Wednesday, Nov. 27

Swearin’ & Waxahatchee Allison Crutchfield and her twin sister Kate played together in P.S. Eliot before going their separate ways. Allison formed Swearin’; Kate, Waxahatchee. Both bands released sophomore albums this year: Swearin’s Surfing Strange finds Allison testing her musical boundaries, while Waxahatchee’s Cerulean Salt has received well-deserved critical acclaim. With Dead Bars. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8005, chopsuey.com. 8 p.m. $10/$12 DOS. MICHAEL F. BERRY

Sol and Friends Sol left Seattle after selling out the Showbox and spent most of 2012 traveling the world. His third album, Eyes Open, gives us a window seat to his journey of self-discovery. He’ll perform his new material with a live band for the first time in Seattle. With Sam Lachow, Dave B. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151, showboxonline.com. 8 p.m. SOLD OUT. MFB

Cascadia ’10 While the Northwest might seem like a strange place to birth an Afrobeat band, Cascadia ’10 is the real deal. Swaggering horn sections and the tightest rhythm section in town have turned both young and old into limber dancers at past Cascadia ’10 shows, and tonight will be no different. With Down North, The Real Don Music. Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave. N.W., 784-4880, sunsettavern.com. 9 p.m. $8. 21 and over. KELTON SEARS

Thursday, Nov. 28

Taj Mahal Trio For eight nights, Seattle will be the home of legendary blues master Taj Mahal, who’s been visiting Seattle for Thanksgiving for close to 20 years now. To refer to him as strictly a blues artist, however, is a total undersell. Certainly he’s most widely known and regarded for playing the blues, but his music has always been more diverse than that. With Taj Mahal, you get jazz, wild global beats, and rhythms from places like the Caribbean, Africa, and Latin America. You get a musician proficient in over 20 instruments (ukulele, guitar, banjo, piano, etc.). And though it’s been some time since his last studio record, 2008’s Maestro, Mahal, with a back catalog of 25 solo records to draw from, could perform from here to Christmas and not play the same tune twice. Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave., 441-9729, jazzalley.com. Through Dec. 1. 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. $32.50. CORBIN REIFF

Friday, Nov. 29

A Tribute to Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground As has been oft-repeated since Lou Reed passed away late last month, the prolific songwriter once said, “One chord is fine. Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you’re into jazz.” Those are the words of a poet who understands that feeling can always trump form. Playing Reed’s music, then, shouldn’t be too difficult for the artists gathering tonight to perform the songs that Reed first gave life to as a member of the Velvet Underground and in his uncompromising solo career. What will be difficult is facing the death of an iconic artist. Fortunately, Reed wrote some songs for just such an occasion. With Hounds of the Wild Hunt, Gibraltar, Bigfoot Wallace, Ruler, Invisible Shivers, Kevin Sur, Robert Deeble, Rob Femurs. Columbia City Theater, 4918 Rainier Ave. S., 723-0088, columbiacitytheater.com. 8 p.m. $6 adv./
$8 DOS. MARK S. BAUMGARTEN

Black Joe Lewis For its latest album, August’s Electric Slave, this Austin-based musician and his band may have dropped “& the Honeybears” from its name, but it’s kept the bluesy, horn-heavy grooves featured on their debut album, 2009’s Tell ’Em What Your Name Is!, and 2011’s Scandalous and added a bit of punk-rock attitude. With Radkey, Think No Think. The Neptune, 1303 N.E. 45th St., 682-1414, stgpresents.org/neptune. 9 p.m. $20 adv./$22 DOS. All ages. AZARIA C. PODPLESKY

No Rey As much as Seattle Weekly would love to take credit for its success (frontman Alejandro Garcia was our accommodating cover man a few years back), this multinational group, comprising members originally from Columbia, England, and Detroit, has a sound that speaks for itself. Think Rusted Root with a Latin flair. The five-piece releases its new LP, Untie Your Arms, tonight. With the Country Lips, the Swearengens, Aaron McDonnell & The Gospel Plow. Sunset Tavern. 10:30 p.m. $8. GWENDOLYN ELLIOTT

