In today’s Beat Box, there is no time — or space, for that matter — for wandering into off-subject musings or dithering in shadowy alleys of musical off-shoots. This week, there’s simply too much ground to cover. There’s all kinds of good noise, from red-dirt blues to New Orleans big-band funk and even a throwback to the ‘70s, coming to town. And if I don’t just jump straight into it, this column could end up as a novella.

Here goes. Friday, woo! By this time we should all have achey legs and throbbing heads from Thursday night’s one-two musical combo of bluegrass show at the Opera House followed by electro dance party at the Noir Bar. I’m going to go ahead and venture to say this right now, hours before it even begins: It was fun, no?

So the Friday night, the music begins on main street, at a bar where live music seldom is spun. It’s the Jeff Strahan Band at the New Sheridan Bar. This Durango-outfit plays what they call red-dirt blues, which to me, sounds like country-blues seared with the hot-iron brand of some seriously intense guitar licks and led by gritty, pain-filled vocals of Strahan. The music is mellow but fraught with blues and passion and desire. Music starts at 9 p.m., and the band will be back for a repeat performance on Saturday, same time, same place.

They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. And you certainly can’t judge a band by its name. Take Bonerama, for example, which sound a little silly and almost inappropriate. But there’s nothing silly about this New Orleans band, which cooks up a killer and big brass sound. Bonerama is slated to play a raucous show Saturday at the Opera House. You may have seen Bonerama before at Blues and Brews, and if so, you know that the band has a four-trombone frontline. Sick! Talk about getting knocked over by good noise. These guys play vintage New Orleans funk and rock in a soaring wah-wah sound with shoulder-shaking percussion and intuitive riffing that just … crushes it. I don’t care how much of a wallflower you are, I dare you not to dance to Bonerama. Music starts at 9 p.m., and tickets are $15.

Jerry Joseph, the Portland-based blue-collar rock and roller, will meanwhile be doing what he does best down at the Fly Me to the Moon Friday. On this stop, the constant touring that is Joseph will be sans his band, The Jackmormons, but don’t despair.
Joseph has enough raw talent and honed skill to carry the night on the wings of his guitar and the timbre of his gravelly voice. This is good, solid catchy rock and roll tunage with just the right tinge of jam and Americana. Music starts at 10 p.m., cover is $10.

Meanwhile at Tommy’s on Friday, Michael Tobin and V will be playing soulful and smart folk-rock tunes. I’m not really sure who V is — the masked revolutionary from “V From Vendetta” is improbable — but Tobin is a local songwriter who creates quirky and world-wise music.

And over at the Bubble Lounge on Friday, Durango band Boxcar will be laying down layers of jam and psychedellica. This five-piece band creates whimsical and whirling jam grooves, and they aren’t afraid to venture into the world of nonsense and the bizarre. Some lyrics, to give you an idea: “It’s a good day when your dog goes poo right where you think he’s going to.” Another tidbit: “You’re talking so much and it hurts my hair.” Huh.

So with that, Friday will be swept away by the tides of time, dissolving forever into history.

And Saturday will arrive, on schedule, with a full load of music for the masses.

The evening of music kicks off early up in the Mountain Village, where ‘70s soulstress Roberta Flack will play a concert at the Conference Center. If the name Roberta Flack isn’t ringing bells in your head, try this: “Strumming my pain with his fingers/Singing my life with his words/Killing me softly with his song, killing me soooftly, with his song.”
Ding Ding Ding! The Grammy-winning siren also sang “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face,” and “Where’s the Love?” This is the second concert in the two-part Hall of Fame Concert Series put on by TMVOA, and tickets are $60.

What’s up Melvin Seals! On Saturday, the jovial keyboard player of the Jerry Garcia Band will be take the stage at the Sheridan Opera House as Melvin Seals & His Funky Friends. Seals will be up there hamming it up, pounding away on the keys and blowing the roof off the sucker. Seals started plinking away on the piano as a kid and first played music with church, and eventually became the key player for nearly two decades for the JGB. Now, he’s put together an all-star cast of, ahem, funky friends for a road show. The band feature Scott Law on guitar, Thomas McCree on drums and Marcus Phillips on bass. Partay! Music gets going at 9 p.m., tickets are $22.

But it’s funky soul jazz you seek on Saturday, then you will find your grail at Tommy’s, where local band BluOrbit Funky Soul Jazz Trio/Quartet will be playing a show. Mike Pale, Mike Enriquez, Matty Apples and Michael Scherr will be doing their soul jazz thing, so be there.

In another twist on the funk soul jazz thing, Chicago band 56 Hope Road will be stationed at the Bubble Lounge for an evening of acoustic soft-funk on Saturday. This is pop-rock adorned with saxaphone solos and tender vocals that occasionally ventures into world beats and jazz.

Speaking of world beats. Salvador Santana will bring his fusion of hip-hop and world to the Fly Me to the Moon Saloon on Saturday. Yes, this is Salvador Santana as in, son of that 10-time Grammy winner Carlos. Salvador, who is a keys player, has a sound that diverges pretty drastically from his father’s, however. The L.A. artist plays Latin-influenced hip-hop with booty-shaking club beats. Music starts at 10 p.m., cover is $7.

And finally, on Saturday night there’s live music over at the Hollywood Bar in Dolores. The Lindells will be playing their brew of mountain americana, a rootsy mix of cosmic country, wicked grass and folk-noir. This Dolores duo’s music is rich with the spirit of wild places and empty desertscapes and the American West.

OK. That’s it for the weekend. But stay tuned for a couple shows during the week. Tradiciones, the Latin-jazz group that has played at the Jazz Celebration, will do a small run of shows at Las Montañas from Wednesday through Saturday. And at the Moon on Thursday, be sure to catch Bill McKay, the keys player from Leftover Salmon, who will be funking it up with some great tunage that will get us prepped for when Leftover hits Bluegrass.