Heartless Bastards play tonight at the Black Cat. Photo from the Heartless Bastards website.
TUESDAY
For the time being, this excellent show at the Black Cat is one of the few that hasn’t succumbed to cancellation/postponement due to Hurricane Sandy. (Fun fact, everything last night got cancelled. Everything.) But Heartless Bastards basically takes the soulful rock that made The Cold War Kids and Black Keys such a big hit and adds the disparate but deadly combination of grit and sensitivity. Show up early for Wussy. The husband/wife duo that fronts the Ohio band bring a sense of wisdom to the stage — much like how an old uncle might spit out some gruff but sage whiskey-soaked comment on life. Here’s hoping that the onslaught of wind and rain slows down enough for this show to occur. Dana Falconberry also opens. $17, 8:00 p.m.
>> DC9: The Screws, Stegosaurus, House of Hades. $8, 9:00 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
If you’re looking for something that will actually fit into the Halloween spirit, the Electric Six show at the Black Cat is probably the closest we’ll come. Not that the guys that wrote songs like “Gay Bar” and “Danger! High Voltage!” will be terribly frightening, but they’ll provide the campy fun that goes hand in hand with this holiday. The opener is the most irritatingly named band we’ll see this week — Little Hurricane. $15, 8:00 p.m.
>> Rock and Roll Hotel: Crooked Fingers, John Vanderslice. $16, 7:30 p.m.
>> 9:30 Club: Freelance Whales, Geographer. $18.50, 6:00 p.m.
Rusko. $35, 11:00 p.m.
THURSDAY
For at least the past two years, we’ve had little reason to talk about one of our favorite SXSW finds, Austin’s Quiet Company, because, well, they weren’t coming here. Finally, they’ve released the triumphant We Are All Where We Belong and we can do more than just post photos of bouncing men in suits playing horns — we can recommend that you see them at the Black Cat. Brick & Mortar open. $10, 8:00 p.m.
>> 9:30 Club: Dr. Dog, Cotton Jones. (first of two nights) $27, 7:00 p.m.
>> DC9: Wintersleep, Elliot Brood. $12 in advance/$14 day of show, 9:00 p.m.
FRIDAY
The stars of Adult Swim’s Metalocalypse, Dethklok, are in fact a real metal band as well as a cartoon metal band. Much like the Gorillaz before them, they do play shows for non-cartoon audiences while still incorporating the visual element for which they are known. Oh yeah, and they slay. See them at the Fillmore with All that Remains, Machine Head and Black Dahlia Murder. $35, 6:30 p.m.
>> U Street Music Hall: The Caribbean, More Humans, Harness Flux. $12, 6:00 p.m.
>> Velvet Lounge: Hammer No More the Fingers, Johnny Foreigner, Lady Cop. $5, 9:00 p.m.
>> Red Palace: Woods, Widowspeak, Paperhaus. $12, 9:00 p.m.
>> Comet Ping Pong: Trophy Wife, Sunwolf, noon:30. $10, 9:00 p.m.
SATURDAY
K’naan has managed to gain love from bloggers and NPR Music due to his heartwarming songs that pull from hip-hop, reggae and folk and speak to a lot of universal truths. Additionally, the beats are pretty memorable. City of the Sun opens this show at Rock and Roll Hotel. $25, 8:00 p.m.
>> Black Cat: RNDM (Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam, Joseph Arthur, Richard Stuverud), David Garza. $15, 9:00 p.m.
SUNDAY
We’re always a little skeptical when we hear that Lauryn Hill is touring since we all wore down our copies of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill but recent appearances have been spotty and whether she’ll even show up is a huge question mark. She’ll co-headline a tour with Nas at DAR Constitution Hall.
>> 9:30 Club: Bebel Gilberto. $35, 6:00 p.m.
>> Rock and Roll Hotel: Shiny Toy Guns, MNDR, Colourmusic. $17, 8:00 p.m. All tickets will be honored from 10/29.
