In following up from an article from a couple weeks ago, I have to once again reiterate how neat it is that our small city can play host to traveling musicians hailing from places near and far.

This past Saturday, my band had an opportunity to open for The Claudettes — a Chicago-based quartet that dabbles in a wide range of genres such as blues, jazz, soul, punk, rockabilly and “cartoon-music” — in a Halloween-themed show at Mojo’s.

In spite of the myriad of performances I’ve staged at the 104 E. Second St. venue over the past four years, I found myself re-energized this weekend by the debut of two new Elektra Kings originals and the opportunity to meet hard-working musicians who have dedicated their lives and gas miles to their art; an art that so happens to coincide with my own. It’s a unique set of circumstances that have placed me in the path of those who, though perhaps far more ambitious than I, have the collective experience under their belt to know what it takes to take a stab at making a career of our shared passion for music.

And the Halloween costumes were also a pleasant deviation from the typical Mojo’s experience. In addition to my performance, my girlfriend and I made our first coordinated outing to both Mojo’s and Forte to see just what Jamestown had to offer its cookiest and most enthusiastic community members in the way of evening festivities on Halloween weekend.

All in all, it was a great evening of fun, friends and finding new and different ways of reconnecting with my community. There are several instances in life when I have to question myself on the choices and decisions — past, present and future — that I’ve made and will eventually have to make; but it’s times like these in which you learn to live again.

In times like these, you realize that nothing is ever so far out of reach that you can’t claim it with just the right amount of effort.

And now, here’s some of what you can expect to find in the area this week.

HIGHLIGHTS

JCA To Host Lara Downes In Friday Concert: The Jamestown Concert Association will host Lara Downes, a California-based pianist and official Steinway recording artist, in an 8 p.m. performance at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on Friday. On this occasion, Downes will be supporting the release of her most recent album, “America Again,” which came out last month. In her album, Downes explores music that expresses different facets of the American dream. She conceived the idea of the album in June 2015, in response to the Charleston, S.C., shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. She recorded the album in March 2016 at Sono Luminus’ studio in Boyce, Va. The program will primarily include selections from “America Again,” though other standards may be thrown into the mix. The concert will also serve as a tribute to former Jamestown Concert Association board member Patricia “Pat” Phillips, who died in April.

Tickets to the concert are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors ages 65 and older, and $7.50 for college students. They can be purchased at the door, or presale at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts, Chautauqua Music, Germaine and Pappalardo, Trinity Guitars and Wright’s Music Shed, or by calling 484-7070 or 487-1522. Children under 18 will be admitted for free if accompanied by a paying adult. Parents who bring children will be admitted for a discounted price of $10. Copies of “America Again” will be available for $15, though anyone who purchases a presale ticket to the Nov. 4 performance will receive the CD for $10.

For more information on the upcoming concert, call 487-1522 or visit jamestownconcertassociation.org/.

JCC Uncommoners’ Production Of ‘Cabaret’ Opens This Weekend: The Jamestown Community College Uncommoners will kick off the three-weekend run of its production of “Cabaret” with opening night on Friday at 7 p.m. Adapted from the short novel Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood, “Cabaret” is set in 1931 Berlin as the Nazis are rising to power. The story revolves around the seedy Kit Kat Klub, whose clientele includes a cross-section of the flotsam and jetsam of a doomed city. The musical follows young English cabaret performer Sally Bowles and her relationship with American writer Cliff Bradshaw, as well as the doomed romance between German boarding house owner Fraulein Schneider and her elderly suitor Herr Schultz, a Jewish fruit vendor. The cast features JCC students Gordon Brooks, Joshua Carlson, William Gilroy, Emily Hanson, Hillary Hornyak, Chloe Kilmartin, Brayton Lydell, Erros Quinones, Raelyn Robinson and Taylor Smetska. Also in the cast are Haeli Augenstein, Dylan Carlson, Michael Correy, Lauren Engallina, Jessica Hochstine and Tristan May.

In addition to Friday night, the production will be staged beginning at 8 p.m. on the following dates: Saturday; Friday, Nov. 11; Saturday, Nov. 12; Friday, Nov. 18; and Saturday, Nov. 19. There will also be a 2 p.m. matinee performance on Sunday, Nov. 13.

