Pop Around Town 

We’re hearing hints that suggest SB Acoustic might be moving on after the pair of shows at SOhO this weekend. Whether that’s relocating, retreating, reworking or reconfiguring we don’t know, but John Jorgenson and Carl Verheyen should provide a doubly delightful denouement. Guitarist Jorgenson is appearing with his J2B2 quartet, aka The John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band, an all-star outfit bringing bountiful chops to bluegrass that were first booked at the club by SB Acoustic just last year. Jorgenson’s old Desert Rose bandmate Herb Pedersen will provide banjo – the instrument that had him filling in for Earl Scruggs in the Foggy Mountain Boys and following Doug Dillard in the Dillards – as well as vocals. Pederson’s heavenly harmonies have kept him in demand for decades on records by Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, Emmylou Harris, and countless others. J2B2 bassist Mark Fain spent years as Ricky Skaggs’ band leader and supported Ry Cooder, Rosanne Cash, and Bruce Hornsby on albums and tours, while Patrick Sauber’s string creds include Peter Rowan, Doc Watson, and John Fogerty. Originals, covers, and bluegrass classics are on the bill of fare for the supper show at SOhO on June 3.

Carl Verheyen, considered one of the world’s top guitarists, also brings an acoustic band to the club the following night, with Dave Marotta, who plays a variety of basses, and John Mader on percussion. Verheyen’s half-decade career is vastly multi-faceted, encompassing nearly four decades as both a member of the British rock group Supertramp, and as one of L.A.’s elite “first call” session players with appearances on hundreds of records, movie soundtracks, and television shows. Verheyen’s stature as a solo artist has garnered him an international following. If this is a send-off for SB Acoustic, we say sayonara or see you later with a special sense of gratitude.