Fall Arts Preview 2012: Pop, Rock & Jazz

The Black Keys at the Santa Barbara Bowl: Nowadays, you can’t talk about modern-rock success stories without mentioning The Black Keys. The Akron, Ohio, duo made up of frontman/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney may just be music’s most recognizable pair of the moment. And it’s no wonder why. With only two members, The Black Keys have managed to make more noise — and carve out sicker riffs — than the vast majority of their garage-rock contemporaries. They’ve also climbed their way to the top, growing from a self-described “old blues rip-off” act to a chart-topping indie sensation. Most recently, it’s the duo’s El Camino that’s been shaking things up in and outside of the blogosphere. The album is easily the Keys’ most brazen recording to date, filled with in-your-face guitar licks, motorcycle-flick nostalgia, and Auerbach’s sauciest lyrics yet. Add to the mix a big production light show, and you’ve got a Bowl concert well worth the (scalped) ticket price. Tuesday, October 2, 6:30 p.m. Call 962-7411 or visit sbbowl.com.

David Byrne and St. Vincent at the Arlington Theatre: Some things just make sense together — like steak and red wine, ice cream and sprinkles, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. And now, we can add two more names to our pairing menu: David Byrne and St. Vincent’s Annie Clark. When word got out that the former Talking Heads frontman and indie rock’s reigning guitar goddess were teaming up, it seemed the most logical musical pairing that no one had ever thought of. And when the duo released their collaborative record, Love This Giant, earlier this month, we celebrated right alongside the rest of the music-loving masses. As expected, the album is filled with Clark’s signature twisted guitar tones, as well as Byrne’s unmistakably quirky speak-sing, but it’s also delightfully different than anything either party has released on their own. It’s smart, it’s timely, and it’s got horns — lots of them. For the youngsters, this may be the closest we get to seeing Stop Making Sense in the flesh. Thursday, October 11, 8 p.m. Call 893-3535 or visit artsandlectures.sa.ucsb.edu.

Charles Bradley at UCSB’s Campbell Hall: Every once in a while, the music industry bucks the trends and throws the underdog a bone. Take, for example, Charles Bradley, a lifelong blue-collar worker and avid bluesman who finally caught his break at the age of 58. Dubbed “The Screaming Eagle of Soul,” Bradley spent a chunk of his later years working the Brooklyn club circuit as a James Brown impersonator. It was there that he was discovered by Gabriel Roth, the cofounder of Daptone Records, back in 2002. Still, it wasn’t until last year, at the age of 63, that Bradley finally saw his lifelong dream come to life. He released his debut, No Time for Dreaming, in January and has been touring the world ever since. Like the great showmen of his youth, Bradley has a stage presence that’s nothing short of magnetic. And in spite of his age (or maybe because of it), he’s got the energy — and coy swagger — of a crooner half his years. This fall, he’ll be joined onstage by The Menahan Street Band as part of Arts & Lectures’ Blues Sessions series. Wednesday, November 28, 8 p.m. Call 893-3535 or visit artsandlectures.sa.ucsb.edu.

More Pop, Rock & Jazz

Elvis Costello. At the Granada Theatre, Sunday, September 30.

Stone Foxes. At SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, Sunday, September 30.

!!! At SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, Friday, October 5.

The Lumineers. At Lobero Theatre, Friday, October 5.

Peter Gabriel. At the Santa Barbara Bowl, Tuesday, October 9.

Rufus Wainwright. At UCSB’s Campbell Hall, Tuesday, October 9.

Sean Hayes. At SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, Friday, October 12.

Dr. John and the Blind Boys of Alabama. At the Lobero Theatre, Monday, October 15.

Starfucker. At SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, Monday, October 15.

JEFF the Brotherhood. At Velvet Jones, Wednesday, October 17.

Black Joe Lewis & Honeybears. At UCSB’s Campbell Hall, Thursday, October 18.

Downtown Sound Finals. At SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, Thursday, October 18.

Beth Orton. At SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, Saturday, October 20.

Bob Dylan. At the Santa Barbara Bowl, Monday, October 22.

Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group. At Velvet Jones, Saturday, October 27.

Peter Feldmann. At the Lobero Theatre, Friday, November 2.

Other Lives. At SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, Friday, November 2.

New Noise Music Festival and Conference. Various locations, Thursday-Saturday, November 8-10.

Martin Sexton. At SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, Sunday, November 11.

John McEuen and Sons. At the Lobero Theatre, Saturday, November 17.

Garland Jeffreys. At the Lobero Theatre, Saturday, December 8.