Rock Candy

CHRISTOPHER DENNY
10 p.m., White Water Tavern. $5.

It doesn’t seem like that long ago when Chris Denny was just a rumor, a whisper of a performer who swept into town from nowhere. First he was the “crazy-voiced kid,” the prize of the local scene, playing Beesonville block parties and small house shows. As his cult grew, and he performed regularly not just at White Water, but just about every venue in town, he became the “kid with the golden voice,” and most everyone took a stab at placing his peculiar tone. A young Roy Orbison has been popular. Bob Dylan circa “Nashville Skyline,” Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Neil Young all get bandied about. None, though, quite capture his preternatural warble — impossibly high, tremulous and plaintive, but always strong. With lyrics of a hard life lived — riding rails, hearts on fire, the burden of time — Denny last year released a promising debut album on Tomato House Records, a local imprint run by Denny’s drummer, Marcus Lowe. He’s followed it with the slightly more polished “Age Old Hunger,” just released on 00:02:59 Records, a Brooklyn label. With the backing of a powerful PR agency and rumors of an opening slot with a major touring act, Denny might be on the precipice of fame. Local fans will have at least two shots to see him before he takes off. On Friday and Saturday, he’s celebrating the release of his new album at White Water. The Saturday show, geared towards his early-to-bed crowd, starts at 9 p.m. and will be preceded by a special barbecue dinner, with pulled pork sandwiches, fried okra, deviled eggs, barbecue tofu and banana pudding. Food will be served from 7 p.m. until around 8:30 p.m., for $8.50 per plate. Impressive, rich-voiced singer/songwriter Mike Ferrio, one of Denny’s new label mates, will open both shows.