Larkin Poe, with Parker Milsap
It’s been nine years since the sister-duo Larkin Poe made their San Diego debut at the Balboa Theater, where they both opened for and accompanied Elvis Costello.
At the time, Megan and Rebecca Lovell were 25 and 26, respectively, and billed their music as “roots rock ‘n’ roll.” The launched Larkin Poe in 2010 after their older sibling, Jessica, began college and their bluegrass- and country-oriented trio, The Lovell Sisters, disbanded.
In 2021, Larkin Poe headlined the now sadly defunct AimLoan.com San Diego Blues Festival, where Rebecca’s gutsy, no-nonsense singing and guitar work, and Megan’s incisive lap-pedal-steel and dobro playing won them new fans here.
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By the time Larkin Poe’s sixth album, “Blood Harmony,” earned the duo its first Grammy Award last year, Rebecca and Megan had been featured on albums by such diverse irers as Costello, ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Dierks Bentley. More recently, the sisters guested on “Rosetta,” a standout song on Ringo Starr’s new country album, “Look Up.”
Now celebrating their 15th anniversary, Larkin Poe released its seventh album, “Bloom,” in January. Their most mature and accomplished recording to date, it expertly combines rock, country, blues, boogie and more with irable verve and irably earnest lyrics.
8 p.m. Saturday. House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Avenue, Gaslamp Quarter. $30-$75. livenation.com
Angie Wells
Philadelphia-born jazz singer Angie Wells released her debut album, “Well Swung,” in 2010. Her most recent album, 2023’s “Truth Be Told,” was produced by bass great John Clayton and showcases Wells’ supple vocals and stylistic versatility.
She shines equally whether bringing a new spin to such jazz standards as Nat Adderly’s “Work Song” and the Anita O’Day/Diana Krall favorite “Peel Me A Grape,” getting bluesy on “Do I Move You” or swinging through her sly, sassy “Talkin’ All Under My Clothes.” And when Wells digs deep into her gospel roots on “Truth Be Told’s” title track — a stirring elegy for victims of police violence — evokes chills.
Her performance Sunday at Tio Leo’s will team Wells with Los Angeles pianist Peter Smith and two of San Diego’s finest, bassist Rob Thorsen and drummer Richard Sellers. ission is free, so arrive early if you want to snare a seat.
5 p.m. Sunday. Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa Street, Bay Park. Free. tioleos.com
Johnny Pandora, with The Film Company and TK & The Deadlist
It’s unclear how many Japanese rockabilly bands are currently active in their homeland. But I’m pretty sure that Johnny Pandora is one of the very few who are coming to perform in San Diego this year — unless I somehow missed a recent show here by Hot Dog Buddy.
Johnny Pandora is the stage name of lead singer and Yokohama native Daigo “Johnny” Yamashita, as well as of the band he heads. Yamashita is also an actor and a model who slyly bills his music as “Samurai Rock ‘N’ Roll.”
His concert persona suggests a cross between a young Brian Setzer of The Stray Cats and a young Elvis Presley, whose early hits “Jailhouse Rock” and “Hound Dog” were memorably covered in Japan in the mid 1950s by Kazuya Kosaka & The Wagon Masters.
Concerts by Pandora and his band often include such vintage rock staples as Gene Vincent’s “Be-Bop-A-Lula,” Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” and Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba.” But most of the group’s allure comes from the songs Pandora sings in Japanese, including “Yokohma Cruisin,” “Koi No Cocktail,” “Wagamama Carol,” “Haze for Motorbike,” “Kokodou Boogie” and “Mitenayo Baby.”
8 p.m. Monday. Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. $19.06 (must be 21 or older to attend). sodabarmusic.com
