Sat. Aug. 14

 I first heard Russian rock band Mumiy Troll during the bleak winter of 2009 and it was their version of "California Dreaming" that got me revved. This is not uncommon in my world. The Mamas and Papas did exactly what they intended to do when the released this song back the '60s. Mumiy Troll was founded in 1983 in Vladivostok by linguist Ilia Lagutenko. (The name is taken from the name of the Tove Jansson characters, the Moomin Trolls.) At any rate, this quartet, which began as a garage band during the last years of the Soviet Union, is considered one of the most popular of Russian bands. Hey, like Plastic People of the Universe, they performed illegally and were even jailed on several occasions; as the climate improved for rock music, they became a popular act in Vladivostok. The band broke up when Lagutenko, who speaks both Mandarin Chinese and English, went to serve in the Russian army. But then he came back and they gained immense popularity with the release of their first (official) album. They're touring the States for the second time and are the Middle East Downstairs Saturday Aug. 14. Expect a charismatic band, lyrics said to be coy - sorry, we no speak - and an androgynous style. The music? Pretty melodic hard rock. Good kick, good edge, a good gamble for the rock fan whoses axis extends beyond the typical US-UK one. Run Run Run opens the show, which starts at 9. Tickets: $30, up $10 from their first time at the Middle, meaning people are willing to shuck out cash in these tough times for this uncommon band.

472 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-864-3278 www.mideastclub.com

Sat. Aug 14

  Rock ‘n’ roll is such a fragmented entity these days, a huge field populated by many sub-genres. Here’s one – power pop – that’s made a comeback, of sorts, lately. Folks got a heaping helping when I last saw the Luxury, last year at the Paradise, celebrating the release of their second CD, “In the Wake of What Won’t Change.” They play the Boston Emissions party Saturday Aug. 14 at Harpers Ferry.  Anngelle Wood is the BE host and moved to WZLX after WBCN went down. 

"The show is a two-part theme," sayd Luxury singer-guitarist Jason Dunn. "One is the Boston Emissions Re-birthday party (one year since WBCN fell and the show lives on), and the most important bit is that it's a benefit to help the family of Ben Garceau from Roman Traffic (our semifinalist competition in the Rumble, along with Dirty Truckers). Garceau, 24, got in a serious accident about a month ago, and has been recovering from body and head injuries at a hospital in New Hampshire. He also has no insurance. His hospital stay cost him in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Dunn: "About a week ago, Harper's Ferry asked us if we wanted to take the night on Saturday, August 14th at their venue.

Sat. Aug. 14 

The Zac Brown Band wants to be all things to all people. And, they nearly are. Although Brown, the full-bearded, skull-capped singer-songwriter-guitarist, is country at the core, his music goes every which way. Their big hit last year – and forever? – was  “Chicken Fried,” a toe-tapping celebration of an American’s right to eat fried fowl, drink beer and wear comfortable jeans … all while supporting the troops. I saw them play last October at the soldout Agganis Center Friday (this item is culled from a Herald review I did of the show) and they’re at Comcast Center Saturday Aug. 14.  
    The Zac Brown Band played more somber country numbers, too, like “Highway 20 Ride” and “Jolene.” They unveiled a batch of new tunes the sprawling country-reggae-hard rock jam “Who Knows,” the buoyant singalong “Make This Day” and the Willie Nelson-inspired “Colder Weather.” They dipped into Jimmy Buffett/Kenny Chesney Caribbean light (“Where the Boat Leaves From,” “Toes”) and plunged into Pink Floydian heart-of-darkness art-rock – really! - “Junkyard.”

 Fri. Aug. 13

There's probably no "bad" time to be a dependable U2 cover band. Last spring and summer was pretty great with U2 being everywhere - but in a very large, not-so-approachable way. (The Somerville Theatre clog-up; the traffic jam on Rte. 1 for the Gillette show. How much crap do you wanna go through to see Bono and the boys and what if he's in "lecture" mode? At any rate, you may still have that unforgettable fire for the Dublin quartet, but you may just want to see a band closely resembling U2 at a club level and that would the Joshua Tree, which plays Harpers Ferry Friday Aug.13. The show starts at 8 with Phil DeRosa. Tickets: $8 advance/$10 day of.

158 Brighton Ave., Allston, 617-254-7380 www.harpersferryboston.com

Fri. Aug. 13

Saw Doctors, who play the Cape Cod Melody Tent Friday Aug. 13, are nothing if not Ireland's folk-rock-Celtic feelgood band of the era. "We didn’t start out and say ‘Let’s make a band that makes people feel good when they leave’ the show,’’ says Saw Doctors guitarist Leo Moran. “I think we’re just lucky. Not all of our lyrics are completely upbeat, but the way we deliver them seem to be upbeat. They’re a strange mixture of light and dark.” They broke through in Ireland back in the late 1980s, with people singing along boisterously to a breakup song “I Useta Lover.” They’ve toured the US steadily over the years – five times in 2006 -and have built a strong base here.
     The quartet’s latest studio album is called “The Cure.” If that’s the case, what’s the disease? “I suppose the answer to that a bit of music is what you need now in then to get in a positive state of mind,” says Moran, on the phone from Galway.  “There are little diseases on the album about relationships and in the way the country’s changing around us … little things you’re being philosophical about.” Indeed, the new album starts with “Out for a Smoke,” where singer-guitarist Davy Carton finds “The darkest clouds were on to me."