Saturday, Nov. 30

Ball of Wax Every three months, Levi Fuller tasks a cadre of inventive songwriters to compose and perform songs based on a different theme. Often Fuller must dream up the theme, but this go-round the universe delivered it. For the 34th installment of the Ball of Wax Audio Quarterly, he naturally asked musicians to write songs in ¾ time. They obliged, and the result is a stylistically diverse, time-signature-static collection from the likes of Virgin of the Birds, Sun Tunnels, Emiko Blalock, Bret Phillips’s Whole Halves, and Joshua Morrison’s St. Kilda. Some of these artists will join Fuller on stage tonight. Bring your waltzing partner. Conor Byrne, 5140 Ballard Ave. N.W., 784-3640, conorbyrnepub.com. 8:30 p.m. $7 (includes copy of Ball of Wax #34). MSB

The Dickies There wouldn’t be a Blink-182 or Green Day without the Dickies, who formed in 1977 and were one of the first bands to integrate melody, humor, and pop-culture references into punk rock. They were also the first California punk band to sign to a major label. That was 35 years ago, and the Dickies are still at it. With Dreadful Children, Go Like Hell, P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S., Poorsport. El Corazon, 109 Eastlake Ave. E., 262-0482, elcorazon.com. 8 p.m. $13 adv./
$15 DOS. DAVE LAKE

Movember Benefit Congrats! After a month of dealing with what I imagine to be a very itchy face (or itchy legs, ladies), you’ve survived Movember, the month-long no-shave movement (and global charity) meant to draw attention to men’s-health issues and raise funds for men’s-health programs. Celebrate the end of a hairy month (and show off that sweet beard) at this Movember event. With Vacant Seas, Oddeven, Sailor Mouth, Cutlass Supreme. The Highline, 210 Broadway Ave. E., 328-7837, highlineseattle.com. 9 p.m. $10 suggested donation. ACP

Benefit for La Luz The best thing about the local music community is that it’s just that: a community. One that celebrates the highs and comforts you through the lows, values that have recently been on display to a heartening degree. When surf-rock group La Luz was in a nasty car accident earlier this month (luckily, none of the four members were too severely injured—although their van and gear is another story), the city’s musicians and fans rallied, showing support any way they could: A donation jar was set up at the Neumos show the band had to cancel; rapper RA Scion donated all the proceeds from his album-release party to the girls; and Hardly Art, La Luz’s label, set up a PayPal account for them. And DJ Sharlese Metcalf and friends are lending a hand with this benefit show. JewelBox Theater, 2322 Second Ave., 441-5823, jewelboxtheater.com. 8 p.m. $10 suggested donation. 21 and over. ACP

Nothing against The Cave Singers, but opening band Pollens is the act to see on this bill. If you haven’t heard this band before, it’s a less-pretentious Dirty Projectors: six people clapping, bongoing, and harmonizing their way through songs whose time signatures are wild tangles of prime numbers. And while I’m probably not supposed to say it, the girls are total babes. The Neptune. 9 p.m. $20. All ages, bar with I.D. DANIEL PERSON

When Sandrider opened for Ty Segall a couple of months ago, Segall headbanged furiously in the audience and threw up the devil horns more than once. The band’s new album, Godhead, is the most rock-and-roll thing to come out of Seattle in a while, so prepare to get your face melted by the band’s Soundgarden-indebted shred. With Constant Lovers, Dust Moth. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467, neumos.com. 8 p.m. $10. 21 and over. KS

The Redwood Plan To see Lesli Wood perform with her band, The Redwood Plan, at Bumbershoot this past September was to see a performer in mid-stride. Clad in black beneath the blazing sun, Plan churned out driving, melodic post-punk songs from its latest, Green Light Go, while its leader, with her shock of bright red hair, pumped her knees and arms incessantly, bouncing in time to the beat. Tonight is the final chance to catch the band in this phase before it burrows under and starts working on new material. With The West, Black Swede. Sunset Tavern. 10 p.m. $8. MSB

Sunday, Dec. 1

24-year-old rapper/producer Iamsu! (aka Sudan Williams) has a firm grasp on the culture of his generation. His song “Hipster Girls,” off his latest mixtape, Kilt II, pays homage to the Los Angeles–bound, Urban Outfitters–frequenting girls on Instagram and Tumblr (those who tie flannels around their waist and are friends with promoters all over town), all in Su’s laid-back flow. With Sage the Gemini. Showbox at the Market. 8 p.m. $20 adv./$22 DOS. All ages. ACP

