Carol Bui

Valentine’s, Thursday

Washington, D.C.-based Carol Bui has a taste for strawberry Bundt cake, as she reveals on her MySpace page. We fancy her our soulmate; that’s, like, our favorite kind of cake! But really, who doesn’t love cake? So we’ll have to suck it up and assume she doesn’t feel quite the same, which leaves us to the cake (fine by us)—and Bui’s fine, forthcoming album, Everyone Wore White, on which she reveals herself to be an adventurous songwriter, with a taste for melodic discord and smart, quirk-filled lyricism, much in the spirit of her hometown’s musical heritage. Bui and her band play Valentine’s tonight, along with Scientific Maps and Tough. (Sept. 27, 9 PM, $5, 17 New Scotland Ave., Albany, 432-6572)

Derek Webb

Derek Webb

Revolution Hall, Friday

Singer-songwriter Derek Webb has been enjoying some wonderful reviews for his fourth solo release, The Ringing Bell, including a five-star rave from Paste magazine that calls it “easily one of the year’s best.” No quibble here: On Bell, the “nouveaux troubadour” shelves the simple acoustic-based sound of previous work to experiment with upbeat pop-rock arrangements that call to mind Revolver-era Beatles, in that they are written and performed masterfully. And, lest we be called godless one more damn time, Webb happens to be a Contemporary Christian performer (he fronted the popular group Caedmon’s Call for the better part of a decade). So there: Good music is good music. A lot of Contemporary Christian music sucks; Webb’s music does not. See him perform this Friday as part of a benefit for Justice for Children International. (Sept. 28, 7 PM, $5, 425 River St., Troy, 274-0553)

Shunzo Ohno

Justin’s, Friday

Japanese trumpet-player Shunzo Ohno brings his diverse jazz stylings—a bit Eastern and a little Latin—to Lark Street tomorrow (Friday) evening. Best known for his touring days with Art Blakey in the 1970s, and his 1980s recordings with über-arranger Gil Evans, producer-composer Ohno also has a Grammy under his belt for the 1983 album Machito and His Salsa Big Band, recorded during a fruitful tenure with Machito and his Afro-Cuban Orchestra. Ohno will appear at Justin’s on Friday night, where he’ll be joined by bassist Christopher Wolf-Gould. (Sept. 29, 9:30 PM, $5, 301 Lark Street, Albany, 436-7008)

Lotus

Lotus, Jeff Bujak

Red Square, Saturday

Lotus claim to have the dynamics of a rock band, the dance-inducing rhythms of club music, and the sophistication of modern electronica all wrapped into a concert experience. Their latest album, Escaping Sargasso Sea, is a double-disc set of live performances that draws heavily from their two previous studio albums (Nomad and The Strength of Weak Ties), but also includes never-before-released material. Lotus’ live show highlights their ability to deconstruct and rebuild, manipulate and stretch their compositions spontaneously—which is to say, they jam. Lotus will share the stage with Jeff Bujak, a solo performer whose use of computers, keyboards, effects and samplers create a sound influenced by a fusion of Peter Gabriel and Bruce Hornsby with the rhythms of Prodigy and DJ Shadow. Glow sticks need not apply. (Sept. 29, 9 PM, $15, 388 Broadway, Albany, 465-0444)

The Rite of Strings

The Egg, Saturday

1995’s The Rite of Strings was the one and only album released from the acoustic collaboration between jazz legends Al DiMeola, Stanley Clarke and Jean-Luc Ponty. No bad blood or anything; the trio just hit it and quit it. But the three marquee players saw fit to put the old band back together this spring, and their first tour in more than a decade brings them to the Egg this week. Expect an evening packed with fusion goodness—speaking of, that seems to be something of a trend over at the Egg lately. Exactly when did fusion become hip again, anyway? (Sept. 29, 8 PM, $34.50, Empire State Plaza, Albany, 473-1845)

Eastern Blok

Caffe Lena, Sunday

Balkan folk. Sure, it may not be your traditional idea for an evening out, but didn’t your mom tell you to try new things to see if you like them? The Los Angeles Times calls the work of Serbian classical-guitar virtuoso Goran Ivanovic “restlessly innovative,” and Eastern Blok’s pan-cultural sound includes classic Balkan melodies with original compositions by Ivanovic. Formerly known as the Goran Ivanovic Group, Eastern Blok have been packing venues since they adopted their new name and released their self-titled debut in 2005. Their sophomore effort, Folk Tales, wasn’t expected until late October, but the band is happy to share it now, ahead of schedule. The quartet have gone from appearing on NPR to headlining the Chicago World Music Festival, and their fiery instrumentals are featured in the new film Wanted. Globalization can be a good thing. (Sept. 30, 7 PM, $15, 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, 583-0022)

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