Steve Miller
Inductee Steve Miller performs at the 31st Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Barclays Center this past April. Miller visits Northeast Ohio on Friday, June 17, with a show at the Hard Rock Rocksino.
(Charles Sykes, AP file)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Classic Rock & Roll Hall of Fame rock, thinking-man's Americana and good ol' bluegrass make up this week's Also Playing offerings.
Steve Miller Band, 8 p.m. Friday, June 17, Hard Rock Rocksino. The last time Steve Miller gave a bad concert was . . . never. The last time he gave a bad press conference was . . . well, it depends on your point of view. You remember the imbroglio he launched at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions in New York City this past April. Miller kind of read the riot act to the RRHOF over seating for his band members, the induction process itself, among other things, and in this case he was not "The Joker.'' Plus Miller and the Black Keys, who inducted him, had their own little tiff. The Keys' Dan Auerbach said Miller didn't know who they were, and Miller was upset that he wasn't allowed to pick his own presenter. In an interview with the San Diego Tribune not long after the inductions, Miller said, "My suggestion is to take the existing Rock Hall founders and nominating committee, give them all a plaque in the museum, and then replace every one of them and start over. ..." Be interesting to see A) if he makes the preshow visit to the Rock Hall most new inductees do and B) just how many -- if any -- of the Rock Hall hierarchy are at the Hard Rock. Tickets, $78 to $138, plus fees, are available at the box office, Ticketmaster outlets, online at ticketmaster.com and by phone at 1-800-745-3000.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy, 8:30 p.m. Sunday, June 19, Beachland Ballroom. First off, you gotta love an artist who has been dubbed "an Appalachian post-punk solipsist.'' Which, if you're to believe the press about the actor and singer-songwriter and listen to the insightful lyrics from the enigma whose real name is Will Oldham, actually is a mouthful of syllables that is wholly accurate. Billy/Oldham was here in 2014 as part of the crew honoring the Everly Brothers, who were that year's Music Masters recipients from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and he was more than able to hold his own alongside such greats as Vince Gill, Emmylou, Rodney Crowell, Graham Nash, Albert Lee and the Secret Sisters. Bitchin' Bajas, with whom Billy/Oldham has been a frequent collaborator, will follow opener Bill Mackay to the stage. Billy and the Bitchin' Bajas will each do separate sets, and then they'll perform together. Looks like a long night. Tickets, $22 in advance, $25 day of show, available at the box office, online at beachlandballroom.com and by phone at 216-383-1124.
Yonder Mountain String Band, 9 p.m. Thursday, June 23, the Kent Stage. Talk to professional musicians of any genre, and they will tell you that some of the best players in the world are bluegrass. Maybe it's because it truly does come from the soul, and maybe it's because wah-wahs and fuzzbusters and instrumental trickery just have no place in the sound. Acoustic instruments and un-Auto-Tuned vocals make it a unique listening experience. Yonder Mountain String Band makes you forget about all the whys and wherefores and just turns you into a listening machine. Tickets, $25 to $29, are available at the box office, online at ticketfly.com and thekentstage.com and by phone at 330-677-5005.