SOUND ADVICE

Lewis Capaldi

April 17 • Andrew J Brady Music Center

Boy oh boy has Lewis Capaldi whipped up a whirlwind of success. The Scottish singer-songwriter broke into the pop music scene in 2019 with his wildly popular debut single “Someone You Loved” and it’s been a non-stop Lewis Capaldi party ever since. Literally everyone is invited.

But while Capaldi’s soulful music brought him to the center stage of pop music, it’s just about everything else about him that’s kept him there. Taking a noholds-barred approach to life, he’s often on social media making fun of himself, and he’s honest, yet lighthearted, about the attention his diagnosis with Tourette syndrome has brought. His cheeky, even flirty, attitude continues to forge his image as an “everyman” type, even as he rubs elbows with some of the biggest names in pop music (he’s now kissed at least two members of One Direction).

One of the most intriguing things about Capaldi may be how he manages to write serious music yet offers it up to the masses in the least serious way possible. Amid mental health struggles and all the pressure that comes with writing a sophomore album, for example, Capaldi also took time to pose as a nearly naked Cupid. His newest album, Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent (out May 19), will come on the heels of his Netflix documentary Lewis Capaldi: How I’m Feeling Now. It documents everything he’s dealt with in the last year and a half, teases the emotional release his concerts offer and still promises to keep viewers in stitches.

Lewis Capaldi plays the Andrew J Brady Music Center at 8 p.m. April 17. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Emi Beihold will open the show. Info: bradymusiccenter.com.

(Deirdre Kaye)

Marc Broussard

April 19 • Memorial Hall

With his rugged, old-school rasp, Marc Broussard has become one of the foremost artists of Bayou Soul, a gritty gumbo thick with blues, soul, funk, R&B and pop that boils up out of Louisiana and the South. With the recent release of S.O.S. 4: Blues for Your Soul, the fourth installment of Broussard’s S.O.S. (Save Our Soul) series of covers, he lets loose with 11 blues covers and one original song. Fellow guitar aces Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith co-produced the project and both add their guitars to several songs.

The native of a small Louisiana town, Broussard is the son of acclaimed Louisiana Hall of Fame guitarist Ted Broussard. Music is the family’s lifeblood; like his father and grandfather, Broussard’s oldest son Gavin is developing into a fine guitarist. Broussard’s love for family and home inspires his philanthropic side, as his four S.O.S. record releases generate charity proceeds for Habitat for Humanity, hurricane clean-up and other worthy causes. He explains to Newsweek, “This project is raising money for people coming out of prison. The blues seemed right on the money for it. I called up Joe Bonamassa because he knows more about the blues than anybody I know.”

Broussard’s brawny baritone drives blues covers like Little Milton’s “That’s What Love Will Make You Do,” John Lee Hooker’s “Locked Up in Jail” and Howlin’ Wolf’s “I Asked for Water,” in which he shares steely vocals with J.J. Grey. In concert, Broussard and his band mix covers with his originals, but blues and soul are the main focus on this tour.

Marc Broussard plays Memorial Hall at 8 p.m. April 19. Doors open at 7 p.m. Nicotine Dolls will open the show. Info: memorialhallotr.com (Greg Gaston)

Sunny Day Real Estate

April 19 • Bogart’s

If you had cut your teeth on early Midwestern emo — think the Get Up Kids,

American Football, Cursive — you’ll likely relish the opportunity to see trailblazers Sunny Day Real Estate. While originally from Washington, Sunny Day Real Estate went on to perfect the Midwest emo sound with arguably one of the greatest albums in the genre, 1994’s Diary. Bridging the gap between the post-hardcore of the late ’80s and early ’90s and the emo of the early 2000s, which the album strongly influenced, Diary was a polestar for veterans of the scene and newcomers alike. With songs as indelibly part of the emo canon as “Seven” and “In Circles,” Diary perfectly fused melodic, intricate playing and time signatures that turn on a dime to create a lasting and hugely influential classic. Sunny Day Real Estate are currently on their fourth reunion tour after the recent departure of founding member Nate Mendel, who has been the bass player for Foo Fighters since their debut album. The band’s future has seemed uncertain in recent years despite a surprise appearance on Jimmy Fallon and the release of a few singles, with new material apparently recorded only to be quickly shelved. Whatever the band’s future, we still have Diary, The Pink Record, How It Feels to Be Something On and The Rising Tide—the last two records released after their first breakup and reunion. And now we also have the chance to see them live and relive the experience of hearing a band that altered the emo landscape as soon as Jeremy Enigk sang, “When time is poetry/ And stolen the world outside/The waiting could crush my heart” on opening track “Seven.” If you feel like you’ve waited long enough and your heart is still intact, catch Sunny Day Real Estate headlining Bogart’s with the Appleseed Cast.

