JIM CATALANO

SOUNDOFF

Saturday, Washington D.C.-based piano trio Jukebox the Ghost will make a welcome return to the Haunt. The band played there a year ago, before performing at the inaugural Cayuga Sound Festival at Stewart Park the following day.

The band — Ben Thornewill (pianos, vocals), Tommy Siegel (guitar, vocals) and Jesse Kristin (drums, vocals) — creates a full sound despite its trio format. The group released its fifth album, “Off To The Races,” earlier this year, and it continues its penchant for creating strong melodies and catchy instrumental riffs.

The band is getting ready for its annual “HalloQueen” show, at which it performs a set dressed as Queen. We’ve gotten some cool examples at previous Ithaca shows, including great versions of “Somebody To Love” and “Bohemian Rhapsody,” so with luck, we’ll get to hear another Queen song or two at Saturday’s show.

Find out more at jukeboxtheghost.com.

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The Demos, a pop-rock band from Rochester, will open the 8 p.m. show. The band just released an EP titled “If You Only Knew” that features four tracks produced by Joywave’s Daniel Armbruster. Visit thedemos.net to find out more.

Advance tickets are $20, with VIP tickets available for $70. Visit dspshows.com for details.

The Haunt has another excellent show on Friday, this one pairing two regional bands fronted by powerhouse female singers.

Syracuse’s Root Shock, with Jessica Brown on vocals, has made regular visits here over the past couple of years, winning fans with its blend of reggae, soul and rock and. And Rochester’s Danielle Ponder and The Tomorrow People, who impressed at July’s GrassRoots Festival, similarly blend influences such as funk, gospel, rock and R&B to create their own uplifting sound. Visit rootshockmusic.com and daniellepondermusic.com to learn more about the bands.

Cover is $12 for the 9 p.m. show. Visit thehaunt.com for more information.

More shows

•Thursday, the Canaan Institute in Brooktondale will host the Matt Flinner Trio for an evening of acoustic music that “blurs the lines between jazz and bluegrass, traditional and avant-garde,” according to one reviewer. Joining mandolin master Flinner will be guitarist Grant Gordy and bassist Sam Bevan, both formerly with the David Grisman Quintet. Visit mattflinner.com to learn more. Admission for the 7 p.m. show is $20, RSVP by email to mike@cinst.org or bit.ly/cinst-rsvp for directions and to reserve your seat at this private venue. Go to cinst.org for details.

•Friday, Ithaca Underground will host a show at the Chantiloft headlined by Buffalo punk band Radiation Risks. They’ll be joined by Philadelphia noisepunk duo Sour Spirit along with downstate “doom folk” project Sound VVitch and local noise-makers Bahlok x Casas. Cover is $10 for the 7 p.m. all-ages show. Visit ithacaunderground.org to learn more.

•Friday at 7 p.m., the Local Farmers Union, which bills itself as “NY's premier veggie-rock band,” will release its debut album at the Cortland Beer Company. The album, “Kale-In-It," includes songs about food, farming and vegetables — all topics with which the band members (real-life farmers and a chef) are very familiar. Go to facebook.com/localfarmersunion to find out more about the band.

•Saturday, the Center for the Arts in Homer will host a fall festival featuring a bunch of area bands. The show kicks off at 3 p.m. with Jim Shaffer, followed on the hour by Gnosis, Dana Twigg, Sanjuro Fields, Andrew Alling, Wagner/Modafferi 5000, Kurt Riley and Genitor. Cover is $8. Visit center4art.org to learn more

•There are three cool shows happening in downtown Ithaca on Saturday night. At the Chantiloft, Pine Box, Drew Kiddoo and the Blackouts, and Ilium Works will team for a night of country, folk, punk and old time. At the Tompkins Workers Center (above Autumn Leaves Books), locals Casas, Food Pill and Machine Moon will be joined by touring acts L’eclipse Nue and Angelsbreath for experimental noise sets. And at the Range, Grand Turk, Justin Roeland and Nightswimmers, and ghost(s) will team for a night of indie rock. Each show has a small cover charge, except the Range show, which is free.

•Saturday at Casita del Polaris, local burlesque troupe Whiskey Tango Sideshow will host “Casita Cabaret,” an event at which its promises “some of our most scintillating and intimate performances.” Advance tickets for the 9 p.m. show are $15, available at the Northstar House next to Casita or by calling Leidenfrost Vineyards at 607-546-2800. Visit whiskeytangosideshow.com for more information.

•Sunday, Bound for Glory welcomes back John Roberts, a former Cornellian who was a big part of the local folk scene in the late 1960s. The native of Worcester, England, is a veritable encyclopedia of traditional British folk songs, often sung a cappella or with banjo or concertina accompaniment. Go to johnrobertsmusic.com to learn more. There’s no cover for the show, which is broadcast live on WVBR from Cornell’s Anabel Taylor Hall. Visit boundforglory.org fore more information.

•Sunday, country singer Aaron Kelly will return to La Tourelle for an afternoon show. The Pennsylvania-based Kelly has been performing since he was a youngster, opening for everyone from Loretta Lynn to the Marshall Tucker Band, and performing on “American Idol.” He’ll be backed by the Sage Mountain Band for the show, with local bands Honey Cave and the Christopher Gerard Trio rounding out the lineup. Tickets are $15 for the show, which runs from 2 to 5 p.m.

Follow Jim Catalano on Twitter@IthacaMusicNewsand email him atjimcat@aol.com.