Live: Music Picks Dec. 19-25 

Thursday Dec. 19

Jamestown Revival
It sounds like something out of a band fairy tale: Best childhood friends Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance grew up together in a small town in Texas, and spent most of their young years together on a 1,000-acre plot of family land. Influenced by artists including Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Everly Brothers and Stevie Ray Vaughan, they crafted their own Southern-born sound and began their two-man band Jamestown Revival. Their debut album, The California EP, is a tantalizing, harmony-rich taste of what’s to come: The band’s first fulllength record—recorded in a remote mountain log cabin right here in Utah—is due out sometime next year. If these four songs are any indicator, it’s going to be big. Charles Ellsworth is also on the bill. Bar Deluxe, 666 S. State, 9 p.m., $8 in advance, $10 day of show, BarDeluxeSLC.com, limited no-fee tickets available at CityWeeklyStore.com

Friday Dec. 20

Justin Townes Earle
This Nashville troubadour might be the son of hellraiser and alt-country artist Steve Earle, with Townes Van Zandt as his middle-name namesake, but he’s got his entirely own thing goin’ on. With his considerable height (6 feet 6 inches), hand and neck tattoos, thick-rimmed glasses and laser-like gaze, he makes an imposing figure—but then he sings. There’s something special hiding in that warm, gritty voice, something that lays bare his vulnerability but has an edge of don’t-give-a-damn stubbornness. His most recent album, 2012’s Nothing’s Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now, is an instant Americana classic, all about heartache (“Am I That Lonely Tonight?”), finding a change (“Memphis in the Rain”) and the freedom of the open road (“Movin’ On”). The State Room, 638 S. State, 9 p.m., sold out; also Dec. 21, 9 p.m., $30, TheStateRoom.com

Winter Solstice Concert
Technically, this year’s jazz-celebrating Winter Solstice Concert happens the day before the actual winter solstice, but it’s still as good a night as any to experience some of Utah’s finest (and youngest) jazz talent. The 20th-annual event—aka Young Lions and Old Tigers—will feature several guest artists, all accompanied by the Larry Jackstien Group in the beautiful historic Cathedral Church of Saint Mark. This year’s lineup will include guitarist Corey Christiansen, vocalist Susy Lind, flautist and tenor saxophonist Ben Nichols, trombonist Brian Woodbury and trumpet player Austie Robinson; all artists who have been making waves and garnering awards for their prodigious skills. The Cathedral Church of Saint Mark, 231 E. 100 South, 7:30 p.m., free, donations welcome, StMarksCathedralUT.org

Dear Rabbit
Created with banjo, horns, piano and other slightly out-of-tune instruments, the gypsyfolk sound produced by this Colorado band is slightly creepy, like something that would be played at some back-roads Russian circus. Shout-sung lyrics give the songs a scruffy punk feel, especially on “That Rattlesnake You Photographed,” from Dear Rabbit’s 2011 full-length album, They Don’t Love the Songs.The record’s nine tunes have a dark storytelling element going on, too, such as on “A Song About Ants” and “The Scar That They Made,” the intro of which wouldn’t be out of place at the beginning of a vaudevillian Tom Waits song. The Barrel Room, 155 W. 200 South, 9 p.m., $5, Facebook.com/ TheBarrelRoomSLC

Winter Meltdown: Zion I, Michal Menert, CunninLynguists
Don’t let the dreary winter get you down; come warm up at this Winter Meltdown, hosted by Zion I, Michael Menert and CunninLynguists. The latest full-length album from California hip-hop duo Zion I (emcee Zumbi and producer Amp Live), ShadowBoxing, features guests as impressive as Bassnectar and The Grouch. Oneirology, the latest album from Kentucky/Georgia hip-hop trio CunninLynguists (pictured)—with members Deacon the Villain, Natti and Kno—is almost mystical, with a dreamy mood and lyrics about searching for meaning. Electronic music producer Michal Menert will keep the dancing going. (Kolbie Stonehocker) Friday, Dec. 20 @ The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, 10 p.m., $16-$26 in advance, $31 day of show, DepotSLC.com