Thu 1/2 @ 8PM
Fri 1/3 @ 7PM
Sat 1/4 @ 8:30PM
Considering that singer/pianist Rachel Brown has been kicking around the area music scene for over 25 years, the music she’s making with her band the Beatnik Playboys sounds surprisingly fresh.
Maybe in part that’s because music trends have caught up with the country-biased roots twist she gives to her music. It features strains of honky-tonk and western swing, as well as classic rock and jazz. Her range, her expressive voice, which mixes girlish sweetness and grownup savvy in a delicate balance, and her vivid, fluid songwriting are beautifully showcased on her 2012 CD Just Look My Way.
It helps too that the Beatnik Playboys include some of the area’s most seasoned and versatile musicians: guitarist Dave Huddleston, drummer Roy King, and bassist Bill Watson. They’re players who could hold their own with musicians anywhere.
Northeast Ohioans are lucky to have this quality music so accessible and close to home. This week Brown and her band will be all over the Akron/Kent area, with a Thursday gig at Jilly’s in downtown Akron, a Friday gig at Kent’s Water Street Saloon, and a Saturday stint in Akron at the Old 97 Café.
All the shows are free.
Akron, OH 44308
Akron, OH 44314
Kent, OH 44240