Geno K CD-release party

Van Dyck, Friday

Eugene Kim, otherwise known as Geno K, has recently returned to his hometown of Albany after a five-year stint in the New York City music scene, during which he played bass for a band called Shaker, Stalone & the Sleauze. Geno K will release his album, The Human Geno Project, tomorrow at the Van Dyck. He’ll perform with the Geno K Experience, which includes Brian Kaplan, Max Figarsky, Alycia Ercums, and John Haag. New York City-based Breaking Laces and songstress-in-the-making Alycia Ercums will open the show. (Nov. 19, 8 PM, $5, 237 Union St., Schenectady, 381-1111)

Gogol Bordello, Blasé Debris

Revolution Hall, Friday

The story of the formation of Gogol Bordello reads less like standard press-release stuff, and more like something out of the pages of Marvel comic books: In 1986, bandleader Eugene Hütz, who had grown up listening to black-market copies of albums by the likes of the Birthday Party and Einstuzende Neubauten, was evacuated out of his native Ukraine in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster; once relocated to the Western Ukraine, Hütz began to develop an appreciation for the indigenous Gypsy styles, responding to both the unusual rhythmic components and the mysticism of the form. It was there that he developed the ability to teleport through solid objects . . . OK, not really. But the band was invited to take part in the Whitney Biennial, which seems to indicate some kind of Gypsy-punk superpower. Also on the bill, Albany’s own punk-rock chimney sweeps Blasé Debris. (Nov. 19, 8 PM, $12, 425 River St., Troy, 273-2337)

Rosanne Raneri CD-release party

WAMC Performing Arts Center, Saturday

Singer-songwriter sweetheart Roseanne Raneri will hold a CD-release party this weekend at the WAMC Performing Arts Studio. Her third album is called Shift, and it boasts a lot of local talent beyond Raneri herself. Raneri has made a name for herself over the years as having one of the richest voices ever to come out of this area, and she’s been described by the Times Union as a radiant performer. For samples of Raneri’s previous albums, you can visit her Web site at www.rosanne raneri.com. Raneri will be joined by her Shift cohorts for the performance: Robby Baier, Nicholas Parslow, Joe Hetko, Darren Todd, Beth Jochum, Valerie DelaCruz, Nancy Walker, Doug Johnson and Michael Eck. (Nov. 20, 8 PM, $10, 339 Central Ave., Albany, 465-5233)

Reel Big Fish

Reel Big Fish

Saratoga Winners, Saturday

Hailing from Orange County (no, that other Orange County), Reel Big Fish carved a niche for themselves in the late ’90s ska-punk explosion with their skank-worthy single “Sellout.” Now, nearly a decade later after (surprisingly) singing the National Anthem on Monday Night Football and (not surprisingly) appearing as themselves in BASEketball, the Fish are spreading Thanksgiving joy with the Beast Feast Tour. Their tour, featuring Melee and Reel Big Fish side project the Littlest Man Band, will keep them occupied while they work on their new album, due out in spring ’05. No more flippin’ burgers for these dudes. (Nov. 20, 7:30 PM, $17, Route 9, Latham, 783-1010)

Damon and Naomi with Kurihara

Flywheel, Saturday

It might have been Brian Eno who once said that while only a thousand people ever bought a Velvet Underground album, every one of them formed a rock & roll band. It can be surmised, then, that Dean Wareham, Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang were three of said VU die-hards. Their work together in late-’80s mope-pop band Galaxie 500 is now considered to be almost as influential as that of their forebears, single-handedly spawning the term “slowcore.” When that band split, Wareham formed indie-rock semi-stars Luna, while Krukowski and Yang paddled on, releasing six albums of caustic folk under the familiar moniker Damon and Naomi. They’re joined on their current tour by longtime collaborator and guitarist for Japanese band Ghost, Michio Kurihara. The three recently completed work on an album of new material entitled The Earth is Blue; perhaps they’ll provide a sneak preview this Saturday at the Flywheel. (Nov. 20, 7:30 PM, $5, 2 Holyoke St., Easthampton, Mass., 413-527-9800)

Del McCoury Band, Gibson Brothers

The Egg, Sunday

It don’t get much better than this. Two of today’s finest bluegrass families will take the stage at the Egg this Sunday night as part of that venue’s American Roots & Branches concert series. Through his 40-year career, banjo man Del McCoury has acted as something of a link between old-timers like Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley and newbies like Nickel Creek, and his multi-generational band is a running display of the age-defying power of old-time country music. Like McCoury, the Gibson Brothers were set right in their ways by the music of Flatt and Scruggs. Of the northern-New-York-based pickers, legendary songwriter Tom T. Hall was inspired to say, “Too numerous to mention all of the great brother acts, but the names Stanley, Louvin, and Osbourne come to mind.” That’s some mighty good company, if we don’t say so ourselves. (Nov. 21, 7 PM, $24, Empire State Plaza, Albany, 473-1845)

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