Band shares ‘oblique brilliance’ of Velvet Underground; Cher comes to Louisville

Sister Ray: An Evening of Music by the Velvet Underground

9 p.m. Feb. 1 at The Burl, 375 Thompson Rd. $10. theburlky.com.

It’s round four this weekend at The Burl for Sister Ray, the local music collective that will again pay tribute to one of the most influential rock troupes of the late 1960s, the Velvet Underground.

As with Sister Ray’s previous performances, the lineup remains unchanged. Bringing the music of Lou Reed, John Cale, Doug Yule, Sterling Morrison and Maureen Tucker to life will be six very familiar Lexington artists —guitarist/vocalist Tim Welch, guitarist Willie Eames, guitarist/vocalist Scott Whiddon, drummer Robby Cosenza, keyboardist/vocalist Kim Conlee and violinist Sam McWilliams.

The Velvets began in 1964 as part of a vibrant but subversive New York pop subculture. While it officially remained a band until 1973, long after all original members had left, the Velvets established a legacy defined by four albums released between 1967 and 1970. The music ranged from the deadpan, street-savvy psychedelia of the Andy Warhol-produced “The Velvet Underground and Nico” (1967), the scorched experimental rock ‘n’ roll of “White Light/White Heat” (1968, the last album to feature Cale), the comparatively streamlined “The Velvet Underground” (1969) and the more cohesive guitar rock primer “Loaded” (1970, released after Reed’s departure).

Sister Ray, in fact, takes its name from the title of an 18-minute audio treatise on distortion and debauchery that concludes “White Light/White Heat.”

While the Velvets were the definition of starving artists in their day, with meager-at-best album sales to show for their work, the band subsequently became a massive inspiration to succeeding generations of acts that included U2, R.E.M., Sonic Youth, Roxy Music and Talking Heads.

Expect shades of the Velvets’ oblique brilliance to become luminous again this weekend with Sister Ray’s return.

Trey McLaughlin and the Sounds of Zamar

7:30 p.m. Feb. 6 at Newlin Hall of the Norton Center for the Arts, 600 W. Walnut in Danville. $15-$38. 877-448-7469, 859-236-4692. nortoncenter.com.

“I have always been the most rational, chill, melodramatic person that you could ever meet.”

That’s the introduction Trey McLaughlin gives himself on one of the numerous YouTube videos than have helped not only spread the word on this gospel sensation from Augusta, Ga., but also define the broad spectrum of music he and his Sounds of Zamar ensemble cover.

Obsessed with music of all types from his childhood, McLaughlin’s current performances blur the lines between gospel, pop and musical theatre. Recent concerts, in fact, have included interpretations of songs from “Dear Evan Hansen,” “The Lion King” and “Hamilton.”

The aforementioned self-intro, in fact, prefaces a stunning YouTube performance by McLaughlin and his group singing “Dear Theodosia” from “Hamilton.”

Discover the range of McLaughlin’s appeal on Feb. 6 as he and the Sounds of Zamar continue a busy February at the Norton Center for the Arts in Danville. Don’t forget that country star Vince Gill has rescheduled his November concert for Feb. 2.

Cher

7:30 p.m. Feb. 4 at the KFC Yum! Center, 1 Arena Plaza in Louisville. $53.95-$259.95. kfcyumcenter.com.

Sometimes you just can’t keep a diva down.

When Cher last performed in Lexington — specifically, at a March 2003 concert at Rupp Arena — the performance was billed as part of “Living Proof: The Farewell Tour.” It was a suitably glamorous performance adieu to what was then a 40-year career.

Now here we are, some 16 years later, and the diva that won’t die is back in Kentucky. On Feb. 4, Cher returns to perform at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville with the aptly titled “Here We Go Again Tour.”

Now 72, the Kentucky concert comes on the heels of Cher’s latest career accolade. In December, she was inducted into the Kennedy Center Honors. Curiously, that may have been one of the few televised outings where Cher didn’t get to speak. The program traditionally has honorees seated in the Kennedy Center balcony as a team of all-star artists (led, in this case, by Cyndi Lauper and Adam Lambert) pay performance tributes to them.

Cher will be back in the thick of the onstage fury in Louisville. Her current shows mix well-worn Sonny and Cher hits from the ‘60s, early solo career singles from the ‘70s, massive pop hits from the ‘80s onwards and some well chosen covers. Of late, the latter has included a medley of ABBA tunes, a nod to the singer/actress’ performance in the 2018 film musical “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again.”