Cleveland's 13-year-old Cleveland State-based Contemporary Youth Orchestra offers more than 100 high-school students from all over Northeast Ohio the chance to perform world-premiere contemporary pieces and to work directly and perform with some of the top classic rock musicians such as Pat Benatar, Graham Nash and Styx. But its upcoming concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 23 at the Wolstein Center (2000 Prospect Ave., 216.241.5555) titled Farandole: Classically Celebrating Hip-Hop looks to be the group's most ambitious program yet. The kids will join with a group of emcees, rappers, singers, turntablists, dancers and graffiti artists to cover hip-hop's entire history. Its special guest this time out is GrandMixer DXT, whose virtuoso turntable skills drove Herbie Hancock's hit "Rockit." Also joining the ensemble are local performers Replife (poet Daniel Gray-Kontar), Verbal Math (writer/performer David McCullough), a Gray-Kontar/McCullough collaboration called the What?!, DJ Doc of WCSB-FM, Ron Sims II, jazz trumpeter Joe Miller, dancer Soriya Sim, the PPA (Progressive Arts Alliance) All Stars, B-Boy Jus Movz and Thaiger. Tickets: $29.50-$49.50. — Anastasia Pantsios

Hookahville Returns

The 29th (!) installment of Hookaville takes place May 24 and 25 at Legend Valley in Thornville, Ohio. This year's eclectic line-up includes the King of Newgrass, Sam Bush, and a slew of other jam-affiliated acts including Railroad Earth, the Emit/Nershi Band (which features members of String Cheese Incident and Leftover Salmon) and, of course, Ekoostik Hookah, who play both nights. Hookah's just issued Live at the Newport, a DVD of a show the band played last September in Columbus. Tickets: $65-$80. Go to ekoostik.com for more information. — Jeff Niesel

La Rock Hits the Road

La Rock Inc. Records, run by Eddie Fleisher and Aaron Donahoo of local hip-hop group Johnny La Rock and Mush Mouth, released its second compilation, The Necker Cube 2, last month. Three of the acts on the compilation are now going on the road to promote it. Johnny LaRock and Mushroom, Deaf By Arms, and Furface will hit eight cities starting in Pittsburgh on May 24 and winding up in Worchester, Massachusetts on May 31. Go to myspace.com/larockincrecords for more info. — AP

Good Touch Bad Touch Makes its Debut

Good Touch Bad Touch, a psychedelic indie- rock band based out of Lakewood, makes its debut at 9 p.m. Tuesday, May 27 at the Beachland Tavern (15711 Waterloo Rd., 216.383.1124) when it opens for Houseguest and Helio Sequence. The four-piece includes former members of Dreadful Yawns and Godot and describes its music as "a little bit like Guided By Voices covering The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society." Tickets: $8 advance, $10 day of show. — JN

Jazz Orchestra Re-launches Web Site

The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, founded in 1984 to preserve and promote big-band jazz in Northeast Ohio, has redesigned and re-launched its Web site at ClevelandJazz.org. It's updated it with expanded information about the group, its players, its recordings and its upcoming events as well as the ability to purchase CDs and make donations. It hopes to have an Internet radio station going by late summer or early fall. — AP

Monkey Rock Showcase at Fat Fish Blue

Monkey Rock, a promotion company based out of Boston, presents an evening of contemporary folk music with several of its artists who have embarked on a seven-week tour together. Johnny Nicholson, Nathan Reich and Jordan Tarrant, all singer-songwriters who met at Berklee College of Music of Boston, will perform together as a trio at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, May 25 at Fat Fish Blue (21 Prospect Ave., 216.875.6000). It's free. — JN

Oliver Buck & the New Madrids

Prodigal Son (Cuyahoga Records)
oliverbuck.com

Even if you didn't know singer-songwriter Oliver Buck had traveled all across the country before landing back in Cleveland last fall, you'd know it after listening to his new album. He references many of the places he's been in songs such as "Milwaukee" and "Autumn in Kansas." Playing a mix of alt-country, acoustic blues and folk, Buck's a strong songwriter and singer. His vocals are as sweet and pure as Lyle Lovett's on "Mister Wrong" and his soft yet powerful voice carries the pensive "Saint Joseph Serenade." While the theme of being the traveling troubadour starts to run a bit thin by album's end, there's not a bad song on this first-rate recording which Buck produced and engineered himself. — JN

Oliver Buck & the New Madrids perform with the Everybodyfields at 9 p.m. Saturday, May 24 at the Beachland Tavern (15711 Waterloo Rd., 216.383.1124). Tickets: $8 advance, $10 day of show.

Torne

The Depression EP (self-released)
myspace.com/torne

This local act bills itself as "true American metal" and that description seems apt on this, its debut release. "Stoneman" and "Anxiety" are grungey rockers you can imagine would go over well with bikers and truckers, while "Left 4 Dead" goes for something more harmonic (think early Soundgarden). In vocalist Matt Demko the band has a real talent. The guy can both growl with ferocity and croon like the late Layne Staley of Alice in Chains. And while "Left 4 Dead" is really this seven-song EP's best track, you get the sense there's much more where that fine bit of writing came from. — JN

Torne performs with Burning the Affliction, Fear Grinder and Skudd at 7 p.m. Friday, May 23 at the Agora Ballroom (5000 Euclid Ave., 216.881.2221). Tickets: $6.