- Courtesy of Zip-Zapp
FRIDAY, JAN. 3
Zip-Zapp/Kid Tested/Bwak Dwagon
Inspired by acts such as Cream, Can and the Who, the locally based duo Zip-Zapp raised eyebrows with last year’s debut album, which includes a guest appearance by Nashville-based steel guitarist Mike Daly (Hank Williams Jr./Travis Tritt). It’s weird, trippy stuff that makes Zip-Zapp one of the Cleveland’s more interesting experimental acts. Kid Tested and Bwak Dragon, two of Cleveland’s better indie rock bands, share the bill. (Jeff Niesel) 8 p.m., $7. CODA.
SATURDAY, JAN. 4
Travis “Moonchild” Haddix
A staple in the Cleveland blues scene — and in the American music circuit writ large — Travis “Moonchild” Haddix has always brought the heat to the stage. He also surround himself with great musicians — like a tight, tight brass section. What he has always done so well has been his steady merger of classic blues structures with smooth R&B-style singing. He makes the blues accessible to anyone willing to listen and, inevitably, dance. And having been playing guitar since he was 7, the dude can tear it up quite nicely. He once told a music writer, “I am the best that I can be, and since no one else can be me, there’s none better.” Right on. (Eric Sandy), 8:30 p.m., $20. Nighttown.
The Tufted Puffins/45 Spider/MethMatics/Betty Machete & the Angry Cougars
The guys in the local punk rock band Tufted Puffins possess some serious musical pedigrees. Prior to forming the Puffins, singer-guitarist Mike Baker played in local bands such as Sleazy Jesus and the Splatter Pigs and Hucklebuck. Bassist Ken Brown, who has moved out of town but will rejoin the group for this show, also played in Sleazy Jesus and spent time in the hard rocking Ten Tons of Hell too. Guitarist Tom Huff played in Burning Lesbians with highly respected local musicians Dave Cintron, Sam Ludwig and Scott Pickering. He’s also recorded with locals Roscoe Disposal Co., Goburn, Motorboat and 2lb. Spread, and drummer Markymoon battered away at his kit for acts such as Zen-Luv Assassins, Professional Againsters, Roscoe Disposal Co., 2lb. Spread, Cathedral 45 and Final Solution. Last year, they released their cantankerous debut album, Old, Loud and Puffy. (Niesel), 9 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Beachland Tavern.
Wish You Were Here’s 16th Annual Holiday Show Featuring Pink Floyd’s Greatest Hits, Classics & Obscurities
For 16 years now, Wish You Were Here, the locally based Pink Floyd tribute act that started way the hell back in 1995, has put on a special holiday show at this time of year. Usually, the guys adopt some kind of theme for the gig, and this year is no different as the group will perform Pink Floyd’s greatest classics along with an assortment of deep cuts. And, as always, they’ll have a very theatrical presentation. (Niesel), 9 p.m., $19.50 ADV, $22 DOS. House of Blues.
Neil Zaza
A Northeast Ohio native who’s played alongside guitar heroes such as as Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen and Nuno Bettencourt, guitarist Neil Zaza has collaborated in the studio with the likes of Van Halen’s Michael Anthony, Dream Theater’s Jordan Rudess, Steve Smith and Peter Frampton. Much like Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Zaza draws from both classical and rock for his annual One Silent Night concerts. Tonight’s show supports his latest album, 2015’s Peach, an intricate instrumental release that shows off his tremendous chops and includes a couple of tracks he cut live at the Kent Stage. (Niesel), 8 p.m. Music Box Supper Club.
SUNDAY, JAN. 5
The Dead South/Legendary Shack Shakers/Danny Olliver
The guys in this Canadian bluegrass band went to Muscle Shoals to record their terrific new album, Sugar & Joy. One album highlight, the twangy “Snake Man,” includes two parts, one of which is instrumental and the other of which is more strident. Singer-guitarist Nate Hilts, who says the band wrote the track after someone wronged it, promises the band’s live show will feature lots of that aggression. (Niesel) 8 p.m., $27 ADV, $32 DOS. House of Blues.
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