John Craigie. Photo by Bradley Cox
John Craigie
8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. One Longfellow Square, 181 State St., Portland, $20 in advance, $25 at the door. onelongfellowsquare.com
Singer-songwriter John Craigie, from the other Portland, is set to release his latest album, “Mermaid Salt,” next week. The first single, “Distance,” speaks of drug addiction and other ways to lose someone you love, softened by Craigie’s warm voice, along with piano and acoustic guitar. “Helena” is a lightly funk-tinged tune, and Craigie’s voice rises higher as he sings about burning a building down. Craigie’s discography runs deep and dates back to 2009, so he’ll have plenty of tunes to choose from.
Lettuce. Photo courtesy of the artist
Lettuce
8 p.m. Saturday. State Theatre, 609 Congress St., Portland, $28 in advance, $30 day of show. statetheatreportland.com
Make your Saturday night a funky one by seeing Boston-based funk band Lettuce, the sextet featuring longtime Portlander Ryan Zoidis on saxophone. “Unify,” due out in June, will be the band’s eighth album. If the first single, “Gravy Train,” is any indication, the album, and certainly the live show, promise to be satisfying listening experiences that will elicit lots of dancing. In 2019 , the album “Elevate” was nominated for a Grammy for instrumental album of the year. Lettuce is celebrating three decades as a band, and the party starts when the clock strikes eight.
Jill Sobule. Photo by Shervin Lainez
Jill Sobule
8 p.m. Sunday. One Longfellow Square, 181 State St., Portland, $15 in advance, $20 at the door. onelongfellowsquare.com
You might remember singer-songwriter Jill Sobule from her 1995 breakthrough pop hit “I Kissed a Girl.” Several albums have followed, and she’s continued to prove herself as a dexterous songwriter who doesn’t shy away from singing about eating disorders, the Christian right and the many struggles of adolescence among myriad other topics. Her song “Supermodel” made a splash in the film “Clueless.” Sobule’s latest release is 2018’s “Nostalgia Kills,” home to songs like the quietly impassioned “I Don’t Wanna Wake Up” and the bittersweet title track. Few artists walk the line between funny and poignant quite like Sobule does. Folk-rock singer-songwriter Emma Ivy, who splits her time between Maine and New York, opens the show.
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