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Daptone Records

If you want a girl to come to you, you've got to leave a little room for guessin'.

So we hope you haven't been sweating Sharon Jones too hard prior to her gig this weekend -- otherwise, she might not show up, just to teach you a lesson.

The former prison guard is that kind of gal, if we're to take the lyrics of her 2007 album, "100 Days, 100 Nights," seriously. Just like the powerful, no-nonsense voice Jones uses to lead the Dap-Kings (featuring members S.I.'s own Budos Band) through her repertoire of retro-soul tracks, the lyrics don't have much patience for the foolish actions of fickle lovers, even if the music is perfectly laidback into the groove.

That said, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings are scheduled to headline Central Park's SummerStage -- for free -- at 3 p.m. Sunday. Menahan Street Band and Naomi Shelto & the Gospel Queens share the bill.

AWE/Nicholas FeveloGuitarist John Purvis of The ReAwakening, is among the performers at Saturday's "Music Under the Sky" event at the Alice Austen House Museum in Rosebank.

MUSIC UNDER THE SKY: The jazz/funk band ReAwakening, featuring John Purvis, joins the Rudy Bishop Chronicle Atlantic Symphony Steel and Brass Orchestra and CDC Drummers at this benefit for Island Voice, the Stapleton-based nonprofit group geared toward fostering economic empowerment, cultural awareness and tolerance among underserved youth. "Music Under the Sky" takes place Aug. 16 from 4-8 p.m. at the Alice Austen House Museum in Rosebank.

Tickets: $75 (includes music, cocktails and hors d'oeurvres).

More information: 718-273-7736.

Courtesy of the artistDanny Mixon

Jazz Night begins at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 16 at Christ Church, 76 Franklin Ave., New Brighton. Admission: Free for kids 5 and under, $10 for kids 6-12, $20 for adults. All proceeds go to EHS/EES Alumni Association of the USA (ehsees.org). More info: 718-727-6100, christchurchbrighton.org.

Ernie Bruce and Danny Mixon are both real musicians. Bruce has a bachelor's and master's degree in voice from Southern Illinois University. Mixon's ivory-tickling abilities can be heard at Harlem's historic Lenox Lounge.

Like so many talented New York City jazz players, neither of these 59 year olds are household names, but both can at least be confident in their skill and musical knowledge.

This may never be the case for children who are now attending Episcopal elementary and high schools in Robertsport, Liberia.

AWE file photos

Stop! Put...the beach...umbrella...down. Slowly. You are not allowed to deposit in the garage, the crawlspace, or wherever you're sneaking off to. If there's one thing Borough President James P. Molinaro would like you to know about summer this weekend, it's that it's not over. Not yet. Not if Big Frank Mirra has anything to sing about it.

Big Frank Mirra

Saturday: Aug. 16
2-3 p.m. Yesterday's Dream
3:30 p.m. Barbara Harris & the Toys
5-6 p.m. Brooklyn Horns
6:30-7:30 p.m. Bronx Wanderers
(a tribute to the Belmonts)
8-9 p.m. Simply the Best
(a tribute to Tina Turner)
9 p.m. Fireworks display

Sunday: Aug. 17
2-3 p.m. Circle of Friends
3:30-4:30 p.m. Tuesdays at Eight
5-6 p.m. Big Frank & The Healers
6:30-7:30 p.m. Brooklyn Keys
8-9 p.m. The Passions

S.I.'s own Big Frank and the Healers have been sporting Hawaiian shirts and penning pieces of self-referential feel-good blues like "300 Lbs of Joy" for years, and this weekend is no different, as we go Back to the Beach for another edition of Molinaro's musical celebrations. Food, a flea market, games and rides converge on Midland Beach Sea Turtle Circle Saturday and Sunday, while Big Frank and The Healers share the stage with everyone from bands like Circle of Friends and Yesterday's Dream to 1960s pop stars Barbara Harris & the Toys.

