TODAY
Cowboy Junkies
These Canadians create what has been described as somnambulist rock. That doesn’t mean their melange of rock, blues, folk and country doesn’t sound energetic on occasion, but it’s the leisurely largo of 1988’s “The Trinity Session” that remains the band’s definitive statement. That distinctive sound owes much of its beauty to the lovely, if logy, vocals of Margo Timmins. This current tour includes a complete performance of “The Trinity Session.”
8:30 p.m. March 8. $35; $32.50 in advance. Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-524-7354, www.variety-playhouse.com.
SATURDAY
Asleep at the Wheel
Though often associated with its longtime home state of Texas, this combo actually started life in West Virginia. The creme de la creme of Western swing bands has won eight Grammy Awards in a career that spans more than 40 years, and founder Ray Benson is still the heart and soul of the band. The latest album, “It’s a Good Day,” is a collaboration with former Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys vocalist Leon Rausch. Before that, 2009’s Grammy-nominated “Willie and the Wheel” found the band collaborating with old friend Willie Nelson, who encouraged Asleep at the Wheel’s move to Texas in 1973.
7 p.m. March 9. $30. The Grand Theatre, 7 Wall St., Cartersville. 770-386-7343, www.thegrandtheatre.org.
Mindy Smith
Smith, who grew up in Smithtown, N.Y., first attracted buzz when she gave a fresh coat of paint to “Jolene” on a 2003 Dolly Parton tribute album (“Just Because I’m a Woman”). Her fifth and latest album, 2012’s “Mindy Smith,” is her first independent release after a run on Vanguard Records. Fans of Nanci Griffith, Emmylou Harris or Alison Krauss should find plenty to love.
7 p.m. March 9. $25; $20 in advance. Eddie’s Attic, 515 N. McDonough St., Decatur. 404-377-4976, www.eddiesattic.com.
The Zombies
The Zombies made some of the most sophisticated and enduring pop music of the late ’60s, even if little of it made much of an impact on the charts. Everyone knows “Time of the Season,” and maybe some are familiar with “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No, ” but keyboardist Rod Argent, vocalist Colin Blunstone — both on this tour — and their bandmates also gave us “Odessey and Oracle.” Many critics put it in the company of classics of the era such as “Revolver, ” “Pet Sounds” and “Forever Changes.” And they’re right.
8:30 p.m. March 9. $27.50; $25 advance; $50 VIP with meet and greet after the show. Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-524-7354, www.variety-playhouse.com.
Brenda Lee
Georgia native Lee is probably best known for “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and “I’m Sorry, ” but she scored nearly 30 Top 40 hits between 1960 and 1967. She had a career as a country music hit maker, too.
8 p.m. March 9. $40. Jennie T. Anderson Theater, 548 S. Marietta Parkway S.E., Marietta. 770-528-8490.
Paul Thorn
A former boxer and the son of a Church of God minister, Thorn slowly has built an audience with his scruffy charm and terrific songs that straddle the boundary between country and rock. He’s on the road supporting new album “What the Hell Is Goin’ On?” on which Thorn takes a break from songwriting. The all-covers album includes a tune from Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks’ pre-Fleetwood Mac duo album and the gritty blues-rocker “Walk in My Shadow” from Free’s 1968 debut “Tons of Sobs.”
8 p.m. March 9. $27. Eddie Owen Presents at the Red Clay Theatre, 3116 Main St., Duluth. 404-478-2749, www.eddieowenpresents.com.
WEDNESDAY
Aaron Carter
Here’s something you’d never expect: The reality TV star and younger brother of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter will play the singer-songwriter room at Decatur’s venerable home of acoustic music. Like his brother, Carter, now 25, was a teen-dream pop star. His current jaunt is called the After the Party Tour, which references the title of both his 2000 major label debut album and one of his best known hits, “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It).” You can come get it a lot closer at a venue as intimate as the Attic.
8 p.m. March 13. $20; $16 in advance. Eddie’s Attic, 515 N. McDonough St., Decatur. 404-377-4976, www.eddiesattic.com.
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