Mi Ami play the Velvet Lounge on Tuesday.
MONDAY:
>> Equal parts, grit, soul and funk, Bettye LaVette has been tugging at both heartstrings and hips for well over thirty years. She’ll be at the 9:30 Club tonight. 7 p.m., $25
>> We love Federal Reserve one man band Vandaveer‘s brand of acoustic folk tunes, and if you do too, catch him at the Black Cat Backstage. $10, 9 p.m.
TUESDAY
>> A Fleetwood Mac tour minus Christine McVie might still strike purists as just wrong, but hey, they’ve been doing it for the past ten years, so why not continue? The “Unleashed” tour hits the Verizon Center, with tickets on the pricey side: $49.50 – $149.50. 8 p.m.
>> Or for a much more intimate night, country crooner Robert Earl Keen will be gracing The Birchmere for the first of two nights of rare acoustic performances. 7:30 p.m., $35.
>> If you don’t feel like leaving the city limits to get your fill of Southern drawls and wailing guitars, Three Stars alum The Moderate will be at the Black Cat Backstage. $8, 9 p.m.
>> Seminal Chicago indie label Touch & Go just announced a moratorium on the release of new material, which is all the more depressing given some of the great new material that has been released by bands like the experimental and noisy Mi Ami. Their MySpace page says they’re from California, but you may remember some of these guys from defunct Dischord act Black Eyes. They’ll be at The Velvet Lounge with Food For Animals, another awesome band that doesn’t actually live here anymore. 9 p.m., $8, 18+.
WEDNESDAY:
>> Common may not be the MC du jour from the Windy City, but his consistently strong and solid output will be a refreshing burst of lyrical strength at the 9:30 Club. 7 p.m. $35
>> A lot can be said for the instrumental prowess and raw emotional power of These Arms Are Snakes, but there’s a certain no holds barred edginess to their live show that’s not for those with a weak stomach. ATLiens All the Saints (who also had a recent Touch & Go release) and The Coathangers open the show at the Rock and Roll Hotel, as with Three Stars alums Caverns. 8 p.m., $12.
>> Last year, Marnie Stern released an album with an obnoxiously long title that proved once again that her guitar shredding prowess is a force to be reckoned with. Anyone who’d like to rock out to fancy fretwork would do well to head over to DC9 to get their mind blown. Three Stars alum Black & White Jacksons opens. 8 p.m., 18+.
