The Mellow Show

Say what you will about Blind Melon's reunion tour, but the opening slot is a plum one for Eric Hutchinson, no stranger to breezy folk pop himself. If you've never heard of Hutchinson, you must not read Perez Hilton, whose hyping helped the singer/songwriter's modest debut, Sounds Like This , become iTunes' highest-charting self-released album ever. The album features such bouncy, carefree numbers as the Stevie Wonder-ish "Food Chain," the come-what-may manifesto "OK It's Alright With Me," and the Jamie Lidell-meets-Lily Allen single "Rock & Roll." He's since been scooped up by Warner Bros., who no doubt see him as a successor to Jack Johnson. We're not saying he's not, but don't be surprised if this blue-eyed-soul man carves a path all his own.
Sat., May 3, 8 p.m., 2008