Raul Malo, the former singer and primary songwriter for Grammy-winning band The Mavericks, has stayed busy producing solo material—even as his genre-bending country, Tex-Mex and Latin-tinged group have alternated between bursts of activity and hiatus. Recently, the Miami-born Malo (known for such hits at “Here Comes the Rain” and “Crying Shame”) has struck out on his own. Alone on stage, with just his acoustic guitar and smooth baritone, he has proven he can captivate an audience with the bare-bones power of his songcraft. Alih Jey will open the night with her gliding, rosy vocals and fiery Dominican rhythms.

Raul Malo
Wed, 7:30pm, $53+
Carriage House Theater, Saratoga

Words and music can be transformative, as they have the power to shape how people see, and are seen, in society. Two-time Grammy-winning musician and co-founding member of Living Colour Will Calhoun, along with acclaimed poets and performers Danez Smith, Monica Sok and Julian Talamantez Brolaski, aim to break boundaries, erase stereotypes and express painful histories and contemporary injustices with an evening of poetry and music at the Montalvo Arts Center’s Carriage House. From the intergenerational trauma of surviving the Khmer Rouge regime to issues of indigeneity, resistance, two-spirit, trans and mixed-race identity, the performances promise to be powerfully authentic and diverse. (KL)

Don’t Look Away
Fri, 7pm, $10
Carriage House Theater, Saratoga