[Wednesday, September 24] Break out the MAC eyeliner and start pasting down your unwashed locks into an immovable side-part: Shiny Toy Guns are bringing their confection-loving, industrial-inspired sound to Nectar for a night of all-ages lovin’ in support of their new album, Season of Poison. Hoping that the third timeaE™ll be the charm, the band unleashes its newest female vocalist Sisely Treasure on the new single Ricochet, a taunting, sing-song accusation set to a backdrop of raging guitars. With the Delta Fiasco, Jonezetta. Nectar, 412 N. 36th St., 632-2020. 7 p.m., $16 adv. All ages. Listen to Ricochet.

[Wednesday, September 24] New Zealand sits on the far side of the Pacific Ocean, an island with North America to its east and Africa to its west. Auckland’s the Ruby Suns, duo Ryan McPhun and Amee Robinson, have used this geography to their advantage, sampling some of the best pop styles from either side of the island: the band’s latest album, Sea Lion, sits squarely between Western and African pop, incorporating off beat rhythms, lyrics in Masai, fuzzed out keyboard effects, and hand claps. CafAc Venus/Mars Bar, 609 Eastlake Ave. E., 624-4516. 9 p.m., $6. Listen to Tane Mahuta.

[Thursday, September 25 through Saturday, September 27] If I could dance worth a damn, I might have turned out to be one of those chicks you see on the floor at all the rockabilly shows. The ones with perfectly-coiffed bouffants and crimson lipstick that look like theyaE™ve stepped out of a time warp mid-Texas Tommy. But even if you, too, are shitty at swing dancing, you should still go and watch the people who can swing dance to some of SeattleaE™s finest rockabilly bands (like the Black Crabs), not to mention touring acts like AustinaE™s Miss Lauren Marie. Watch out, kids, because this shackaE™s not just shakinaE™; itaE™s coming down. With Little Rachel, the Royal Deuces, Dusty Chance & the All Nighters, Slim Sandy and more. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599. 3-day pass $50, 8 p.m., $18.

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[Friday, September 26] If your first exposure to Seattle-based, Indianapolis-born emcee Indijinis is his song The Stand, you might be surprised to learn that he spent seven years in the U.S. Marine Corps. That song starts thusly: The military industrial complex/Who the fuck you gonna bomb next? Political? Just a touch. But if a person who’s been in the service hasn’t earned the right to speak about its flaws, no one has. With Dimmak, Alpha-P, Neema, Mr. Hill. Jewelbox/Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave., 441-5823. 10 p.m., $5. Listen to The Stand.

[Monday, September 29] I have to admit I had a laugh at the way a music critic at British rag The Independent recently savaged the frontman of London indie-folk quartet Noah and the Whale: aEœCharlie Fink has a promising future as every Jack Johnson fans’ eighth-favourite singer and as a supreme irritant to the rest of us.aE Why the hate? Well, Fink and company play acoustic guitar, ukelele, violin, glockenspiel, and French horn (and sometimes whistle gaily), and sing smartly about love, death and going to the zoo with maximum amounts of coy charm. With Lindi Ortega, Grand Hallway. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8000. 8 p.m. Free. Listen to Sometimes.

[Monday, September 29] I never really gave Cold War Kids a fair shake until the 2008 Sasquatch! Festival. After Rainn Wilson (the guy who plays Dwight on The Office, for the five people out there who donaE™t already know that) mentioned to me that the group we were sitting by happened to be one of his favorites, I caught the SoCal indie foursome live and gave them a closer listen. It was lucky that I did. Cold War Kids have captured a catchy, melodic sound that’s accented by Nathan Willett’s unique brand of vocals, and their stage presence only makes it better. With Sean Hayes. Showbox at the Market, 1426 1st Ave., 628-3151. 8 p.m., $17. All ages. Listen to Something Is Not Right With Me.

[Monday, September 29] Have you seen the cover of the new Jackson Browne album? My God aE” he looks like the Dude from The Big Lebowski, which just might be intended. Time the Conqueror, his first album of new material in six years, is a collection of earnest, political folk music from an ancient hippie who, just like the Dude, didnaE™t get the memo that the aE˜60s died a long time back. McCaw Hall, 301 Mercer St. (Seattle Center). 7:30 p.m., $35-$59.50. All ages. Listen to These Days.

[Tuesday, September 30] The Strokes have been on hiatus since 2006, and with no plans to reconvene until next year at the earliest, some of its members have been off doing musical side projects. Most visible thus far has been guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr., whoaE™s released two solo albums since aE™06, but drummer Fabrizio Moretti is now getting into the act with his new band, Little Joy. The handful of tracks posted on their MySpace page finds the band happily engaging in laid-back, surfy aE™60s garage-pop with languid vocals straight out of the Strokes playbook.With Megapuss, Entrance. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467. 8 p.m., $15 adv. Listen to Brand New Start.

[Tuesday, September 30] Hater hasnaE™t stirred a lot of online fanfare for its first gig in more than ten years. Perhaps Hater doesnaE™t need to do much Web promotion, because with Chris Cornell preparing to unleash a disastrous misfire (check YouTube for aEœWatch Out,aE the worst of his Timbaland collaborations) and with aEœKim Thayil works at CinnabonaE rumors circulating thanks to The Onion, Soundgarden fans desperately crave the reassurance of seeing the bandaE™s erstwhile rhythm section engaged in respectable musical employment. With the Cops, the Curious Mystery. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599. 9 p.m., $12. Listen to Whatsever.