Tickets are $15 for preferred seating, $10 for general seating, and $7 for restricted view. They may be purchased by calling 338-1187 or online at campusstore.sunyjcc.edu. Faculty Student Association cardholders and senior citizens may receive $2 off per ticket if paid in person.

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy To Perform At Reg Lenna Friday: The dance and music revival that began 20 years ago will swing into the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts on Friday, when Big Bad Voodoo Daddy performs an 8 p.m. concert. Known for hit songs like “You and Me and the Bottle Makes 3” and “Go Daddy Go,” the group has appeared in concert venues across the world, sold millions of records and had its music appear in hundreds of movies and television shows — including prominent appearances in the 1996 film “Swingers” and the accompanying soundtrack. With sold-out concerts from the Hollywood Bowl to Lincoln Center, appearances with many of the country’s finest symphony orchestras, and television appearances ranging from “Dancing with the Stars” to Superbowl XXXIII, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy continues its decades-long mission to celebrate and revitalize jazz and swing music — America’s original musical art form — and bring joy to audiences around the world.

Tickets to the concert range from $18 to $35, and can be purchased by calling the Reg Lenna box office at 484-7070 or online at reglenna.com/events/big-bad-voodoo-daddy.

Seneca Allegany To Present Scotty McCreery In Saturday Concert: The Seneca Allegany Events Center will serve as the backdrop for national country artist Scotty McCreery’s Saturday performance in Salamanca at 7 p.m. From “American Idol” to certified platinum performer, McCreery has emerged as one of country music’s biggest superstars. He rose to fame as the season 10 winner of “American Idol” in 2011, and immediately became a force on the country charts with his debut album “Clear As Day,” which included Top 20 hits like “I Love You This Big” and “The Trouble With Girls.” His latest effort is his first book, “Go Big or Go Home: The Journey Toward the Dream.”

Tickets start at $25, and can be purchased by calling 1-877-873-6322 or online at senecaalleganycasino.com/events/scotty-mccreery/.

HAPPENINGS

To include an upcoming show or event in this column, email gpaterniti@post-journal.com or call 487-1111, ext. 243 by Monday.

Tonight

Jules-R-Us Karaoke: 8 p.m., Good Time Saloon, 590 Fairmount Ave. in Jamestown

Karaoke with DJ Xcite: 9 p.m., Bullfrog Hotel, 1414 E. Second St. in Jamestown

Karaoke with Felony Entertainment: 9 p.m., Shawbucks, 212 W. Second St. in Jamestown

Friday

Matt Baxter and Mark Cooper: 6 p.m., The Wine Cellar, 309 N. Main St. in Jamestown

Southern Tier Xpress home game: 7 p.m., Northwest Arena, 319 W. Third St. in Jamestown

These Two and Me: 7:30 p.m., Celoron Legion, 26 Jackson Ave. in Jamestown

Steve Strickland Duo: 9 p.m., Yesterday’s, 103 Chautauqua Ave. in Lakewood

Charlie Wheeler Band: 9 p.m., Good Time Saloon, 590 Fairmount Ave. in Jamestown

Karaoke with Felony Entertainment: 9 p.m., Shawbucks, 212 W. Second St. in Jamestown

Bass Invaders: 10 p.m., Mojo’s Music Bar, 104 E. Second St. in Jamestown

Screamin’ Lou: 10 p.m., Bullfrog Hotel, 1414 E. Second St. in Jamestown

Saturday

Southern Tier Xpress home game: 7 p.m., Northwest Arena, 319 W. Third St. in Jamestown

Urban Ranch: 8:30 p.m., Celoron Legion, 26 Jackson Ave. in Jamestown

Jules-R-Us Karaoke featuring Tami T: 9 p.m., Good Time Saloon, 590 Fairmount Ave. in Jamestown

We Speak Canadian: 10 p.m., Shawbucks, 212 W. Second St. in Jamestown

The Freeze: 10 p.m., Bullfrog Hotel, 1414 E. Second St. in Jamestown

Sunday

Open Jam: 9 p.m., Bullfrog Hotel, 1414 E. Second St. in Jamestown

Monday

Open Jam: 9 p.m., Mojo’s Music Bar, 104 E. Second St. in Jamestown

Wednesday

Bluegrass Jam: 7 p.m., Celoron Legion, 26 Jackson Ave. in Jamestown

“Bridget Jones’s Baby” screening: 7 p.m., Reg Lenna Center for the Arts, 116 E. Third St. in Jamestown