It’s impossible to come up with a simple way to describe the music of Toubab Krewe.

Listening to the band’s most recent release, “Stylo,” I wonder is this rock music? Afro-beat? Is it a jam band? There’s no easy answer to these questions. You can’t fit Toubab Krewe into a neat category. What I do know is when the band takes the stage at the Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls on Friday, Nov. 17, at 8 p.m., it will be a night of exciting music.

Toubab Krewe is an American instrumental band from Asheville, North Carolina, that blends the music of West Africa with various American styles of music. The group’s instrumentation includes kora (21-string harp-lute), kamelengoni (12-string harp-lute), soku (Malian horsehair fiddle), two electric guitars, electric bass guitar, drum set, and African percussion.

The group was founded in early 2005 and most of the band members have made frequent trips to West Africa to study with local musicians there, immersing themselves in the region’s rhythms, melodies and cultural mores. Theses trips by the group’s founding members were essential to their current sound.

But the musicians did not just want to duplicate what they were hearing. Instead, they wanted to blend these sounds with the rock, funk and the Appalachian music they already knew, to create a sound that is uniquely their own.

It’s no surprise that Toubab Krewe has established a large following based on the strength of its live shows (the band has played some of the biggest festivals like Bonnaroo, High Sierra, Rothbury and Wakarusa).

The local band Woody and The Rebel Alliance will open. The group, which plays a reggae-rock blend, has been a favorite at local festivals like Wormtown, the Charlemont Reggae Festival, the Wendell Reggae Festival and, of course, it has played regularly at local venues. The band’s positive message and high energy sound make it the perfect band to open for Toubab Krewe.

Tickets are $22 in advance and $28 the day of the show. Tickets can be purchased at sheatheater.org. All ages are welcome and the venue is fully accessible.

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Happy Birthday Joni Mitchell! On Nov. 7, the esteemed Canadian singer-songwriter turned 80. Mitchell established herself as a legend and pioneer in the singer-songwriter genre a long time ago, but her return to the public eye in recent years has brought her even more acclaim.

What better way to celebrate the woman and her music then enjoying a show from Big Yellow Taxi, who will be at Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield on Saturday, Nov. 18, at 7:30 p.m. The group of Valley-based musicians, led by singer Teresa Lorenco, covers Mitchell’s music from all phases of her career. The group delves into everything from her early folk to her pop hits and even include some deep cuts. While it stays faithful to singing the material as Joni did, Big Yellow Taxi is also known to put its own spin on some of the tunes.

If you follow folk music you must have heard of Willi Carlisle by now, as the singer songwriter from the Ozarks has been gaining attention in the folk world for a few years now. Carlisle, who is a masterful storyteller with the ability to turn a sharp phrase and write insightful lyrics, will bring his music to the Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls on Friday, Nov. 24, at 8 p.m.

Carlisle has been on tour in support of his acclaimed album “Peculiar, Missouri,” a collection of songs that range from the trucker ballad “Vanlife” to the title track, which is about having a panic attack in Walmart. This date at the Shea Theater is the last date of the “Peculiar, Missouri” tour and, as a result, is being filmed.

Other big news in Carlisle’s world is that he has been signed to the local Signature Sounds record label and will release his third album, “Critterland,” on January 26. The new album is produced by Grammy-nominated Darrell Scott and explores where we come from and where we are going.

The first time I heard Willi Carlisle was at the 2023 Back Porch Festival in Northampton. He was a much buzzed about artist at that event and is the kind of performer that can have you laughing one moment and crying the next.

While we are on the subject of the Back Porch Festival, it was just announced that the date for the 2024 festival will be March 15-17.

The festival, which started in 2014 as a one-day festival at the Academy of Music in Northampton, this year will feature over 50 acts playing at 10 venues. An offshoot of the Back Porch radio show hosted by Jim Olsen every Sunday morning on WRSI 83.9, the festival features country, bluegrass, folk, blues and all forms of American roots music.

This years Academy of Music headliners includes The Back Porch Songwriter Night featuring the music of Willie Nelson on Friday, March 15, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band on Saturday, March 16, and Richard Thompson on Sunday, March 17.

The rest of the lineup will be announced at a later date. Tickets will go on sale on Nov. 28 at backporchfest.com.

Remember concert tickets make great holiday gifts. Also on sale now:

Early bird weekend passes for The Green River Festival, which will be held June 21-23 at the Franklin County Fairgrounds, are available at greenriverfestival.com. DSP shows, which has taken over from Signature Sounds in presenting the festival, hopes to announce some of the lineup soon.

Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival will return to Mass MoCA in North Adams the weekend of June 28-30. Weekend passes are available now at Solidsound.frontgatetickets.com. The popular bluegrass festival FreshGrass, which is also at MassMoca, will take place Sept 20-22 and weekend passes are now available at freshgrass.com. Single day tickets for any of the above festivals are not on sale yet.

Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at soundslocal@yahoo.com.