Weekly Music Agenda
MONDAY
>>Plenty of tickets still remain for As I Lay Dying's 9:30 headlining show with August Burns Red, Evergreen Terrace (possibly the least hardcore name for a hardcore band ever), and Still Remains. Do you really want to wake up Tuesday knowing you missed this chance? $20, Doors at 7 p.m.
TUESDAY
>>It sure is an eclectic week, and Tuesday's best bet is high lonesome cowpokes Riders in the Sky at the Birchmere. With a mix of traditional cowboy tunes, clever originals, comedy and some wacky covers, Ranger Doug, Too Slim, Joey, and Woody Paul make up the rare act that can entertain the hell out of just about every age group. 7:30 p.m. $25.
WEDNESDAY
>>Lupe Fiasco's been sold out for a while, but a limited number of Craigslist options remain. 7:30 p.m.
>>Missed out on Lupe Fiasco tickets? How about dancing to some lively Cajun tunes in a "barn" in the suburbs in the middle of winter instead? Awww, come on...Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys come to the Barns at Wolf Trap. 8 p.m., $20.
>>Another enticing Wednesday night alternative: The Click Five at Jammin' Java. You remember The Click Five, right? Power-pop boy-band that plays on a float in the Macy's Day Parade every year? On permanent rotation on the Gold's Gym music video station? Still nothing? Well, here's your chance. $15, 7:30 p.m.
THURSDAY
>>Country fans don't always get a ton of love from the District's concert listings, but if you can make a quick trip over to Alexandria this week, you can get Phil Vassar at the Birchmere. His latest hit, "Love is a Beautiful Thing", is already climbing the Nashville charts ahead of the full-album (Prayer of a Common Man) release in April. Sadly, this one's already sold out, and Craig only has one listing. 7:30 p.m.
>>Longtime DCist favorites Robbers on High Street make the trek down from New York to play the District yet again. Definitely the best bet in a quiet week for rock. They're playing with the Zulu Pearls. DC9, doors at 8:30 p.m., $10.
FRIDAY
>>A solid, full bill of local bands at the Rock and Roll Hotel on Friday night. Army of Me; The Dance Party; Exit Clov; Goodnight, States; and DJ Cale make up the best place this week to hear what D.C.'s finest are up to in the new year. Doors 8 p.m., $10.
SATURDAY
>>The Velvet Lounge might be changing owners, but the hits keep on coming. A Sunny Day in Glasgow -- straight out of Philly and getting some decent buzz for their throwback shoegazed rock -- headline Saturday night with psych-revivalists Screen Vinyl Image, local psychsters Twin Earth, and The Offering.
>>Since we last caught The Hatch, they've been a busy group: Finalists on Fox's Next Great American Band, countless road trips and tour stops, and a film score of The Merry Gentlemen (debuted at Sundance last week) by lead singer Sean Douglas. They bring their soul and funk-laced rock back to D.C., this time to The Rock and Roll Hotel with Stella Mira, Imperial China, and Caverns. Doors at 8:30 p.m., $10.
>>For a change of pace, mood, scenery, and attire, D.C.'s very own variety and performance show, Crack, debuts their latest offering, Crack 5: The Circus, at DC9. We're talking "Queeny Drag Clowns and Clowny Drag Queens", contortionists, naked jump-ropers -- the works. $8, 10 p.m.