Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt have earned their places in the pantheon of great American songwriters. Both have a God-given way with constructing a melodious hook, and both seem to effortlessly produce lyrics that are at turns poetically funny, sad, triumphant or blue—sometimes within a single song. Hiatt’s career began when he left Indiana and arrived in Nashville at the age of sixteen, landing a songwriting job with Tree Publishing for $25 a week. After penning “Sure as I’m Sitting Here” for Three Dog Night, one of the 250 songs he produced as a hired tunesmith, he embarked on a solo career that finally gelled with 1987’s Bring the Family—making him one of those “overnight successes” that only took 15 years of hard work to achieve. Many artists including Bonnie Raitt and Bob Dylan—who’s a pretty fair composer himself, have covered his songs. Sometime-actor Lyle Lovett’s career got a publicity boost in 1993 when he eloped with movie star Julia Roberts, whom he’d met while filming Robert Altman’s The Player. This short-lived union nevertheless put the man and his astonishing mix of folk, blues, gospel, jazz and swing into a national spotlight, and legions of fans subsequently fell under the same sophisticated and touching musical spell that had wooed “America’s Sweetheart.” Billed as an acoustic evening, the event is a rare opportunity to hear their wonderful songs as they originally sounded—with lone guitars accompanying the heartfelt stories of two genuine troubadours. Anyone who appreciates a great tune should not miss this stellar double-bill.

Buffalo native Susanna Perry Gilmore, now in her eleventh year as Concertmaster of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, is currently touring performing the Beethoven Sonata Cycle and other recitals sponsored by the Arts in Education Institute of Western New York. She returns to Buffalo this week for an ArtsCanisius recital at the Montante Cultural Center on Thursday evening (Feb. 21), accompanied by Canisius College Composer-in-Residence Persis Vehar on piano. The following evening, Friday (Feb. 22), Gilmore and Vehar will perfrom again during the Albright Knox Art Gallery’s Gusto at the Gallery series. This Friday’s event, The Sonata: Musical Conversations, is presented by the Arts in Education Institute of Western New York. Featuring Gilmore (violin) and Vehar (piano), the two will present Beethoven’s Spring Sonata and the Ravel Sonata, contrasting pieces representing two different eras in classical music, each a century apart. When not working as a classical violinist, Ms. Gilmore plays the Irish fiddle with her husband in the band Planet Reel at home in Tennessee.

Yes, it’s a reggae band fom Kingston. Kingston, Ontario. This Canadian power trio sounds refreshingly authentic with a fusion of traditional beats, punk, rock, soul and sincere protest lyrics. The band’s breakthrough hit in Canada came in 2005 with “When the Night Feels My Song,” off of their first full-legth Sounding a Mosaic (SideOneDummy Records). That single is returning to radio rotation on the heels of last year’s smash “Walls Fall Down,” from the 2007 release Street Gospels (SideOneDummy). This sophomore release brings in the diverse talents of supporting artists Money Mark (Beastie Boys) on keys, Wade MacNeil (Alexisisonfire, Black Lungs) on guitar and vocals and even reggae legend Vernon Buckley (the Maytones)—who also performs with the band at live shows. If they need the pedigree of Buckley to validate them, well, it’s a tough road for a new reggae band these days. We’ve been so jaded by derivitive dance-hall travesties in recent years, just the mention of ska can set some eyes a-rolling. Such is not the case with the Soundclash, however, as they’ve managed to win over not only fans of all kinds in Canada and the States, but even some of the genre’s harshest critics. Touring along with Bedouin Soundclash are Boston, Massachusetts’ ska septet Westbound Train and UK punkers Beat Union.

Since 1991, jazz trio Medeski, Martin and Wood (MMW) have been a part of the underground scene, gaining notoriety while touring and releasing albums throughout the past seventeen years. MMW has won fame and kudos for being a group that really brings out their talent in their performances. They are known for going on extended improvs, reaching rare, atonal heights embedded in arrhythmic grooves that can sometimes leave audiences scratching their heads. Their exploratory nature can be seen in the multiple skills each member holds. John Medeski is a keyboard/organ/piano player, has done solo projects, led smaller bands and has even scored a film. Billy Martin is a drummer/percussionist who runs his own record label and released a percussion instruction book. Chris Wood is a bassist and frequently plays with his brother’s band, the Wood Brothers. MMW’s regular collaborations with artists from the jam-band Phish to the hip hop stylings of DJ Logic can take them far from their jazz roots. The current northeast tour is one of three tours planned for 2008, each following a simple formula: Write the music, take it on the road, return to the studio and record it. So this year should see three tours and consequently three albums of all new material.