Top 5 concert picks for shows this week in Sarasota, Englewood and Punta Gorda

Ben Prestage

Punta Gorda Irish pub and venue Celtic Ray's live music lineup this week includes self-described "Deep South swamp music" artist Ben Prestage. The multi-instrumentalist grew up in rural Florida before later living 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, including touring Europe. 7 p.m. Thursday, July 21; Celtic Ray Public House, 145 E. Marion Ave., Punta Gorda; 941-916-9115; celticray.net

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J.P. Soars and the Red Hots

Also set to visit Celtic Ray this week, along with Sarasota County restaurant and blues venue Englewoods on Dearborn, is South Florida guitarist and singer-songwriter J.P. Soars and the Red Hots. The group received four Blues Music Awards nominations this year, including Band of the Year and Soars earning a B.B. King Entertainer of the Year nomination. Soars is also part of the supergroup Southern Hospitality with Grammy-nominated pianist Victor Wainwright and fellow Floridian Damon Fowler. 7 p.m. Thursday; Englewoods on Dearborn, 362 W. Dearborn St., Englewood; $7; 941-475-7501; englewoodsondearborn.com; 9 p.m. Friday; Celtic Ray Public House, 145 E. Marion Ave., Punta Gorda; 941-916-9115; celticray.net

Liquid Pennies

St. Pete psychedelic rockers Liquid Pennies, who released the new album "Any Wonder" earlier this year, is set to play two Sarasota shows this weekend. First, they'll perform at Phillippi Crest Community Club on Friday, with a musical lineup that also includes fellow St. Pete standouts The Grapes. Then they'll play Gulf Gate mainstay Munchies 420 Cafe on Saturday, with Tampa garage rockers The Drain Outs and Sarasota's own The Tilt, set to release their own album "Up the Gospel" in August. 6:30-10 p.m. Friday; Phillippi Crest Community Club, 2421 Burlington Lane, Sarasota; free (donations encouraged); phillippicrestclub.com; 6:30-10 p.m. Saturday; Munchies 420 Cafe, 6639 Superior Ave., Sarasota; free; 941-929-9893; facebook.com/munchies420fl

Lauren Henderson

Sarasota's Fogartyville will welcome New York City jazz vocalist Lauren Henderson for a concert this weekend. Henderson's sound draws from her Caribbean roots and North American upbringing as well as Latin jazz, flamenco, R&B and soul, with DownBeat saying her music "excels at refreshing jazz and Latin standards for the modern ear." Henderson has also earned attention from The New York Times, which described her voice as "somewhere between a comforting whisper and a cogent declaration," and Spotify, which featured her as a cover artist for its Vocal Jazz playlist. 8 p.m. Saturday; Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center, 525 Kumquat Court, Sarasota; $22, $20 members, $11 students; 941-894-6469; fogartyville.org

Damon Fowler

Blues guitarist and singer-songwriter Damon Fowler, who collaborated with Big Top Brewing Company on a hazy blood orange hibiscus Fowler's IPA, will visit the Sarasota brewery and venue for a show this weekend. Fowler most recently released last year's Billboard blues album chart-topping full-length "Alafia Moon," which also earned him a Blues Rock Album nomination at the Blues Music Awards earlier this year. The day before he visits Big Top, Fowler is set to play a show that will be used for a live recording Saturday night at The Palladium in St. Petersburg. 3 p.m. Sunday; Big Top Brewing Company, 975 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota; 941-371-2939; bigtopbrewing.com

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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Top 5 Sarasota-Bradenton-Charlotte concert picks, July 21-27