Wes Tucker & the Skillets
Web: www.westucker.com
Album: Beauty in the Broken
Label:  Self-released
Show: March 17 at IOTA
From fast-train attacks like “Casting Stones” to funked-up near-raps like “Wasted Worry,” Wes Tucker and his veteran band show what can be done with a setup that’s technically country rock in origin. All the songs are constructed without irony, and most of the narrated thoughts and experiences come from the painful side of the street; Tucker’s smooth vocals range from wistful to angry over multiple, skillfully played guitars.

The Reserves
Web: thereservesmusic.com
Album: Where Have All the Dreamers Gone
Label: Self-released
Show: March 17 at IOTA
Appearing at the same St. Patrick’s Day show as Wes Tucker & the Skillets, the Reserves are led by local impresario Dave Greksouk, who also does duty on harmonica and vocals. Together the group takes his singer-songwriter material to a place where country balladry meets alternative rock. Like Tucker’s, Greksouk’s songs deal in first-person experience, recalled in tranquility and related with conviction.

Vandaveer
Web: www.vandaveer.net
Album: Grace & Speed
Label: Gypsy Eyes
Show: March 29 at IOTA
Local Mark Charles Heidinger, front man of the Apparitions, plays his own singer-songwriter work under the name Vandaveer. The influence of Bob Dylan is inescapable in the folksy yet polysyllabic storytelling, the talky delivery, and the sparse accompanying guitar. But Heidinger does it well, and works in his own modern strains like the indie charm of “Marianne, You’ve Done It Now” and the killing spree subject matter of “The Streets is Full of Creeps.” Worth a listen.

Two If By Sea
Web: www.myspace.com/2ifbysea
Album: Safety
Label: SilverThree Sound Recordings
Show: March 7 at DC9
This Baltimore group has been playing out since 2002, winning fans to its own mix of dancehall and straight-rock, complete with Richard Butler-style vocals. All the tunes rumble right along, straightforward beats and tense guitar riffs always indentured to the words and their New Wave presentation. Whether you find the sound consistent or repetitive depends on your fondness for that particular form; certainly enough people enjoy it to keep TIBS shows packed.