The Sacramento Beat: Harlow’s celebrates a milestone birthday; the Boardwalk is back

We started last month’s Sacramento Beat with a plea to the heavens for cooler September weather, in hopes that the outdoor festivals and music events would be spared from the heat. That … did not work out. At the risk of jinxing us again, we’ll just dive right into music for October.

Local artists, message me on Instagram if you have upcoming shows, @adavis_threetosee.

Our good friends at Harlow’s are celebrating their 40th anniversary this month, and the venerable venue is looking as sharp and fresh as ever in its 40s (the same cannot be said of this reporter). We’re hearing rumblings of some special gig announcements still to come to mark the occasion, but the October calendar, as usual, is stacked with shows, as the “Harlow’s 40th Anniversary Series” commences. They’re coming in hot with post-hardcore darlings Girls Against Boys, touring behind the 25th anniversary of their record “House of GVSB,” which was just re-released with a heap of bonus tracks (with The Velvet Teen and Dust Moth. 8 p.m. Wed. Oct. 5. $23/$25). Harlow’s also welcomes the likes of Eshu Tune (the hip-hop alter ego of comedian and actor Hannibal Buress) on Oct. 9, Americana mainstay James McMurty on Oct. 15, and oh my god, Becky, they’ve even got Sir Mix-A-Lot on Oct. 16 (www.harlows.com).

While the ol’ gal celebrates 40 consecutive years of shows, another beloved local haunt pulls a Lazarus act: Orangevale’s the Boardwalk is coming back after the venue announced its then-permanent closure in January, only to find a new ownership team to continue its (pre-pandemic) run of 35 years hosting shows. Knocking off the cobwebs at the sweat-inducing roadhouse rock club is emo pop-punk veteran act The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, flanked by Yunger and Self Continuum (7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14. $20), with a Sacramento Maidens of Metal curated bill of Niviane, Diversity of One and Skyline Red the next night (6 p.m. Sat. Oct. 15. $15). For now, those are the lone shows on the calendar. Stay tuned for more. (www.rocktheboardwalk.com).

Count the spitfire Sarah Shook & the Disarmers among the acts angling for space in the Margo Price court of emerging razor’s-edge country/Americana artists (see also: Nikki Lane, Lilly Hiatt, Whitney Rose). Shook’s earliest offerings seemed like she was spending a good bit of time peering over the fence at the party in Mike Ness’s backyard and wondering how she might score an invite. She’s throwing her own shindig on 2022’s “Nightroamer,” a notably more refined and matured helping of Nashville-centric country rock and crafty balladeering (with a subtle current of grit). That said, we’re pretty sure if Ness texted her an invite, she’d still grab an ax and a 12-pack and saunter right over. Joules Satyr, better known as Sea of Bees, joins the party (7:30 p.m. Friday Oct. 7 at Goldfield Downtown, 1630 J St. $15. goldfieldtradingpost.com).

The Goldfield calendars are juiced this month at both locations. Up the hill, the Roseville location welcomes reggae/hip-hop star Matisyahu, which is likely to be a sold-out gig in short order. Don’t wait on this one! (With NIKO IS. 7 p.m. Tues. Oct. 4. 238 Vernon St. $37.50). They’re also welcoming punk royalty the Queers downtown on Saturday, Oct. 15 ($20), and Lodi-born hard rock act A Skylit Drive in Roseville the same night, boasting the original band lineup to celebrate 15 years since the release of “She Watched the Sky” ($25). Late ‘90s rock novelty Powerman 5000 shows up downtown on Wednesday, Oct. 19 ($25), and we get two nights with breakout country star Tyler Rich in Roseville Oct. 28 and 29. (goldfieldtradingpost.com).