Sunny Day Real Estate plays Bogart’s at 8 p.m. April 19. Doors open at 7 p.m. Info: livenation.com. (Derek Kalback)

The Robert Cray Band

April 21 • Memorial Hall

When the Robert Cray Band takes the stage at Memorial Hall this month as part of their national tour, they’ll likely keep the crowd guessing. “It’s best to be in the moment,” Cray told the Arizona Republic in January. “I just like the idea of being up there and not knowing exactly how everything’s going to pan out.”

They’ll no doubt deliver at least a few cuts from Cray’s most recent album, 2020’s Grammy-nominated That’s What I Heard, a peppery blend of new originals and covers of long-lost soul tunes he grew up loving.

Cray and his signature Fender Stratocaster have kept us guessing for nearly 40 years, during which he’s won five Grammy Awards and amassed a global following. He won his first Grammy in 1986 for Showdown!, an album with Albert Collins and Johnny Copeland, and he played in Chuck Berry’s band in the iconic documentary Hail, Hail Rock and Roll

But his true breakthrough occurred later that year when he released Strong Persuader, which earned him a second Grammy. Key to the double-platinum album’s success was “Smoking Gun,” a surprising crossover single that grabbed a mainstream audience with soulful hooks and a propulsive, mid-tempo groove.

Now with 20 studio albums and three more Grammys on his résumé, Cray continues to draw new fans. Through the years, he’s expanded from roots-based blues to soul, funk and R&B, exploring and fusing various genres to maintain a fresh, dynamic sound. While his Strat has lost none of its sting and his voice none of its force, both have gained a wizened texture that deepens their effect. No matter what song he’s playing, Cray remains as persuasive as ever.

The Robert Cray Band plays Memorial Hall at 8 p.m. April 21. Info: memorialhallotr.com. (Jack Heffron)

Crossword

Across

North By Northeast

BY BRENDAN EMMETT QUIGLEY WWW.BRENDANEMMETTQUIGLEY.COM

1. Apple ___ (aggregator app)

5. Put in a locker

9. Some Korean rice drinks

14. First in a subset

15. Carry around

16. “Don’t make me”

17. Dragon’s home

18. Latin lover’s love

19. ‘60s jacket style

20. Announcement that you’re surrounded by those who have scarlet letters?

23. Workout cover up

24. Rain-___ (gumball brand)

25. Game console that used a Nunchuk attachment

26. CBS show with a blood-spatter specialist

27. Cover story

29. Maker of the Matriarch synthesizer

31. What’s coming to you

32. German city on the Danube

34. St. Louis City SC league

35. Very long times

36. MIT played a prank on Yale, say?

40. Dirty slime

41. “What up, ___?”

42. Urban decay

43. Paths that go up as much as they go down

44. Computer that comes with Thunderbolt ports

46. Indy 500 competitor

50. Govt. property overseer

51. Actress ___ de Armas

52. Intention

54. Tree chopper

55. Became a superobsessive fan over a 2016 Beyoncé album?

59. Extremely skilled

60. They’re part of the food pyramid

61. Fully engrossed with

62. Stuff to sell

63. Capital city with the Frogner and Grønland suburbs

64. “The Tragedy of Macbeth” director

65. Her mom “has got it goin’ on” in a 2003 hit

66. Stink

67. sûr (“to be sure,” in French)

Down

1. Lower Manhattan neighborhood

2. Tooth covering

3. Chinese artist/activist Ai with a reduplicative name

4. Holi covering

5. Reporter Lesley

6. Drum on the floor

7. “But have we considered,” initially

8. Silver bullet victim

9. Mideast peninsula

10. Grady of the “Jurassic World” series

11. His “4’33”” composition is entirely silent

12. Still beat

13. Crams for a test, say

21. Government investment option

22. California region between Carmel and San Simeon

28. Swells (up)

30. Watch company whose name is a letter

31. Drink that comes in orange, strawberry, and pineapple flavors

33. “Funky Cold ___”

36. Hurled a few f-bombs towards

37. Like those in a Zoom meeting

38. Fall head over heels over

39. Bellini opera

40. They prohibit free speech

45. Protect the king, in a two-piece chess move

47. Is unable to

48. Devon cathedral city

49. Fixed anew

51. Eager to move

53. “No sweat”

56. Barrel-regulating org.

57. Simplicity

58. “I’m impressed”

LAST PUZZLE’S ANSWERS:

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