KC and the Sunshine Band This is a proper way to kick off a celebration of 40 years of American disco. Started in 1973 as a hybrid of R&B and Junkanoo street music, KC and the Sunshine Band flourished in the mid-’70s with songs like “Get Down Tonight” and “(That’s the Way) I Like It.” But when the disco ball stopped turning, so did the records made by KC and his dance-floor cohorts, including tonight’s other act, the Village People. Their sounds should be well-preserved. Snoqualmie Casino, 37500 S.E. North Bend Way, Snoqualmie, 425-888-1234, snocasino.com. 7 p.m. $40.55–$83.60 adv. MSB

Freedy Johnston He may make records at a slow-ish pace these days (his last album of new material came out in 2010), but his touring schedule is far from sluggish. The “Bad Reputation” singer is a tremendous troubadour, and the Tractor is the perfect venue for his intimate tales of complicated characters. With Barton Carroll. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599. tractortavern.com. 7 p.m. $12. 21 and over. DL

Tuesday, Dec. 3

Anna Oxygen A product of the early-’00s experimental-pop boomlet in Olympia that also gave us Tracy and the Plastics, Mirah, Mt. Eerie, and The Blow, Anna Oxygen made her mark with aerobics performances set to her lo-fi synth pop. Since moving to L.A. a few years back, she’s maintained a low profile as a musician (her last release was 2006’s This Is an Exercise). It’s not clear what she’ll bring to the stage tonight, but it should be memorable. With S, Childbirth. Chop Suey. 8 p.m. $8. MSB

Danielia Cotton There is such a natural grit to this New Jersey–born singer’s voice; whether she’s singing over pedal-to-the-metal rock riffs or taking things a bit slower on a bluesy tune, the attitude and emotion in it is immediately apparent. Her latest album, 2012’s The Gun in Your Hand, is a solid mix of Cotton’s two sides. With Jonny Marnell. El Corazon. 8 p.m. $8 adv./$10 DOS. 21 and over. ACP

Deck the Hall Ball In what is perhaps its most globally diverse lineup yet, 107.7 The End is back with another Deck the Hall Ball, now in its 22nd year. Scottish synth-poppers CHVRCHES (filling in for Tame Impala) will kick off the event. The first of three English bands, Foals, an indie-rock quintet from Oxford, will play next; followed by everyone’s favorite alt-pop princess, New Zealand’s Lorde, playing her second Seattle show this year (following a sold-out set at September’s Decibel Festival). Sheffield, England–based indie rockers Arctic Monkeys will play songs from their latest album, September’s AM, before fellow Brits (and Mercury Prize winners) Alt-J take the stage. Hometown heroes The Head and the Heart (whose latest album, Let’s Be Still, has received rave reviews since its October release) and French alt-rock quartet Phoenix will take the stage as well. New York’s Vampire Weekend round out the night with jams from its latest, Modern Vampires of the City. Whew! Better bring your dancing shoes. KeyArena, Seattle Center, 684-7200, keyarena.com. 3 p.m. 
$68 and up. All ages. ACP

Escondido This Nashville-based duo just released its debut, The Ghost of Escondido, in a town known for cranking out music at each end of the sonic spectrum: pop country and indie rock. They land somewhere in between. Escondido’s confluence of shoegazey reverb, singsongy vocals, and vaguely country tones is as much indie-pop as it is Americana. To put it another way, if you like Mazzy Star, Calexico, Bright Black Morning Light, Lana Del Rey, and the films of Sergio Leone, this band’s for you. With James Apollo, Grant Geertsma. Tractor Tavern. 8 p.m. $10. GWENDOLYN ELLIOTT

Ed Kowalczyk Although his former band members don’t want you to know it, Kowalczyk was the lead singer of Live. They parted ways in 2009, leaving him to pursue his personal vision. Since then, he’s released two solo albums; his second, The Flood and the Mercy, appeared in September. The “I Alone Acoustic” tour obviously recalls the title of one of Live’s big hits—and on this tour, Kowalczyk is performing songs that span his catalog—but his solo material is more introspective and varied (for better or worse) than his work with Live. His voice has lost some of its rasp and is much smoother now, and he’s been collaborating with a wide variety of musicians—most notably R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck, who played on half of Mercy. It will be interesting to see how some of his grunge anthems translate to a more intimate acoustic setting. With Callaghan. The Triple Door, 216 Union St., 838-4333, thetripledoor.net. 7:30 p.m. $35/$40/$45VIP DOS. MFB