Wednesday, March 6

Axe Murder Boyz Like Insane Clown Posse, this Denver duo makes “horrorcore” hip-hop, a rap-rock hybrid that hearkens back to the post-grunge of the early aughts. With Mindshot, Dirty D, CON-CRETE, Enasnimi, Dezlooca, KST Blunt Trauma, Chancelor K. Hoodrich. El Corazon, 109 Eastlake Ave. E., 381-3094, elcorazonseattle.com. 7 p.m. $12 adv./$15 DOS. All ages.

Khatia Buniatishvili This Georgian classical pianist’s star is rising; she’ll play works by Chopin, Ravel, and Stravinsky at this performance at UW’s Meany Hall. UW campus, 543-4880, uwworldseries.org. 7:30 p.m. $39. All ages.

Thursday, March 7

Autre Ne Veut A reductive but fair reference point for the warped soul music Arthur Ashin makes as Autre Ne Veut is the nouveau-R&B of someone like How to Dress Well. But unlike his more inward-looking contemporaries, Ashin doesn’t hesitate to hit the big payoff: Songs like “Play By Play” boast massive hooks, perhaps owing to his past career as a jingle writer. With Majical Cloudz. Barboza, 925 E. Pike, 709-9951, thebarboza.com. 7 p.m. $10 adv.

Benoit Pioulard A record-release and tour-kick-off show, this performance will showcase Pioulard’s effects-laden electro-acoustic songwriting. With Tiny Vipers, Ghosts I’ve Met. Columbia City Theater, 4918 Rainier Ave. S., 723-0088, columbiacitytheater.com. 
8 p.m. $10 adv./$12 DOS.

Dookie

Live: A Green Day Tribute Members of local rockers The Good Hurt and Yours pay tribute to Green Day’s hugely successful 1994 album. The Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-7416, thecrocodile.com. 8 p.m. $5 DOS. All ages.

Alicia Keys Between singing at the Inaugural Ball and the Superbowl and dropping another #1 record, Keys has been, as her latest album title suggests, a Girl on Fire. With Miguel. WaMu Theater, 800 Occidental Ave. S., 381-7555. 7:30 p.m. $91.90.

Poor Folks, Live Well The most recent release from this Wenatchee-based melodic-rock trio was last year’s 40 Years of Famine EP. With Simon the Leper, Incanus. Skylark, 3803 Delridge Way S.W., 935-2111, skylarkcafe.com. 8 p.m. $5.

Richard Buckner After a brief detour into more abstract sounds, alt-country troubadour Richard Buckner returned to the acoustic approach he became famous for on 2011’s Our Blood. He’ll issue his 11th album later this year, which you’ll likely get to preview tonight. With Kevin Murphy of the Moondoggies. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599. 9 p.m. $15 DOS. 21 and over.

Friday, March 8

Frightened Rabbit’s fourth album, Pedestrian Verse, lives up to the Scottish band’s penchant for confessional, bombastic songwriting, but with more instrumental variation. With The Twilight Sad. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151, showboxonline.com. 7 p.m. $17 adv./$20 DOS. 
All ages.

Horace Pickett

Contrary to the solo act that the name suggests, Horace Pickett is actually a five-piece whose wide-ranging rock sound incorporates ’80s-sounding synthesizers and quirky, They Might Be Giants–esque lyrics. With he Torn ACLs, the Gems, Friends and Family. Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave., 441-5823, jewelboxtheater.com. 10 p.m. $5 DOS.

Marcus Foster

This UK songwriter is touring behind the pretty, blustery tunes from The Last House EP, the live versions of which will be augmented by a full band. With Sean Rowe, Ruston Kelly. Vera Project, 305 Harrison St., 956-8372, theveraproject.org. 7:30 p.m. $16. All ages.

Nacho Picasso For those who only know of Seattle hip-hop because of Macklemore (i.e., nearly everyone not from Seattle), this show is a good introduction to the scene’s darker side, from self-mythologizing bad boy Picasso to chopped and screwed–inspired MC Key Nyata and cloud-rap producer Keyboard Kid. With Jarv Dee, Moor Gang. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9442, neumos.com. 
8 p.m. $12 adv.

Saturday, March 9

Ball of Wax #31 Release Show

Ball of Wax is a quarterly compilation of unreleased music from up-and-coming artists. The theme of the 31st edition is covers, featuring music by the Foghorns, Led to Sea, and Shenandoah Davis, who all will appear at this show. With Brad Dunn, Emiko Blalock, Colin J. Nelson, Alicia Amiri, Bret Alain Phillips, Jeremy Burke, Robb Benson, The Music of Grayface, Caitlin Sherman, Norman Baker, Virgin of the Birds, Levi Fuller. Columbia City Theater. 8 p.m. $8 adv./$10 DOS.

Emancipator Portland electronic musician Douglas Appling’s productions lie at the heady intersection of instrumental hip-hop, down-tempo, and free jazz. His newest endeavor, Dusk to Dawn, came out in January. With Little People, Odesza. Neumos. 8 p.m. $15 adv.

Townes Van Zandt Tribute A varied group of Seattle musicians—including members of Hounds of the Wild Hunt, Big Sur, and St. Paul de Vence—put their own spin on the legendary folk musician’s classics. With Courtney Marie Andrews, Jake Hemming, Ryan Devlin, Andrew Anderson, Benjamin Doerr, Ben Fisher. Blue Moon, 712 N.E. 45th St., 675-9116, bluemoonseattle.wordpress.com. 9 p.m. $8.

Sunday, March 10

Trust is Toronto’s Robert Alfons, a producer of dark, chilly electronic pop. With ERAAS, Nightmare Fortress. Barboza. 8 p.m. $12 adv.

UW Men’s Glee Club Usually found singing at basketball or football games, the UW Men’s Glee Club finds a more comfortable U District venue (read: booze) tonight, performing a mix of traditional and barbershop songs. With The Six Appeal Vocal Band. Neptune Theatre, 1303 N.E. 45th St., 784-4849, stgpresents.org. $10–$16 adv./$12–$18 DOS. All ages.

Vince Staples This rising L.A. rapper is associated with the Odd Future crew (he’s collaborated with Earl Sweatshirt, and apparently Tyler the Creator dislikes him), but he’s released a great deal of music on his own, most notably 2011’s Shyne Coldchain Vol. 1. Vera Project. 7:30 p.m. $10 adv./$12 DOS. All ages.

Monday, March 11

Black Plastic Clouds This local quintet blends straightforward rock songs with funk-inspired horns. With Amelia Circle. Comet Tavern, 922 E. Pike St., 322-9272, comettavern.com. 9 p.m.

Maroon 5 One of the world’s most popular bands (but, as their detractors would likely point out, not one of its biggest—or even legitimate), Maroon 5 is in the midst of its yearlong Overexposed tour, in support of its platinum album of the same name. With Neon Trees, Owl City. Key Arena, 305 Harrison St., 684-7200, keyarena.com. 7:30 p.m. $26.50–$76.50. All ages.

Panama Gold These bouncy Seattle rockers headline a strong bill, which also features scene veterans Kinski. With Display, Mass Games. Chop Suey, 1325 
E. Madison St., 324-8005. 9 p.m. $8. 21 and over.

Tuesday, March 12

AM Interstate is a country-rock band from Redmond, Ore., whose psychedelia-tinged music is as wide-open as the eastern Oregon landscape they hail from. With Past Impending, City Bear. Comet Tavern. 9 p.m.

Wax A YouTube celebrity and former Def Jam signee, this Los Angeles–based rapper released Continue, his fourth album, in January. The Crocodile. 8 p.m. $13 adv. All ages.