Music Notebook: Esme Patterson channels sci-fi great Ray Bradbury on ‘There Will Come Soft Rains’ CD and tour

Esme Patterson, with Chris Avetta

Like Elton John, Frank Black, Rush, British Sea Power and Deadmau5 before her, Colorado-bred troubadour Esme Patterson cites the writings of pioneering science-fiction legend Ray Bradbury as a key artistic influence.

Her fourth and newest solo album, “There Will Come Soft Rains,” takes its title from a short story in Bradbury’s epic “The Martian Chronicles.” Expanding on the folk-pop stylings of her previous albums, “Soft Rains” teams Patterson with the indie-rock duo Tennis.

Together, they create a gauzy, dream-pop-flavored sheen that suits Patterson’s engaging voice well. Guitars are still in the foreground, but the increase in shimmering textures and electronic flavorings attest to “Soft Rains” being very much a recording studio creation.

How will these songs translate to live performance? We’ll find out when Patterson takes the stage here.

8:30 p.m. today. Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. $16.32. sodabarmusic.com. Must be 21 or older to attend. All patrons, staff and performers must provide vaccination verification or a negative COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction test performed within 72 hours prior to entry. Rapid and antigen test results are not accepted. Mask wearing is required of all attendees when not drinking, regardless of their vaccination status.

The Monkees

Had all gone according to plan, Michael Nesmith and Micky Dolenz would have performed here at The Magnolia last year as part of their 2020 “An Evening with The Monkees” concert trek. But after one postponement to later last year, the entire tour was pushed off to 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic and then morphed into “The Monkees Farewell Tour.”

That seems like a sound move, especially for Nesmith, 78, who underwent quadruple heart bypass surgery in 2018, not long after he and Dolenz, now 76, performed here at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay.

They are the two surviving members of The Monkees, the four-man, made-for-TV band that — in 1967 — sold more albums than The Beatles and Rolling Stones combined. Nesmith and Dolenz’s last bow together here should be a poignant one.

8 p.m. Saturday. The Magnolia, 210 East Main St., El Cajon. $50.75-$240. livenation.com. Attendees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have tested negative within 72-hours of the concert. Children under 12 will be required to take a COVID-19 diagnostic test within 72-hours before the concert and provide proof of a negative result prior to entering the venue. Mask wearing is encouraged.

Josh Turner

The release 18 years ago of Josh Turner’s debut album, “Long Black Train,” pre-dated the rise of bro-country by about a decade. Turner demonstrated as much with his 2003 song, “White Noise,” on which he declared: “You won’t hear no hip-hop jive.”

That sentiment sounds quaintly, if not hopelessly, out of date now.

A country-music traditionalist and a devout Christian, the deep-voiced Turner released his latest album, “Country State of Mind,” last year. His new album is due this fall.

8 p.m. Wednesday. The Magnolia, 210 East Main St., El Cajon. $35-$55. livenation.com. Attendees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have tested negative within 72-hours of the concert. Children under 12 will be required to take a COVID-19 diagnostic test within 72-hours before the concert and provide proof of a negative result prior to entering the venue. Mask wearing is encouraged.