Top 10 concert picks for Sarasota-Bradenton-Charlotte: April 7-13

Crystal Shawanda.
Crystal Shawanda.
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Crystal Shawanda Band

Sarasota County blues venue and restaurant Englewoods on Dearborn’s live music schedule this week will include singer-songwriter Crystal Shawanda. Hailing from Canada, Shawanda has won two Juno Awards – the country’s equivalent of the Grammys – and received numerous nominations, including Indigenous Music Album, Country Recording and New Artist of the Year. She initially rose to prominence as a country musician in the late ’00s before switching to the blues, winning her second Juno Award last year for her album “Church House Blues.” 7 p.m. Thursday, April 7; Englewoods on Dearborn, 362 W. Dearborn St., Englewood; $7; 941-475-7501; englewoodsondearborn.com

She Returns from War.
She Returns from War.

Ringling Underground

Update: Ringling Underground has been canceled due to inclement weather, The Ringling announced Thursday.

Ringling Underground, the concert series that features hip local and regional musical acts playing in The Ringling’s courtyard and is free to college students with an ID, is set to make its return this week. Charleston, South Carolina’s She Returns from War, which plays a style of dreamy, twangy music dubbed “cosmic Americana” on songs such as last year’s single “Snakeskin Boots,” headline the show. They’ll be joined by Orlando rock ’n’ rollers Get with This and Sarasota duo Deep Dive. 8 p.m. Thursday; The Ringling, 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota; $15, free members and college students with ID; 941-359-5700; ringling.org

Good Morning Bedlam.
Good Morning Bedlam.

Good Morning Bedlam

Fogartyville’s live music lineup this week kicks off with Minneapolis-based folk group Good Morning Bedlam. The band visits the area following the release of their latest album “Lulu,” which came out earlier this year and showcases their sound rife with lush instrumentation. Before the pandemic, the group played a tour with more than 200 shows in 2019, and has shared festival lineups alongside artists including Jason Isbell, The Infamous Stringdusters and Sam Bush. 6 p.m. doors, 7 p.m. show Thursday; Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center, 525 Kumquat Court, Sarasota; $18, $15 members, $9 students; 941-894-6469; fogartyville.org

J.P. Soars and Anne Harris.
J.P. Soars and Anne Harris.

J.P. Soars’ Gypsy Blue Revue featuring Anne Harris

After recently playing Bradenton’s Cottonmouth, South Florida guitarist and singer-songwriter J.P. Soars’ Gypsy Blue Revue featuring violinist and singer-songwriter Anne Harris will visit another one of the area’s top blues venues, Sarasota’s The Blue Rooster. J.P. Soars and his group the Red Hots is up for a Band of the Year Blues Music Award this year, with Soars also earning nominations for B.B. King Entertainer of the Year and Instrumentalist – Guitar. Harris has performed both as a solo musician, most recently releasing 2019’s “Roots,” and alongside other artists including Blues Music Award winner Otis Taylor. 8 p.m. Friday; The Blue Rooster, 1525 Fourth St., Sarasota; $20; 941-388-7539; blueroostersrq.com

Megan Jean's Secret Family.
Megan Jean's Secret Family.

Megan Jean’s Secret Family

The day before playing Art Flo Music & Arts Festival in Immokalee alongside names such as Soul Asylum, Joan Osborne and Spin Doctors, Megan Jean’s Secret Family will visit Bradenton for a show. Husband and wife duo Megan Jean and Byrne Klay, who performed as the band Megan Jean and the KFB that played the former Darwin Brewing Company in past years, and Tommy Bailey of Fletcher’s Grove team up for this new group whose sound blends Americana, rock, blues and folk. Their debut single “Foxes in the Henhouse” is set for release in May. 8 p.m. Friday; Garst House, Bradenton; $10; tinyurl.com/meganjean-bradenton

Ben Prestage.
Ben Prestage.

Ben Prestage

Self-described “Florida swamp blues” musician Ben Prestage will return to Punta Gorda pub and music venue Celtic Ray this weekend. Growing up in rural Florida, Prestage later lived in Memphis where he learned how to play drums simultaneously while singing and performing other instruments as a street performer, a one-man-band setup he’d bring back to the Sunshine State. Though he’s a favorite of the Florida blues venue circuit, he’s also developed a national and international following, with his upcoming dates including an European tour this summer. 9 p.m. Friday; Celtic Ray Public House, 145 E. Marion Ave., Punta Gorda; 941-916-9115; celticray.net

Synia Carroll.
Synia Carroll.

‘Birth of the Cool’ tribute

“Birth of the Cool,” Miles Davis’ seminal 1957 album compiled from sessions recorded in 1949 and 1950 featuring Davis joined by other renowned jazz musicians such as Gerry Mulligan and Lee Konitz, turns 65 this year. To celebrate, this concert will feature several jazz musicians on Florida’s west coast recreating music from the album. Pete BarenBregge will direct the band for the concert, which will also feature Sarasota jazz vocalist Synia Carroll. 7 p.m. Saturday; St. Andrew United Church of Christ, 6908 S. Beneva Road, Sarasota, $25; jazzclubsarasota.org/events

Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas.
Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas.

Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas

Fogartyville’s live music schedule this week will also include Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser and Californian cellist Natalie Haas. Along with multiple solo releases and appearances on movie scores, including Disney’s 2002 film “Treasure Planet,” Fraser has collaborated extensively with Haas. Their first dual full-length, 2004’s “Fire & Grace,” won Album of the Year at the Scots Trad Music Awards, and they have released numerous albums since, most recently last year’s “Syzygy.” 6:30 p.m. doors, 7 p.m. show Sunday; Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center, 525 Kumquat Court, Sarasota; $20, $18 members, $10 students; 941-894-6469; fogartyville.org

Gloria Reuben.
Gloria Reuben.

Gloria Reuben

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens' Historic Spanish Point campus will welcome actress and singer Gloria Reuben for its Garden Music Series. Reuben remains perhaps best known for her Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated turn as Jeanie Boulet on "ER," with other acting credits including the upcoming "Firestarter" remake and Showtime series "The First Lady." Yet Reuben is also a musician who was a backup singer on Tina Turner's 2000 "Twenty Four Seven" tour and has released multiple albums, most recently 2020's "For All We Know" with jazz guitarist Marty Ashby. 1 p.m. Sunday; Selby Gardens Historic Spanish Point Campus, 337 N. Tamiami Trail, Osprey; $15, $10 ages 5-17, $7 member guests, free members/ages 4 and under; selby.org

Johnny Mathis.
Johnny Mathis.

Johnny Mathis

Celebrating 66 years as a recording artist this year, crooner Johnny Mathis visits Sarasota’s Van Wezel for a concert. Mathis rose to fame in the ’50s for songs such as 1957’s “Chances Are,” which was a No. 1 hit and later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, as were his renditions of “Misty” and “It’s Not for Me to Say.” Mathis has also received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and served as the singer for multiple Oscar-nominated songs, including “A Certain Smile” from the 1958 film of the same name and his duet “The Last Time I Felt Like This” with Jane Olivor for 1978’s “Same Time, Next Year.” 8 p.m. Tuesday; Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; $77-$107; 941-263-6799; vanwezel.org

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Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Top 10 Sarasota-Bradenton-Charlotte concert picks, April 7-13