Concert Previews

New Jersey native Adam Weiner, the occasionally mustachioed singer, composer, and hard-pounding piano player with the piled-high hair, has been thrilling the locals as the doo-wopping Ladyfingers. That's the dark, soulful character who croons his way through an array of haunted rockabilly rockers and Bacharach-tinged ballads, while summoning the ghosts of Gene Pitney and Carl Perkins on LPs such as

Open Your Robe.

But since last year, it has been Low Cut Connie, Weiner's new band with Dan Finnemore of Birmingham, England, that has titillated novice listeners and top-notch critics such as Rolling Stone magazine and NPR's

Fresh Air

with its debut recording,

Get Out the Lotion.

While Ladyfingers specializes in dangerous but subtle love songs, Low Cut Connie goes for the gutsy, up-front, whip-smart, loud-as-bombs approach to sexy, snarling, primal Cramps-inspired raunchabilly, with boozy sensuality ("Cat N The Cream") and carnal lust ("Johnny Cool Man") at its command. Thom McCarthy opens with his singular brand of complex songcraft and tuneful crooning (think Van Dyke Parks meets Elvis Presley) as heard on his sole CD,

I Lost Half of My Album and My Favorite Hat in the '92 Flood

.

- A.D. Amorosi

Over the course of three albums, John Németh has established himself among the best young singers and songwriters revitalizing vintage soul and R&B styles. He is a particular favorite of veteran bluesman Elvin Bishop, who has featured the dynamic Bay Area vocalist and harmonica player on some of his own albums. Németh's most recent set, 2010's

Name the Day!,

showcases all his strengths. There is sweet pop-soul that highlights the suppleness and rich tone of his voice, as well as tougher material that reveals some grit. And amid all the horn-happy, high-energy blasts, Németh also shows he can excel at wrenching, deep-soul balladry.

- Nick Cristiano

So he never became as big as Elvis Costello - though he should have. More than three decades after he came snarling out of Britain, Graham Parker remains as sharp as ever. He has always had more to offer than his initial angry-young-man image would suggest. Just look at his most recent album, 2010's

Imaginary Television,

in which the rocker created treatments for 10 TV shows - the descriptions in the liner notes are hilarious - and built songs around them. Of course, the numbers can stand on their own, but it's a brilliant concept that allows Parker to show empathy without going soft or dulling his acerbic wit. And speaking of acerbic wit, we could use a reappearance by Parker's alter ego, Tex Skerball, who first surfaced on YouTube during the last presidential campaign.

- Nick Cristiano