Surely you know the deal by now: Two days of music starting in the afternoon and running into the star-lit night combine with sand castle-making and fireworks to deliver the whole shebang, offering a great chance to savor the summer before the fall hits -- all courtesy of Molinaro and Sovereign Bank. The festivities go from noon through 9 p.m. both days. Call 718-816-2000, visit StatenIslandUSA.com or check this schedule for details.

The good, the bad and the ugly of music this week

"Bits"
Oxford Collapse
(Sub Pop)

Sup Pop knows how to pick a band that will only get better. Brooklyn trio Oxford Collapse's feverish debut, 2006's "Remember the Night Parties," pricked the ear with a few choice cuts (especially "Please Visit Our National Parks") and a lot of stuff that had a lot of fuel for take-off but not enough skill for landing. "Bits" is undeniably a superior follow-up, boasting both the perfection of their power-trio indie rock songs and a few cuts that introduce new elements that grow on the listener. Singer/guitarist Michael Pace and his buddies have learned exactly when to sing in their register, and driving post-college rock anthems like "Young Love Delivers" and "The Birthday Wars," with their excellent musical hooks and amusing vocal lines ("Can't wait for your reaction/ to my handsome severance package"), stand up well next to softer cuts like "Featherbeds" and slow-builder "B-roll." A great new record from a band whose rise is pleasantly surprising.

Photos courtesy of Michael Hausman Inc.Singer-songwriter Marc Cohn

This is one M.C. who's survived a one-hit wonder, the Grammy curse & a bullet to the head

Marc Cohn has more street cred than most rappers. Why? He's been shot in the head, and lived to tell the tale. If 50 Cent's career were the business plan for the 2000s, Cohn should've bought some bling and recorded a rap album.

But surviving a botched car-jacking after a 2005 show didn't result in Cohn's first foray into hip-hop. Instead, his own sound was reinvigorated.

From the beginning, the Cleveland-born singer-songwriter has been adult contemporary through and through -- taking his cues from the likes of Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan to construct hits like 1991's "Walking in Memphis," a song that has been covered infinitum by everybody from Cher to your average dorky college a cappella group.

When Cohn comes to the historic St. George Theatre Aug. 21, the Grammy winning father of four (he's married to Elizabeth Vargas of ABC's "20/20") plans on proving he's got more to offer than a one-hit wonder. We talked to Cohn about his music, his misadventures and advice for fellow car-jacking victims, in anticipation of his performance.

APTwo suits at the opening press conference. At least Billy Joel has a nice pair of shades.

It's about time. New York City has for many years been pretty much it as far as rock and roll for any musician. When I went to a Wolf Parade show at Terminal 5 recently, one of those dudes said something about how playing New York was "so intimidating." Why? Because it matters when you play here. There's a history of greatness. A fraternity/sorority of excellence in the city where Bowie can be peeped ducking into Piano's in the LES, or Byrne can turn a old building into an instrument. Yes, CBGB's is closed and this isn't a living, noisy club but a museum of artifacts, but that doesn't mean that rock 'n' roll is dead. Or..does it?

AP PhotoRob Halford of Judas Priest

So Rob Halford was cool. He answered some of your questions, but also spent of time waxing positive about reuniting the band and getting out on the road again. Cue my best English accent..."Yea it's just great man, playing together again..."

Every once in a while I seemed to get his blood up--when I asked about the "Rockstar" thing, or acknowledged that the band's new double-disc, "Nostradamus," has garnered mixed reviews. But all in all, my 14:02 minutes with Halford was a pretty cordial conversation. As far as whether it offered any revelations about the band or metal in general, you be the judge:

Steiny's is a friendly joint located at 3 Hyatt Street by the municipal lot. Call 718-442-9526 for directions. The band goes on around 11 p.m. ... Now, get in the mood for the show with the band's stellar video:

Can't make it tonight? Check Cargo Cafe tomorrow night ...