Music notes: Eric Church stops in Hoffman Estates

Church in session

Eric Church scored with his 2011 album “Chief,” which became a big seller and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album. Church brings a bluesier “outlaw” flavor to contemporary country-pop, and he's considered one of the genre's bright young stars. He makes an appearance in the suburbs this week. Openers will be Blackberry Smoke, an Atlanta-based band that cheerfully revives classic southern rock as practiced by such bands as Lynyrd Skynyrd. 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 11, at the Sears Centre, 5333 Prairie Stone Parkway, Hoffman Estates. $39.75 to $47.50. Go to searscentre.com.

Father and son

Alt-country singer-songwriter Jimmie Dale Gilmore has an amazing voice — strong, twangy, soulful — and stellar songwriting chops. He co-founded the beloved band The Flatlanders in the 1970s, and his career since has included everything from straight-up country to blues and rock. He'll perform this weekend at a special show that also includes his son, singer-songwriter Colin Gilmore. 8:30 p.m. Friday, May 11, at the Montrose Room, located inside the InterContinental Chicago O'Hare hotel, 5300 N. River Road, Rosemont. Tickets start at $20. Go to montroseroom.com.

Vocal powerhouse

Few contemporary rock voices are as distinctive as the supple baritone belonging to Mark Lanegan, former frontman for grunge-era band The Screaming Trees — he sounds like a rougher, rockier Johnny Cash. Lanegan has contributed to a number of bands and projects over the years, and he's now touring behind his latest solo record, “Blues Funeral,” which adds some electronic textures to his usual bluesy rock sound. 9 p.m. Thursday, May 17, at Metro, 3730 N. Clark St., Chicago. $21. Go to metrochicago.com.