Jo Lily has a unique vocal style that falls somewhere between Tom Waits and Howlin' Wolf. A former member of Boston party band Duke & The Drivers, Lily and his guitarist pal Bobby Keyes put together a supergroup of Boston musicians two years ago and called themselves The Mystix. Combining elements of country, rock, and R&B, the Mystix sound will get your toes tapping and your mouth grinning, with Lily's trademark howl front and center. This Saturday, June 28, the Mystix will invade the Tupelo Music Hall in Londonderry, N.H.

For this week's Lowell Sun Nightlife article, I interviewed Lily about the band, its origins, and its bright future.

With his acoustic guitar and gravelly voice, Frank Morey is like Lowell's version of Tom Waits. He's a busy guy this summer, touring all over the Northeast and even sailing across the pond to play some dates in Europe. It would appear that the only chance to see him in Lowell for the rest of the summer (unless something unexpected pops up) will be this Friday night, June 27, at the Worthen House. Start time is around 9 p.m., so head over and take advantage of the opportunity.

Great outdoor venues are synonymous with summer music, but even more satisfying than spreading out on a blanket to hear your favorite band - to some people, at least - is boarding a cruise ship to do it. This Saturday night, June 28, the Newburyport Blues Cruise will be setting sail at 7 p.m. with Boston's First Lady of the Blues, Shirley Lewis, along with her backup band The Experience. The ship will cruise up the Merrimack River and give patrons the chance to see the city's historic waterfront and skyline, as well as the surrounding islands.

The organizers claim that their cruises "are extremely smooth, stable and gentle with no wave action that sea-going charter boats encounter." They provide chips, salsa and a cash bar. The rain date is Sunday, July 13. For more deets and to order tickets, check out the Newburyport Blues Cruise web site at http://newburyportbluescruise.com.

Well, folks - it's that time of year again. This Saturday night, June 28, the Lowell Summer Music Series is kicking off yet another impressive season - they're 19th, to be exact. That dynamic duo John Marciano and Peter Aucella at the Lowell National Historical Park just keep outdoing themselves. They're kicking things off right this year with British folk legend Richard Thompson (isn't he a Sir yet?), who will bring his stellar songwriting, unique vocal style, and awe-inspiring guitar chops to Boarding House Park for what could easily be the best performance of the whole season.

I put together the cover story for the Steppin' Out section of this Thursday's Lowell Sun, which focuses on the Series, and my preparation for that story included the opportunity to interview the future Sir Richard Thompson. In an effort to whet everyone's Summer Music Series appetites, I thought I would print that interview for you here. Enjoy.

Unless you’re agoraphobic, a vampire, or a heroin addict, you know that the Lowell Folk Festival is a big deal for the Mill City. Showcasing more ethnic musical styles than a satellite radio scan, the LFF brings people from all over the world, not only to participate in but also to enjoy the festival. Three days, six stages of music, and a crapload of ethnic foods – this is the Festival I can’t help but count down to. One look at the schedule and you, too, will marvel at the diversity of the artists.

In their home town of Seattle, The Starlings have been delivering quality country/folk sounds for seven years. Band founders Joy Mills and Tom Parker are in Gloucester this summer helping out a friend, and we get to benefit from the trip with performances by the husband-and-wife duo all over New England through late August. One of these gigs will be at the Java Room in Chelmsford this Friday night, June 20, beginning at 8 p.m.

For this week's Lowell Sun Nightlife article, I had the chance to interview lead singer Mills about the band's origins, their latest album, and their first trip to the Northeast.

As the Stone Church in Newmarket, N.H., prepares for some benefit shows to keep its doors open, another New Hampshire institution – the Tupelo Music Hall – has just announced that it’s moving to a bigger and better space in late Summer 2009.

Per a message from owner Scott Hayward, the Tupelo will remain in the Derry, N.H., area but will move to a state-of-the-art facility that provides bigger shows with table seating, better parking than the current park-on-the-street-and-walk-if-you-get-here-less-than-20-minutes-before-the-show setup, and a better climate control system.

As you can probably deduce on your own, a bigger venue means even bigger names than the already-impressive roster at the current space. Hayward also promises a 20,000-square foot retail shop and an equal amount of office space at the new venue, which will be on Crystal Ave. in the area of T-Bones/McDonald’s.

