Weekly Music Agenda

WEDNESDAY
>> A pop chameleon by any other name would smell just as sweet. Er...or something. What we're really trying to say is that even though Santi White changed her stage name from Santogold to Santigold, we're sure her live show is still every bit as manic as her reputation suggests. With Amanda Blank and Trouble Andrew at the 9:30 Club, sold out, 7 p.m.

>> If you've somehow managed to not catch Exit Clov live yet, do yourself a favor and catch the local post-punk-meets-chamber-pop five-piece at the Black Cat's backstage tonight. With the Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, $10, 9 p.m.

>> Thanks to production work by Manu Chao and Damon Albarn, blind Malian couple Amadou and Mariam are now reaching a much wider audience, having cultivated a fanbase that extends far outside of world music circles. They'll be bringing their danceable guitar-driven afropop to the Birchmere tonight. $35, 7:30 p.m.

THURSDAY
>> Free jazz icon Peter Brotzmann will be bringing his Full Blast to the relatively intimate confines of the Velvet Lounge tonight. With a mysterious act called the Undisco Kidds, listed as consisting of members of Thievery Corporation, Go Go Airheart and Fugazi. $12, 7:30 p.m.

>> Marking the fourth sold out 9:30 Club show in a row this week is indie-folk siren and Rilo Kiley frontwoman Jenny Lewis. With Deer Tick and Farmer Dave, sold out, 7 p.m.

>> South African outfit BLK JKS have been attracting quite a bit of attention lately, garnering comparisons to the likes of Vampire Weekend and TV on the Radio. Missed TVOTR earlier in the week? BLK JKS might just cure what ails 'ya. With the So So Glos, $10, 9 p.m.

>> If technical, mathy metal-core is your thing, you won't want to miss the six-string engineers of the Dillinger Escape Plan. At the Rock and Roll Hotel with The Number 12 Looks Like You, Knife in the Glitter and Octaves. $16 in advance, $18 at the door, 7 p.m.

Bill Callahan (photo by Joanna Newsom)

>> Set to coincide with Capital Pride, the Women's Pride Concert brings two big names to the 9:30 for a co-headlining gig: Meshell Ndegeocello and Melissa Ferrick. Ndegeocello spent much of her childhood in D.C. and actually got her start in the Go-Go scene, so this should serve as something of a homecoming for the ten-time Grammy Award nominee. $30, 7 p.m.

>> Singer-songwriter Bill Callahan (aka Smog) has been writing music for nearly two decades, having pioneered many lo-fi recording techniques in the early '90s. Despite this fact, many fans and critics point to his most recent work as his best. Come hear tracks from his latest excellent LP, Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle, at the Black Cat. With Lights, $15, 9 p.m.

>> If you've got an appetite for cheesy, over-the-top, '80s-worshipping electro, you'll be glad to hear that Seattle's best-named band, Natalie Portman's Shaved Head, has set the table for a banquet. At DC9, $8, 9 p.m.

>> Chuck Brown might be D.C.'s official ambassador of Go-Go but that's not to say that his musical proficiency doesn't extend outside of his comfort zone. To wit, he'll be playing a set of down home blues with Bobby Parker at the State Theater, kicking off the weekend-long Tinnerhill Blues Festival. The festival runs through Sunday in Falls Church and will feature live music (some of it free in Cherry Hill Park), exhibits, panel discussions and art all weekend long. $25, 7 p.m.

SATURDAY
>> According to Wikipedia, Cowboy Mouth are "a powerhouse live act whose performances have been likened to 'a religious experience.'" According to Cake Magazine, "...on a bad night they'll tear the roof off the joint and on a good night, they'll save your soul." Given those glowing accolades, it seems unlikely that the veteran act will disappoint when they roll through the 9:30 Club for an early show. With Spin Doctors frontman Chris Barron (yes, the Spin Doctors still exist) $25, 7 p.m.

>> It's hard to imagine two audiences with less overlap than those of Cowboy Mouth and BLOWOFF, Bob Mould and Richard Morel's legendary gay dance night. Yet, BLOWOFF will be playing the 9:30 Club's late show, immediately after Cowboy Mouth's set ends. Seriously, It might be worth showing up just to watch hundreds of confused fans navigate the weekend's most epic clash of cultures. $12, 11:30 p.m.

>> Tonight, as part of its "Second Saturdays" series, the Black Cat's Backstage hosts songwriter and former Fugazi bassist Joe Lally as well as the Glorytellers. The forecast calls for a 90% chance of Ian MacKaye sightings. $8, 8 p.m.

>> Splitting the difference between country, hardcore and good old rock 'n' roll, The Meat Puppets are true trailblazers, having influenced the likes of Nirvana, Pavement and just about everyone in between. At the Rock and Roll Hotel with Retribution Gospel Choir. $16, 9 p.m.

SUNDAY
>> While a handful of musicians can lay claim to setting the groundwork for the punk rock movement, only one of those musicians can also claim to have performed the musical interludes in There's Something About Mary: Jonathan Richman. The former Modern Lover will be headlining the 9:30 with longtime tourmate Tommy Larkins. With Georgian singer-songwriter Vic Chestnutt, $12, 7 p.m.

>> Tonight, DC9 will be hosting their "Nine at DC9" series, with performances from nine different songwriters from the D.C. area. No word yet on who those nine performers will be, though at less than a dollar per songwriter, that entrance fee is a steal. $8, 7 p.m.

>> While it's called The Duke Ellington Jazz Festival this annual fest often showcases more than just jazz. This year, it will be paying tribute to the music of New Orleans, a fact that's exemplified by the lineup for today's free show at the Sylvan Theater (near the Washington Monument). Things kick off at 1 p.m. with Buckwheat Zydeco; the show will also feature the street brass band meets rock sound of Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue and the old-school soul of Irma Thomas & The Professionals. Free.

>> Puerto Rican rapper Tego Calderon brings his Spanish-language rhymes to Fur tonight. Be sure not to forget your vestimenta apropiada. 7 p.m., $30.

Steve Kiviat contributed to this week's agenda.