Turn it down

Ten Pound Fiddle goes vaudeville

Typically the Ten Pound Fiddle concert series is reserved for veteran folk performers from across the globe, but occasionally a local group or performer is asked to play. This Friday, that honor goes to the Lansing Unionized Vaudeville Spectacle, an “Americana, gypsy-jazz, blues and vaudeville” band that plays a Fiddle show at Old Town’s Creole Gallery. The band’s old-fashioned sound is perfect for the Ten Pound Fiddle crowd. “I take a lot of inspiration from Cab Calloway,” said Dylan Rogers, the band’s front man/songwriter. “It goes all the way up to guys like Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.” The theatrical 12-piece band is known for its big arrangements, with an assortment of 30 instruments filling out the sound. For tickets or more information, go to tenpoundfiddle.org. 

Friday, Oct. 12 @ Ten Pound Fiddle – Creole Gallery, 1218 Turner Street, all ages, $15 public, $12 Fiddle members, $5 for students, 8 p.m.  

IAmDynamite blows up The Loft

Although IAmDyanamite’s name is a reference to a quote by Friedrich Nietzsche (“I am no man, I am dynamite.”), the duo is known for its self-effacing sense of humor rather than pretentious indie-rock snobbery. The band, which plays Friday at The Loft, is famous for its bombastic drums, big guitar riffs and a surplus of fun energy — and have been called “the two guys who sound like five.” IamDynamite is made up of Christopher Martin (guitar, vocals) and Chris Phillips (drums/vocals), North Carolina natives who cut their teeth in the Detroit and Ann Arbor rock scene, playing clubs and house shows. In the fall of 2011, they embarked on their first coast-to-coast tour, helping them earn some word-of-mouth, according to Martin. Opening the show at The Loft is Makeshift Prodigy (Chicago), and local rockers Jonesday and East Lansing-modern rockers The Getout. 

Friday, Oct. 12 @ The Loft, 414 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, all ages, $11 at door, 7 p.m.

Squeezebox makes the (SCENE)

(SCENE) Metrospace hosts an all-ages rock concert Friday, featuring Squeezebox, The White Oranges, and Vandalay. Squeezebox is a Lansing-based pop-rock band previously known as Mainstream Maybe. The band features Sean Strasberger (vocals/bass), Jeff Rosenfeld (vocals/guitar), and drummer Dave Shilakes. (SCENE) Metrospace is an alternative art and performance space located in downtown East Lansing. Since 2004, the space has hosted art exhibits, live music, theater, films, dance, poetry.

Friday, Oct. 12 @ (SCENE) Metrospace, 110 Charles Street, East Lansing, all ages, $5, 8 p.m.

Verve Pipe frontman plays solo gig

Not many Lansing bands have scored a No. 1 hit single and sold millions of records — perhaps that’s why The Verve Pipe is still a feather in the capital city’s hat. The alt-rockers had a string of hits, including 1997’s “The Freshman” and “Photograph” on RCA Records. Verve Pipe front man and songwriter Brian Vander Ark, who splits his time between solo gigs and occasional shows with the band, performs a solo, all-ages show at The Loft Saturday. He will play a mix of hits and cuts from his four solo albums, including his latest solo LP, 2011’s “Magazine.” Opening the show is Jordon Taylor and Red Tape Riot.

Saturday, Oct. 13 @ The Loft, 414 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, all ages, $10 advance, 7 p.m.

Bluegrass rockers turn The Avenue into ´Speakeasy´

Get used to it — Gone Wired Café is now The Avenue, and they’re serving up beer and live music in addition to lattes and red-eyes. On Saturday, the Michigan Avenue venue hosts Carrie Nation & the Speakeasy, a Wichita-based bluegrass outfit that plays “inebriated Americana show tunes.” The non-traditional, five-piece band features an odd assortment of instruments, including bedsprings, slush pump and washboard. The high-energy, acoustic brass ´n´ grass group has been described as a “stagecoach in overdrive.” The blaring trombones melt into breakneck banjo solos. Carrie Nation & the Speakeasy has brought its blend of punk, bluegrass, Dixieland, and circus tunes to packed bars, basements, and festivals across the country since 2007. Opening the show is Jake Simmons & the Little Ghosts (Kalamazoo rock), and Lansing-based roots rockers Devil’s Cut and Dead Ben Rooster.

Saturday, Oct. 13 @ The Avenue, 2021 E Michigan Ave, Lansing, all ages, $6, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.