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Starship featuring Mickey Thomas @ Ed Kenley Amphitheatre
So let's start off with a quick apology: This show, at the intimate Kenley in Layton, is sold out at press time. Ordinarily, we wouldn't point to a show with that ticket-less status (though secondary markets are always an option), but just a few weeks ago, Jefferson Starship rolled into a region for a night of hits and we were quick to note that. So, fast-forwarding a couple weeks, Mickey Thomas—once the vocalist for Jefferson Starship—has his own version of the group out on the road, and they're playing the same smaller amphitheaters and summer fairs as their competitive sibling band. If summertime's good for anything, it's seeing the faves of yesteryear cranking up their touring machines for the remaining fanbases. Sometimes, you even get to experience the songs twice. Starship featuring Mickey Thomas performs at Ed Kenley Amphiteatre (403 Wasatch Dr, Layton) on Thursday, June 16 at 8 pm. You can find info on other Kenley shows at davisarts.org.

Kishi Bashi @ Metro Music Hall
Not content to create in the standard album/tour release schedule, the ever-inventive Kishi Bashi has been creating across a variety of platforms over the past decade, including scoring for television, filmmaking, collaborations with other artists and, yes, some albums and EPs, too. Of particular note to residents of Utah, he's examined the U.S. internment camps of Japanese-Americans during WWII, which ties neatly into the history of the Topaz camp near Delta. In 2019, his bio notes, "he released his album Omoiyari (a Japanese word for the idea of creating compassion toward other people by thinking about them) in support of his feature length documentary Omoiyari: A songfilm by Kishi Bashi which explores minority identity and the Incarceration of Japanese Americans in WWII." Kishi Bashi plays the Metro Music Hall (615 W. 100 South) on Sunday, June 19 at 7 p.m. Also appearing is Tall Tall Trees. Ticket info ($25) can be found at metromusichall.com.

Billy Howerdel @ Metro Music Hall
A member of the cult faves A Perfect Circle, Billy Howerdel has created an album called What Normal Was, a work that's being hailed for a blend of influences, including names from Nine Inch Nails to Pink Floyd to Echo & The Bunnymen. On that count of influences, Howerdel says of his own album that "this is me stepping back into my early teen self and making the record I would have made if I had the means and the knowledge when I first picked up a guitar—just in 2022. It's that moment as a kid when you hear a record, close your eyes, and go somewhere else. That was the time I found my lane, so to speak. During the making of this album, a global pandemic's chaos had a silver lining. It gave me time to tighten the songs into the place I'd hoped they could be. When I look back, I don't think I'd change anything about it." Billy Howerdel plays Metro Music Hall (615 W. 100 South) on Tuesday, June 21. Tickets are $28 with purchasing information available at metromusichall.com. No support act was listed at press time.

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Emily Wells @ Kilby Court
Multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Emily Wells is out in support of the album Regards to the End. Pitchfork praises it, saying "Wells' most exciting music is vibrant and dynamic, throwing the listener into unexpected hairpin turns." The performer's bio suggests no small of ambition in thematic content: "The polymathic composer, producer, and video artist explores the AIDS crisis, climate change, and her lived experience—as a queer musician from a long line of preachers, watching the world burn—in immaculately layered yet spare songs that impel the listener to be attuned, acting like a magnet on our attention." Emily Wells plays Kilby Court (748 W. Kilby Court) on Saturday, June 18 with one of SLC's own, Josaleigh Pollett. Tickets are $15, doors open at 7 p.m. and the show is all-ages.

Blitzen Trapper @ Egyptian Theatre
With 10 albums to their credit, the members of Blitzen Trapper can pull from nearly 20 years of releases, including their latest, 2020's Holy Smokes Future Jokes. The album was praised by the roots-music tastemakers at No Depression like so: "As with previous albums, Holy Smokes Future Jokes is ultimately defined by Eric Earley's vocals and lyricism. While Earley's melodies are occasionally predictable, each song invariably includes hook-y swerves or hip vocal annunciations that nudge the track toward infectiousness. Seventeen years since its eponymous debut, Blitzen Trapper remains an innovative band well-versed on the Americana playbook, still offering distinct contributions." Blitzen Trapper play a three-night engagement at Park City's Egyptian Theatre (328 Main St.). Unlike the usual Thursday-Saturday rotation at the classic venue, this one's running from Wednesday, June 22-Friday, June 24. Tickets, from $23, are available at tickets.egyptiantheatrecompany.org.

Cam Gallagher & Tasty Soul @ Soundwell
Now 14-months into their musical journey together, Cam Gallagher's band Tasty Soul is rife with young local talent, with a lineup that's winning fans around the region. A funk band by trade, the group's becoming a mainstay on the local club circuit, with festival dates starting to dot their calendar this summer. For this gig, the band gets to stretch a bit with a headlining time slot. In fact, the band will be "recording video and audio in the style of Vuelf Pecks live in Madison Square Garden," creating a live album in the process. Cam Gallagher & Tasty Soul play Soundwell (149 W. 200 South) on Wednesday, June 22, along with Columbia Jones. Tickets are $17-20 and available at tixr.com.