Genre-jumping singer-songwriters The White Buffalo and Shawn James play the Fremont Theater on Aug. 21 

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If you like big-voiced singer-songwriters whose music might be described as Americana but who venture far and wide from being categorized as single genre, the Fremont Theater and Good Vibez have a double-bill for you. The White Buffalo and Shawn James share the marquee on Wednesday, Aug. 21, as part of their Tale of Two Guns Tour (8 p.m.; all ages; $35 at prekindle.com).

You might already be familiar with The White Buffalo, featuring frontman Jake Smith, as they've played the area frequently. Smith is a towering man with a soulful voice who follows his own path musically. His eighth studio album, Year of the Dark Horse (2022), is an amazing collection of songs.

"You think we're a country band? A folk band? Americana? Rock? What the fuck are you gonna say now?!" Jake asked in press materials. "With this album, I wanted something outside of what I've ever done. I wanted to open up. Do something dangerous. I'm hard to put into a singular genre as it is, but now I really wanted to take away any kind of preconception or pigeon-holing."

Shawn James thinks similarly. In his self-penned bio, he writes, "I've had way too many writers think they could sum me up and relay what I'm about from an hour-long conversation so they could write my 'bio,' but I've had it. Screw that. I'll tell it in my own words. I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. I grew up on the south side of the city where I attended a gospel church. I was always around a lot of heartfelt soulful music and hardworking, real, down-to-earth people. Although I no longer abide by any religion, I value the times I had and how they shaped me to be what I am now."

He says he plays "a wide range of music from folk to blues, R&B, gospel to rock, metal, and a lotta things in between. The main constant amongst all the genres would be that it's all done with emotion, feeling, heart, and a lotta soul."

Hawaiian reggae band The Green plays on Thursday, Aug. 22 (8 p.m.; all ages; $32 at prekindle.com) in the historic Fremont Theater. Blending dub-heavy roots reggae, lovers rock, and pop with Hawaiian musical and lyrical references, The Green has become one of Oahu's favorite music exports.

They formed in 2009 and released five studio albums, as well as five EPs, acoustic, or live albums, most recently Live at Blue Note Hawaii (2023). Grammy winning pop superstar Bruno Mars selected them to open his five sold-out shows in Hawaii.

Numbskull and Good Medicine

One of Numbskull and Good Medicine's four big shows this week is Canadian indie pop band Alvvays on Thursday, Aug. 15, in the Madonna Inn Expo Center (6 p.m.; all ages; $43.98 at goodmedicinepresents.com). The band recently announced a remastered vinyl-only reissue of their self-titled debut album to celebrate their 10-year anniversary. The reissued vinyl will feature remastered audio, the bonus track "Underneath Us," and also be available on cerulean blue vinyl with a hand drawn poster by Canadian musician and animator Chad VanGaalen. The Beths open.

Maybe you didn't know it, but you need some satanic bluegrass music from Kansas City, Missouri, and you'll get it when Pentagram String Band plays on Friday, Aug. 16, in Club Car Bar (8 p.m.; all ages; $15.66 at goodmedicinepresents.com). They take traditional bluegrass sounds and layer in some gothic folk, punk, and thrash metal, with lyrics "involving cannibalism and murder," and themes of "Satan, misery, and the joys of death," their bio reads.

7 Summers: A Morgan Wallen Tribute Band plays on Friday, Aug. 16, at BarrelHouse Brewing (doors at 6 p.m.; all ages; $29.56 at goodmedicinepresents.com). 7 Summers celebrates the music of Tennessee-based country pop star Morgan Wallen. "Our mission is simple: to bring you the very best of Morgan Wallen's music, paying homage to the undeniable charisma and raw emotion that make his songs resonate with so many," the band explained in press materials.

If you're ready for some sonic darkness, head down to The Siren for Goatwhore on Wednesday, Aug. 21, in (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $25.93 at goodmedicinepresents.com). The New Orleans hard rock act calls their sound "blackened death metal." Portland's extreme metal band Vitriol, that's into "punishment, cruelty, and death" and who "worships violence," opens, along with Thantifaxath.

The Siren

Don't forget country punk hero Joe Buck Yourself (formerly of Hank III, Assjack, and Th' Legendary Shack Shakers) plays on Thursday, Aug. 15 (7 to 9:30 p.m.; $15.54 at tixr.com). The one-man band is loosely controlled chaos.

Get ready to party like it's 1999 when The Siren throws a '90s/2000s DJ dance party called Y2K Rewind on Friday, Aug. 16 (7:30 to 11 p.m.; 21-and-older; $13.38 at tixr.com). Chad Fortin will be spinning everything from Nirvana to Destiny's Child, Snoop Dogg, Backstreet Boys, TLC, Eminem, Britney Spears—you name it.

