technique.
When • Tuesday, March 5, at 8 p.m.
Where • State Room, 638 S. State St., Salt Lake City
Tickets • $17 at thestateroomslc.com
Joe Ely
Country-rock guitarist Joe Ely has a song catalog stretching back to the late '70s. Joe Pug will open.
When • Wednesday, March 6, at 8 p.m.
Where • Egyptian Theatre, 328 Main St., Park City
Tickets • $29-$44 at egyptiantheatrecompany.org
The B-Side Players
The nine-piece band mixes Latin American and Caribbean sounds with elements of rock, jazz and hip-hop.
When • Wednesday, March 6, at 8 p.m.
Where • State Room, 638 S. State St., Salt Lake City
Tickets • $12 at thestateroomslc.com
The Wailers
Best known for baking up Bob Marley, The Wailers also have released several albums on their own.
When • Wednesday, March 6, at 8 p.m.
Where • Park City Live, 427 Main St., Park City
Tickets • $20 at SmithsTix.com
Pert Near Sandstone
Minnesota-based bluegrass group hasn't released a full-length album since 2011 but a single, called "Ship of Fools," is due out this month.
When • Wednesday, March 6, at 8 p.m.
Where • The Garage, 1199 Beck St., Salt Lake City
Tickets • $5 at 24Tix.com
