Best Phoenix Concerts This Weekend: Ari Lennox, Lalah Hathaway, BLKBOK

The last weekend of January offers you chances to see soul and R&B artists (Ari Lennox and Lalah Hathaway), two elder statesmen of metal (Vince Neil and Stephen Pearcy), and a pianist who makes classical music seem hip (BLKBOK). Another option includes attending the release celebration for local band Sweetbleeders’ newest album.

Read for details about each of these gigs or click over to Phoenix New Times‘ online concert calendar for even more live music around town from Friday, January 27, to Sunday, January 29.

BLKBOK

Friday, January 27
Musical Instrument Museum, 4725 East Mayo BoulevardPicture a concert pianist and your mind will probably conjure the image of a coat-and-tails-clad performer such as Leif Ove Andsnes, Claudio Arrau or even Victor Borge, who played piano for laughs but wore formal attire. BLKBOK (a.k.a. Charles Wilson III) from Detroit, sports a ball cap and tattoos. Jewelry adorns his neck and his fingers, which move on the keys with painted nails. But what really sets him apart are the sounds and connections he can produce with a piano. BLKBOK uses the piano to express sentiments that have gone unaddressed in classical piano standards, in ways that don’t alter the piano’s natural sound, on albums including his latest collection of original songs called Black Book DLUX and in live shows like the one scheduled for this weekend at the MIM on his Mixtapes X Counterpoint Tour. 7:30 p.m., $35.50-$46.50 via mim.org. Phoenix New Times

Sweetbleeders Album Release Show

Friday, January 27
The Rebel Lounge, 2303 East Indian School RoadLocal singer-songwriter and guitarist Robin Vining has been a man in demand. Over the past two decades, a number of local bands have tapped him as a sideman and performer, including Fatigo, Jimmy Eat World, and Minibosses (just to name a few). Meanwhile, one of Vining’s more well-known projects has been Sweetbleeders, the long-running baroque pop/alt-rock act he co-founded back in 1999 with David Marquez, Steven Dueck, and Brendan Dueck. In recent years, Vining and Steven Dueck (the only original members still with the band) have tapped their offspring to perform in Sweetbleeders. This weekend, the band will celebrate the release of their newest album, Decisions, which dropped earlier this month. With No Volcano, Blood Feud Family Singers, and Paula T. & Company; 8 p.m., $13/$15 via seetickets.us. Benjamin Leatherman

Vince Neil and Stephen Pearcy

Friday, January 27
Marquee Theatre, 730 North Mill Avenue, TempeVince Neil and Stephen Pearcy are both godfathers of glam metal. Back in the ’80s, they each fronted legendary bands (Neil with Mötley Crüe and Pearcy with RATT) that emerged from L.A.’s thriving metal scene and helped redefine the genre, sell millions of records, and make suburban mothers recoil in horror. (The pair have partied pretty hard over the years.) Both musicians are still rocking ‘n’ rolling these days (although RATT has been on hiatus since 2016) and have teamed up for what’s essentially a retrospective tour. Neil and Pearcy will perform some of the biggest hits of their respective bands, as well as songs from their solo projects. With Show ‘n’ Tell and Dead West, 6:30 p.m., $48-$99 via ticketweb.com. Benjamin Leatherman

Lalah Hathaway

Saturday, January 28
Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 North Arizona AvenueFor Lalah Hathaway, soul is a family affair. The daughter of soul legend Donny Hathaway, the vocalist has carved out a distinguished career in her own right. The key to her success is her multiphonic singing style, which allows her to take advantage of overtones in her music and “split” her voice into several distinct notes singing at the same time. It lends a prismatic quality to her recordings: a single soulful voice arching out into a rainbow of melody and deeply rooted feeling. Born in 1968, Hathaway took her time studying music and developing her voice before recording her first album in 1990. In addition to writing her own songs she displayed a knack for covers, reinterpreting songs by Sly Stone and Luther Vandross. While soul is her first love, she’s branched out into gospel and jazz as a well. Her love of jazz can be seen clearly in her live performances, where she’ll often expand on her studio recordings with new, longer arrangements. 7:30 p.m., $48-$78 via ticketmaster.com. Ashley Naftule

Fitz and the Tantrums

Saturday, January 28
Talking Stick Resort, 9800 East Talking Stick Way, ScottsdaleSome songs were born to be cell phone jingles. “HandClap,” the hit single off Fitz and the Tantrums’ self-titled third album, has soundtracked more commercials than there are songs on that 2016 record. It’s not hard to hear why: full of hand-claps and sneaky sax hooks, it burrows its way into your eardrums. Fitz and the Tantrums have a knack for getting under people’s skin: their music is gaudy, insistent, and hard to shake off. Built around the core of Michael Fitzpatrick and Noelle Scaggs, the Los Angeles are an indie-pop band that draws heavy influences from classic Stax and Motown records (along with a bit of glam). One of the band’s most distinctive elements is their eschewal of rhythm and lead guitars. In the Fitz musical world, percussion, horns, and keyboards reign supreme. With five albums under their studded belts (2022’s Let Yourself Free being the latest one), the soulful Tantrums show no signs of slowing down. 8 p.m., $30-$125 via ticketmaster.com. Ashley Naftule

Ari Lennox

Saturday, January 28
The Van Buren, 401 West Van Buren Street
At first listen, Ari Lennox’s “Pressure” sounds like it could have come from the heyday of late 90’s R&B when diva giants like Mary J. Blige and Aaliyah dominated the charts. The attitude is sassy, the production is pillow-soft, and Lennox’s voice is hypnotic and assured. Listen to it again and the raunchiness of its lyrics situates the song in the 2020s. “Too fucking for all these clothes anyway,” Lennox sings, buoyed by backup singers that would sing just at home backing up Diana Ross. “Pressure” isn’t just a banger of a single; it’s a compression, a distillation of fifty-plus years of female-fronted R&B music. Hailing from Washington, D.C., Lennox was the first female artist signed to J. Cole’s Dreamville records. An uncredited cameo on Cole’s “Change” put Lennox on the map, but it was her head-turning work on her debut album Shea Butter Baby that defined her territory. Pulling from influences as diverse as classic Motown, neo-soul legends like Erykah Badu, and 90’s pop (there’s quite a bit of Whitney Houston in her artistic DNA), Lennox still manages to sound uniquely herself. On 2022’s Age/Sex/Location, she pushes her fusion of modern and classic sounds forward with even more ribald and bold lyrics. 8 p.m., $175 via livenation.com. Ashley Naftule