Now that Father's Day weekend is behind us -- not to mention Warped Tour and the Elm St. Fest marathon -- can you believe June's almost over? This hump week (if you can call it that) sports a bevy of great shows. Expect appearances from local favorites Cut/Copy and Classixx later this week, an extra John Fogerty performance at Choctaw up north, and a visit from Atlanta rapper-crooner Future.
Charlie Hunter With Scott Amendola, 7 p.m., Tuesday, June 17 at The Kessler Theater, 1230 W. Davis St., 214-272-8346 or thekessler.org, $15-20 Charlie Hunter is one of those musicians who can convincingly play in just about any style with disarming ease. Case in point is Hunter's newest full-length, a collection of EPs covering material from Hank Williams, the Cars, Cole Porter and Duke Ellington. And while it can be cloyingly cute for a jazz player to take on rock and country songs, Hunter's delivery is respectful and, in some cases, authoritative. Hunter is a superb guitarist who understands the player must never exceed the inherent beauty of the song. Instead, it's all about a deft touch and impeccable style.Darryl Smyers
Too Short With E-40, 7 p.m., Wednesday, June 18 at Trees, 2709 Elm St., 214-741-1122 or treesdallas.com, $26 Before the YGs and DJ Mustards there was Too Short, whose raps told stories of pimps, drugs, and good ol' hedonism. With fellow West Coast rap pioneer E40, Too Short transformed the Bay Area sound with his eclectic mix of grooving beats and usually vulgar lyrics. Over a span of sixteen albums, the rapper (real name: Todd Anthony Shaw) has influenced entire generations of Bay Area rappers, maintained control of his Up All Nite label, and occasionally reappears to lay guest vocals for a variety of artists, including Lady Gaga in 2013. Michelle Ofiwe
Future With Rico Love and Q.u.e, 9 p.m., Thursday, June 19 at South Side Music Hall, 1135 South Lamar Street, 214-421-2021 or gilleysdallas.com, $29.50 Atlanta rapper Future is coming hot off of his sophomore album, Honest, which dropped in April on Epic Records. You can count on Future moving the crowd with his new hits, such as "Move That Dope" or "Shit," both of which were produced by the talented Mike WiLL Made It. Compared to his earlier works, Honest, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart, shows off a wider range of Future's talent with its drenched trap beats and lurching raps. It also features a raft of guest appearances from some of the biggest names in the game, including Wiz Khalifa, Drake, Kanye West, André 3000 and Lil Wayne. Future's been around the block a few times, so he has a lot of songs to perform from his mixtapes and his 2012 debut album, Pluto, in particular the album's biggest hit, "Turn On the Lights," or catchy, hard-hitting bangers like "Same Damn Time" and "Tony Montana." Mac McCann
Hercules and Love Affair With DJ Red Eye, 10 p.m., Saturday, June 21 at It'll Do Club, 4322 Elm St., 214-827-7236, $15 From the time Hercules and Love Affair first charged on to the world dance music scene in 2008 with their self titled debut album for indie dance label giant DFA, they have always worn their love of synth-driven disco and old-school house on their sleeve. Since then, they have been forced to live in the shadow of their initial success. Perhaps not surprisingly, they hit a bit of a sophomore slump with the somewhat meandering Blue Songs, but their third studio album, The Feast of the Broken Heart, is a full-on return to form. More than their previous efforts this record is committed to a very raw, throwback drum machine house sound. When Hercules and Love Affair pass through It'll Do for a weekend DJ set, it prove to be a master class in classic house music. It will be an extra-special treat, too, because it's one of only two U.S. cities they're visiting on this tour. Wanz Dover John Fogerty 7 p.m., Friday, June 20 at Choctaw Event Center, 4216 S. Hwy 69/75, Durant Oklahoma, 1-888-652-4628 opr choctawcasinos.com, $35-185 Though the legend of Creedence Clearwater Revival as one of America's greatest rock bands had been cemented for decades, CCR leader-gone-solo John Fogerty hadn't played classics such as "Up Around the Bend" or "Born on the Bayou" for many years by the time the late '90s rolled around. Thanks to a long-running record label dispute, Fogerty had been performing only tunes from his solo catalog, most notably the summertime anthem, "Centerfield." It took a Robert Johnson-inspired epiphany for him to loosen the self-employed musical shackles and celebrate the legendary body of work he had built, which effectively ushered in a new phase to his storied journey. Indeed, more recently released works have been respectably solid and show the now 69-year-old guitar slinger in fine form. Even more impressive, however, is the conviction with which Fogerty can still belt out the opening notes to "Fortunate Son," perhaps his most epochal anthem in a long line of them. Kelly Dearmore
Blake Shelton With the Band Perry and Neal McCoy, 7 p.m., Saturday, June 21 at Gexa Energy Pavilion, 1818 1st Ave., 214-421-1111 or gexaenergy.paviliondallas.com, $40-80 After toiling away for years in the country music scene, Blake Shelton has enjoyed massive mainstream success in recent years, making several appearances on the Billboard pop charts. A stint on NBC's wildly popular singing competition, The Voice, has helped cement Shelton as a bona-fide crossover star, but both he and his music have changed a great deal since his smash hit "Austin" blew up the airwaves in 2001. Now, Shelton is the definition of pop country, and hits like "Boys 'Round Here" and "Doin' What She Likes" laid the groundwork that has made twangy bro-country tunes of his contemporaries like Eric Church some of the most popular music in Middle America. Amy McCarthy
Cut Copy With Clasixx, and Nile Delta, 8 p.m., Sunday, June 22, at Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave., 214-824-9933 or granadatheater.com, $39 Some of the rowdiest shows ever held at the Granada have been Cut Copy shows, so it's not surprising to see that this one has already sold out. In 2009 the Aussies brought party-poppers Matt & Kim with them and left Dallas is a sweaty, smiling mess. In 2011 a co-headlined affair with Foals set off a baby boom in the DFW hipster community. Don't quote us on that, but it's our way of saying that people in Dallas really love this band and that they incite the type of wild, partyoging behavior rarely seen at shows around these parts. People just shut up and have a good time. If you're lucky enough to have a ticket make sure you hydrate, because when "Lights and Music" get's played it's going to get pretty wild in there. Jaime-Paul Falcon
