Jim Weider’s Project Percolator hits the Seacoast

Prolific blues-rock guitarist Jim Weider will bring his New York-based band Project Percolator to York, Maine, for a concert at York Harbor Inn on Friday, Feb. 27 at 8 p.m.

Born and raised in Woodstock, N.Y., Weider is a veteran telecaster guitarist with a long list of accomplishments under his belt, including a Fender endorsement. From 1985 to 2000, Weider served as lead guitarist for The Band, replacing the legendary Robbie Robertson. He has performed or recorded with an impressive array of famous artists, including Bob Dylan, Keith Richards, Doctor John, Taj Mahal, Bob Weir, Paul Butterfield, Hot Tuna and Los Lobos.

Weider has also led a number of his own bands since the late 1980s and has released several solo recordings. His Project Percolator band mates include Rodney Holmes on drums, Mitch Stein on guitar and Steve Lucas on bass. In York, the band will perform songs from its latest CD, “Percolator.” 

York Harbor Inn is at 480 York St., York, Maine, 207-351-1865. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. To purchase tickets in advance, call 800-343-3869 or visit www.eventbrite.com/event/280561166.

Moon Minion kicks it with The Press Project at UNH

Fresh off the release of its new three-song EP “Love for Music,” Dover-based soul band Moon Minion will play a show in the Memorial Union Building at the University of New Hampshire with hip-hop favorites The Press Project on Thursday, Feb. 26.
Moon Minion assembled its latest lineup last fall and has celebrated with several gigs at The Barley Pub in Dover. The cast includes vocalist Felicia “Liight” Thomas, drummer Aaron Katz, bassist Greg Rothwell and keyboardist Chris Sink, as well as Press Project members Jim Dozet on guitar and Chris Klaxton on trumpet.

The band’s jazzy, soulful style echoes R&B sounds of the 1960s and ’70s, while also incorporating modern hip-hop beats and rhythms. “Love for Music” showcases a lusty soul vibe with lush instrumentals swirling around Thomas’ elegant vocals.

Moon Minion’s sound should mesh well with The Press Project’s jazzy hip-hop flair. The Portsmouth-based group unites a team of MCs with a skilled backing band to lay down a thick syrup of funky sounds that rarely fails to get listeners moving on the dance floor.

The show begins at 8 p.m. in the Strafford Room of the Memorial Union Building on UNH’s Durham campus.

Holly Near sings for social change at the Firehouse

Folk singer-songwriter Holly Near and pianist John Bucchino will perform at the Firehouse Center for the Arts in Newburyport, Mass., on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 8 p.m.

Known as much for her social activism as her powerful voice, Near is also an author and teacher. Her song “Singing for our Lives (Angry Gentle People)” has been adopted as a hymn by the Unitarian Church and is an anthem at political protests around the world. Her career in entertainment and activism has spanned several decades, stretching back to her early involvement in the feminist movement and Vietnam War protests in the 1960s and ’70s. In 1971, she joined Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland in an overseas protest against racism in the military. Her political songs have earned her performances with Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie, among others.

Near is still active today, pushing for aid to war-torn countries and social change on pressing issues like the war in Iraq, gender discrimination and multicultural consciousness. She has been voted Woman of the Year by Ms. Magazine and was one of the “1,000 Peace Women” nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.  

The Firehouse is located in Market Square in downtown Newburyport, Mass., 978-462-7336. Tickets are $29 for members, $32 for nonmembers. Visit www.firehouse.org.