Less Than Jake Tickets

Top live shows | Elvis Costello, Ray J, Warped Tour

<strong><span class="subhead"><em><strong>elvis costello and the imposters | </strong></em>today at crossroads kc</span></strong></p><p>Decades after the fact, it&#x2019;s easy to forget the jolt Elvis Costello administered to the unsuspecting rock music establishment when he burst onto the scene in the late &#x2019;70&#x2019;s. Released in five furious years, his first seven albums remain staggeringly brilliant, even though the shock of the new has long since faded. Although he has settled into the role of tasteful elder statesman, almost everything Costello does continues to merit investigation. He&#x2019;ll undoubtedly have a few tricks up his sleeve when he returns to Kansas City. A pair of folk-minded sisters performing under the moniker Larkin Poe opens for the icon. Remaining tickets are $40. Doors open at 7 p.m.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead"><em><strong>ray j | </strong></em>friday at the beaumont</span></strong></p><p>Paul McCartney probably didn&#x2019;t have the sensuous pleadings of R&B artist Ray J in mind when he celebrated &#x201C;silly love songs&#x201D; in his 1976 hit. Although they&#x2019;re delectable, Ray J songs including &#x201C;One Wish&#x201D; and &#x201C;What I Need&#x201D; are undeniably silly. Still more absurd was Ray J&#x2019;s dating-oriented reality show that aired on VH1. Even so, expect screams of delight rather than derisive laughter to fill the Westport venue on Friday. Vocalist Jackie Michaels is among the opening acts. Tickets to the 10 p.m. show are $30 and $50. </p><p><strong><span class="subhead"><em><strong>titus andronicus | </strong></em>friday at the riot room</span></strong></p><p>If the Hold Steady was the best Bruce Springsteen-inspired punk band of the previous decade, Titus Andronicus has held that somewhat dubious distinction for the past year. Just as wordy and melodramatic as Springsteen, Titus Andronicus also hails from New Jersey. &#x201C;You will always be a loser,&#x201D; the band chants on its powerhouse song &#x201C;No Future Part III: Escape From No Future.&#x201D; Fans of cathartic guitar-based rock &#x2019;n&#x2019; roll will almost certainly feel like losers if they miss Friday&#x2019;s show. Iowa&#x2019;s Poison Control Center, along with Kansas City bands Cowboy Indian Bear and Continents, open the exceptionally promising night of emotional music. Tickets to the 9 p.m. show are $12. </p><p><strong><span class="subhead"><em><strong>marnie stern | </strong></em>tuesday at recordbar</span></strong></p><p>&#x201C;Female Guitar Players Are the New Black,&#x201D; the title of a song on Marnie Stern&#x2019;s most recent album, indicates that she&#x2019;s aware of her novel status. As a female guitar hero, she is a rare breed. Even fewer women are celebrated as post-punk innovators on guitar. Stern doesn&#x2019;t just shred like Sonic Youth&#x2019;s Thurston Moore, she&#x2019;s as melodic and intriguing as current indie rock darlings tUnE-yArDs and Battles. The careening guitars of Lawrence-based Major Games make them an appropriate opening act. Tickets to the 10 p.m. show are $10.</p><p><strong><span class="subhead"><em><strong>warped tour | </strong></em>wednesday at sandstone</span></strong></p><p>Forget the music for a moment. Veterans of the Warped Tour know that the brash sounds performed by dozens of bands are meaningless without a proper strategy to address the overwhelming heat. The Bonner Springs parking lot that serves as the site for the annual punk-oriented blowout can feel like a blast furnace. It&#x2019;s difficult to enjoy fan favorites such as 3OH!3, Foxy Shazam, Grieves With Budo, Less Than Jake, MC Lars and Relient K from an on-site medical tent. Savvy fans will place a premium on shade and water. Tickets are $29.88. The festival begins at noon. </p><p><strong><span class="subhead"><em><strong>united in harmony concert | </strong></em>sunday at the midland</span></strong></p><p>Some of the world&#x2019;s best a-cappella singing groups will gather in Kansas City next week for the 73rd annual convention of the Barbershop Harmony Society. The convention kicks off with the United in Harmony concert at the Midland, featuring Kansas City&#x2019;s own Heart of America Chorus plus the Vocal FX Chorus, the Musical Island Boys (above) and several award-winning male and female quartets. Tickets to the 6:30 p.m. show are $17.50-$42.50. The Barbershop Harmony convention will have quartets and choruses competing at the Sprint Center Tuesday through July 9. For competition tickets, visit <a href="http://www.barbershop.org">www.barbershop.org</a>.

FREE TICKETS: Vans Warped Tour - 7/2 @ Shoreline Amphitheater ...

Clearly you didn’t get your shit together in time to go somewhere hot and exotic for 4th of July weekend. So instead, you kinda wanna bum around listening to 60+ bands across several stages. We get it. In addition to  Yelawolf (pictured above), we’d be most excited to see  Peelander-Z , The Expendables , and  Grieves with Budo . Let us know in the comments who you’d wanna see to win a pair of tickets to the mini-festival.

Billboard

CMJ New Music Report

Billboard

Billboard

SPIN