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Ani DiFranco, Toshi Reagon 

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Fresh from a run through Australia and Singapore of all places, DiFranco —a modern day figurehead of deeply personal neo-folk songwriting— makes a rare stop at this 1,200-seat Broughton St. venue with her celebrated touring band (including upright bassist Todd Sickafoose and drummer Allison Miller). A prolific artist with 32 full-length albums to her name (the BBC deemed her latest studio CD, Red Letter Year, as “a significant turning point” in her career), DiFranco’s stellar, percussive acoustic guitar technique has made her an influential artist. Plus, her visionary approach to the DIY model (she owns all her own master recordings and self-releases her own records and those of other artists on her own Righteous Babe imprint) has posited her as a leading, vocal critic of the onerous business practices of most major labels.

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Opening act Toshi Reagon is an openly gay singer-songwriter whose mother is Sweet Honey in the Rock co-founder Bernice Johnson Reagon. Toshi’s known for her band BIGLovely, and has appeared before with the likes of Elvis Costello and Lenny Kravitz. Listen & Learn: righteousbabe.com, toshireagon.com. $36 at trusteestheater.com. Sun., 8 pm, Trustees Theater - ALL-AGES.

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Bland Ambition Comedy Tour, Hot Pink Interior 

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Savannah has not enjoyed a dedicated comedy club for a decade or more, so its rare for any stand-up shows to come our way that aren’t in large, seated theaters (with ticket prices of $35 and up). That makes this low-dough package bill of rising NYC-based underground comics Greg Barris, Dan St. Germain, John Wells and Matt Wittman all the more refreshing. In general, their material’s more cerebral than base, and taking in this no-frills show (in a DIY beer and wine bar with a low stage) is a hell of a lot cheaper than heading to the Big Apple to scope out fresh talent. Local punk-influenced power-pop quartet HPI open with a set of (mostly) original catchy, early-’90s-style guitar rock with male/female vocal harmonies. Listen & Learn: gregbarris.com, myspace.com/dsg3000, myspace.com/wittmanistheshit. $8 adv. / $10 door. Mon., 9 pm, The Wormhole.

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The Lee Boys 

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This Miami-based “Sacred Steel” group is one of the fastest rising roots-based groups on the club and festival circuit today (with slots at Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits Fest and the Voodoo Music Fest, among others). Mixing elements of funk with a strong gospel influence (from their upbringing in the House of God Church, where this style of sanctified R&B was developed and remains a powerful tradition), they are stylistically similar the more established Robert Randolph & The Family Band. To date, they’ve shared the stage with The Dead’s Bob Weir, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, and opened for Los Lobos, The Black Crowes and Gov’t Mule. Their dazzling improvisatory interplay between pedal steel and swirling electric organ is a thing to behold — especially in an intimate setting like this River St. bar. Listen & Learn: leeboys.com. $10 cover. Thurs., 10 pm, Live Wire Music Hall.

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2009 Tara Feis feat. Cherish The Ladies

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This annual City-sponsored, alcohol-free event celebrating Celtic music, arts, dance and culture is eagerly anticipated by a broad cross-section of our community’s families, as well as tourists. With six hours’ worth of entertainment on two stages (including acoustic troubadour Harry O’Donoghue, “storymaker” Sean Driscoll, puppeteer Conrad Hartz and more), there’s plenty to enjoy — but Grammy-nominated, NYC-based sextet Cherish The Ladies is this year’s main draw. Mixing stunning vocal abilities, virtuosic instrumental skills and impressive dance steps, their captivating stage presence have kept them in demand everywhere from concert halls and outdoor festivals worldwide to our very own White House. Billed as the only all-female Irish music group in existence, they were voted “Top North American Celtic Act” by NPR’s Thistle and Shamrock radio program. Listen & Learn:  cherishtheladies.com. Free to ALL-AGES. Sat., 11 am - 5 pm (Cherish The Ladies play at 1 pm & 4 pm), Emmet Park - ALL-AGES.