Amanda Palmer

TUESDAY
>> It's not The Dresden Dolls proper, but singer/toy-piano player Amanda Palmer has her own material that she's bringing to an early show at 9:30 Club. Vermillion Lies and The Builders and The Butchers join her. Despite their long awkward name, B&B put on an impressive showing when opening for Fleet Foxes at the Black Cat in July. 6 p.m., $20.

>> And then for something completely different. The late show at 9:30 Club is the one and only Eagles of Death Metal. One of Josh Homme's many projects, he actually takes the drum kit and lets handlebar-mustachioed Jesse Hughes take the limelight for a set that isn't so much death metal as a tribute to all that is sleazy but kickass about rock 'n' roll. The Duke Spirit opens. 10pm, $15.

>> How legendary and prolific songwriter Robyn Hitchcock's trip to the Birchmere has not sold out yet is beyond me, but lucky for those of you who like Hitchcock but forgot to check the Birchmere's website. 7:30 p.m., $25.

>> For those of you who missed Bad Brains' sold out 9:30 Club show on election night, frontman HR's solo outing at Jammin Java won't exactly heal that wound you've made from kicking yourself, since HR's solo sound is more reggae and less hardcore. Then again, it is HR, and therefore worth the trek out to Vienna. Outlaw Nation and Lionize open. 7:30 p.m., $10 in advance, $12 at the door.

>> Is the buzz about collaborative act Little Joy a quick flash in the pan because the group includes a member of The Strokes (drummer Fabrizio Moretti)? Or is it actually warranted due to multi-instrumental melodies and a chemistry that comes from three friends holed up in the same house? Head to The Black Cat and let us know. 9 p.m., $13 in advance, $15 day of show.

WEDNESDAY
>> Michael Franti and Spearhead are back in town, bringing their outspoken cry for social justice and their fusion of reggae, jazz, hip-hop and funk with them to the 9:30 Club. 7 p.m., $35.

>> Brandon Butler may be better known for his work with his former bands and Laura Burhenn may have received a more widespread audience with hers, but their solo projects show their strengths as singer-songwriters, which they'll be showcasing along with Jeremy Messersmith at the Velvet Lounge. 9:30 p.m., $8, 21+

THURSDAY
>> Don't sleep on the Phosphorescent show at DC9. Although they've gotten a lot of comparisons to Will Oldham, the full band makes for a fuller sound, like Low but rootsier. 9 p.m., $10.

>> John Bustine (pictured) and The Moderate have become quite the alt-country double ticket in the area. This is not the first time we've seen them on a bill together to grand results. And this week, that bill is at The Velvet Lounge. 9:30 p.m., $7, 21+

FRIDAY
>> Roseanne Cash and Mark O'Connor will be at the Library of Congress. It's being billed as a tribute to Johnny, along with some tunes from Rosanne's Black Cadillac album. Works for me. O'Connor is an interesting cat who's fiddled with everybody from Emmylou to Wynton Marsalis to Yo-Yo Ma. Sold out.

>> Anyone who spends a lot of time both here and in New York understands indie rockers The French Kicks. They claim New York as their home, and much of their sound is very similar to the other bands that came out of NYC at the beginning of the decade. But they've spent enough time here (like, their formative years) in the District to have grabbed a few tricks from music vets here as well. Bear Hands, another NYC act that's no stranger to D.C., will be opening the show at The Black Cat. 9 p.m., $13 in advance, $15 day of show.

>> After regularly missing D.C. over the past couple of years, Philly duo Pattern Is Movement can't seem to stay away! Not that we're complaining. We saw them open for Shudder to Think, Thiboldeaux and Ward, and we're delighted to welcome them to our city on a regular basis. Pattern is Movement craft an interesting mix of Broadway inspired vocals, Radiohead inspired keyboards and Animal (the Muppet) inspired drumming. They've chosen another group that succeeds in defying genre, the excellent Oakland act . Zach Hill (ex-Hella), to round out their bill at Rock and Roll Hotel. 9:30 p.m., $14.

>> Two of D.C.'s finest rock acts head out to Iota. Although Cobra Collective is no stranger to the Clarendon club, US Royalty are doing their part to give folks on the west end of the Orange line a taste of what people inside the District have heard many a time. 9 p.m., $10.

SATURDAY
>> Has it really been two years since we last checked in with The Oranges Band? The Baltimore indie rockers haven't put out an album in a while - 2006's terrific, nostalgic The World and Everything In It was their last - but they've been quietly plugging along, playing East Coast dates and opening up for Spoon, the Lemonheads, the Rosebuds, and one of the Dismemberment Plan reunion shows. A somewhat new lineup teamed the band up with Doug Gillard of Guided by Voices fame to lay down the forthcoming The Oranges Band Are Invisible (reviewed here). They play The Red and the Black on Saturday with Deleted Scenes. Doors 9 p.m., $8.

>> Some more Three Stars alums will be making their way to The Black Cat. Our favorite tour diarists These United States continue touring off of both of their releases this year, and pick up D.C. fixtures The Cassettes. At a These United States show at the Black Cat in April, various members of the Cassettes joined These United States for an encore. Can we expect a repeat? 9 p.m., $10.

>> Three Stars alums and Tom-Waits-meet-Ryan-Adams rockers Justin Jones & The Driving Rain are playing a free show at Rock and Roll Hotel this Saturday? Really? What's the catch? Yeah... there is a catch. It's a rare 21+ show for The Hotel. 10:30 p.m.

>> If you missed spritely Appalachian Bombadil and their bluegrass at Red & The Black back in August, fear not. They'll be playing Iota with A A Bondy, another artist who is very visual and soulful with his instruments. 9:30 p.m., $12.

SUNDAY

>> Admittedly, rootsy rock outfit Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson Crusoe Inapeartree (okay, I made those last two up) has failed to impress the DCist staff. Twice. Perhaps third time is the charm? If nothing else, their opener, the Drunken Sufis, will give curious local music lovers at DC9 a chance to see members of Exit Clov and Jukebox the Ghost in a completely different milieu. 8:30 p.m., $10.

Chris Klimek and Graham Hough-Cornwell contributed to this week's agenda. Photos from the bands' MySpace pages.