Dan's Papers - July 3, 2009

It's July 4 weekend and if you're not simply looking to relax and barbecue with friends and family, there are a lot of great events for you to choose from to fill your holiday weekend. And as far as music goes, it seems as though nearly every restaurant and venue will be featuring live acts, both local and national, over the holiday weekend.

At the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center, be sure to catch The Wallflowers, fronted by Jakob Dylan, on July 4. The band will be bringing Augustana to open up for them. Then, following the Westhampton Beach fireworks, which the audience will head outside to watch, the Grammy Award-winning Wallflowers, known for their brand of mid-90s roots rock, with hits such as "One Headlight," "Three Marlinas" and "6th Avenue Heartache," will take the stage at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $140, $100 and $80.

The next night, July 5, the legendary Joe Cocker, known for hits like "You Are So Beautiful," "Feelin' Alright" and "With a Little Help from My Friends," will perform at WHBPAC. VIP tickets for $250 include a catered pre-show cocktail party. All other tickets are $200 and $175. For more information about both shows at the PAC, go to whbpac.org.

Heading over to Sag Harbor, at Bay Street Theatre, on Long Wharf, Betty Buckley, Tony Award-winning actress and singer, will be performing "Broadway by Request." The audience will get to request which songs they'd like to hear, and Buckley will perform them, as well as tell intimate and amusing stories from her career and life. She goes on at 8 p.m. on July 3, with two shows at 5 and 7 p.m., before the fireworks in Sag Harbor, on July 4. Tickets are $75. Go to baystreet.org for more information.

The Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett will host another musical heavy hitter this weekend - Grammy-award winning singer Joan Osborne, perhaps best known for her mid-'90s hit "One of Us" off the album Relish, will head east on July 4, taking the stage at 8 p.m. Tickets are $100 and $115 for VIP.

Of course, the Talkhouse also often features lesser known, as well as local performers. On July 3, following Forever Ray, a Ray Charles tribute band (tickets are $35, $50 for VIP), catch local favorite Nancy Atlas, voted Dan's "Best of the Best" Band and Singer 2004 through 2008, during the late show at 11 p.m. Tickets are $25. And on July 4, after Osborne's show, The Giving Tree, playing covers of a variety of rock and soul acts such as Patti LaBelle, Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin, Pat Benatar and Dave Matthews Band, will perform to benefit The Wounded Warrior Project. Then on July 5, catch Mike Posner at 8 p.m., followed by The New Kingston Band at 11 p.m. And, of course, throughout the week, there is a steady line-up of music scheduled, including Toots and the Maytals on July 8 and Jesse Harris, who has written and performed with Norah Jones, on July 9. For more information about any of these shows, go to stephentalkhouse.com.

Turtle Crossing in East Hampton is always a great place to catch favorite local acts. Soulful Mama Lee Rose and Friends, who perform there every Friday, will also be entertaining on July 3, with the youthful surf and alternative rock outfit Feed the Need playing on July 5, as they do every Sunday. Feed the Need will also be performing the night before on July 4 at Regulars Music Café in North Sea, from 10 p.m. until 1 a.m.

And East End staples, rockabilly outfit Gene Casey and the Lone Sharks, can be found at Osprey's Dominion Vineyard on July 3, and at Nick's on the Beach in Montauk on July 5.

As you can see, there's a lot going on musically this weekend, even more than can possibly be listed here. So no matter what kind of music you're a fan of, there's definitely something going on for everyone.