Richard Alan Smith, Kevin Spears perform Friday at Eighty-Five

Eighty-Five on Friday hosts a performer known for mastering an African instrument and a guitarist who had a hand in music for the film “Ray,” which stars Jamie Foxx.

How’s that for some nightlife diversity?

Friday’s lineup: The Richard Smith Band with opening act Kevin Spears.

Atlanta-based Spears is nicknamed “KalimbaMan” for his skills on the kalimba, an instrument with African origins.

It contains metal, bamboo or wooden strips “fastened atop a small acoustic resonating body,” according to Spears’ MySpace page. The instrument is commonly known as a thumb piano.

Spears draws on multiple musical influences and has performed internationally.

Richard Alan Smith, another Atlanta musician, will join Spears as a duo before the night turns into full-fledged funk with The Richard Smith Band.

Smith, who appeared in “Ray” and also aided in the film’s music, performs with a variety of accomplished musicians.

The band began as a mere jam session and eventually transformed into a crowd-pleasing combination of blues, soul, jazz, funk, fusion and world music.