Hot Spot(s) CD Releases by Luca and Tesoro, CD Spotlight on Greg Brown’s new album and lots of other great shows around town.

Hot Spot(s)

Friday

- Luca CD Release Party at Club Congress. Local favorite songwriter, bandleader and sideman Nick Luca has a great new album of upbeat indie pop with his band Luca called Sick of Love. Don’t miss opening act Lonna Kelley, singer-songwriter from Phoenix with a voice full of smoke and jazz.

- Tesoro CD Release Party at Plush. Help the local flamenco inspired band celebrate their new release Live in Studio 2A, which was recorded right here on KXCI’s own Locals Only. Another local favorite, Lila Lopez opens the show.

Saturday

- Folk music fans have two great shows to pick from. Extrodinary songwriter John Gorka at Old Town Artisans and Celtic favorites Old Blind Dogs from Scotland at the Berger Performing Arts Center.

Monday

- White Whale at Plush. This new band on Merge records includes members of Kansas’s the Get Up Kids. Their debut, WWI, is an intriguing blend of indie prog folk meets eclectic chamber pop.

***Tune in to Live@5 Monday on The Homestretch for a performance from White Whale in Studio 2A.

Tuesday

-The Benevento-Russo Duo of keyboards and drums do instrumental post rock-jazz at Plush with the quirky rock fun of Apollo Sunshine.

CD Spotlight

- Greg Brown’s new album on Red House Records is The Evening Call. Sad and lonesome yet hopefull, it is full of lyrics both pointed and poignant and a raw baritone voice that is symotaniously able to comfort and prod. His first album of all original material in over four years, it is a return to masterful songwriting. His previous few releases were with guests and friends and full of traditional folk material. We knew we were in for a treat when Greg Brown stopped by the KXCI studios last year and performed some new songs that would be on his next album. He was on his way to Memphis to record with longtime cohort Bo Ramsey and the results are the stories here. The song Eugene has become a personal theme song for me, causing me to long for a road trip to nowhere to find nothing but maybe some trout or smallmouth.