There's no shortage of Led Zeppelin tribute acts, but if you love The Zep, you can't get enough, and Legend Zeppelin delivers an authentic experience: "From the unmistakable primal screams of August Young, to the majestic, incendiary and inspired guitar work of Joshua Cuevas, to the extraordinarily mesmerizing rhythm section of Cody Tarbell and Alexis Angel, this band proves why they are more than just a 'tribute,'" according to their bio. See them on Saturday, Aug. 17 (8 to 10 p.m.; 21-and-older; $24,71 on tixr.com).

Rod & Hammer Rock

Reggae fans don't forget Sammy Johnson plays on Thursday, Aug. 15 (doors at 8 p.m.; 18-and-older; $33.39 at ticketweb.com). He blends soulful and jazzy vibes into his sound, and local reggae act True Zion opens.

High Step Society's bio says it best: They're "a dance party from another dimension; a high-flying, beat-dropping, big band rocket ship with an ear to the past, and both feet on the gas. This dynamic band is bringing jazz back to the party, where it belongs."

High Step Society plays on Friday, Aug. 16 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $20.79 at ticketweb.com), and Vince Cimo opens.

Catch some beach vibes when Landon McNamara and Cisco Adler stop at Rod & Hammer Rock as part of their California Coast Tour this Saturday, Aug. 17 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $27.21 at ticketweb.com). McNamara, a singer-songwriter from Hawaii's North Shore, hit it big with his laid-back yet spiritual "If You Only Knew," with strains of acoustic reggae and Hawaiian soul.

"The only promised thing to us all is death. And at the end of our life, when you're taking that last breath, would you be satisfied with how you spent your time?" asked McNamara in press materials. "I wanna motivate people to realize life isn't about money, or shiny things, or social status. It's about experiences; creating beautiful memories; family; friends; finding out who you truly are and living that existence to the fullest. Above all, it's about love."

Adler was raised on the beaches of Malibu and Maui and is a multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter with billions of streams to his credit. He's often referred to as a modern-day Jimmy Buffett.

Vina Robles Amphitheatre

There are still tickets for the incomparable flamenco act the Gipsy Kings featuring Nicolas Reyes on Thursday, Aug. 15 (8 p.m.; all ages; $25 to $225 at vinaroblesamphitheatre.com). Hailing from France, these worldwide chart-toppers have a Catalan heritage. Their parents were gitanos (Spanish Romani) who fled Spain following the Spanish Civil War. They specialize in rumba flamenco, performing in Spanish and Catalan.

The band's music has gone Hollywood. Their rendition of "Hotel California" was included in The Big Lebowski and the HBO series Entourage. The 2010 film Toy Story 3 featured a Gipsy Kings version of the Randy Newman-penned theme, "You've Got a Friend in Me." And The Gipsy Kings were featured in a Big Lebowski spinoff The Jesus Rolls.

The Clark Center

It's tribute time at the Clark Center, starting with Piano Men: Generations on Thursday, Aug. 15 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $49.50 to $70.50 at clarkcenter.org). The music of Billy Joel and Elton John is brought to life by the virtuoso father-and-son piano duo of Terry and Nick Davies. Hear hits like "Only the Good Die Young," "Circle of Life," "Philadelphia Freedom," "Bennie and the Jets," and more.

Toby: A Tribute to Toby Keith comes to the Clark Center on Sunday, Aug. 18 (7 p.m.; all ages; $49.50 to $70.50 at clarkcenter.com) starring Hollywood Yates. This tribute to the ultimate country bad boy features huge hits like "How Do You Like Me Now," "Should've Been a Cowboy," and "I Love This Bar." Keith died in February of stomach cancer.

More music ...

On Friday, Aug. 16, bi-costal singer-songwriter Melody Klemin opens the next Concerts in the Plaza show at 5 p.m. She splits her time and talents between the Central Coast and the greater Washington, D.C., area. She's followed at 6 p.m. by local jazz-informed R&B act the Damon Castillo Band (all ages; free). Castillo is known for his radio-friendly singles like "No One Like You," "My Kind of Jam," and "Headed for a Breakdown." Only three more concerts after this one.

Jazz Vespers Concerts returns to SLO's historic First Presbyterian Church this Sunday, Aug. 18 (4 p.m.; all ages; free though donations welcome) with the Bruce Forman-Dave Becker Duo. Forman is a world-class guitarist who's a regular at the Monterey Jazz Festival and has played on soundtracks like the Academy Award-winning Million Dollar Baby. Becker is an amazing woodwind soloist and arranger who has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Randy Brecker, The Manhattan Transfer, and The Temptations, among many others. Δ

Contact Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey at [email protected].