FELTON

M. Ward and the Undertakers take on Felton

In 2003, singer-songwriter Matthew Stephen Ward — known professionally as M. Ward — released his third album “Transfiguration of Vincent.” Inspired by the death of his friend, Vincent O’Brien, the album is a mediation on life and death and remains a fan favorite.

M. Ward has assembled a band known as the Undertakers, a reference to the album’s fourth track, to perform “Transfiguration of Vincent” in its entirety as well as other songs by M. Ward, for a summer tour where they will be stopping by Felton Music Hall Saturday.

Although mostly known as a folk singer, M. Ward has dabbled in a little of everything, from folk to rock to alternative country, recorded with Zooey Deschanel as one half of the duo She & Him, performed in the indie folk supergroup Monsters of Folk and collaborated with the likes of Norah Jones and Valerie June, whose most recent album “Owls, Omens, and Oracles” was produced by Ward. His latest album, 2023’s “Supernatural Thing,” sees him harkening back to retro genres and working with artists like First Aid Kit, Neko Case, Shovels & Rope and Jim James from My Morning Jacket. For elder millennials who fondly remember listening to “Transfiguration of Vincent” in their dorm rooms, Saturday’s show will have all the songs that made you listen to every word, including the stripped down cover of David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance.” Opening will be singer Bebe Stockwell.

The concert is 8 p.m. Saturday at Felton Music Hall, 6275 Highway 9. Doors open at 7. Tickets are $44.24 for advance general admission. This is a 21-and-older concert. For information, go to FeltonMusicHall.com.

SANTA CRUZ

Rewind the ’90s Fest is all that and a bag of chips

Through the popularity of shows like “Yellowjackets” and constant social media posts reflecting on the days of dial-up modems, ’90s nostalgia remains as big as ever. That includes music, in which songs by bands like Pearl Jam and The Offspring get as much airplay on rock stations as they did 30 years ago and tribute bands bring the sounds of grunge and pop-punk to venues with great frequency.

Rewind the ’90s Fest promises a bill that will bring audiences back to the glory days when Lollapalooza was a touring festival and MTV’s bread and butter was music videos. It comes to the Catalyst Club Saturday.

Headlining this bill is Fire Peach, a San Francisco band that covers alternative rock songs from the ’90s and 2000s, including everything from the Smashing Pumpkins to Sublime to Weezer. While Fire Peach perform a broad range of songs from the ’90s, they will be preceded by three specific tributes to some of the decade’s biggest rock bands: Nimrods (a tribute to Green Day), Rage on Parade (a tribute to Rage Against the Machine) and Hella Doubtful (a tribute to No Doubt). For those who still wish to smell that teen spirit, this festival should provide just the opportunity.

The show is 8 p.m. Saturday at the Catalyst, 1101 Pacific Ave. Doors open at 7:30. Tickets are $8.46. This is a 16-and-older show. For more information, go to CatalystClub.com.

Kuumbwa Jazz to present ‘Revolver’ tribute

Sunday’s show at Kuumbwa Jazz is brought to you by the letter B, as in Beatles and Badfinger. Keith Putney Productions will be presenting an all-star performance of the Fab Four’s seminal album “Revolver” and a tribute to the influential Welsh power pop group Badfinger.A year after “Help” and “Rubber Soul” began the Beatles’ move away from pop songs about romance into a more experimental direction, both musically and lyrically, “Revolver” took an even bigger leap forward as the band dabbled in chamber music on “Eleanor Rigby,” Eastern mysticism on “Love You To,” psychedelia on “Tomorrow Never Knows,” soul on “Got to Get You into My Life” and hard rock on “Taxman.” It is considered one of the Beatles’ best albums — some would say their absolute best — and was highly influential on both music and the ’60s counterculture movement.

In addition to all of “Revolver,” the group will perform songs by Badfinger, who themselves were inspired by the Beatles; their name being a reference to the working title for “With a Little Help from My Friends” (“Bad Finger Boogie”). Badfinger had a string of hits in the early ’70s, notably “Baby Blue,” which was memorably used in “Breaking Bad” and “The Departed.” Their song “Without You” yielded two chart toppers with covers by Harry Nilsson and Mariah Carey, and furthering the Beatles connection even more, “Come and Get it” was produced by Paul McCartney and “Day After Day” by George Harrison.

The band itself will feature two members who have played with Badfinger, including guitarist David Blasucci and musical director Jeff Alan Ross. They will be rounded out by Laurence Juber (Paul McCartney and Wings), John Jorgenson (The Desert Rose Band), Bill Cinque (Neil Diamond) and Christopher Allis (Mike Nesmith’s First National Band).

The concert is 7 p.m. Sunday at Kuumbwa Jazz, 320 Cedar St. Doors open at 6. Advance tickets range from $60.54 to $161.90. For more information, go to KuumbwaJazz.org.

Alvin, Gilmore bring TexiCali sound to Kuumbwa Jazz

Separately, Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore have had very successful careers in Americana. Alvin fronted the Southern California rockabilly revival group The Blasters with his brother Phil and also worked with other Los Angeles bands such as X. Gilmore was a member of the highly influential band The Flatlanders and has worked with the likes of Willie Nelson. Together, they have recorded two albums containing a mix of country, folk, blues and even R&B. They will be showcasing that fusion with a show at Kuumbwa Jazz Tuesday.

Alvin and Gilmore first collaborated on 2018’s “Downey to Lubbock,” the title being a reflection of their Texas and California roots. That blend was repeated six years later on 2024’s “TexiCali,” which they supported with a show at Moe’s Alley that year. The venue may be different, but the style will be just the same as they return to Santa Cruz with a band that includes drummer Lisa Pankratz, bassist Brad Fordham, guitarist Chris Miller and keyboardist Bukka Allen.

The concert is 7 p.m. Tuesday at Kuumbwa Jazz, 320 Cedar St. Doors open at 6:15. Tickets are $55 in advance and $65 at the door. For more information, go to KuumbwaJazz.org.

This week’s calendar was compiled by Nick Sestanovich.