Rose City Band

CRITIC’S PICK:
Thurs. July 24
Rose City Band, Powers/Rolin Duo, The EARL — Frontman/singer/songwriter Ripley Johnson has only been leading Rose City’s mellow country rock since 2019, but they are remarkably prolific. The recent Sol y Sombre is the outfit’s fifth set. They have been appropriately described as “cosmic country” with clear references to the Dead’s similarly styled Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty era. No one breaks much of a sweat and the approach can get a little snoozy, but the songs are sweet and the playing, highlighted by floating pedal steel lines, is classy and understated. The openers expand their meandering, mostly instrumental music to great lengths, with a new album featuring just two songs, both over 16 minutes long. Experimental, hypnotic and artsy in the best ways but those with short attention spans might be challenged. — Hal Horowitz