Pete Yorn

Second only to the fabled Sports Illustrated cover jinx is the curse of Winona Ryder, whereby most musicians who date the actress — Dave Pirner, Adam Duritz, Evan Dando, etc. — subsequently watch their careers crumble. Perhaps Jersey singer-songwriter and former Winona boy-toy Pete Yorn can buck that trend. His last studio album, 2003's Day I Forgot, featured his yearning tenor (which is kinda Jakob Dylan-y, only better) but lacked the emotional heft and storytelling acumen of his sterling 2001 debut, Musicforthemorningafter, which produced the hit single "Life on a Chain." Still, advance word on his forthcoming Nightcrawler has been positive, and chances are, he'll play much material from it at this gig.