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Binary Star at the Loft

Sunday, April 3 @ The Loft, 414 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing. All ages, $12, $10 adv. 7 p.m.

Binary Star has been a force in Michigan’s underground hip-hop scene since the rap duo formed in 1998. The pair of Pontiac-based emcees, One Be Lo and Senim Silla, released its first full-length LP, “Water World,” in 1999. A year later, after launching Subterraneous Records, the group remixed and re-issued the LP as “Masters of the Universe” – selling 20,000 copies independently. All Music Guide praised the disc, saying “it has everything a great hip-hop album requires … varied beats, differing rhyme deliveries and (thoughtful) content.” Soon after, however, Binary Star disbanded and the two lyricists perused solo efforts. In late 2009, the pair reunited and embarked on a tour. The duo has since done sporadic shows and recordings, including a 2013 self-titled EP. Binary Star headlines the Loft Sunday, joined by openers Passalacqua, Obese Ghost Children, Stef Chura and Big Sherm.

Bluesman Guy Davis at the Ten Pound Fiddle

Friday, April 1 @ Allen Street Market Place – Ten Pound Fiddle, 1629 East Kalamazoo St., Lansing. $20, $18 members, $5 students. 7:30 p.m.

Since Guy Davis’ acclaimed 1995 debut, “Stomp Down the Rider,” his primal blues sound has scored him appearances on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “The Late Show with David Letterman” and “A Prairie Home Companion.” Over the years, Davis has not only recorded a string of Delta blues-inspired albums, he’s also acted on and off Broadway, had a reoccurring role on soap opera “One Life to Live,” wrote and starred in a one-man show based on a fictional bluesman and scored music for PBS shows. In 2014 alone, Davis gigged in the Ukraine, performed for the Queen of Denmark and also played a show at a children’s home in Greenland. Fans of Blind Willie McTell or Robert Johnson might want to check out Davis when he headlines Friday at the Ten Pound Fiddle.

Jake Simmons & the Little Ghosts at Mac's Bar

Thursday, March 31 @ Mac’s Bar, 2700 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing. All ages, $8, $7 adv. 8 p.m.

Over the summer, Kalamazoo-based rock ‘n’ roll outfit Jake Simmons & the Little Ghosts released its new hook-driven LP, “No Better.” Pop Matters dubbed the record “rootsy, gritty flannel rock” and praised Simmons for his “anthemic, emotive garage-punk vocals.” Earlier this month, PunkNews.org debuted the group’s new music video for the single “Steel Toe.” The band is on the road touring across the United States, playing shows from Pennsylvania to Tennessee. Thursday, the band rolls into Lansing for a headlining slot at Mac’s Bar. Openers are Calumet, Worm, Carm and Stop Bobby Hatch. Fans of the Hold Steady might want to check out Jake Simmons & the Little Ghosts. A stream of the record is available at jakesimmons.bandcamp.com.

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