Adam Faucett at Prairie Moon Winery
The Arkansas-based singer-songwriter Adam Faucett has been a regular in Ames for nearly a decade as he carries out his endless ongoing tours, mostly solo but sometimes with a tight three-piece band. He flat out shocks new audiences with a profound vocal talent that matches the bullhorn call of an un-mic’d auctioneer to the soul singer tradition of Otis Redding and Sam Cooke. His music can be called “folk” more in the sense of outsider art than in similarity to Woody Guthrie but his precision-accuracy finger-picking and melancholy melodies call up many strains of American music tradition.
On top of all this, though, his lyrics are forever distinctive and free of cliche; for examples of his clarity and originality start with “T-Rex T-Shirt,” proceed to “Day Drinker,” and then keep exploring from there. He’s at Prairie Moon Winery as a part of their Live at the Crib series this Sunday at 3 p.m. The Des Moines Americana duo Adam Bruce opens the show.
Chad Elliott at DG’s Tap House
And staying in the theme of amazing guitarists and songwriters, the Iowa great Chad Elliott returns to Ames for an early show at DG’s Tap House on Saturday evening.
Doctor Murdock at Roosevelt Summer Sundays
The Ames rock quartet Doctor Murdock will add a heavier note to the generally laid-back soundscape of the lovely Roosevelt Summer Sundays in the newly updated park adjacent to The Roosevelt condos. The band manages to find a place for both cosmic guitar wailing and hard-driving R’n’R numbers all in the context of “dance rock.” The dancers will probably include small children at this family-friendly show at 7 p.m. on Sunday evening. This would be a nice follow-up to the Adam Faucett show at Prairie Moon earlier the same day.