The house concert/garden shows at the deliciously cozy Bootleg House in Hollywood Park often feature out-of-town artists mixed in with the local talent. But to snag a singer who hails from Wales? Now there’s a get! Bootleg welcomes “the Welsh Springsteen,” Martyn Joseph, who has drawn previous apt comparisons to John Mayer, Bruce Cockburn and Dave Matthews. He is on a West Coast house concert tour. In his newest exquisitely stitched record “1960” (a buried treasure of gripping folk), we’re hearing shades of troubadours like Colin Hay amid the high afternoon clouds, rolling shadows over the deserted highway below (7 p.m. Sat. Oct. 8. $20 cash, RSVP required. www.bootleg music productions.com). The show will also be livestreamed on Bootleg’s YouTube channel, donations are accepted.

A stop in Nevada City is no small deal for festival mainstay jamtronica quintet Papadosio, a band used to packing larger rooms in larger cities, but it certainly feels like a natural place for them. If you’ve cruised the streets (and nooks and alleys) of that town, you’ll know that an organic, spacious nebula of jazz-inflected jam rock anchored by cosmic, brain-twirling electronic grooves is right at home in the foothills hotspot. They’re out on tour in celebration of the 10-year anniversary of their album “T.E.T.I.O.S.” (With Lusine. 9 p.m. Friday Oct. 14 at the Stonehouse, 107 Sacramento St. $30. www.eventbrite.com)

Sacramento-raised Anton Barbeau has been a busy man since the pandemic took hold, hurling out what feels like a constant churn of music, including 2020’s double-sided mindbender “Manbird,” this year’s aptly-titled 19-track “Power Pop!!!” (which he calls his “proper pandemic soundscape”) and a bonus track-laden reissue of “What If It Works,” a collaboration with late great fellow Sacramentan Scotty Miller (frontman of Game Theory and Loud Family). Barbeau is in town for a special outdoor gig, teamed up with the indelible Allyson Seconds, at Placer Land Trust’s family friendly “Party on the Preserve” at Laursen Bear River Preserve in North Auburn. The show caps a day of outdoor activities (music 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sat. Oct. 22. Donations accepted, advance registration required. placerlandtrust.org). Earlier in the month, Barbeau also cozies in for a gig at Cloud Forest Cafe in Davis (4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sat. Oct. 8, 222 D Street, Davis. www.cloudforestcafe.com).

Change is abound for one of the region’s most beloved festivals: the Halloween-themed Hangtown Music Festival is holding court for the first time at the Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley, uprooting from their previous digs in Placerville, and the event will have a yet-to-be-announced new name in 2023. In terms of music and the daily costume themes, it looks like the same gloriousness we’ve come to know and love, with three headlining sets from hosts Railroad Earth starting Thursday (which is the “Flower Power” theme day). Additional artists include Brothers Comatose, Yonder Mountain String Band, the Floozies and Beats Antique Friday (“Monsters Ball”), with A.J. Lee & Blue Summit, Marty O’Reilly and a special set from sax master Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe leading a David Bowie tribute on Saturday (“Wild West”), and Achilles Wheel, Lowdown Brass Band and Mother Hips on Sunday (“Pirates”). (Oct. 20-23. hangtownfestival.com).

Grab Bag: The Wednesday evening Blues & Bourbon series at Starlet Room (above Harlow’s) welcomes the Hucklebucks (Oct. 5), Dennis Johnson (Oct. 12), Steve Freund Quartet featuring Sid Morris (Oct. 19) and Johnny Burgin (Oct. 26), with all shows starting at 6:30 p.m. (www.harlows.com); Synth-heavy psych rocker Kid Bloom also visits Starlet Room on Sun. Oct. 2 (8 p.m. $20/$25. www.harlows.com); Following the dissolution of J. Roddy Walston & the Business, the effervescent showman Walston continues to tour and stops at the Folsom Hotel (7 p.m. Sun. Oct. 9. $22. folsomhotel.net); In a delightful scheduling twist, the Center for the Arts in Grass Valley welcomes a pair of scorching soul talents in Thunderstorm Artis on Sun. Oct. 16, and exactly one week later, his brother, Ron Artis II & the Truth on Sun. Oct. 23 (thecenterforthearts.org/events).