There’s good reason why Wild Orchid Children’s sound is so hard to define – the amount of conflicting elements in the band can be overwhelming. Kirk Huffman’s voice is eerily reminiscent of Zach De La Rocha’s, near-shouting and impossible to ignore. Thomas Hunter and Ryan Van Wieringen’s guitars are pure psychedelic rock, prone to solos and drawn-out jams. Members of the band also moonlight with the experimental music amalgamation Kay Kay and his Weathered Underground and once played in Gatsbys American Dream, a pop-hardcore-synth fusion band. Perhaps the only way to actually define Wild Orchid Children is by the drums – they’re the most consistent and persistent instrument in their songs, always echoing, always driving the beat, no matter how many tempo changes a single song has. It’s like listening to improvisational jazz, if it were performed by a drum circle—on acid. With Strong Killings. PAIGE RICHMOND

Thu., March 18, 9 p.m., 2010