Weekly Music Agenda

TUESDAY
>> They've got soul, but they're not soliders! The presence of two retro lions like James Hunter and Ryan Shaw on a single stage might actually create a time warp, allowing one, theoretically, to travel back in time and assassinate the inventor of Auto-Tune before his doomsday device kicks off the Rise of the Machines. (Maybe the Kanye album can stay.) Seriously, both of these guys are the real deal. At the Birchmere; grilled, chilled salmon salad sold separately. $29.50, 7:30 p.m.

>> Way out at the western end of the Orange Line, Debris plays Jammin' Java. We'll give Debris the mic for a hot second: "Debris has its heart in the straightforward delivery of a deceptive, elusive, simple rock beat, and has spent decades sculpting a sound that honors that beat. Debris is based in the DC area, always under the radar but over the top. Debris does not disappoint. Debris exists for the love of the music. Fame and fortune drop away, but the music remains. So does Debris." Doesn't answer my question about whether they're named after the Faces ballad, but whatever. With The Boones Farmers ("Funtime Blues!"). $10, 7:30 p.m.

>> Prefer to keep it close to home? Illinois ("indie/folk/two-step"), Drink Up Buttercup ("dub/grime/psychedelic"), and Oceanographer ("indie/shoegaze") are at DC9. $10, 9 p.m.

WEDNESDAY
>>Austin, TX's The Sword are on the road with Metallica (some kind of Bob Seger cover band, we think) this winter, slated to open shows for the long-lived headbangers through May. Nice work if you can get it. The Sword headlines the Rock and Roll Hotel the night before their big metal show at the Phone Booth with the other guys. With Year Long Disaster and Nihilita. $15, 8:30 p.m.

>> Is is just me, or is it suddenly getting all sensitive singer-songwriter-y up in here? William Elliot Whitmore is at the Black Cat with City and Color. According his official bio, Whitmore "has developed an intense love and spiritual understanding of the land, which he flawlessly conveys through all of his records." It goes on to promise "live performances of a caliber to leave one completely stunned in silence." So, you should go if you're looking for peace and quiet, I guess? $15, 8 p.m.

>> Meanwhile, out at the Barns of Wolf Trap, guitar viruoso Al di Meola pays tribute to the tango composer Astor Piazzolla with an evening of tasteful Flamenco stylings. $35, 8 p.m.

Armani of Darkness: Metallica's James Hetfield is left holding the bag.

>> Congratulations on permanently stamping out the scourge of music piracy on the Internet, Metallica! I wore out my cassettes of . . . and Justice for All and (especially) Master of Puppets back in the late 1980s, so I assume it was me they were trying to win back this year with Death Magnetic, their Long Overdue Return to Form. But you can't go home again, especially not after you've covered Bob Seger and been busted shopping at Armani and released your group therapy sessions on DVD. With Machine Head and of course, The Sword. 7 p.m., $62.50-$82.50. Sold Out.

>>Prefer to give your ears a break? Folkstress Patty Larkin will light up the Barns of Wolf Trap like a cardamom-scented candle. Watch you don't burned, thrillseekers! $22, 8 p.m.

>> Somewhere in between Metallica and Patty Larkin lie Whole Foods Artist Discovery Greg Laswell and LIz Phair/Regina Spektor/Jolie Holland/Nellie McKay hybrid Jenny Owen Youngs. Now that's some chick music right there. At DC9. $14, 9 p.m.

>> Sammy Naquin & the Zydeco Whips had moved to upstate NY after Katrina, but they are based in the Bayou state again. Naquin, who had played Cajun and zydeco standards in New Orleans for years, is hitting the road for the first time with veteran fiddle player and guitarist Al Berard. They will be at Los Arrieros, 7926 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD

FRIDAY
>> Local heroes and DCist favorites Middle Distance Runner play a Presidential Welcoming Party at the Rock and Roll Hotel. With Mobius Band ("indie/electro/rock"), The Black Hollies ("psychedelic/R&B/garage"), and Nunchucks ("rock/rock/rock"). $12, 9:30 p.m.

>> New Jersey's The Smithereens have returned from their long recording hiatus (if not from their songwriting hiatus) by releasing two albums of Beatles covers since 2007, plus a Christmas album. Who doesn't love The Beatles and Christmas? And if they happen to play "A Girl Like You" or "The Blues Before and After," then, like, bonus. Of course, it you weren't listening to FM radio in 1989, that won't mean a damn thing to you. At the State Theatre in Falls Church. $20, 9 p.m.

SATURDAY
>> "Heartbroken soul" siren Adele made a powerful impression last time she came around, so no wonder her 9:30 show is sold out. She was also the musical guest on that Saturday Night Live episode last October that featured the real Sarah Palin being hilariously mistaken for Tina Fey-as-Palin by Alec Baldwin -- the most-watched SNL in 15 years, apparently. Adele's 19 shot to the No. 1 spot at the iTunes Music Store the following day. And her career was going pretty well before that. And she's all of 20 years old. Try not to hate her. Sold out, 7:30 p.m.

>> Ever wonder what it would sound like if Phil Spector had produced The Velvet Underground and Nico? Go find out when Copenhagen's The Raveonettes return to the Black Cat. $17, 9 p.m.

>> I know what you're thinking: But what's happening out at the Barns of Wolf Trap tonight? Carlene Carter, daughter of Johnny Cash Carl Smith and June Carter, performs. $25, 7:30 p.m.

SUNDAY
>> Bruce, meet Abe. We want to believe the persistent rumor that Bruce Springsteen will perform a free concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to kick off the Inaguration Week revels. The Boss campaigned mightily for the President-Elect, performing at Obama rallies last fall in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. And yes, he does have a new album due out the week after the Inauguration, and he is set to play a few songs in the middle of some football game in Tampa the week after that. So what? How can you be so cynical about an American hero? You must have a Taliban membership card in your wallet. Anyway, if Bruce's Lincoln Memorial free show turns out to be for real, DCist wouldn't think of being anywhere else.

>> If Obamaphoria has completely abated your need for sleep, that adorable little vegan Moby is playing a DJ set at the 9:30 Club Sunday night/Monday morning. Doors don't open until midnight, so the party could conceivably go until sunrise. Sold out, but if you really want in . . . Yes, we can, America. Yes we can.

Steve Kiviat contributed to this week's agenda.