Joe Koenig remembers being close to tears when he took the stage last month at Downtown Brewing Co. in San Luis Obispo. His childhood idol, multitalented musician Leon Russell, was waiting backstage. In the crowd was his supportive father, who traveled all the way from Concrete, Texas. ?It was the first time he had been in the room when I played any of those songs,? Koenig said of his dad and ...

The first New American Music Union concert -- loaded with big-name acts like Bob Dylan, The Roots, The Raconteurs and Gnarls Barkley -- is coming to the SouthSide Works shopping district in Pittsburgh. Here is a quick run-down of the details.

The UK grime and MC scene is stronger than ever. Wiley's electro-charged, hip-house/rave anthem "Wearing My Rolex" is still in the Top 30 three months after it shot into the Top 10, while Estelle, who cut her teeth as a rapper, is the toast of Britain's and America's urban-music scenes thanks to her chart topping single "American Boy" and her acclaimed LP Shine, which gained a place on the ...

Ed Palermo Big Band. When: 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. Where: Iridium Jazz Club, 1650 Broadway at 51st Street, New York. How much: $25 music charge, $15 minimum. Call (212) 582-2121 or visit iridiumjazzclub.com.

The Monroe Township Cultural Arts Commission's 2008 Music in the Park Summer Series of free live musical events will present its closing concert 6-8 p.m. Aug. 14 in the open grove gazebo on the lake at Thompson Park, Monroe.