The Manhattan Transfer and ‘Three Girls’ get intimate at TMH

The Music Hall’s Intimately Yours concert series will present two star-studded shows in Portsmouth during the coming week. Trio of songstresses Emmylou Harris, Shawn Colvin and Patty Griffin will be in town for a sold-out show on Sunday, Feb. 8. Vocal quartet The Manhattan Transfer will arrive a few days later on Wednesday, Feb. 11.

Known for mixing jazz, big band, R&B and pop harmonies, The Manhattan Transfer has garnered international acclaim. Born in 1972, the quartet now consists of vocalists Tim Hauser, Janis Siegel, Alan Paul and Cheryl Bentyne. The group built a cult following in the New York club circuit in the early ’70s and cut its debut self-titled album in 1975. Since then, Transfer has released around 25 recordings and won several Grammy awards in the pop and jazz genres.

Transfer’s 1985 album “Vocalese,” which applied original lyrics by Jon Hendricks to a number of previously recorded jazz instrumentals, received 12 Grammy nominations and won in two categories. In more recent years, all four band members have released solo albums, including Hauser’s 2008 effort “Love Stories.” The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.

The three singer-songwriters hitting the Hall on Feb. 8 have long performed together and as solo artists. Folk-country performer Emmylou Harris has 11 Grammy awards under her belt. Fellow singer and guitarist Patty Griffin has penned songs for everyone from the Dixie Chicks to Jessica Simpson. Musician Shawn Colvin has also participated in numerous collaborations, including the Intimately Yours inaugural performance with John Hiatt in 2005. The show is sold out.

The Manhattan Transfer’s show begins at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 11. Tickets are $42 to $57. The Music Hall is at 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth. Call 603-436-2400 or visit www.themusichall.org.

Dirty Projectors play Kittery

New York’s indie sensation Dirty Projectors will be at Buoy in Kittery, Maine, on Saturday, Feb. 7, along with a crew of special guests.

Led by singer-songwriter Dave Longstreth, the Brooklyn-based quartet presents a blustering art-folk collage of sound. The band is rounded out by Amber Coffman on guitar, Angel Deradoorian on bass and Brian McOmber on drums.

A prolific artist who has formed numerous bands and made several albums, Longstreth provides the group’s off-kilter musical direction. With Coffman and Deradoorian executing stirring, intricately arranged backup vocal harmonies, the Projectors have an avant-punk style that blends the folk sensibilities of Neil Young with the most experimental elements of Bjork and Talking Heads (the band has actually collaborated with David Byrne).

The Projectors’ 2007 album “Rise Above” is a reimagined version of Black Flag’s 1981 record “Damaged.” Although Longstreth supposedly had not listened to the original album since middle school, the record guided his sonic whims as he attempted to recreate each song from memory. Longstreth’s quavering lead vocals sound remarkably similar to the Seacoast’s own Nat Baldwin. Could Baldwin be one of the evening’s special guests? We’ll just have to wait and see.
The $10 show begins at 8 p.m. Buoy is at 2 Government St., Kittery, Maine. For more on Dirty Projectors, visit www.myspace.com/dirtyprojectors.

guitar show in Seabrook

The Seabrook American Legion Hall will play host to a day-long guitar show and sale on Saturday, Feb. 7, featuring hundreds of new, used and vintage guitars, basses, amps, parts and accessories. Organized by StarPower Guitars owner Joe Sirios, the Seacoast Guitar Show will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., followed by a multi-band jam session from 5 to 10 p.m.

A lengthy list of area guitar vendors will offer merchandise during the show, including StarPower, Evil Guitars, Manchester Music Mill, Henderson’s Pickin Parlor, Longhorn Leathers and others. The sale will feature everything from build-your-own guitar kits and custom-made straps to guitar-oriented artwork and rock memorabilia. Guests are invited to bring their old guitars, amps or basses to trade or sell. There will also be on-site repairs and appraisals available. The Shark 102.1 FM will be on hand giving away prizes.

The jam beginning at 5 p.m. will feature at least six rock bands, including Then and Again, The Mockers, Eleventh Hour, Time Travelers and Radioactive Prostitutes. The StarPower Allstars will offer a Jimi Hendrix tribute, while other acts play classics by The Beatles and Led Zeppelin, as well as original material.

The Seabrook American Legion Hall is at 169 Walton Road, Seabrook. Entrance to the guitar show is $1; entrance to the jam session is $5. For more information, visit www.spgguitars.

Caged Heat at The Muddy River

The Muddy River Smokehouse in Portsmouth will host three hard rocking, female-fronted New England bands on Saturday, Feb. 7. The lineup includes Boston-based band Caged Heat, local pop-punk group The Lanterns and Providence, R.I., rock duo VulGarrity.

Caged Heat will headline the show with its blues-infused punk style. The group is based around front woman Jill “Chilly” Kurtz, a guitarist, harmonica player and singer equally influenced by Little Walter and Iggy Pop. Formed in the late 1990s, the band has undergone several lineup changes over the years, but has maintained its gritty garage sound with Kurtz’s grungy vocals and bluesy harmonica. Heat also features baritone saxophonist Dana Colley, a founding member of Morphine and the Twinemen; as well as guitarist Jay Fortin, of Portsmouth-born metal band Scissorfight. Visit www.myspace.com/cagedheat.

Portsmouth’s own The Lanterns has been holding down the Seacoast punk scene since 2006. Led by guitarist and vocalist Courtney Denison, bassist Sean Farrell and drummer Rodger Shosa, the band became a quartet last year with the addition of Jay Fortin on guitar. The group reflects the fast paced punk proclivities of influences like The Ramones and The Clash. Visit www.myspace.com/thelanterns.

VulGarrity consists of brother-sister vocal duo Shawn and Tracy Garrity. The siblings share vocal duties and take turns on drums and bass, while Shawn also plays guitar. The band’s hard rock sound has earned it radio airplay and national tours sharing the stage with such bands as the Misfits. Visit www.myspace.com/vulgarity.

The $8 show begins at 9 p.m. in the downstairs lounge at The Muddy River, 21 Congress St., Portsmouth, 603-430-9582.