Shemekia Copeland. Photo by Victoria Smith

Shemekia Copeland
7:30 p.m. Friday. Canceled due to artist illness. Chocolate Church Arts Center, 804 Washington St., Bath, $30 in advance, $35 day of show. chocolatechurcharts.org
Copeland is an absolute powerhouse blues, soul and Americana singer, and she’s put out 10 albums since 1998. She’s also a four-time Best Blues Album Grammy nominee. “Done Come Too Far,” released in August, opens with the scorcher “Too Far To Be Gone,” featuring Sonny Landreth. “The Talk” recounts a Black mother talking with her son about surviving a police encounter, and gun violence is confronted on “Pink Turns to Red.” Go hear for yourself what all the fuss is about, and if you can’t make it to the Bath show, Copeland will be at the Waterville Opera House on Saturday and at the Stone Mountain Arts Center in Brownfield on New Year’s Eve.

Mary Gauthier. Photo by Chad Cochran

Mary Gauthier
8 p.m. Friday. One Longfellow Square, 181 State St., Portland, $25 in advance, $35 day of show. onelongfellowsquare.com
Singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier’s new album is called “Dark Enough to See the Stars.” It’s a follow-up to the 2018 Grammy nominated “Rifles & Rosary Beads,” which she recorded with Iraq war veterans. Last year, Gauthier’s book “Saved By a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting” was published to much acclaim. Through the years, Gauthier’s songs have been covered by many artists ranging from Dolly Parton to Kathy Mattea and Jimmy Buffett. On the “Dark” album, Gauthier sings about complex, emotional journeys endured during the pandemic with songs like “Fall Apart World” and “Truckers and Troubadours.”

Hot Club of Cowtown. Photo courtesy of the artist

Hot Club of Cowtown
7:30 p.m. Saturday. Opera House at Boothbay Harbor, 86 Townsend Ave., $30 in advance, $35 day of show. boothbayoperahouse.com
Giddy up and get yourself to Boothbay Harbor for a night of hot jazz and western swing from the trio Hot Club of Cowtown. The band is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and its latest album is “Wild Kingdom.” Be ready to be slayed by Elana James on fiddle and vocals, Whit Smith on guitar and vocals, and Zach Sapunor on bass and vocals.