Kansas City concerts Jan. 2-8: American Aquarium, Lincoln Marshall, Lonnie McFadden

Naming your band after lyrics in a Wilco song about the dangers of alcohol proved disturbingly prescient for BJ Barham, the founder and only remaining original member of the North Carolina group American Aquarium. A few of his roots-rock band’s signature songs chronicle his battles with substance abuse. Barnham laments that “I spent the better part of my early 20s medicated and always running from the man my mamma wanted me to be” on the harrowing “Jacksonville.” With John Baumann. 785-842-1390. Tickets are $15 through thegranada.com.

The imminent release of Guitar Elation’s “Double Live at Green Lady Lounge” album will allow the rest of the world to hear what Kansas City’s jazz insiders regularly enjoy. The rousing recording documents the hard-grooving attack of the quartet on original compositions like “Funkshun Junkshun.” Guitarists Brian Baggett and Danny Embrey trade astounding solos over Ken Lovern’s funky organ riffs and the impeccable grooves laid down by the internationally renowned straight-ahead jazz drummer Todd Strait. 816-215-2954. Free. greenladylounge.com.

Sean Hunt and John-Alan Suter, the locally based rappers who perform as Approach and MilkDrop, are beacons of old-school hip-hop principles like uplifting lyricism and community-building. The constructive values they hold dear are currently out of favor. Crasser forms of rap dominate the pop charts, but the music Hunt and Suter perform as a duo in Lincoln Marshall is a powerful throwback to the era in which socially minded acts like KRS-One and Public Enemy were popular. With NuBlvckCity, Domineko and Black Radio. 816-442-8179. Tickets are $5 through theriotroom.com.

A low-key marketing campaign to promote Lonnie McFadden with the nickname Mr. Kansas City has yet to gain much traction. Even so, no one embodies the ebullient spirit of the sounds associated with Kansas City more than the accomplished trumpeter, vocalist and tap dancer. McFadden is best known for his dramatic interpretations of pop hits like “Mr. Bojangles,” but his most recent album, “Live at Green Lady Lounge,” emphasizes his jazz credentials. McFadden entertains at area clubs several nights a week, but his Friday matinee shows at The Phoenix are legendary. 816-221-5299. Cover charge $5. .

Boasting three stages and a resolute commitment to presenting live music 365 days a year, Green Lady Lounge and its adjacent sister club Black Dolphin are integral to Kansas City’s jazz scene. Yet one mainstay on its bustling calendar isn’t really a jazz musician. Shaun Munday possesses the astounding electric bass technique of jazz master Jaco Pastorius, but the music he creates as a one-man-band more closely resembles a soulful version of jam-based icon Dave Matthews. 816-215-2954. Free. greenladylounge.com.

The thick mop of hair framing J.D. Simo’s head like a mussy halo isn’t the only thing about the man that evokes the late 1960s. The Nashville-based guitarist, vocalist and bandleader specializes in the psychedelic blues-rock popularized in the era of flower power. The rendition of John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom” that opens Simo’s 2019 album “Off at 11” is an acid-drenched guitar stomp capable of blowing the minds of jaded hippies who thought they’d heard it all. 816-483-1456. Tickets are $10 through knuckleheadskc.com.

The Kansas City duo of Jenna Rae and Martin Farrell Jr. perform twang-infused material it characterizes as “modern-day saloon songs.” The couple will be bolstered by additional musicians as they celebrate the release of the Jenna & Martin debut album, “Cosmic Western Duets.” Their unconventional bluegrass and country songs are a contemporary Midwestern version of the repertoire of the storied duo of Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons. With The Matchsellers and The Breakfast Sides. 816-483-1456. Tickets are $15 through knuckleheadskc.com.

As David Byrne oversees his “American Utopia” stage show in New York City, countless acolytes of the primary mastermind of Talking Heads continue to advance his art-rock legacy. Jona Bechtolt, a former member of the acclaimed indie-rock bands The Blow and Dirty Projectors, is one of Byrne’s most inspired devotees. “Psychic City” and “Dystopia (The Earth Is On Fire)” are among the songs Bechtolt created with his Los Angeles-based ensemble Yacht that are electronica-oriented variations of absurdist Talking Heads anthems like “Once in a Lifetime.” With Juiceboxxx. 816-753-5207. Tickets are $12 through therecordbar.com.

This story was originally published December 31, 2019 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Kansas City concerts Jan. 2-8: American Aquarium, Lincoln Marshall, Lonnie McFadden."