Matt Kane 7 p.m. thursday. the blue room.

Kansas City has nurtured countless jazz musicians who eventually made their reputations on either coast. Add Matt Kane to an illustrious list that includes William “Count” Basie, Charlie Parker and Karrin Allyson. Kane was born in Hannibal, Mo., and offered a scholarship to UMKC’s Conservatory of Music. He gigged as a drummer at fabled venues like the Grand Emporium and Milton’s in the ‘90s before making his way to New York, where he’s currently based. Kane has worked as a sideman for the likes of Norah Jones. He returns to Kansas City as the leader of his own band on Thursday.

The free show begins at 7 p.m.

Aaron Lewis

8 and 10:30 p.m. friday. voodoo lounge.

Openly espousing political views can be a risky move for musicians. Aaron Lewis, best known as the gruff frontman for hard rock band Staind, has never been one to keep his feelings to himself. On “Country Boy,” his 2010 collaboration with George Jones and Charlie Daniels, he espouses Libertarian principles including gun ownership and red-blooded patriotism. His fans don’t seem to take offense. In fact, Lewis draws so well in Kansas City that he’s performing two shows Friday. Although longtime fans demand to hear Staind hits like “It’s Been Awhile,” Lewis’ playful covers of unlikely material including “Rainbow Connection” and country standards make his appearances memorable.

The two shows are at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Tickets range in price from $30 to $80.

The People’s Liberation Big Band

8 p.m. sunday. recordbar.

It’s entirely possible that The People’s Liberation Big Band of Kansas City contains more geniuses than any other musical ensemble in the region. Perhaps none is more brilliant than composer and conductor Brad Cox. His innovative arrangements and deftness as a bandleader are ongoing marvels. Bassist Jeff Harshbarger and saxophonist Rich Wheeler are among the collective’s most prominent names, but even the least heralded members of the large band are formidable talents. Cox probably won’t include selections from the band’s latest album, a clever reinvention of Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker,” at Sunday’s show, but regulars have come to expect the unexpected at the jazz-based ensemble’s monthly appearances at the RecordBar.

Tickets to the 8 p.m. show are $5.

The Goddamn Gallows

9 p.m. tuesday . the riot room.

While the manic music of the Goddamn Gallows can be enjoyed while sober, the band’s clamorous din is designed to enhance inebriation. The Michigan-based act’s self-described “twanged-out punk rock gutterbilly” is probably best appreciated by revelers who are standing in puddles of beer while ordering rounds of shots. As the name suggests, Kansas City-based opening acts Them Damned Young Livers and Whiskey Breath favor very similar approaches. Expect a bleary evening of alcohol-fueled mayhem.

Tickets to the 9 p.m. show are $7 in advance.

Jason and the Scorchers

8 p.m. wednesday, jan. 11. knuckleheads.

Well before bands like Uncle Tupelo, The Old 97’s and Whiskeytown popularized the sound, Jason & the Scorchers blazed an innovative trail with its fusion of honky-tonk and punk rock. Most people initially didn’t know what to make of the wild-eyed band, but thirty years after they began their collaboration in Nashville, original members Jason Ringenberg and Warner Hodges seem like visionaries. Young and old lovers of roots music will have a rare opportunity to see one of the first American bands to merge the music of The Clash and Hank Williams. Local band the Rumblejetts also perform.

Tickets to the 8 p.m. show are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

bill brownlee { special to ink }