JJ Grey & Mofro in Concert at Mr. Smalls; Jergel’s Hosts Rodney Atkins; Foxtail Has The Crystal Method (Thurs., 2/28/19)

1) You can hear a little of Otis Redding in JJ Grey’s raspy vocals. The music of Stax Records, meanwhile, permeates his backing band, Mofro, specifically within those lush horns. Unsurprisingly, Grey touts both Redding and Stax, along with Jerry Reed and rappers Run-D.M.C., as influences. All of these musical forebears mix together in JJ Grey and Mofro’s sound, which is hard to classify: sometimes southern rock, sometimes swamp rock, all of it great though. Grey hails from Jacksonville, Florida, and his home is his maternal grandmother and grandfather’s former chicken farm. It now houses a recording studio. He formed Mofro in the late ’90s, and their debut album was 2001’s Blackwater. 2015’s Ol’ Glory is their latest album. They have a good thing going with Pittsburgh: JJ Grey & Mofro headlined the Pittsburgh Blues Festival in 2014, and this February, they play Mr. Smalls. Rachel Lynne opens. 8 p.m. Sold out. 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. (CM)

2) Country singer-songwriter Rodney Atkins closed the Three Rivers Regatta in 2016, and he returns to Pittsburgh for a concert at Jergel’s Rhythm Grille.  Atkins was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and he released his first album, Honesty, in 2003. If You’re Going Through Hell followed in 2006. The album’s first single, “If You’re Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows),” charted at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Atkins had five more number-one singles after that, all of which appeared on a greatest hits album, released in 2015. However, his last studio album was 2011’s Take a Back Road. He did put out a new song in 2018, “Caught Up in the Country,” with the Fisk Jubilee Singers, an African-American a cappella ensemble from Fisk University, on backing vocals. 8 p.m. 285 Northgate Dr., Warrendale. (CM)

3) Electronic music duo The Crystal Method began in Las Vegas in 1993. The group, started by Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland, is known for its big beats. Songs such as “Trip Like I Do” are popular in the group’s live sets. The Crystal Method has six studio albums out with the latest being 2018’s The Trip Home. Jordan retired from music in 2017, but Kirkland is continuing to use the band name. 8 p.m. Foxtail, 1601 E. Carson St., South Side. 

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