John Darnielle of The Extra Lens. Photo by Francis Chung.

MONDAY

Insipidly talented singer/pianist Sara Bareilles plays tonight at the 9:30 Club in support of her second record, Kaleidoscope Heart. Greg Laswell and Holly Conlan open. Sold out. 6:30 p.m.

>> Rock and Roll Hotel: Light Pollution, Prince Rama, Lightfoot. (Moved from DC9.) $10. 8:30 p.m.

TUESDAY

Acclaimed guitarist and singer-songwriter Richard Thompson has enjoyed a long and distinguished — if sometimes idiosyncratic — career from his early days with British folk-rockers Fairport Convention, to his collaborations with his first wife, Linda Thompson, to numerous solo projects including 1991’s Rumor and Sigh and 2010’s Dream Attic, a collection of new songs recorded live. On Tuesday, Thompson showcases his virtuoso fretwork at the 9:30 Club. $35. 7 p.m.

>> Black Cat: Mike Reed’s People, Places & Things, (check out our interview here), DCIC. $10. Backstage. 9 p.m.

>> Iota: Victoria Vox, Devon Sproule, Datri Bean. $12. 8:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

The Extra Lens is a duo comprised of singer-songwriter John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats and Franklin Bruno (Nothing Painted Blue, The Human Hearts). Their new album, Undercard, sounds unsurprisingly — and not unpleasantly — similar to a Mountain Goats record, with Bruno adding arrangements and instrumental embellishments to Darnielle’s trademark lyrical vignettes. John Vanderslice rounds out the bill at the Rock and Roll Hotel on Wednesday. $15. 7 p.m.

>> 9:30 Club: Lissie, Dylan LeBlanc. $15. 6 p.m.

>> Black Cat: Gary Numan, Rasputina. $25. 8 p.m.