Eight Gigs: Buck Ford

Don't ask me the difference between classic country music and that modern “new country” crap all the Merle Haggard fans complain about (read: Hootie). All I know is that I've spent the afternoon listening to some Buck Ford—a former motocross guy turned country frontman—and he seems legit. Slow-churning and twangy ballads? Check. Songs about cowgirls? Done. Tribute to George Strait? He's got it. You can't go wrong, then, with a free Ford show this week in Midtown. That's a crazy deal, even if you're a new country poseur. (This show is 21-and-over, FYI.) 1630 J Street, www.buckford.com.