SLCene Suggests: 5 tips for planning your week

A few suggestions of some noteworthy music and entertainment around town this week, not including the opening of City Creek, which will undoubtedly offer some entertaining stories from its gala opening party Wednesday night. I don’t think I’ll be making that scene, but I’ll be at a few of these:

William Fitzsimmons at The Urban Lounge, Wednesday, March 21, $15, 9 p.m.

Few singer/songwriters can match the intensity of William Fitzsimmons, a nouveau folkie of sorts whose songs delve into the deeply confessional. Remarkably, the self-analysis of his work comes through via stellar songcraft that takes what is utterly personal to Fitzsimmons and makes it universally thrilling.

KRCL Night Out at Gracie’s, Wednesday, March 21, 5:30 p.m.

If you’ve yet to join the fun at one of these KRCL and Downtown Alliance-sponsored happy hours, it’s time to consider remedying that right now. You’ll enjoy some food specials and drinks with your fellow KRCL listeners as well as a number of the good people to play tunes on the community radio station. This week, the musical theme is soul jams, delivered by DJ Planit and DJ Divine.

Blitzen Trapper at The State Room, Thursday, March 22, $15, 8 p.m.

A few years ago on a visit to Portland, a friend took me to see then-fledgling indie-rock crew Blitzen Trapper. Even at that early stage in the band’s existence, it was obvious how skilled the band was at going in any musical direction main songwriter Eric Earley could think of, and the band’s latest release, American Goldwing, reveals a group still capable of evoking stunning country-folk ala The Band or Neil Young

Laughing Stock at Pioneer Memorial Theater, Friday, March 23-April 7

A comedic inside look at the workings of a theater company, penned by Pioneer’s own outgoing artistic director Charles Morey. Laughing Stock has been produced nearly 100 times across the country in the past decade after premiering at Pioneer, and the funny take on a New England community’s summer season of Hamlet, Dracula and Charley’s Aunt is sure to please theater lovers.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros at Kingsbury Hall, Friday, March 23, $22-$38, 7:30 p.m.

The multi-faceted band led by Alex Ebert is known to give attendees at ther live performances gospel-style “awakenings,” via their brand of folk-pop tunes and Ebert’s Messianic frontman routine. Ask someone who saw them thrill a massive Pioneer Park crowd last summer during the Twilight Concert Series just how powerful they are live.