Monday
>> The wye oak is Maryland's honorary state tree, so it makes sense that Baltimore duo Wye Oak chose to pilfer the moniker for their band: while essentially an indie-pop act, there's a woodsy, folky undercurrent that runs through the band's songs, rooting them to the folk traditions that once dominated the Mid-Atlantic. At the Black Cat with The Dead Science and Yukon, $8, 9 p.m.

>> As you read in our interview today, Billy McCarthy, frontman for Brooklyn indie-rock five-piece Pela, fell off of a stage in Chicago and landed on a stray pint glass earlier this year, lacerating his left hand and cutting a few tendons in his pinky finger. Less than two months, a surgery and some physical therapy later, McCarthy and the rest of the band are back on the road and they'll be checking into the Rock and Roll Hotel tonight. Go out and show some love for a real trooper--but for God's sake, watch where you put your glasses. With Fever and Red Racer, $10, 8 p.m.

>> It's a shame that Maryland indie-folk act Page France decided to call it quits (or at least call it hiatus) right as they were starting to hit their stride. At least we've still got The Cotton Jones Basket Ride, the latest project from Page France founder Michael Nau and a rotating cast of characters. They're embarking on their first national tour this week and will be making a stop at Iota in Clarendon. $10, 8:30 p.m.

Tuesday
>> Mario and Luigi. Batman and Robin. Simon and Garfunkel. There's something inexplicably lovable about a good duo, and if you agree that good things come in pairs, you'll want to head down to the Black Cat's backstage for a night of duos. Portland's The Helio Sequence pens indie-rock songs with electronic embellishments while Philly's Pattern Is Movement craft minimalist tunes out of repeating patterns and theatrical vocals. $10, 9 p.m.

>> Folk-infused singer-songwriter and sometimes Decemberists collaborator Laura Veirs was over at the Dupont Circle Olsson's Books & Records performing a free instore show at lunch today, but if you missed it, she'll be moonlighting at Jammin' Java in Vienna tonight. $15, 8 p.m.

>> We've spilled more than enough virtual ink over Carol Bui in the past, so we'll leave it at this: if you haven't managed to see her yet, you really should. She'll be playing DC9 tonight, opening up for Milwaukee punks Call Me Lightning, $8, 9 p.m.

Wednesday
>> When it comes to L.A. punk, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more seminal act than X. The band reformed in 2004 after a decade-long hiatus and has been playing well-received reunion gigs ever since. With the Detroit Cobras at the 9:30 Club, $25, 7:30 p.m.

>> Obama Girl may have used online video to make her love for Barack known, but you're more of a traditionalist. Which is why you're going to dust off those shower pipes and sing karaoke with a live band at the Wonderland Ballroom's Obama fundraiser. Just hope the band knows how to play that "Yes We Can" song.

Thursday
>> Given the Unicorns' short yet tumultuous history, it's not all that surprising that Islands, the primary Unicorns splinter group, has announced more personnel changes than they've released albums. Still, the band's eccentric, quirky take on indie-pop manages to stick out like a sore thumb in the increasingly crowded and homogeneous Montreal scene. At the Black Cat, $15, 8 p.m.

>> Haven't yet found an excuse to make the trek out to Artomatic? Why not pop in for a free performance from local shoegazers Screen Vinyl Image? The band's hazy sound and atmospheric visuals should provide a nice compliment to the visual art overload housed inside the eight story building. Free, 8 p.m.

Friday
>> The Secret Pop Band have been turning a lot of heads lately with their infectious take on the three-minute power pop song. Come see what the band, featuring members of Lejeune and Ape House, is all about before they're no longer D.C.'s best kept secret. At Iota in Clarendon, with Fools and Horses, $10, 9 p.m.

>> If you missed Screen Vinyl Image the night before, you'll have another chance to catch them playing in between DJ sets at Selam's Velodrome Italo Disco Night. Cover TBA, 9 p.m.

>> Few bands encapsulate the scene that birthed them the way that Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band (a.k.a. just plain old "Silver Mt. Zion") does. Not only do they have a ridiculously cumbersome name and play a string-heavy post-rock variant that's characteristically Montreal, they've also got seven full-time members (three of which overlap with Godspeed You! Black Emperor) and an unabashed love for radical politics. All that pretension would be pretty hard to swallow if only the band wasn't so damn good at what they do: playing mostly instrumental post-rock with an earnest, ragged intensity. At the Black Cat with Vic Chestnutt, $14, 9 p.m.

>> Do you refuse to leave the house without your trusty Chrome bag? Do you consider complaining about D.C. area motorists a full-time job? Do you refuse to ride anything that isn't a fixie? If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, consider attendance at D.C.'s first ever Bike Prom mandatory. The prom is "a chance for everyone in DC's cycling community to come together and celebrate their love of cycling" while raising a few bucks for the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. DJs MaryMack, Jennder and Vinnie Von Blotto will be spinning records and you can even get a photo taken with your date--or bike, if you prefer. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Saturday
>> It's a rare thing in this day and age to walk into a show not knowing what the members of a band look like. Yet Pittsburgh analog fetishists Black Moth Super Rainbow have managed to wrap themselves in a veil of secrecy, keeping their identities hidden behind stage names and masks and concocting wild stories to explain the origins of their music, a woozy blend of neo-psychedelia and analog synth-pop. With Efterklang and Subtle at the Rock and Roll Hotel. $15, 8:30 p.m.

>> Vienna's Jammin' Java is a bit of a hike, but we're sure that the rabid fans of College Park power-pop jokesters The Dance Party will have no qualms about making the drive. $10, 10 p.m.

Sunday
>> Well, at least he's got a sense of humor about it. On his MySpace page, L.A. songwriter Alex Brown Church, better known as Sea Wolf, lists under his "influences" every single rock band with the word "wolf" in its name that we've ever heard of plus many, many more. Serious props for including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. At the Rock and Roll Hotel with the Jealous Girlfriends and Don't Be Glib. $10 in advance, $12 at the door, 8 p.m.

>> After watching his recent Radiohead-covering Coachella performance on YouTube, we're fairly certain that Prince can, in fact, take on the whole world and still come out on top. The more skeptical among you may want to test this theory at DJ Dredd's recurring "Prince vs. The World" dance party, which features live visuals in addition to the music. We're assuming that means a whole lot of purple. At the Black Cat, $12, 9 p.m.

The Cotton Jones Basket Ride photo courtesy of Quite Scientific. Islands photo courtesy of Anti- Records.