Written by: Aimsel Ponti
Now that we’re officially into fall, it’s time to pull the sweaters from the box in the back of your closet and get ready for the next concert season. Calendars at just about every music venue are bursting at the seams with eclectic offerings. After careful consideration – and tunes blasting in my ears – I’ve picked my top six shows happening between early October and mid-November. They’re all over the genre map and include gypsy jazz, ska, alternative rock, folk-informed pop, Americana and roots. Some of these acts have been around for decades and some are just getting started. Feast your eyes on this list and then put on some headphones and carve out some listening sessions as you pick and choose which ones you want to hit. The good news is that none of the dates overlap, so you could catch them all. I’ll see you out there.

I'M WITH HER
8 p.m. Nov. 11. State Theatre, 609 Congress St., Portland, $30 to $45 reserved seating. statetheatreportland.com
What happens when three well-established musicians of the folk, roots, Americana and singer-songwriter persuasion decide to join forces and form what is nothing less than a super group? Here's what happens: They name themselves I'm With Her and release one of the best albums of 2018. Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O'Donovan are the three players I'm referring to, and they all have solid histories in bands and as solo acts. Watkins is a singer and fiddle player and was one of the founders of bluegrass sensations Nickel Creek. Nickel Creek released seven studio albums, and while it was on an extended break, Watkins released three solo albums. Fun fact, her debut self-titled album was produced by none other than John Paul Jones from a tiny band called Led Zeppelin. If you're unfamiliar with Watkins, hop online and listen to her song "Like New Year's Day." Jarosz also sings and plays mandolin and banjo. Her fourth album "Undercurrent" won big at the 2017 Grammys with awards for best folk album and best American roots performance for the song "House of Mercy." O'Donovan is the third voice of I'm With Her, and you'll also hear her on guitar. Her progressive bluegrass band Crooked Still released five albums between 2004 and 2011. As a solo act, O'Donovan has released a pair of EPs, two full-length albums and a live one. "In The Magic Hour" is one of my favorite albums of 2016, due in part to the song "Stanley Park." As for I'm With Her, its members first started playing together back in 2014 at an impromptu performance in Colorado. Singles started showing up in 2015, and last year they dropped a live recording of Adele's "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)," and it's in my personal cover songs hall of fame with giant harmonies and a thumping stand-up bass line. In February of this year, I'm With Her released "See You Around," and it's a dozen tunes strong with ukulele, fiddle, banjo and acoustic guitar and lead vocals traded among the three women. But it's the three voices together that shines the brightest on "See You Around," making I'm With Her more than the sum of its glorious parts.
Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O'Donovan of I'm With Her. Photo by Shervin Lainez

DJANGO BY THE SEA GYPSY JAZZ FESTIVAL
Oct. 4-7. The Dance Hall, 7 Walker St., Kittery. thedancehallkittery.org
Now in its fourth year, the Django By the Sea Gypsy Jazz Festival is the place to be for a wide range of regionally, nationally and internationally known jazz acts performing in the intimate space of the Dance Hall in Kittery. As for the name of the festival, it's an homage to legendary guitarist Django Reinhardt. Reinhardt, who died in 1953 at the age of 43, was a prolific player considered to be the father of gypsy jazz – a hot, swinging style that he and others brought to prominence in France starting in the '30s. A typical gypsy jazz lineup features guitar, upright bass and violin, and often includes clarinet or accordion. This year's lineup features Jack Soref Trio, Matt DeChamplain Trio, Ultrafaux, Youssra El Hawary Group, Frank Vignola Hot Jazz Trio and Jason Anick Trio. I'll shine a quick light on two acts to whet your musical appetite. Youssra El Hawary is an accordionist, singer and songwriter from Cairo, Egypt, who has been releasing music since 2010. Boston-based Jason Anick Trio blends swing, classical and roots music into its own scintillating contribution to the jazz oeuvre.
Youssra El Hawary photo by David Degner