Turn it down

Fri., Jan. 18, Unitarian Universalist Church, 855 Grove St., East Lansing, all ages, $15 public, $12 members, $5 students, 7:30 p.m.

While he may spend his days teaching and selling at Elderly Instruments, at night Elden Kelly impresses audiences with his vocals and virtuoso guitar skills. His eclectic jazz style blends a broad range of music traditions Aside from his six-string abilities, Kelly has also developed a syncretic style on the Arabic oud, the Turkish cumbus and the Glissentar, an 11-string fretless guitar. His shows range from amazing shredding to heartfelt tunes. Kelly graduated from Boston’s New England Conservatory of Music in 2008 with a degree in contemporary improvisation. Later he accepted a full scholarship and teaching assistantship at Michigan State University with Rodney Whitaker, earning a graduate degree in ethnomusicology in 2011.

Blaze Ya Dead Homie at Mac's 

Fri., Jan. 18, Mac’s Bar, 2700 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, all ages, $10, 7 p.m.

Chris Rouleau, better known as Blaze Ya Dead Homie, has been active in the Detroit music scene since the mid-‘90s. Friday Blaze hits Mac’s Bar, with openers including Ajax, Jimmy Kankelz, Smokehouse Junkiez and The R.O.C. The Psychopathic Records star has an interesting, yet fictional, backstory: he is a reincarnated rapper who was killed in the late ‘80s, at the genesis of gangster rap. That tall-tale mirrors his rap style: horrorcore and gritty-gangster rap. Blaze’s career started with his Detroit-based duo, 2 Krazy Devils, later dubbed the Sleepwalkaz. Soon Blaze connected with Psychopathic  Records through his friends in Twiztid. In 2000 he dropped his self-titled debut EP. Since then he’s released four albums, the latest being 2010’s “Gang Rags.”

Lansing Record & CD Show returns

Sat., Jan. 19, University Quality Inn, 3121 E. Grand River Ave., Frandor, FREE, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

For those interested in flipping through thousands of vinyl records, a good place to start might be Saturday´s Lansing Record & CD Show at the University Quality Inn in Frandor. The event happens every couple of months and features lots of vinyl (45s and LPs) as well as CDs, DVDs, posters, T-shirts, vintage magazines and all sorts of music memorabilia. All genres are represented, from rock ´n´ roll and soul to jazz, funk and folk. There’s even some rare garage rock, rockabilly and punk vinyl. The event features 60 tables of merchandise, and dealers also buy record collections from guests. For dealer or selling information, visit facebook.com/lansingrecordshow, e-mail Rod at rerun45@rocketmail.com or call (734) 604-2540.

Uli's hosts Thornetta Davis  

Sat., Jan. 19, Uli’s Haus of Rock, 4519 S. MLK Blvd., Lansing, 18 and over, $20, $15 advance, 7 p.m.

Thornetta Davis has opened for legendary blues and R&B greats such as Ray Charles, Smokey Robinson and Etta James. She’s also recorded back-up vocals for the likes of Bob Seger and Kid Rock, and her song “Cry” was featured on an episode of “The Sopranos.” On Saturday, she plays Uli’s Haus of Rock. After becoming a fixture in the Detroit rock and blues scene in the late ‘80s, Davis steadily built up her résumé. In 1996 Davis recorded her debut solo album “Sunday Morning Music” on Sub Pop, a notable Seattle-based alt-rock record label. By 2001, she was inducted into the Detroit Music Hall of Fame. Today she performs over 200 shows a year. Opening the show is Twyla Birdsong and Mike Eyia. 

WKAR's 'BackStage Pass' premieres

Sun, Jan. 20 Airing on WKAR HD/23 (23.1) at 7 p.m.

“BackStage Pass” returns Sunday for its fourth season. The award-winning WKAR-TV series showcases Michigan-made music recorded live in front of local audiences. This season of “BackStage Pass” visits concerts and festivals such as the Lansing JazzFest, the Michigan Mosaic Music Festival and the Old Town BluesFest. This round starts with a performance from Silent Lapse, a progressive hard rock band out of Westphalia. The band was formed in May 2007 by brothers Mitchell Feldpausch (guitar) and Taylor Feldpausch (drums). The band also includes bassist Matt Schrauben, vocalist/keyboardist Scott Martin and guitarist Wyatt Aldrich. Fans of Dream Theater, Candlebox or Queensryche might want to check them out.