The Bird And The Bee, Thursday, February 12: In 1928, Cole Porter penned the ribald aEœLetaE™s Do It, LetaE™s Fall in LoveaE with the immortal lines aEœBirds do it, bees do it/Even educated fleas do it/LetaE™s do it, letaE™s fall in love.aE Soon, aEœthe birds and the beesaE became the chief euphemism for explaining sexual intercourse to children, since people were too chickenshit to call it what it really was. In 2006, L.A. duo The Bird and the Bee brought it all full circle by naming their debut single aEœFucking Boyfriend.aE Strange how times change. And yet how they donaE™t: Vocalist Inara George (aEœBirdaE) sings like an old-timey cabaret-jazz chanteuse, all smoky and sultry and sexy. And yet how they do: Producer/beatmaster Greg Kurstin (aEœBeeaE)aE”whoaE™s worked with Lily Allen, Beck, the Flaming Lips, and othersaE”makes effervescent, retro-futuristic soundscapes that range from electro-pop to trip-hop and kitschy lounge-pop. ItaE™s all sparkly and fun, like a diamond. Or like their new tune aEœDiamond Dave,aE in which George reveals a major-league crush on the erstwhile Van Halen frontman. Try explaining that one to your kids. With Obi Best. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8000. 8 p.m. $10 adv./$12 DOS. Note by MICHAEL ALAN GOLDBERG

Blake Lewis, Thursday, February 12: ItaE™s been a rough few years for Seattle native Blake Lewis. After gaining a nation of fans on Season 6 of American IdolaE”his beatboxed rendition of aEœYou Give Love a Bad NameaE springs to mindaE”Lewis appears to be on a slow decline. In December 2007 he released A.D.D. (Audio Day Dream) to mixed reviews but high chart performance. Six months later he was dropped by his record label, Arista. But as any bow-tie wearing beatboxer knows, you canaE™t keep Lewis down forever. Apparently, heaE™s still recording, since he told MTV News last June he had four new tracks completed. At that rate, the artist also known as aEœBShortyaE has probably written a whole albumaE™s worth of Justin TimberlakeaE“inspired material by now. ItaE™s hard to say, since none of those tracks have been posted on his Web site or leaked on the Internet. So seeing the blond boy wonder live might be the only chance for SeattleaE™s diehard Lewis fans to sample his latest musical stylings. For the rest of us, hereaE™s hoping he sticks with Bon Jovi covers. Nectar Lounge, 412 N. 36th St 632-2020. 8 p.m., $25. Note by PAIGE RICHMOND

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Thursday, February 12: One of the very few positives from Hurricane Katrina (perhaps the only one, unless you count Brad PittaE™s architecture hobby or Kanye WestaE™s nationally-broadcast sentiment regarding George WaE™s feelings towards black people) was the renewed interest it sparked in the cityaE™s deeply rooted jazz and blues history. Perhaps no other New Orleans band today is a better example of this revival than The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. For those unfamiliar with the Southern powerhouse, Dirty Dozen, in a sense, did for the New Orleans Dixieland sound what Martin, Medeski, and Wood did for jazz: made it cool and accessible to a generation that had forgotten the glory of screaming horns. Constantly touring since the early 1980s, Dirty Dozen continues to meld traditional standards into modern concoctions infused with youthful funk and just a twinge of rockabilly and bebopaE”a sound so lively that itaE™s attracted the likes of Modest Mouse (who used The Dirty Dozen on Good News for People Who Love Bad News) as well as the Black Crowes, Elvis Costello, and Galactic. TheyaE™re known for their lively showmanship, so go prepared to dance and sweat and get in touch with those Southern roots youaE™ve denied for so long. With Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Lilla DaE™Mone & Brazilian Lions. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467. 7 p.m. $18. Note by RAECHEL SIMS MP3: I Shall Not Be Moved

Dave Alvin, Thursday, February 12: ItaE™s a fact: Old punks donaE™t die, they just turn country. And for that, we have Dave Alvin to thankA .A .A .A partially, at least. Alvin and his brother Phil were catalysts in the great country-punk wave of the aE™80s, which was led by their blues-rock band the Blasters, as well as their Slash Records labelmates X and The Gun Club (both of whom Alvin played guitar for briefly). Alvin left the Blasters in 1986, and has released top-notch Americana records ever since, including 2000aE™s Grammy-winning collection of American folk songs, Public Domain. Like his California brethren Dwight Yoakam and Merle Haggard, Alvin has a dry, arid voice and a sun-baked guitar style. His songs are often steeped in his knowledge of American music, but resist all notions of bookishness. Currently, heaE™s touring in support of The Best of the Hightone Years, which collects 18 tracks (chosen by Alvin himself) from his years with Bruce BrombergaE™s Americana label. A blend of folk, blues, classic country, R&B, and rockabilly, Hightone Years serves as a fine introductory lesson not just to Alvin himself but to American roots music as a whole. With Martha Scanlan. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599. 8 p.m. $20. Note by BRIAN J. BARR

