Lucy Kaplansky. Photo by Beowulf Sheehan

Lucy Kaplansky
8 p.m. Friday. One Longfellow Square, 181 State St., Portland, $20 in advance, $25 day of show. onelongfellowsquare.com
Singer-songwriter Lucy Kaplansky will be releasing her ninth album, “Last Days of Summer,” right around the time she plays in Portland, so expect plenty of new material, including the poignant title track about her daughter’s departure for college. She also covers Jackson Browne’s “These Days” and the longtime live fan favorite “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’.” Kaplansky has been a mainstay in the folk music scene since the mid-’90s and has received consistent praise for her songwriting.

Carsie Blanton. Photo by Shervin Lainez

Carsie Blanton
7 p.m. Sunday. Opera House at Boothbay Harbor, 86 Townsend Ave., $20 in advance, $25 day of show. boothbayoperahouse.com
Singer-songwriter Carsie Blanton, who counts Nina Simone and Randy Newman among her major influences, has been releasing music for two decades. Her latest two singles, “In the Middle of It” and “Fishin’ With You,” are both terrific, with the first breezy and fresh and the second a thoughtful tribute to the likes of John Prine and Tom Petty. She steps onto the stage in Boothbay Harbor for the first time on Sunday night.

St. Paul & The Broken Bones. Photo by Bobbi Rich

Fitz and The Tantrums and St. Paul & The Broken Bones
6 p.m. Wednesday, June 8. Thompson’s Point, Portland, $45 in advance, $50 day of show. statetheatreportland.com
It will be a night of soul and rock tunes outside in Portland with co-headliners Fitz and The Tantrums and St. Paul & The Broken Bones, along with an opening set from The Seratones. “Head Up High,” released last year, is the latest Fitz album, and St. Paul dropped “The Alien Coast” in January. Expect a full-throttle groove-a-licious night of dance-inducing jams with righteous vocals from all three acts.