Manchester Music Hall swinging from roots country to post-grunge rock this week

Drake White/Jordan Brooker

7 p.m. March 22 at Manchester Music Hall, 899 Manchester St.. $15-$50. 859-537-7321. manchestermusichall.com, drakewhite.com.

Buckcherry/Joyous Wolf

7 p.m. March 23 at Manchester Music Hall, 899 Manchester St. $25-$75. 859-537-7321. manchestermusichall.com, buckcherry.com.

Get set for a weekend of stylistic extremes at Manchester Music Hall. On Friday, the roots-savvy country music of Drake White moves in. On Saturday, the sounds will get loud and grimy with the return of Buckcherry.

Hailing from Hoke Bluff, Alabama, White positioned himself as a brave new country voice when he played in Lexington as part of Acoustic Jam at the Lexington Opera House in December 2015. Though playing in a largely unplugged setting, White’s home state sensibilities – namely, a love of Muscle Shoals-inspired soul – unfolded in his singing. The single “Livin’ the Dream,” released a week prior to that performance, would introduce his decidedly unfaddish sound to country radio.

White was back to share a Rupp Arena show in October 2016 bill with Dierks Bentley.

With a vocal ease that recalled such vintage sounding ensembles as Old Crow Medicine Show and tunes like “That Don’t Cost a Dime” that slammed together rural boogie, country swing and even a twist of reggae, White was poised to become one of the great new voices in traditionally driven country.

Then his record deal collapsed – or more accurately, his record label. Once Big Machine Records pulled the plug on its subsidiary label Dot, White was left without a recording home. But that hasn’t slowed him down. A four-song concert EP was independently issued at the close of 2018 titled “Drake White and the Big Fire Live” that should keep White’s Southern fried country soul in front of fans until a new studio album surfaces.

Buckcherry has been a Lexington regular for much of its two-decade history. The California-rooted post-grunge rockers shared Rupp Arena shows with Avenged Sevenfold and Papa Roach in 2009 and again with Nickelback and Three Days Grace in 2010. There have also been several previous stops at Manchester Music Hall.

When Buckcherry skyrocketed out of the Los Angeles area in the mid ‘90s, its stardom was explosive and somewhat brief. Initial hits like “Lit Up” and “Check Your Head” caught fire on radio. But interest in subsequent music soon faded with the band essentially dissolving in 2002. Luckily for fans, the band’s split was even briefer. By 2005, frontman/singer Josh Todd and guitarist Keith Nelson formed a new Buckcherry band and returned to the arena circuit with albums “15” (2006) and “Black Butterfly” (2008).

Members continued to pass through the Buckcherry ranks with Nelson calling it quits in 2017. But Todd remains at the helm of the band’s ear-crunching live sound and as well as the music from its new “Warpaint’ album, which was released earlier this month.

Tatsuya Nakatani and Dave Farris

8 p.m. March 27 at the Kentucky School, 607 N. Limestone. $5-$10. http://tatsuyanakatani.com.

Ever since relocating to the United States in 1995, percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani has emphasized the art of collaboration with what is essentially a presentation of solo drumming.

Sound like a contradiction? It isn’t. Nakatani has worked extensively as an educator and composer, as well as a concert artist who has designed numerous solo drum programs. But his performances have also sought out similarly minded musicians in the cities he visits. That has led to a series of collaborative concerts with Lexington drummer Dave Farris (of Italian Beaches, Big Maracas, Tall Boys and an extensive list of other local bands). The two have been sharing concert bills in town for over a decade and will continue their alliance with a March 27 show at the Kentucky School.

As with their previous performances, each artist will present a solo set before concluding the evening with a joint session. Their collaborative music for Wednesday’s concert will center on a live score for a screening of the David Andree video, “New Sight.”

Ladies night

Sure, St. Patrick’s Day has been in the rear view mirror now by nearly a week. But expect a hearty Celtic celebration to commence for the March 25 taping of the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour at the Lyric Theatre and Cultural Arts Center, 330 E. Third. That’s when Cherish the Ladies will return to Lexington with an Irish-American sound it has been cultivating for over three decades. Bluegrass giant Tim O’Brien, who has generously drawn on Irish inspiration for some of his stylistically varied music, completes one of the strongest WoodSongs bills so far in 2019 (6:45 p.m., $20). Call 859-280-2218 or go to lexingtonlyric.tix.com.

This story was originally published March 19, 2019 at 8:27 AM.