Southern New Hampshire residents rejoice. If you weren’t already impressed with the Tupelo, you damn sure will be come 18 months from now.

Before you’ve convinced yourself that MySpace has made finding talented new artists impossible, check out who’s coming to our neighborhood this weekend. Melodic pop rocker Brendan James was born and raised in Derry, New Hampshire, but relocated to Manhattan a few years ago and has been on an upward trajectory ever since.

His debut album, The Day is Brave, was just released this month. It was produced by Mikal Blue, who recently hit platinum status with another debut album he produced - Colbie Caillat’s Coco. James is a pianist by nature, and his powerful vocal style fits perfectly with his songs about the pain of lost love, the horror of war, and growing up in New Hampshire. James will be at the Tupelo Music Hall in Londonderry on Thursday, June 19, beginning at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.

Meanwhile, out on the coast, Newburyport’s Firehouse Center for the Arts will host ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro for two shows this weekend. Famous for his YouTube video featuring a cover of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (see below), Shimabukuro has been wowing audiences on the islands for the last ten years. But after he plugged in and began using effects pedals to push the limits of his instrument, Jake found himself more in the limelight, even earning the nickname “the Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele.” His lightning-fast fingers are on display once again on his latest album, My Life.

Jake Shimabukuro will be at the Firehouse on Sunday, June 22, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tickets are $22 for members and $25 for non-members.

The 8th Annual African Festival is coming to Lowell this Saturday, June 21, at the Sampas Pavilion on Pawtucket Blvd., across from Heritage Farm Ice Cream. As it has in the past, the 2008 festival promises a full day of food, cultural activities, and most important (to me, at least), great African music.

Since it re-opened in 2004, the Stone Church in Newmarket, N.H., has established itself as a prime intimate venue to see live music from all over the map - jazz, blues, folk, jam, and indie rock artists from New England and elsewhere. Unfortunately, the hefty amount of cash spent to polish the venue before it re-opened four years ago is now coming back to haunt partners Chris Hislop, Paul Nessel and John Pasquale.

As half of the Lowell duo Los Wunder Twins del Rap with D-Tension, Effect has been bombing the Mill City and beyond with clever hip hop for the last couple of years. With his latest solo album, Fine Tuned Tantrum – due for release on July 1 – the man formerly known as Chris Butler is poised to hit the big time, not surprisingly with help from his pal D-Tension, who produced and co-wrote the album.

He may live in New Hampshire, but Mighty Sam McClain was born in the South and raised on the gospel sounds of his mom's church. Sixty-five years later, those roots still shine through in his music, a combination of gospel, blues and old-school soul. Mighty Sam is just one of many acts booked for the Manchester Jazz & Blues Festival this weekend outside the Palace Theater in Manchester, N.H.

Here's the full line-up:

Friday, June 13
Freese Brothers, 5:15-6:30 p.m.
Fat City Band, 7-8 p.m.
Mighty Sam McClain, 8:30-10 p.m.

Saturday, June 14
Deric Dyer, 4:30-6 p.m.
Rico Barr Jump 'n Jive Review, 6:30-8 p.m.
Danny Klein's Full House, 8:30-10 p.m.

For this week's Lowell Sun Nightlife article, I had the pleasure of interviewing the God-fearing and belly-laughing McClain about his upbringing, his hard times on the streets of Nashville and New Orleans, and his subsequent success following a relocation to New England.

The last time I saw 90s shoegazer cult faves Swervedriver was in 1993, at the peak of their creative and commercial success. Opening for another practically unknown band at the time, Smashing Pumpkins, Swervedriver came on and delivered an aural assault that was almost impossible to top. Having been on hiatus for the last decade or so, could they possibly deliver something as hypnotic as the show I witnessed at the Omni New Daisy club in Memphis all those years ago?

Don White is the clown prince of folk. Whether in song or in banter between songs, he tells humorous stories of American life that involve his wife, his kids, his dog, or any combination thereof. A perfect sense of timing is crucial in the limited space he inhabits, and White always hits the mark, making him all the more appealing in a hushed auditorium environment. His latest venture is Memoirs of a C Student, a 264-page collection of 12 short stories that follow a similar thread as his memorable acoustic folk songs.

