Top Five Must-See Shows This Weekend in Phoenix

By Phoenix New Times Staff Fri., Jan. 18 2013 at 3:00 AM

Categories: This Weekend

Destruction Unit is scheduled to perform Saturday, January 19, at Yucca Tap Room.

Curious about what's going on around town this weekend? Need some suggestions where to rock, dance, or krump in the Valley of the Sun?

Don't fret: These are our Five Shows to See This Weekend.

Friday, January 18: Keller Williams @ Marquee Theatre

Feeling good must make Keller Williams feel good. There's never a dull moment in the guy's catalog, which now includes merry versions of Marcy Playground's "Sex and Candy" and Kris Kristofferson's "Don't Cuss the Fiddle."

Williams aims to entertain as well as enlighten audiences with Appalachia renditions of these tunes and covers of songs by Beck, Amy Winehouse, Pink Floyd, and The Raconteurs. But let's not confuse a night with Keller Williams with any other night filled with jammy covers. Williams' songwriting and acoustic-guitar prowess have drawn accolades throughout his career, and writers have long tried to pigeonhole the Virginia native as a one-man jam band.

They're half-right. Yes, he plays barefoot and has a penchant for blending bluegrass with funk, but Williams has proved over the years that he's anything but a stereotypical hippie. Though he also recently released a kids-themed album, aptly titled Kids, Williams has shown he's still the "freaker by the speaker" capable of unleashing the frenetic funk and quirky grooves he's known for. -- Jeff Casale