Dancing On The Valentine, Saturday, February 14: Hey, you know whataE™s better than supporting a Hallmark-spawned holiday and having a bunch of mediocre sex? Going to a concert. Specifically, Factory RecordsaE™ Leukemia Lymphoma Society Benefit at Chop Suey this February 14. Think about it: nine performing acts, a good cause, and a great excuse to get out of an inevitably lame date. (aEœYeah, the movie sounds funA .A .A .A but IaE™m going to go help raise money for cancer research instead. Sorry.aE) Plus, itaE™s a chance to see the elusive Haunted Horse, the delightful concoction of members from SeattleaE™s PartMan PartHorse and lovable Goths Haunted Hearts. If you really have a hankering for mediocre sex, IaE™m sure that could still happen later in the night, but you just might meet a fellow cancer-fighting humanitarian with real bedroom skills while youaE™re at the show. What do you have to lose? With Peter Parker, Hotels, Police Teeth, Haunted Horse, Leaders of Men, Motorik, This Is Friendly Fires, Funkscribe, Atticus & The Arteries. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8000. 8 p.m. $10. Note by RAECHEL SIMS

Nappy Roots, Saturday, February 14: Southern-bred hip-hop group Nappy Roots fell off the mainstream music radar shortly after the success of their 2002 album Watermelon,A Chicken & Gritz. They feuded with their label, Atlantic Records, and their sophomore album received little attention from the public. But after a five-year hiatus, Nappy Roots are back. The Humdinger marks the groupaE™s first effort as independent artists and as a quintet (member R. Prophet left to pursue a solo career). It exudes authenticity, brimming with personal anecdotes and socially conscientious lyrics about growing up poor in the South. Standout tracks like aEœSmall TownaE and aEœDown aE™NaE™ OutaE are as infectiousaE”if not moreaE”than their past hits aEœPoaE™ FolksaE and aEœAwnaw.aE The country boysaE™ return to the stage this evening should provide a much-needed breath of fresh air in a scene that too often relies on bravado without the substance to back it up. With Sonny Bonoho, Direct Supply, DJ Swervewon. Nectar Lounge, 412 N. 36th St., 632-2020. 9 p.m. $10. Note by ERIKA HOBART

Don Caballero, Tuesday, February 17: Led by drummer Damon Che, the mostly instrumental Pittsburgh band Don Caballero got its start in 1991 playing an especially knotty, roiling, metallic brand of mathy post-rock that sometimes sounded like Slint on crystal meth and steroids. For all the anarchic, experimental turbulence in their tunes, there was definitely method to the madness; Che was and is a first-class, sophisticated arranger and player with a clear vision for the group. That may be why heaE™s been branded aEœdifficult,aE or why Don Cab has endured long hiatuses and wholesale lineup changes in its history (CheaE™s the only remaining original member). Last fallaE™s Punkgasm is still complex and dynamic, but overall itaE™s probably the most straightforward and accessible album Don CabaE™s offered to date. With sBach, dd/mm/yyyy. El Corazon, 109 Eastlake Ave. E., 381-3094. 8 p.m. $13 adv./$15 DOS. Note by MICHAEL ALAN GOLDBERG MP3: Savage Composition

Afro-Cuban Allstars, Tuesday, February 17: Whenever musicologists study the colorful sounds of the Cuban diaspora, itaE™s nearly impossible for them not to mention the modern-day contributions of composer Juan de Marcos GonzA¡lez and his Afro-Cuban All-Stars. The revolving group of musicians first made their mark on American audiences in 1994, a time when long overdue praise was getting showered upon CubaaE™s slightly more popular Buena Vista Social Club. That band, which included Ibrahim Ferrer, Omara Portuondo, and a host of other salsa and son legends, was actually being led by GonzA¡lez, not Ferrer, when traveling producer Ry Cooder showed up in Havana to cut a record. After an eponymous album was released and a subsequent documentary about the BVSC took the groupaE™s fame to an all-time high, GonzA¡lez utilized the exposure for his own Afro-Cuban All-Star project. (ThereaE™s always been overlap between the two salsa groups, rhythmically and personnel-wise). Although the All-Stars spent close to a decade touring the globe promoting the sweaty Latin dance music that used to entertain rebels like Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, after a national security freeze in 2001, they found it hard to obtain American visas. Their U.S. touring stopped completely in 2003, and itaE™s only now that all the band members have intentionally gained citizenship in other countries so that they can tour gringolandia once again. YouaE™ll have to head to Tacoma to see the show, but if you dig authentic Latin sounds, thereaE™s no other place youaE™d rather be on a Tuesday night. Broadway Center for the Performing Arts, 901 Broadway, Seventh Floor, 253-591-5582. 7:30 p.m. $32aE“$56. Note by JONATHAN CUNNINGHAM