Petty Party/Wednesday, January 26

Combining peanut butter and chocolate was a great idea. So too is making sure to have a beer mug in the freezer at all times, so even warm Busch fetched five minutes ago at Albertsons gets down to drinking temperature really quickly. Casting Robert Downey Jr., Leslie Mann, Michael Keaton, or Paul Rudd in pretty much any movie are also fantastic ideas. Playing the Allman Brothers Band while on mushrooms has, was, and always will be a wonderful idea, likewise putting butter and gravy on mashed potatoes. And creating an alcoholic version of the Arnold Palmer called the John Daly? Fucking brilliant. Better than all these ideas, however, is a cover band devoted exclusively to the oeuvre of Tom Petty, perhaps the most underrated legend in rock history. Petty Party is such a band. Great idea. With the Golden Blondes, Pipsisewah. Comet Tavern, 922 E. Pike, 322-9272. 9 p.m. $6. MIKE SEELY

“I’m Comin’ Out”/Wednesday, January 26

Named for the first integrated jazz club in New York, Café Society formed last year as a monthly showcase for female artists in Seattle’s music scene—and tonight, in its first party of the year, the Society elevates two wildly deserving vocalists. Though best known for her appearances alongside hip-hop outfits like Mad Rad and Fresh Espresso, neo-soul songstress Shaprece makes her anticipated solo debut (hence the night’s theme), backed by a six-piece band only magnified by a handful of head-turning singles like December’s “Be Like You” and the more recent “Lift.” Support comes from Fly Moon Royalty, the duo of DJ/producer Action Jackson and vocalist Adra Boo, responsible for some of the catchiest hip-hop-influenced soul in the city. It’s a night for the ladies, but gentlemen would be wise to attend. With Rocco Deluca. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9442. 8 p.m. $7. NICK FELDMAN

Grace Potter & the Nocturnals/Thursday, January 27

Grace Potter has a killer voice—she’s a small-town girl from northern Vermont (she has a locally manufactured chocolate bar named after her), but girlfriend can belt it like the big-leaguers. Her throaty, hardy vocals recall a little bit of Janis, a little bit of Aretha—especially combined with the funky, brilliantly blues-infused sound of her band, the Nocturnals. The quintet released their third effort last year, an eponymous album produced by Mark Batson (Alicia Keys, Beyoncé); it’s a polished, jazzy affair that’s been earning the band legions of new fans based on the strength of fiery singles “Tiny Light” and “Paris (Ooh La La).” Seattle’s definitely fallen for Potter—tonight’s show is already sold out. With Chamberlin. Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-7416. 8 p.m. Sold out. ERIN K. THOMPSON

DJ Pauly D/Thursday, January 27

Guidos and guidettes, get ready to beat up the beat: Jersey Shore star Pauly D is in the DJ booth tonight. His appearance is sure to elicit as many groans as squeals, but even haters have to admit that of all the cast members on that addictive train-wreck of a show, Pauly D is the most tolerable. Sure, he spends an obscene amount of time on GTL (gym, tan, laundry), even ‘fessing up to owning a tanning bed in his home. But he also does an admirable job of avoiding the drama his often belligerently drunk housemates get into, focusing on scoring gigs at clubs rather than getting kicked out of them. And lastly, in his defense, the guy isn’t even from Jersey. He’s from Rhode Island. And he’s sort of cute. With DJ Mayhem. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151. 9:30 p.m. $20. All ages. ERIKA HOBART

Interpol/Friday, January 28

For New York City post-punk revivalists Interpol ever to match what they accomplished with their 2002 debut Turn on the Bright Lights—one of the most acclaimed albums of the decade—seems near-impossible. While two follow-ups, 2004’s Antics and 2007’s Love to Admire, were commendable, it’s hard not to sense that things are truly fizzling. Last year marked the departure of bassist Carlos Dengler, and also brought the band’s unremarkable self-titled fourth studio album, a complete snoozefest devoid of a single signature Interpol anthem. To avoid the nauseating question of whether this trio has much left in the tank, let’s hope some magic is recaptured onstage. With School of Seven Bells. Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-7416. 8 p.m. All ages. Sold out. BRYDEN MCGRATH

