Apparently Worcester decided the final weekend of August needed a big, loud soundtrack. Maybe we need it.
Live music dominates this week’s picks, from Patty Larkin’s intimate singer-songwriter stylings and Joanna Connor’s long-awaited hometown blues show to Foo Fighters nostalgia and the considerably heavier sounds of the inaugural Wicked Doom Festival. And for anyone whose ears need a recovery period, the Worcester Public Library offers something completely different: pickles.
Here are five picks for the weekend:
- Thirty years, six strings and one unmistakable voice: Acclaimed singer-songwriter Patty Larkin brings her intricate guitar work, poetic songwriting and intimate live performance to the BrickBox at the JMAC on Friday, Aug. 28, at 7:30 p.m. A mainstay of the contemporary folk scene for more than three decades, Larkin has released 11 studio albums, earned 11 Boston Music Awards and received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music along the way. Her music moves easily between folk, pop and more experimental territory, pairing inventive guitar playing with songs built for close listening. Tickets are $43, including fees, with general admission seating at the BrickBox, 20 Franklin St.
- The blues come home to Worcester: Long before Joanna Connor became an internationally touring blues guitarist known for her scorching slide work, she was a Worcester kid playing saxophone in school bands and cutting her teeth in local clubs. On Friday, Aug. 28, that story comes full circle as Connor headlines Mechanics Hall for the first time with “A Spectacular Night of Blues.” The bill also features guitarist JC Smith and Worcester’s own The Metrons, with all three acts expected to join forces for a big closing jam. Connor left Worcester for Chicago in 1984 to learn from the city’s blues masters and went on to share stages with legends including Buddy Guy and B.B. King, but this one is a homecoming. Doors open at 7 p.m., the music starts at 8, and tickets start at $30. A post-show meet-and-greet is scheduled for 10:30 to 11:30 p.m.
- This is a pickle situation: Learn an old-school kitchen skill — and taste the results — during a pickling workshop at the Worcester Public Library on Saturday, Aug. 29, from 2-3:30 p.m. Participants learn how to make traditional fermented dill pickles and other seasonal vegetables using simple brining and dry-salt techniques, with a quick primer on the benefits of fermented foods before the important part: sampling pickles and other ferments. Everyone leaves with recipes and instructions to try the process at home, and while you’re at the Main Library, check out the new Seed Library for seasonal vegetable, herb and pollinator flower seeds. The program takes place in the Saxe Room, and registration is required.
- Turn it up, way down low: Ralph’s Rock Diner gets heavy on Saturday, Aug. 29, when the inaugural Wicked Doom Festival takes over the outdoor stage beginning at 5 p.m. The new festival is built around doom, stoner and psychedelic rock, promising high-gain amps, slow-burning riffs and enough sonic weight to rattle the picnic tables. Organizers are leaning hard into the atmosphere—think black-magic imagery, massive guitar tones and a rain-or-shine lineup designed for fans who like their rock loud, dark and unapologetically heavy. Full lineup details and tickets are available through the festival website.
- There goes my weekend: Relive the days when rock radio was ruled by roaring guitars and you still had to buy an entire CD for the two songs you wanted when Monkey Wrench brings its Foo Fighters tribute to Off The Rails on Friday, Aug. 28. The band takes on the hits and high-energy sound of Dave Grohl and company, while Aged In Angst gets things started with ’90s rock favorites and Absynth Minded keeps the nostalgia rolling with covers from the ’90s and 2000s. Doors open at 6 p.m., with the show beginning at 7, for a night built for anyone whose musical sweet spot stretches from grunge through the glory days of 2000s rock.
For more events, visit the Discover Central Massachusetts events calendar.
Have an event, news tip, idea for a feature, information, joke, favorite recipe or anything else you’d like to tell us about? You should. Contact carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org
