Eliza Gilkyson/Ray Bonneville

A writer of vivid, highly detailed songs most often about grim goings-on on the dark side of town, Eliza Gilkyson tackles ugly subjects like female suicide bombers, children swimming in pollution, criminal presidents full of sanctimony, war profiteers, and hard time. Her exquisitely weathered voice etches the striking images in her songs with an intensity reminiscent of Lucinda Williams. It's both bittersweet and rife with raw edginess, caught between muscularity and fragility, while treading a fine line among folk, rock, and country. Her new album, Your Town Tonight (Red House), is a live one full of impassioned performances of songs from throughout her career, plus fine covers of Bob Dylan's "Jokerman" and a couple of her dad Terry's hits: "Green Fields" and "Bare Necessities." It follows up one of her finest albums, 2005's Paradise Hotel, a riveting, fiercely political look at the contemporary world on the slippery slope to hell. Opening will be Canadian blues singer and funky guitarist Ray Bonneville, whose Red House debut should be out early next year.
Sat., Sept. 8, 8 p.m.