This Saturday, June 14, White is playing a special Father’s Day show at the Union Hall Coffeehouse in Carlisle. The fun starts at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are $18. I highly recommend seeing him in concert if you enjoy creative and humorous singer/songwriters.

In the biggest transformation since Michael Jackson, the Jackson/Appleton/Middlesex section of Lowell, aka the JAM, will get more than just a new coat of paint over the next several years. If recent Lowell transplants have their way, the new Hamilton Canal district (another word for JAM) will be a wonderful "told you so" card to play for their friends who bought in Reading or Waltham back when they bought in Lowell for the reasonable price and potential opportunity

Hell, the locals are already celebrating. The JAMBRAree, taking place this Saturday, June 14, in the area of town in question, promises an "opportunity for residents, businesses and artists to come together in the spirit of cooperation and change." Even better, there will be art, food and some great music on hand to keep things interesting.

The event kicks off at noon, with live music from Lowell soul queen Jen Kearney (a solo show...apparently, she lost her Onions), followed by Boston singer/songwriter Tim Mann, a Latin percussion group, a Cambodian percussion group, and Lowell High Idol Marcella Cruz.

Things really open up...literally...at 5 p.m., when the Early Garage rooftop opens and hometown Zoograss boys Hot Day at the Zoo tear up their washboards at the event after-party. It's sure to be a big day for this soon-to-be-hotspot in town.

Okay, for a lot of people, this might be old news, but for those of you not in the know, this could be a life-altering post…or at least a music-altering one. That may sound a bit extreme, but seriously – if you’re not careful, you will quickly become addicted to Pandora. It’s that simple.

Pandora is a music service. But don’t roll your eyes yet. This is a next generation Internet music service…one that knows what you want to hear, and plays it for you. It’s the PERFECT way to listen to new music you’ve never heard …continuously and without commercials. It’s almost like having your own custom-made radio station – wait, it IS having your own custom-made radio station.

Ask any folkie in the Boston area if they know who Ellis Paul is, and chances are you’ll get more than a “yes” – you’ll probably get a story about how influential Paul has been for them and how much they sincerely love his music. When it comes to singer/songwriters, the guy is top of the heap. This Saturday, June 7, Paul will be closing out the 2007-2008 season at the New Moon Coffeehouse in Haverhill. For this week’s Lowell Sun Nightlife article, I had a chance to chat with the local legend about his new children’s album, his key role in the resurgence of singer/songwriters in the early 90s, and his folk music legacy.

Vermont-based blues/rock/jam sensations Grace Potter & The Nocturnals have been rocking New Englanders for several years now, but something tells me that the intimate barroom shows are over. Since the release of last year’s album This is Somewhere, Grace and the boys have seen their songs pop up on television shows like Grey’s Anatomy and One Tree Hill, plus they made the evening and morning talk show circuit last fall and toured with Gov't Mule.

The lid is sure to blow wide open this summer as they make the festival circuit, also opening for the Dave Matthews Band on a few dates and the Black Crowes on several others. The attention and success are warranted, as Potter is an immensely talented musician. Her pounding on the Hammond B-3 and licks on her flying V-neck guitar are always a joy to watch. She’s cute, too, which never hurts.

Your last chance for a while to see the band headline in New England will be this weekend. They’re playing the Palace Theater in Manchester on Friday, June 6, and way up at the Lebanon Opera House in Lebanon on Saturday, June 7. See them while you can still brag about knowing them before 50 million other people do.

Effect is one-half of Lowell rap outfit Los Wunder Twins Del Rap. Dropping great rhymes that are equal parts urban slang and hipster pop culture disses, Los Wunder Twins are as talented in concocting their sonic playground as they are in writing the lyrics that populate it.

Effect treads similar ground on his new solo album, Fine Tuned Tantrum, due to hit stores July 1. A full CD review by yours truly is due right here sometime soon, but in the meantime, pay a visit to Effect’s CD release party this Saturday night, June 7, at the Old Court in Lowell. The party starts at 9 p.m., and tix are $5. Skittish-Voluptuous and the Mores are also on the bill.

Word.