Thursday 11
Bar Pink books a doozie of a double-bill tonight and one of this week’s many sets-to-see, so let’s hop to: U.K. quartet Lovvers will woo you with the blown tones off their art-punk debut OCD Go Go Go Girls, a collection that recalls Butthole Surfers and Flipper, but, you know, anglophilically. (That a word?) Also, they’re quite handsome. Lovvers will hook up with garage-punks Abe Vigoda at the North Park hot spot. Abe Vigoda came up in L.A.’s artsy Smell scene, and their very recommendable '08 long-player Skeleton is still doing time in the truck’s carousel.... Notable locals the Beaters, Maren Parusel, Jenn Grinels, and Wirepony fill a smorgasbord of a bill at the Belly Up. This one’s brought to you by CityBeat, propping this week’s expertly handled local-music issue.... Cuban heartthrob Jon Secada brings the Latin party pop offa last year’s Expressions to Anthology. Dude was an advisor to W?... Tape Deck Mountain, Writer, and Primitive Noyes play a tonal triple bill at Tin Can Ale House. Finally caught a TDM set last week, and it’s pretty compelling stuff live and loud. They’re just back from Noise Pop and are off next week, with Writer, to SXSW. Go wish ‘em luck.... Ruby Room has new noise group Knockout Bell playing foil to straight-ahead alt-poppers Vinyl Film and Sour Soul, who are up from Mexico City.

Friday 12
Seattleites and ex–Pretty Girls Make Graves trio the Cave Singers come to Casbah Friday night with fellow Nor’westers the Dutchess and the Duke and the Moondoggies. The Cave Singers’ Welcome Joy (Matador) was a folk-rocking standout last year. Bend an ear here: myspace.com/thecavesingers.... Vallejo, CA’s Earl Stevens, aka E-40, is set to rock the mic at 4th&B Friday night. The West Coast rapper is a word whiz of the Bay Area varietal — heavy on the snark, light on the beats. Still and all, a 40 of fun.... SanFran psych-pop band Thee Oh Sees are sharing the van to Austin with Bay Area buds the Baths. They’ll make a pit stop at Bar Pink to share a show with the Irish Buddy Holly, So Cow, a guitar-pop guy whose s/t debut has him playing some sweet sets at SXSW.... Acousticats Tim Barry (of punk band Avail), Possessed by Paul James, John Meeks, and Brian Holwerda are all on tap at Soda Bar if yer feeling folksy.... L.A.’s dynamic duo El Ten Eleven (“Kraftwerk in the Sky,” says the Onion) will join Chula Vista alt-rockers Lyon Crowns and disco-house dudes Buddy Akai at Beauty Bar. This is an EP-release show for the Crowns, if you’ve been waiting on merch.

Saturday 13
The leather-clad lads from Northern Cal Black Rebel Motorcycle Club ride into House of Blues with rock-steady Athens band the Whigs. Fuzz-rocking BRMC have a new t’do in Beat the Devil’s Tattoo, which officially dropped last week. A February leak of the 16-song set had drownedinsound.com boasting that it’s the trio’s best set yet. (I was partial to acoustic-blues departure Howl, so I guess I’m out of the conversation.) The Whigs’ new one, In the Dark, is due to drop on Tuesday.... Joseph Shabalala’s South African choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo graces the stage at Anthology. The Grammy-winning nonet is best known for their work on Paul Simon’s world-pop smash Graceland.... English electro-pop dolly Little Boots steps into Casbah behind her debut Hands, which saw its U.S. release last week. Dragonette and Class Action will set the stage.... Jazz-n-funk showman Karl Denson and his Tiny Universe will fill the floor at Belly Up.... Up that way at the Ché Café, nu-math jam band WITT will rock the campus hot spot with Planets, Totally Serious, Census, George Pritzker, and Secondary.... While English duo Slow Club bring the folk-pop fare off of last year’s crit-pick Yeah So to Bar Pink. SanFran band Sleepy Sun sets the stage.

Sunday 14
Happy Pi Day! Yay, Archimedes of Syracuse! Yay, math! Yay, Quasi, which, like pi, is an approximation. Yay, segue! Sam and Janet and Joanna make up Portland indie-pop band Quasi, which will take the stage at Casbah after Explode into Colors, Pivot, and Little White Teeth. Sam and Janet and Joanna have a new record out on Kill Rock Stars called American Gong. A gong is a circle and pi...has something to do with circles. Yay, pi!

Monday 15
Canadian acoustic-rocker Matthew Good and Tampa band Automatic Loveletter do the Anti-Monday honors this week at Casbah. Or you could stay home and watch Big Bang Theory. That’s a funny show.

Tuesday 16
It’s Yeah Buddy Tuesday at Radio Room. You know, Yeah Buddy Tuesday, featuring Okay! Okay!, the Humans from Reno, One I Red, and Game On.

Wednesday 17
It’s been about five–six years since I slunk my way through Xiu Xiu’s Fabulous Muscles, each track piling goose bumps on top of goose bumps — not in a Wow! way — and about the same time since I last saw Jamie Stewart perform. I was in L.A. People prodded me to go. I didn’t get it, but I was intrigued by this mad scientist of experimental art-faggery, like watching live erotica through plate glass. Not that I ever... “Demented disco!” a cohort drunkenly spat in my ear hole. Muscles creeped me out, but over the years, as “I Luv the Valley OH!” or “Fabulous Muscles” showed up on shuffle, I guess I’ve developed not just a taste but an affinity for Stewart’s very necessary fringe-pop. Xiu Xiu’s latest, Dear God, I Hate Myself, is a better entry point if any of this appeals to you. They play Casbah Wednesday night with Tune-Yards, which is solo singer Merrill Garbus. Her ukulele and throwback warble should set the stage nicely for what you’re about to watch.... Else: it’s fookin’ St. Patrick’s Day, right, so Belly Up stages local Irish-pub punks Lexington Field, Adam Gimbel’s Weezer trib Geezer, and calls in the Caburlesque Kittens and DJ Cat Man to distract you from the air of corned beef and cabbage farts.
— Barnaby Monk