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The best Reno area concerts

This week's picks (and pans) for Reno, Sparks, Carson and Tahoe

By Mark Earnest

Special to Metromix
November 23, 2009

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The Trans-Siberian Orchestra returns to Reno for an annual spectacle with two times to see it.

It's hard to keep track of every show that's coming up, so let local musician-in-the-know Mark Earnest help you pick your playlist for this week. This page is updated with new concerts every Monday, so bookmark away.

The day after Thanksgiving, Trans-Siberian Orchestra will remind you that Christmas is already barreling toward us. There are two times to see it Friday at the Reno Events Center, and the metal orchestra plays many non-seasonal numbers alongside the holiday rock.

Richie Panelli & Cody Rea Thanksgiving benefit

Legends Grill Sports & Spirits - 6015 S. Virginia St. - Reno

On Tuesday: Three different Reno bars are having a fundraising competition for the Evelyn Mount Foundation’s work with the homeless. It features singer/songwriters from Reno at each venue: Richie Panelli and Cody Rea at Legends starting at 7 p.m. Check below for the other two., Kate Cotter and Ryan James at Ole Bridge Pub starting at 8 p.m., and Bamboo at Sierra Tap House starting at 9 p.m. Go to all three, why not? $3 or a can of non-perishable, 21+

Kate Cotter & Ryan James Thanksgiving benefit

Ole Bridge Pub - 50 Sierra St., Suite 5 - Reno

Thanksgiving benefit for Evelyn Mount Foundation with Kate Cotter and Ryan James performing at Ole Bridge Pub. $3 or a can of non-perishable, 21+

Rob guerro (aka Bamboo) Thanksgiving benefit

Sierra Tap House - 253 W. First St. - Reno

Thanksgiving benefit for Evelyn Mount Foundation with rob Guerro a.k.a. Bamboo performing at Sierra Tap House. $3 or a can of non-perishable, 21+

Save the Turkey Dance with Izabella

Great Basin Brewing Company - 846 Victorian Ave. - Sparks

November 25 : 9 p.m.

Wednesday’s pick: Great Basin does its usual smart job of booking shows before a holiday to catch those revelers who want an even earlier escape from Uncle Mark and his weird habits (name your family dysfunction here). Anyways, this is the show with an out-of-town headliner, although jam/folk act Izabella (from Sacto) is likely familiar to Great-Basin-ites. The band does deftly merge well written tuneful indie-pop with an improv sensibility for its sound. Fellow Sacramento group 2Me opens it up, and they bring a distinctly Americana vibe to their acoustic rock. $5, 9 p.m., Great Basin Brewing Co., 21+

Violent Ruler, The Farley Overdose, Penetration Panthers

Hideout Lounge - 240 S. Park St. - Reno

November 25 : 8 p.m.

Violent Ruler, The Farley Overdose, Penetration Panthers Also on Wednesday: A trio of loud locals for this show: thrash-meets-hardcore band Violent Ruler, stoney sludge-meets-punk band The Farley Overdose, and hardcore group Penetration Panthers. $5, 8 p.m., The Hideout Lounge, 21+

Thanksgiving Eve with Drinking With Clowns

Cantina Los Tres Hombres - 926 Victorian Ave. - Sparks

November 25 : 6 p.m.

Also on Wednesday: This well-liked Reno soul-meets-rock group will play its own pre-Turkey-Day show in Sparks tonight. Free, 7 p.m., Cantina Los Tres Hombres, 21+

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Reno Events Center - 400 N. Center St. - Reno

November 27 : 3 p.m.

Friday’s pick: It’s the usual holiday ritual of a visit from this large musical/theater/dance troupe. Expect the metal-meets-classical holiday tunes, as well as some of the darker, pagan-ish tunes from their newest album, “Night Castle.” That new record is a real treat for those of us who remember some of the TSO’s members’ days as Savatage, the highly underrated ‘80s metal band. Either way, if you like truly huge shows, the TSO are a must-see. Note that there is a matinee show as well as the evening one. $69.50 to $25, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., Reno Events Center, all ages

Zappa Plays Zappa

MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa - 55 U.S. Highway 50 - Stateline

November 27 : 8:30 p.m.