The Soft Hills/Friday, January 28

I have a problem with The Soft Hills’ name: It could just as easily describe a landscape painting in a dentist’s waiting room. Actually, it could be the name of one of my mom’s old landscape paint-by-number projects, which, with all due respect, are not art. But The Soft Hills makes music that is undeniably art—not business, not pop machine, but art. If these sounds were a painting, their warm, psych-folk glow would be the light of the surrealists. They would have borrowed Grizzly Bear’s canvas, Beach House’s colors, and Sigur Ros’ brushes, and returned them all ruined. And the soft hills stretched across the image would not be some overdone, unmoving pasture, but a spiraling, swarming, swirling desert expanse. With Karl Blau, the Pica Beats. Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave. N.W., 784-4880. 10 p.m. $8. MARY PAULINE DIAZ

The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger/Saturday, January 29

A few years ago, model and musician Charlotte Kemp Muhl met a young fellow with a familiar-sounding last name backstage at Coachella; they began dating and jokingly started a band named after a play Muhl had written when she was 7. Muhl’s new man was Sean Lennon, the band was called The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, and it has since been upgraded to a serious endeavor. The duo’s first LP, last fall’s Acoustic Sessions, is dense and dreamy, inspired by the copious amounts of Syd Barrett, Os Mutantes, and White Noise the pair ingested while they wrote it. “We are big fans of the experimental ‘folky’ music from the ’60s,” she notes. Just don’t expect them to do the same on their follow-up. “We have evolved into a full-fledged rock band,” says Muhl. “We’re already working on an electric psychedelic rock album.” With Laura Gibson. Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-7416. 8 p.m. $12. ERIN K. THOMPSON

Mac Miller/Saturday, January 29

Pittsburgh hip-hop earned its place on the map last year, mostly thanks to Wiz Khalifa’s anthemic jams, and hot on his tail is young gun Mac Miller. Trying to step out from under the shadow of his big homie and Rostrum Records labelmate, Miller—who, by the way, just recently snapped up his high-school diploma—embarked on his “Incredibly Dope Tour” supporting his latest mixtape K.I.D.S. (Kickin’ Incredibly Dope Shit) and its deep bench of playful weed-laced rhymes that mesh well with an effortless flow. In the end, he comes off as the kid everyone liked in high school, and his skillfully laid-back tunes can jump between cliques just as well. With Logics. Vera Project, 305 Harrison St., 956-8372. 8:30 p.m. Sold out. All ages. NICK FELDMAN

Daniel Lanois’ Black Dub/Tuesday, February 1

Black Dub’s music sounds like what you’d expect from a collaboration between throaty vocalist Trixie Whitley and French-Canadian super-producer Daniel Lanois: a heady mix of soulful blues, funk, and reggae that would seem out of place in any venue that isn’t lit exclusively by votive candles. Lanois is the mastermind behind the group’s eponymous first album, the release of which was delayed after he was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident last July. A protégé of Brian Eno as accomplished behind the soundboards as any producer, Lanois—who rocks a shaman look that probably doesn’t get him any second glances in his adopted hometown of New Orleans—has won multiple Grammys for his work with icons like Peter Gabriel, the Neville Brothers, U2, and Bob Dylan. Expect a show steeped in atmospherics, and watch that you don’t blow out the lights. With Rocco DeLuca. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9442. 8 p.m. $17.50. CALEB HANNAN

Lord Huron/Tuesday, February 1

For a one-man outfit, Benji Schneider’s lordship at first seems pretty divided: bright calypso beats, yarny folk harmonies a la Fleet Foxes, and a wanderlust akin to Zach Condon’s. On paper it sounds like either an indie Frankenstein, an indie gimmick, or both. But on his EPs and onstage, Schneider’s savvy balance charges refreshing new life into folk on the one hand and tempers steel drums with a hazy swirl on the other. Having written his brilliant blends in Michigan, New York, France, Indonesia, and Mexico, Lord Huron doesn’t just throw sounds together seeking to please; he only seeks to rest his head. With Tennis, Air Waves. Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-7416. 8 p.m. $12. MARY PAULINE DIAZ