Wednesday, May 14

Riff Raff is practically an urban legend—a bizarre white man with cornrows and an MTV-logo tattoo, a persona that purportedly inspired James Franco’s Spring Breakers performance as rapper “Alien.” See the human cartoon character in the flesh tonight, where he’ll likely rap about Jose Canseco and Dolce & Gabbana. With Grandtheft. The Showbox, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151, showboxpresents.com. 8 p.m. $25. All ages. KELTON SEARS

Thursday, May 15

What Mickey Avalon did to his “muse” (nemesis?) Jane Fonda in an eponymous song is indefensibly sexist but criminally funny. And totally fitting with his persona: an enfant terrible escaped from the ’70s punk scene. He’s playing the iconic Crocodile with Tacoma rapper Dirty D, who’s also performed at the Playboy mansion and the most recent Seahawks/49ers game. The Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave, 441-4618, thecrocodile.com. 8 p.m. $17 adv./$20 DOS. All ages. JENNA NAND

Mike Tramp made his name as the singer for pop-metal band White Lion, but in recent years he’s pursued an acoustic solo career on the back of the same kind of arena-ready, big-hook power ballads his ’80s metal group trafficked in. And he’s still a big deal in his native Denmark, where his latest LP, Cobblestone Street, charted. With Glenn Cannon, Rane Stone, Jonny Smokes. El Corazon, 109 Eastlake Ave. E., 262-0482, elcorazon.com. 8 p.m. $15 adv./$18 DOS. 21 and over. DAVE LAKE

The Family Stone Three founding members of the legendary funk/soul group and a gang of industry veterans are keeping the spirit of the ’70s alive with the hits that rocketed it to pop stardom. Classics like “Everyday People” and “Stand!” hold their own by today’s pop standards—but don’t come expecting to hear Sly belt them out; the front man, once reportedly homeless, has experienced numerous legal difficulties in recent years. Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave., 441-9729, jazzalley.com. Through Sunday. 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. $26.50 adv. All ages. JESSIE MCKENNA

I’m no different—Ghost to Falco was the psychedelic lo-fi drone-rock band from Portland crashing at my house the night I broke up with the first guy I dated after my divorce, because, man, you never forget those bands, do you? New album Soft Shield rattles, shakes, and burns, like Jesse Sykes, Modest Mouse, and Bright Eyes riding off into a blazing sunset. Which is pretty much how the divorce went down. With Down North, Eight Legs to Nowhere. Lo-Fi Performance Gallery, 429 Eastlake Ave., 254-2824, thelofi.net. 9 p.m. $6. GWENDOLYN ELLIOTT

Katie Kate Nation, the upcoming album from Seattle rapper Katie Kate, is a pop gem that somehow toes the line between Kate Bush and Kreayshawn, mixing witchy melodies about end times with a tough hip-hop sensibility. Tonight she’s joined by a star-studded list of local talent like Erik Blood, Pillar Point, and Bobbi Rich, host of Internet show Hangin Tuff. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9442, neumos.com. 8 p.m. $8. 21 and up. KS

History, as we know, repeats. In the case of soft rock, not only has Christopher Cross found a fan in Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon—who conjured Cross’ trademark wispy synths and ethereal, passionless style on his latest, Bon Iver, Bon Iver—but you can actually hear the two together on a popular YouTube doubler that plays “Sailing” and “Beth/Rest” simultaneously. If you’d rather not, there’s enough ’80s nostalgia—or raw material for the next big indie band—in “Arthur’s Theme” and “Ride Like the Wind” to entertain instead. Snoqualmie Casino, 37500 S.E. North Bend Way, Snoqualmie, 425-888-1234, snocasino.com. 7 p.m. $25 and up. GE

Friday, May 16

Think of Nathaniel Rateliff as the blue-collar cousin of Iron and Wine’s Sam Beam. A former truck driver from Denver, his tender yet haunting songs share a similar intimacy with Beam’s (with some thanks to Brian Deck, who has produced both artists). But where Beam, a former college professor, can sing you a soothing lullaby, it’s Rateliff you want in your corner when the shit goes down. With Carly Ritter. Barboza, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9442, thebarboza.com. 7 p.m. $10. GE

Lots of well-crafted power pop will be on display tonight as Gerald Collier, former front man of Best Kissers in the World, shares the bill with Red Jacket Mine. Collier’s material is the more delicate of the two, but both acts share an affinity for the Beatles, Elvis Costello, and three-minute pop gems. With Gibraltar. High Dive, 513 N. 36th St., 632-0212, highdiveseattle.com. 9:30 p.m. $8. 21 and over. DL

Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready annually bands together with other local talent in Flight to Mars, a tribute to British heavy-metal outfit UFO. Tonight the band celebrates its 12th year by rocking a benefit for Camp Oasis, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America’s program for child sufferers of the disease. With the Young Evils. The Showbox. 9 p.m. $20–$25 adv. 21 and over. JM

