Michael Vermillion got his start with alternative rock band Vendetta Red, but after the group disbanded in 2006, he released an alt-country album (Last Night On Earth) and has been DJing regularly under the tag Sad Bastard. True to his name, Vermillion spins some dreary tracks—sad country tunes by the likes of Merle Haggard and Hank Williams—and his woebegone sets have garnered a loyal following of folks who come together to drown their equally sorry tales in drink. For his live show, expect more of the same in an acoustic setting: lonesome ballads and alt-country twang, the kind of music that makes you want to hunker down at the bar and chase away your worries with a cold one. With Aaron Daniel, Mads Jacobsen. GWENDOLYN ELLIOTT
Sat., Feb. 11, 9:30 p.m., 2012