The Isley Brothers
Ronald Isley is, at 82, the keeper of the flame for 1992 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees The Isley Brothers, whose most recent album — last year’s “Make Me Say It Again, Girl” — features guest appearances by Beyoncé, Snoop Dogg and Earth, Wind & Fire.
Ronald and his brothers Vernon and O’Kelly — now both deceased — were teenagers when they formed the group in 1954 as a gospel-music vocal trio. Following Vernon’s death in a bicycle accident, Ronald became the lead singer in 1957 and the Isleys turned to secular music, leaving their native Cincinnati behind for New York.
Their 1958 breakthrough hit, “Shout (Parts 1 & 2)” has since been covered by everyone from The Beatles, Lulu and Joan Jett to Green Day and Spain’s Los Inhumanos.
By 1964, the Isleys had added a promising young guitarist to their backing band, The I.B. Specials. His name was Jimi Hendrix and he recorded several songs with the Isleys, including the gospel-fueled “Testify” (Parts 1 & 2)” and James Brown-ish “Move Over and Let Me Dance.”
In early 1966, during their brief, post-Hendrix tenure with Motown Records, the Isleys released their classic “This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak For You),” which was subsequently covered by The Supremes, The Zombies, Lou Christie, Rod Stewart and Cynthia Erivo, among others.
A slew of other hits followed for the brothers, including “It’s Your Thing,” “That Lady,” “Footsteps in the Dark” and “Fight the Power (Parts 1 & 2).” (One wonders if any other group has recorded as many two-part songs as the Isleys).
Their legacy was saluted in 2015 with the 23-disc box set, “The Isley Brothers: The RCA Victor and T-Neck Album Masters (1959-1983).” Guitarist Ernie Isley, now 72, officially joined the group in 1973 with his bass-playing brother, Marvin, who died in 2010.
Ernie and Ronald were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2022. If either has any plans to retire, they’re keeping it to themselves.
8 p.m. Friday.. Starlight Amphitheater, Pala Casino Spa Resort, 11154 Highway 76, Pala. $79-$139 (must be 21 or older to attend). (877) 946-7252, palacasino.com
Joe Satriani (left) and Steve Vai will perform at Harrah’s as part of their joint tour. They are shown here in February at The Magnolia in El Cajon.
(Daniel Knighton / Getty Images)
Joe Satriani & Steve Vai
For fans of acrobatic electric guitar shredding, the pairing of Joe Satriani and Steve Vai should be a double treat.
Vai studied with Satriani prior to becoming the young “stunt guitarist” in former San Diegan Frank Zappa’s band. (His replacement was Mike Keneally, another former San Diego guitar virtuoso.)
For their “Satch-Vai” duo tour, Satriani’s band boasts drum great Kenny Aronoff, while Vai’s band features rising guitarist Dante Frisiello. Expects trills galore when they perform Friday at Harrah’s.
8 p.m. Friday. Harrah’s Events Center, 777 South Resort Drive, Valley Center. $54.50-$99 (must be 18 or older to attend). ticketmaster.com
King Crimson drum alum Pat Mastelotto will perform Friday night at TERI Campus of Life in San Marcos with the band Tu-NER. He is shown here playing with King Crimson at the 2019 Rock in Rio festival in Brazil.
(Raphael Dias / Getty Images)
Tu-NER
When drummer Pat Mastelotto and guitarist Markus Reuter performed here early last year, it was with bass guitar great Tony Levin in the trio Stick Men. That group features Reuter and Levin playing 8-string “touch guitars” and the all-neck, body-less Chapman Stick, which has between 8 and 12 strings depending on the model.
Stick Men’s concerts typically feature original compositions and a few pieces by prog-rock pioneers King Crimson, which counts Levin and Mastelotto amongs its notable alums.
Levin is not in Tu-NER, which teams Mastelotto and Reuter with fellow King Crimson veteran Trey Gunn, who plays a 12-string Warr guitar.
Their repertoire celebrates the music of Stick Men, King Crimson (circa 1998 to 2003), Mastelotto and Reuter’s duo TUNER, Mastelotto and Gunn’s duo TU, the trio KTU (in which Mastelotto and Gunn, are joiened by Finnish accordionist Kimmo Pohjonnen), and ProjeKcts (which featured Gunn and Mastelotto alongside King Crimson founder Robert Fripp).
Tu-NER is now on tour to promote its new, all-instrumental album, “Tu-NER for Lovers,” which boasts such intriguingly titled pieces as “A Nightingale Sang in Our Tornado,” “Attack of the Puppet Men” and “The Last Barbie Tango.”
8 p.m. Friday. TERI Campus of Life, 555 Deer Springs Road, San Marcos. $25-$45. events.humanitix.com/tu-ner