Sounds Of Summer

Look beyond the household names for an incredible month of music.

- Mike Hodgkinson

AUGUST is a month of leviathans. While the barnacled giants of the sea roll in clouds of krill for the whale watchers off Stellwagen Bank, the fame-pocked heavyweights of country, rock and pop churn up their hits for legions of fans at the region’s major venues. Chicago, Keith Urban and Brad Paisley are booked at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield; Billy Joel, Journey and Def Leppard will be rattling the stands at Fenway Park; Jay-Z & Beyonce and Kenny Chesney are filling the void until Brady returns for another season at Gillette Stadium.

Many people tend to go big or stay home when it comes to live summer sounds, but beyond the supermassive headliners is a cluster of artists, across all genres of music, who should not be missed at any cost. We’ve picked out a selection of the best among them. Some of these artists you may already know, others will become your favorite summer discovery since North Shore fried clams.

EMERSON STRING QUARTET 

If asked to pick the Led Zeppelin of string quartets—based not on their excessive rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, which we presume to be minimal, but on their quality and standing among peers—many experts would choose the Emerson Quartet. If you think classical music isn’t really your thing, wait until you hear the EQ nail Beethoven’s String Quartets Op. 130 and 131. Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, The Simon Center for the Arts at Falmouth Academy, Aug. 2

TROMBONE SHORTY