UNCLE ROCK CD RELEASE PARTY
March 6. Everybody’s favorite uncle—Uncle Rock, that is; aka Chronogram’s Robert Burke Warren—returns to the giant playpen that is the Bearsville Theater in celebration of The Big Picture (Jackpot Music), his fourth CD of righteous, parent-friendly kids’ jams. The Unk’s best disc to date, it co-stars local greats Elizabeth Mitchell, Dean Jones, and Jane Scarpantoni on catchy, green- and sustainability-themed ditties (“Garbage Barge,” “Stop at a Mom ’n’ Pop”), and has enough clever musical nods to Johnny Cash, Generation X, David Bowie, and even Carol Burnett to keep Mom and Dad winking along. (Also on March 6, at 6pm, DJ Dave Leonard’s 15th Annual Pisces Party features guest act Prana.) 12:30pm. $8, $6. Bearsville. (845) 679-4406; www.bearsvilletheater.com.
SAM BUSH
March 12. A Grammy-winning mandolin virtuoso and the former leader of trailblazing progressive bluegrass unit New Grass Revival, Sam Bush is unrelenting in his role as one of contemporary acoustic music’s most startling innovators. Since NGR’s 1989 demise he’s continued to make his own great records and perform with Emmylou Harris, Bela Fleck (a former NGR member himself), Leon Russell, and Lyle Lovett. Count on string-scorching fireworks by Bush and his band for this show at the Egg, which sees him supporting his new Sugarhill Records album, Circles around Me. (Classical guitar queen Sharon Isbin and fiddle god Mark O’Connor dazzle on March 14.) 8pm. $28. Albany. (518) 473-1845; www.theegg.org.
ROBBIE FULKS
March 20. Insurgent country doesn’t get much more insurrectionary than the great Robbie Fulks; for proof of his Shania-defying genius, look no further than his Music City-baiting ode to Nashville “Fuck This Town,” off 1997’s aptly named South Mouth (Bloodshot Records). Called “America’s most unjustly unsung singer-songwriter” by Spin magazine, Fulks has in recent years moved away from the more traditional leanings of his early work to evince a crunchier roots-rock feel. All of which makes this cozy area date at the 100-seat Center for Creative Education one of our warmest winter picks. 8pm. $20 (includes food and refreshments). Stone Ridge. (845) 687-4143; www.cceconcerts.com.
HIGH MEADOW SCHOOL BENEFIT WITH JOHN MEDESKI
March 26. Also in Stone Ridge is the independent, not-for-profit High Meadow School, whose mission is “to create a learning community that is inclusive and tolerant, and prepares students to be positive contributors as well as constructive problem-solvers within our diverse society.” This rare evening of solo piano by Medeski, Martin & Wood keyboardist John Medeski is an impossible-to-resist 25th-anniversary fundraiser, and also offers a pre-show “greet and eat” package with dinner and the chance to shake Medeski’s skilled hand. (On March 21, a 2pm family event presents Elizabeth Mitchell, Grenadilla, and Dog on Fleas.) 8pm. $30, $75. Stone Ridge. (800) 838-3006. www.highmeadowschool.org.
DONALD M. PEARSON MEMORIAL ORGAN RECITAL
March 26. Hailed by the New York Times as “a technically nimble and dynamic organist,” Renee Anne Louprette is also the associate director of music at St. Ignatius Loyola Church in New York. On the card for this fifth annual event in honor of the late musical director Donald M. Pearson at Vassar College’s Skinner Hall is Bach’s F Major Toccata and B Minor Prelude and Fugue, to be performed on the massive, 2,418-pipe Paul Fritts organ. Talk about your heavy metal! (More Bach, along with Beethoven and Ravel, highlights a recital by pianist Anna Polonsky and Vassar senior, violinist Sarah Goldfeather on March 27.) 8pm. Free. (845) 437-7294; www.music.vassar.edu.