Also on Friday: OK, I know you have to be a fan to appreciate this show, but the late Frank Zappa’s son, Dweezil, is a great guitarist in his own right. Plus, the band he now leads lovingly recreates his dad’s most intriguing, and at times musically daunting, material instead of just the best known stuff. There is still the crude lyrics to contend with (which at times were more incisive than folks gave Frank credit for) but either way, this is the place tonight for Zappalogists. $65.50, $45.50, $32.50, 8:30 p.m., Montbleu Resort Casino, all ages

Tonight is Glory, Lions Lions, Adrienne, Arlamae, The Airplane Game

Studio on 4th - 432 E. Fourth St. - Reno

November 27 : 7 p.m.

Also on Friday: Here’s a touring trio that plays metallic hardcore: Tonight Is Glory from El Paso, Lions Lions from Boston, and Adrienne from Virginia. Local sing-vs-scream hard rockers Arlamae and The Airplane Game open it up. $7 adv., $10 door, 7 p.m., Studio at 4th, all ages

1997, June Set Fire

Tonic Lounge - 231 W. Second St. - Reno

November 27 : 9 p.m.

Also on Friday: Hailing from Chicago, the band 1997 sounds more like 2002-or-3, mixing that year’s breakthrough indie-pop sound with strains of modern rock. Local modern rock band June Set Fire opens things up. $10, 9 p.m., Tonic Lounge, 21+

Jo Dee Messina

Atlantis Casino Resort Spa - 3800 S. Virginia St. - Reno

November 27 : 7 p.m.

Also on Friday and Saturday: Hailing from Nashville, singer Jo Dee Messina is more on the pop side of things than some, but still keeps elements of traditional country in her sound. $44, $39, 8 p.m., Atlantis Resort Casino, all ages

Cheech & Chong

Silver Legacy Resort Casino - 407 N. Virginia St. - Reno

November 27 : 8 p.m.

Also on Friday: I vacillated a bit on putting this show in, as I usually don’t include comedy in this “all music” column, but I did read that these two longtime comics (reunited in recent years) still perform their ‘70s musical hits like “Earache My Eye” and “Basketball Jones” in their set. So there you go. $70, $60, $45, 8 p.m., Silver Legacy, 18+

Sol Jibe

Great Basin Brewing Company - 846 Victorian Ave. - Sparks

November 27 : 10 p.m.

Also on Friday and Saturday: This Reno band that merges world music with pop-rock plays at the brewery for two nights. $7 adv., $10 door, Great Basin Brewing Co., 21+

Freq Nasty, DJ Joe, Coop da Loop

Bar 24 Taproom & Grill at Bill's - 15 Highway 50 - Stateline

November 27 : 10 p.m.

Also on Friday: UK-based electronica artist/DJ Freq Nasty comes back to Tahoe for this show, along with Utah artist DJ Joe and local DJ Coop da Loop. $10, 10 p.m., Bar 24, 21+

Lake Tahoe Jazz Fest

Hyatt Regency - 111 Country Club Drive - Incline Village

November 27 : 8 p.m.

Also on Friday and Saturday: NYC-based Trumpeter Chris Botti returns to the area for a Friday Tahoe show. Botti plays jazz with some pop overtones, but also strong nods to traditional and ‘60s jazz. The Saturday show features L.A. saxophonist Boney James. He plays in that pop-meets-soul modern jazz style that your parents like (maybe). $95 for VIP tickets, $65 otherwise, 8 p.m. both nights, Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe, all ages.

Mission Mountain Wood Band

Harrah's Lake Tahoe - 15 U.S. Highway 50 - Stateline

November 27 : 7:30 p.m.

Also on Friday: Playing neo-bluegrass before it became trendy (and in this case, that means the post-hippie ‘70s!) this Montana band has reunited for a tour. $25, 7:30 p.m., Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, all ages

Jellybread

Crystal Bay Club-Casino - 14 Nevada 28 - Crystal Bay

November 27 : 10 p.m.

Also on Friday: The Reno based funk/rock group is featured in Tahoe tonight. Free, 10 p.m., Crystal Bay Club, 21+

Bare Wires, Nectarine Pie, The Shames, Penetration Panthers

The Underground - 555 E. Fourth St., Suite B - Reno

November 28 : 9:30 p.m.

