Friday, May 23

Lonesome Shack, Columbia City Theater. Read our review of the blues trio’s latest, More Primitive,

here

.

In conjunction with Folklife, Punk as Folk will offer an evening of earnest balladeers harnessing the tenacity of Black Flag. Between sets by bands like gypsy-punks the Bad Things and Chumbawumba (yes, the “Tubthumper” band), co-founder Danbert Nobacon will act as emcee. With Lone Madrone, Future Fridays, the Mongrel Jews, Strangely, Danbert Nobacon, the Bad Things. Conor Byrne, 5140 Ballard Ave. N.W., 784-3640, conorbyrnepub.com. 9 p.m. $10. 21 and over. DH

Sasquatch! Music Festival, the Gorge Amphitheater. See our preview

here

.

Rainfest, Neumos. Read our fest preview

here

.

Hugh Laurie and the Copper Bottom Band Face it: You’re probably going to this show to see if Dr. House can really play the piano. He can. On his second album, Didn’t it Rain, Laurie moves “deeper into the forest of American music that has enchanted me since I was a small boy,” and curates a diverse collection of Americana. The Paramount. 8 p.m. $31.25–$61.25. MICHAEL F. BERRY

Folklife Festival, Seattle Center. Through Monday. See our preview

here

.

Despite collaborating with some of the top names in the game—Eminem, Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes, and Kendrick Lamar—and releasing 14 studio albums, Tech N9ne still isn’t a household name. It’s certainly not for lack of lyrical skill, diverse musical interests, or even a savvy business mind—he founded his own record label, Strange Music. With Freddie Gibbs, Krizz Kaliko, Jarren Benton, Psych Ward Druggies, Neema. Through Sat. (Also with Knothead.) Showbox SoDo, 1700 First Ave. S., 652-0444, showboxonline.com. 9 p.m. $28.50 adv./$32.50 DOS. MFB

Saturday, May 24

Editor’s Note:

In recognition of one of Seattle Weekly’s own—Kelton Sears, an indispensable voice in our editorial corral—and his band Kithkin’s huge accomplishment of releasing a kick-ass debut record with a rad label AND landing a screaming spot at Sasquatch!, we’re reprising this blurb we ran a few weeks back to preview a very important show tonight. We love Kelton for so many reasons, and one is that he is as humble as his band is awesome (but we can’t help but pimp the guy, because he makes us look so damn good). So check out this show! Kithkin officially releases Rituals, Trances & Ecstasies for Humans in Face of the Collapse, tonight.

Now about that blurb:

He doesn’t know I’m writing this listing and would almost certainly object to its inclusion, but one of the members of Kithkin is in fact a Seattle Weekly staffer. His stage name is either Tin Woodsman or Shredder, I can’t remember which. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that Kithkin deserves praise and an audience for the rumbling, effusive spirit-rock that it has dubbed “treepunk.” Conflict of interest be damned—the quartet’s debut, Rituals, Trances & Ecstasies for Humans in Face of the Collapse, is that rarest of things: exactly what it says it is. All ages. With Master Musicians of Bukkake, The Hoot Hoots, Sisters. The Crocodile. 8 p.m. $8. MSB

I think of Christina Perri as the tattooed minstrel of tragic love. Rough with emotion, her plaintive voice resurrects every bit of unrequited yearning we agonized through as pimply teenagers. Her lyrics occasionally cross from soulful to eye-roll-worthy—e.g., “You’re going to catch a cold from the ice inside your soul” from her early hit “Jar of Hearts.” Her contribution to the Twilight: Breaking Dawn—Part 1 soundtrack, “A Thousand Years,” was more evolved than “Jar of Hearts,” still wistful but not nauseatingly so. Perri’s latest album, Head or Heart, has a more mature (but no less lovelorn) vibe. Her newest hit, “Human,” is, no surprise, a melancholy ballad. Though Perri’s voice still has a somewhat prepubescent vibe, her range and emotive quality make up for it. There’s a reason her U.S. tour has been selling out. Bring a box of tissues. With Birdy. Through Sunday. The Neptune. 8 p.m. $30. JN

Sunday, May 25

You’d be hard-pressed to find an early rock star whom Ramblin’ Jack Elliott didn’t influence, either directly or via Dylan, the Stones, and countless others. At 82, he’s still on the road, still telling great stories, and still interpreting folk and blues songs in magical ways. He truly is the last of a dying breed of folk troubadours. With Nell Robinson, Jim Nunally. The Triple Door, 216 Union St., 838-4333, thetripledoor.net. 7:30 p.m. $20 adv./$25 DOS/$30 VIP. DJL