Lil Jon DJ SET is a man who genuinely has no fucks to give. With the East Side Boyz in the mid-2000s, he sent the PC patrol into a frenzy with a gigantic Confederate flag in the music video for the band’s first hit, “Bia Bia.” In case the unsuspecting public missed those stars and bars, the rapper also wore the flag draped across his shoulders onstage, under his flowing dreads. Before that Southern battle cry hit the airwaves, we never knew that mundane words like “What?,” “Yeah!,” and “OK!” could become stand-alone lyrics. Producing for everyone from Usher to E-40, Lil Jon dominated the crunk movement that he mainstreamed; then, eschewing predictability, he turned to EDM. Since then, his collaborators have been less crunk and more David Guetta, LMFAO, and DJ Snake. After eight years of DJing in the EDM scene, the prodigal artist has returned to the pop charts with his latest Top-10 single, “Turn Down for What,” with a seismic EDM beat laid under explosive vocals. As basic yet addictive as “What You Gon’ Do” or “Snap Yo Fingers,” we replay it constantly but are not sure why. With Butch Clancy. Showbox SoDo, 1700 First Ave. S., showboxpresents.org. 8 p.m. $28–$37. 18 and over. JN

Saturday, May 17

Capitol Hill’s Highline bar is turning 4 this week, and three of the Pacific Northwest’s most notorious heavy bands are helping to celebrate. Agalloch mixes neo-folk with blasts of black metal, doom and prog, and on its latest record, The Serpent & the Sphere, it’s done to perfection. Show up early—this will most definitely sell out. With Yob, Wounded Giant. The Highline, 210 Broadway Ave. E., 328-7837, highlineseattle.com. 9 p.m. $16 adv./$18 DOS. 21 and over. JAMES BALLINGER

Sunday, May 18

The Kyle Gass Band Though he’s made a name as half of comedy-rock band Tenacious D, Kyle Gass’ skills as a singer, guitarist, and flutist (really) are no joke. Gass, along with members of his now-defunct side project Trainwreck and Tenacious D touring guitarist John Konesky, create solid rock jams that wouldn’t be out of place at your favorite local bar. With Sonny Votolato & the Groupons, Scarves. The Crocodile. 8 p.m. $15. All ages. AZARIA C. PODPLESKY

Doom-metal pioneer Saint Vitus is celebrating 35 years of slow, sludgy, Sabbath-inspired metal. Pitchfork said its 2012 LP Lillie: F-65, its first in 17 years, was “flush with renewed energy.” Not bad for a bunch of 50-something metal lifers. With Mos Generator, Sons of Huns. The Highline. 9 p.m. $15 adv./$17 DOS. 21 and over. DL

L.A.’s Failure were lost among the grunge clones who clogged alternative radio in the ’90s—which is too bad, since its songs were better and more sonically intricate than most everybody else’s. Fifteen years later, the band’s enjoying a deserved renaissance. Make sure to get there early: The tour forgoes an opener for a longer set list. The Showbox. 8:30 p.m. $25 adv./$30 DOS. DL

Tuesday, May 20

If he weren’t headlining, Marcel Everett, aka XXYYXX, wouldn’t be allowed into this show. Just 18, the Florida-based electronic musician has already made a name for using lo-fi, ambient elements in singles like “Angel” and “Pay Attention” and remixing songs by heavy hitters like Tinashe, Usher, and Waka Flocka Flame. More power to you, kid. With Djao, Philip Grass. Neumos. 8 p.m. $15. 21 and over. ACP

Seattle-born, Norfolk, Va.-raised singer/multi-instrumentalist Kishi Bashi kicks off his second full-length, Lighght, with a 47-second violin solo. Near the end of the song, the line between what’s natural and what’s digitally manipulated blurs to create a frenetic sound somewhere between organic and experimental—wonder if he picked that up from his many shows opening for Of Montreal. Kishi Bashi’s versatile voice adds even more whimsy to the album. The Showbox. 9 p.m. $15 adv./$17 DOS. All ages. ACP

Feel-good indie-poppers Matt Pond PA

celebrate the 10th anniversary of its album Emblems by playing it in its entirety, but there’s plenty of other material to draw upon as well, like last year’s equally pleasing The Lives Inside the Lines in Your Hand. With The Lighthouse and the Whaler. The Tractor, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599, tractortavern.com. 8:30 p.m. $15. 21 and over. DL

Suzanne Vega’s cool and restrained vocal style leads one to wonder what it is about a singer that makes him or her good. Her easy, sing-song speaking wouldn’t be particularly interesting were it not for the mysterious subtleties of corruption and innocence she weaves into her lyrics. Her melodies are engaging but simple nonetheless. Yet in the seven years since the release of her last album of new material, the artist has been capitalizing on that catalog—which includes the most recognized song about child abuse, “Luka,” and the one about the famous Seinfeld hangout, “Tom’s Diner”—with a four-volume series, “Close-Up,” which reinterprets those songs and culminates in a four-disc set this August. Her latest album, Tales From the Realm of the Queen of Pentacles, dropped in February. With Ari Hest. The Triple Door, 216 Union St., 838-4333, thetripledoor.net. 7 p.m. all ages, 10 p.m. 21 and over. $25–$50 adv. JM