Saturday’s pick: One of the joys of this column is being able to give bandwidth to, uh, a band that deserves more exposure. This time, I get to tell you about two of them on this potent bill of punk-of-all-stripes. Bare Wires are from Oakland and pitch their sound somewhere between melody-heavy ‘70s power pop and ’90s-style lo-fi punk-pop. Nectarine Pie, from Oakland, sound like a punked-out version of the “Nuggets” box set, all loose garage rock with psychedelic tendencies. Both bands are plenty loose, but it’s hard to resist the inherent catchiness in their well-written tunes. Excellent locals The Shames and Penetration Panthers bring their own noise to the party as openers. $8 adv., $10 door, 9:30 p.m., The Underground, 21+

Kelly Clarkson

Reno Events Center - 400 N. Center St. - Reno

November 28 : 8 p.m.

Also on Saturday: This first “American Idol” winner has done at least two very cool things: hired the greatest bassist known to man to record with her (that would be Mike Watt) and performed the best pop song of the last decade (that would be “Since You’ve Been Gone,” which still sounds fresh as hell on the radio). Her other work is less interesting, even painfully bland at times, but word on the street is she puts on a great live show. Opening the show are pop-rockers the Veronicas from Australia (maybe); melodic modern rock band Parachute from Virginia; and Elite, a boy-band-ish soul/pop group from L.A. $85, $55, 8 p.m., Reno Events Center, all ages

Pic Vicious

Vixens - 906 Victorian Ave. - Sparks

November 28 : 9:30 p.m.

Also on Saturday: I’m not too enamored with this Los Angeles electronic-rock artist (I just don’t think the songs are strong enough, sorry!). Yet, there is no denying that Mr. Vicious is doing well for himself in Reno, as his latest headlining gig moves to this larger venue on Victorian Square. $10, 9:30 p.m., Vixens, 21+

Toots and the Maytals, Rey Fresco

Tahoe Biltmore - 5 Highway 28 - Crystal Bay

November 28 : 9:30 p.m.

Also on Saturday: Toots Hibbert has roots in the original reggae of Jamaica, and he was even one of the first people to use that term to describe the slowing-down of ska beats. He returns to this area for a show opened up by Rey Fresco, a reggae-meets-melodic-pop band from Southern Cali. $25, 9:30 p.m., Tahoe Biltmore, 21+

Lacy J. Dalton

Piper's Opera House - 12 N. B St. - Virginia City

November 28 : 7:30 p.m.

Also on Saturday: As has been common over the years, this trad country/folk singer/songwriter with roots in the area is playing a benefit for this revered venue in Virginia City. $25, 7:30 p.m., Piper’s Opera House, all ages

Judy Collins

Harrah's Lake Tahoe - 15 U.S. Highway 50 - Stateline

November 28 : 7:30 p.m.

Also on Saturday: This New Yorker folk/pop singer is best known for her covers of Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell tunes, well ahead of both songwriters’ pop fame. $39.50, 7:30 p.m., Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, all ages

Izzy and the Kessatronics

Whiskey Dicks Saloon - 2660 Lake Tahoe Blvd. - South Lake Tahoe

November 28 : 9 p.m.

Also on Saturday: This NYC band plays an indebted-to-early-punk variant of early rock ‘n’ roll. $5, 9 p.m., Whiskey Dick’s, 21+

Nothington, Idle Screamer

Zephyr Lounge - 1074 S. Virginia St. - Reno

November 29 : 9 p.m.

Sunday’s pick: Some sounds never get old, especially if they are performed and written well. Such is the case with Nothington, a Bay area band playing melodic punk rock with plenty of gravel in the voice and the guitars. It’s been done before, of course, but so what? Nothington do this sound better than most, with true heart. Local punk band Idle Screamer open things up. $5, 9 p.m., Zephyr Lounge, 21+

Professor

Hideout Lounge - 240 S. Park St. - Reno

November 29 : 9 p.m.

Also on Sunday: Professor is a band from L.A. that plays metal that mixes modern sludgy sounds with a strong ‘80s power-metal streak. $5, 9 p.m., The Hideout Lounge, 21+