Brian Stoltz

Check this Crescent City six-string slinger's CV and you'll find him backing some of the most iconic performers of the past 30 years: the Neville Brothers, Bob Dylan, Dr. John, the Funky Meters, and literally hundreds more. Dylan even gave the man props in his biography: "The other guitar player, Brian Stoltz, from Slidell, also played in a funky and blistering way, but he was more laid-back and he had articulate schemes." Taking a page from the masters, Stoltz recently released God, Guns, and Money, a raw, groove-drenched rock album that pulses with Steve Earle-style antiestablishment wit and bitter, Dylanesque observations. Stoltz might be the whole package, an esteemed instrumental virtuoso who can also write riveting songs of his own.

Brian Stoltz plays three nights: with Lilly Holbrook on Friday, December 9; solo on Saturday, December 10; and with the Alligator Alley Allstars on Sunday, December 11. All shows begin at 9:00 p.m. and are at Alligator Alley, 1321 E Commercial Blvd, Oakland Park. Tickets cost $10 each night. Call 954-771-2220.