Jeff Dunham
Soaring Eagle Casino, Mt. Pleasant
Aug. 14, 9 p.m.
$40, $59, $69
soaringeaglecasino.com, (888) 7EAGLE7

He's offensive, raw, fresh, and funny — and made entirely out of molded plastic and felt. Well, that's the puppet part of the equation, anyway, but the vast majority of the hilarity in question comes courtesy of the man with the hand up his ass: Jeff Dunham. These days, Dunham is many things to many people, not least of which the primary party responsible for — and please pardon the ongoing use of limb puns — singlehandedly reviving popular performance ventriloquism. And more than just reviving the lost art, one could argue that Dunham has injected a significant amount of edginess and cool bravado into a rather dweeby (and, in some cases, creepy) practice. His unbridled comedic success speaks volumes too: numerous stand-up specials, and even a single season of "The Jeff Dunham Show" on Comedy Central has been sufficient enough to render him one of the most powerful comedians of the modern stage — just behind Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock in terms of his commanding salary. On Aug. 14, Dunham will be entertaining audiences outside — come rain, shine of volcano — for an evening of rampant inappropriateness and foul-mouthed fun — the bankable specialty of the Jeff Dunham canon. And although he's surrounded by them, Dunham's no dummy.

Secondhand Serenade
The Loft, Lansing
Aug. 13, 6 p.m.
$17 in advance
theloftlansing.com, (517)-267-7898

Getting into music was a "natural thing" for Secondhand Serenade's John Vesely, the son of a professional jazz musician from Menlo Park, Cali. He made his start in the music industry as the bass guitarist for the rock duo Sounds Like Life alongside Ronnie Day, but found his true calling when he picked up an acoustic guitar. In 2004, Vesely formed Secondhand Serenade, a one-man band that took its inspiration from the songs he would write for his wife-serenades that the rest of the world were hearing "secondhand". He produced his self-promoted 2005 debut album, Awake, as a multitrack recording to layer vocals and lead acoustic guitar over strummed chords, thus creating the sound of a full band with only one member. Secondhand Serenade was virtually self-promoted through PureVolume and MySpace, where he sold albums and merchandise, built a fanbase, and was listed on the "MySpace Top Untitled Artists List." After selling about 73,000 digital tracks and more than 10,000 copies of Awake, he signed a deal with Glassnote Records and reissued his first album in 2007 with two additional songs. Two more albums have since been added to his repertoire: A Twist in My Story (2008) and Hear Me Now, which will be released on Aug. 3. Both of Secondhand Serenade's newer albums were produced with a full band and orchestra to create a more accomplished sound-a far cry from the multitrack recordings from not-so-long ago.

No, it's not that band that painted paradise with a parking lot. Nor is it the band that sounds kinda like the White Stripes. It's recent inductee into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, Black Crowes. If you don't catch the multi-platinum selling band on tour by 2011, then you'll be sure to miss it, since it will be going on hiatus that year.

The "Psychedelic Soul" band has received titles such as "The Best New American Band" from Rolling Stone and after their show you'll be talking about them too.

The 20-year-old band will be releasing a new album in August titled Crowedom, where it will be putting together more than 20 songs that span over the band's 20 years. The album will consist of acoustic collaborations with other artists, and you can expect to hear some of these acoustic renditions at the final U.S. tour before the Black Crowes' indefinite break.

Best Bet: Rock
The Black Crowes
Firekeeper's Casino, Battle Creek
July 24, 9 p.m.
$25-$45, 21+
firekeeperscasino.com