On stage in Casper

* NCHS Jazz Orchestra to play in Carnegie Hall

The Natrona County High School Jazz Orchestra has been invited to perform in New York's historic Carnegie Hall. The group of 49 orchestra students will spend five days in New York City preparing for the concert, to be held April 5, 2009.

Expenses will be paid by the students, but any donations would be appreciated.

For more information on this opportunity, or to make a donation, call Pat Kukes at 237-3823 or Shawn Weis at 577-0330.

* The Jazz Spot

The Jazz Spot in downtown Casper will hold a Thursday Night Blues Night every week. It will feature The Road House Rockets Blues Band.

New martinis will be offered each Thursday, and dinner specials will also be available.

When: 5 to 10 p.m. THURSDAYS

Where: The Jazz Spot, 128 E. Second St.

Tickets: No cover charge. Regular menu and specials available.

Info: Call 235-5299

* Wednesday Night Live at the NIC

The Nicolaysen Art Museum and Discovery Center has kicked off its live, 8-week summer concert series, Wednesday Night Live.

The concerts, which are staged just behind the museum, offer a variety of musical acts for the community's enjoyment. Listeners are encouraged to bring chairs or blankets to sit on. Food and drinks will be available from local vendors.

The concerts are from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday. Admission is free.

Who's playing:

* Wednesday: The Tremors, blues, eclectic, www.thetremors.com

* Aug. 6: Fat City Mardi Gras Band, blues, zydeco, dixieland

* Aug. 13: Celtic Sage, Irish tunes, both comical and serious

* Aug. 20: The Fireants, Cajun, Creole, zydeco, TexMex

* NIC at Noon

Silhouettes of the West, an all-girl old-time country music foursome, will provide entertainment for a rocking lunch hour concert at Nic at Noon, the Nicolaysen Art Museum's informal, monthly concert series. Silhouettes has played with The Tremors, entertained at Metro Coffee Company and recently competed at the High Plains Old Time Music Festival in Douglas, winning several awards in the process.

People enjoying the lunch time concert are also invited to view the museum's current exhibits: "Pulp Function" and "The Art of Bob Coonts."

When: Noon to 1 p.m. AUG. 1

Where: The Nicolaysen Art Museum and Discovery Center, 400 E. Collins Drive

Tickets: Free. Bring a lunch or call Grant Street Grocery at 237-2539 by 10 a.m. the day of the performance to have a lunch delivered.

Info: 235-5247

* Staind and Finger Eleven

The Casper Events Center has booked two rock bands for one hot summer concert. Staind and Finger Eleven will bring their Billboard topping hits and unique sounds to Casper in August.

In the past decade, Staind has sold more than 12 million records and had four No. 1 singles on mainstream radio, earning a place as one of the most successful rock bands of the decade.

Finger Eleven's new album, Them vs. You vs. Me, has produced a hit with the song "Paralyzer." And beyond guitars and drums, the album also contains keyboards, xylophones, violin, banjo and various sounds recorded in member's homes and even the back of the tour bus.

When: 7 p.m. AUG. 5

Where: The Casper Events Center

Tickets: $35 reserved seating, $39.50 general admission on the floor. Charge by phone at 577-3030 or (800) 442-2256, online at www.caspereventscenter.com, or at the box office at 1 Events Drive.

On stage around the state

* CHEYENNE - Frontier Days

Cheyenne Frontier Days 112th "Daddy of 'em All" will keep rocking the world's largest rodeo and outdoor western celebration to the end. Big names continue to entertain on the Frontier Nights stage.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.cfdrodeo.com or call (307) 778-7222 or (800) 227-6336.

* TONIGHT: Sugarland with Tracy Lawrence. 8 p.m. $35-65.

* SATURDAY: Comedian Bill Engvall and Randy Owen with the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra. 8 p.m. $25-45.

* CHEYENNE - Rhythm by the Rails

Rhythm by the Rails, Downtown Cheyenne's Free Concert Series, continues tonight and Saturday as Frontier Days wraps up. Hosted by the Cheyenne Depot Museum, the concert series brings the excitement of the rodeo downtown. Concerts are at the Depot Plaza.

* TONIGHT: The Younger Brothers Band will play for the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle's Fridays on the Plaza at 5:30 p.m. Country Club, one of Cheyenne's favorites, will play country and bluegrass from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.

* SATURDAY: The Saturday Night Street Dance will feature Seven Sundays, with country music at 4 p.m.; Avenue at 6 p.m.; Black White Rhythm & Blues Band at 8 p.m.; Edge of Soul, with classic rock and blues at 9:30 p.m.; and headliner band Open Fire, performing '80s rock, from midnight to 2 a.m.

* Be sure to tell the Weekender about your upcoming concerts and CD releases so we can help Wyoming get in on the groove. Send information to features reporter Hannah Wiest. E-mail: hannah.wiest@trib.com. Phone: (307) 266-0535. Regular mail: Casper Star-Tribune, P.O. Box 80, Casper, WY, 82602.