To Kill a King/Oldboy/Moon Rocks: 7 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS. Grog Shop.
Typhoon/Lady Lamb the Beekeeper: Someone is actually "playing" a crumpled plastic bag "for texture" on one of Typhoon's recent tunes (the jaunty "Hunger and Thirst," whose brass excursions more than make up for the weird bag thing). So there's that. But Typhoon's White Lighter (2013) exhibits plenty of inviting weirdness throughout the album. The Portland, Ore., band is young and ambitious. The sheer variety of sounds and layering techniques offers enough of a reason to sink one's teeth into the music here. Album opener "Artificial Light," which bleeds in from a brief prelude, takes a little while to hit its stride and maybe tries to accomplish too much in one song, but it's a stirring indication of where the band is headed on their sophomore outing. Less a party and more a congregation of like-minded seekers, Typhoon exhibits a wellspring of ideas. 8:30 p.m., $13 ADV, $15 DOS. Beachland Ballroom. (Sandy)
sun 03/30
Blizzard Babies/The Village Bicycle/Nope: 9 p.m., free. Now That's Class.
The Cleveland Battle of the Bands: 4 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Agora Ballroom.
Kerry Kean Trio: 6 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern.
Robert Lockwood Jr. 99th Birthday Celebration: Legendary Delta blues guitarist Robert Lockwood Jr. was a Cleveland institution. As such, he served as the great nucleus around which our region's blues scene developed for many years. His ties to the granddaddy of the Delta himself, Robert Johnson, only polished the mythos already cemented by his other-worldly playing. Tonight, we meet once again to celebrate his life and legacy — and to vault the blues to its prominent place in Cleveland history. Artists on the bill include the Schwartz Brothers, Travis "Moonchild" Haddix, Wallace Coleman, Crazy Marvin Braxton, Vernon Jones, Pete Cavano, Robert Kidney, Bob Frank, Mike Balas and, as the evening's house band, the Robert Lockwood Jr. All-Stars (Robert "Red Top" Young, D.C. Carnes, Richard Smith, Jimmy "Gator" Hoare, Gus Hawkins, Benny Mostella and Rob Williams). 8 p.m. Beachland Ballroom. (Sandy)
Frank Marzano: 3:30 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern.
Mindless Self-Indulgence: Jimmy Urine and the gang are back. Mindless Self Indulgence brings their coked up brand of electro-punk/industrial breakcore to Cleveland tonight in support of the latest album How I Learned to Stop Giving a Shit and Love Mindless Self Indulgence. With Urine, you can expect a certain amount of obnoxious potty humor, and MSI's devoted fans expect no less. The video for the single "Fuck Machine" gives MSI the full anime superhero treatment and has them battle a giant pink squid to the hyperactive sugar-rush inducing song. This show will be unique as the band has one of its members shout out song titles from their huge repertoire at random. Then the band members have to play it even if they don't want to/don't remember how. 8 p.m., $23 ADV, $25 DOS. House of Blues. (Eric Gonzalez)
PigPen Theatre Co./The Spring Standards/Lowly the Tree Ghost: Part folk band, part theater troupe, Pigpen Theatre Co. writes narrative-driven songs and stories about crows, graveyards and the moon. They play whimsical Americana tunes rife with banjo, fiddle, accordion and all the usual old-timey goodness that comes with it. The titular track on the band's first studio release, Bremen, tells the story of a dog and hen trying to convince people that they are kind. "The Dress Song" is just that, a song about a dress sung to a jaunty waltz with vocals that are dusty and velvety. Pigpen's songs are like little American fables in that they combine dialogue and visuals to create an encapsulated folksy experience. 8:30 p.m., $10. Grog Shop. (Gonzalez)
The Real True Stories/Drunken Sunday/Jupiter Horse: 8:30 p.m., free. Beachland Ballroom.
mon 03/31
Mac DeMarco/Amen Dunes/Juan Wauters: It'd be pretty easy to hate singer Mac DeMarco. He's made a name for himself convincing fans that the ultimate in uncool — Steely Dan, which he often cites as an influence — is actually really cool. He exudes the effortlessness charm of the high school slacker. Worst of all, he's currently riding a wave of popularity with the current iterations of those same high school slackers, thanks in no small part to the fact that Pitchfork bestowed the "Best New Music" title upon his latest album. Though it'd be easy to miss underneath his smirk, DeMarco's a gifted guitar player and a deft composer. On his new album Salad Days, he expands his range to include synths He's not a shabby lyricist, either, and the song "Cookin' Up Something Good" could be about domesticity or it could be the most incisive
indictment of economic inequality in suburban rings since the
post-financial crisis era. 8:30 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Beachland Ballroom. (James Helmsworth)
The Goddamn Gallows/Feral Ritual: 8:30 p.m., $12. Beachland Tavern.
Kent State University Jazz Ensemble: 7 p.m., $5. Nighttown.
Mojo Big Band: 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge.
Skaters/Team Spirit/The Bakers: You know a band is up-and-coming when it performs multiple shows at South by Southwest, the annual record label showcase that takes place in Austin every spring. Skaters didn't play just once. The guys played seven shows over the course of the weekend. Clearly influenced by the melodic punk of the '80s (think Mission of Burma and the Pixies), these guys aren't afraid to temper their snarling guitars with soft vocals and tight melodies. On their new album, Manhattan, they alternate between sounding like the Strokes ("Deadbolt") and Blondie ("I Wanna Dance [But I Don't Know How]"). Think of tonight's show as a good way to catch the band before it breaks big. 8:30 p.m., $10. Grog Shop. (Niesel)
The Strange Rangers/Noon: 8:30 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern.
Velvet Voyage (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge.
tue 04/01
DTCV: 8 p.m., $10. Musica.
Billy Joel/Gavin DeGraw: The folks at Live Nation are such big fans of singer-songwriter Billy Joel that they pulled out all the stops when they announced that he was coming to town at a press conference held at Quicken Loans Arena earlier this year. They had memorabilia from the Piano Man's many Cleveland concerts and enlisted Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum CEO Greg Harris to talk about Joel's significance. Earlier this year, Joel signed an exclusive deal with Madison Square Garden and announced the dates for this extensive tour. Joel hasn't released a new studio album in years so expect to hear the hits at tonight's show. Joel last played Quicken Loans Arena in 2009 when he teamed up with Elton John on the "Face 2 Face" tour. Quicken Loans Arena. (Niesel)
Lyrical Rhythms: Poetry & Soul Open Mic: 9 p.m. Grog Shop.
Nellie McKay: Versatile singer-songwriter Nellie McKay has done it all. She's performed on Broadway and played on all the biggest latenight talk shows. She's written music for TV shows and films, and one of her albums even became a ballet. On her latest studio effort, 2010's Home Sweet Mobile Home, she plays a little bit of everything, including reggae ("Caribbean Time"), folk ("Adios") and blues ("Coosada Blues"), and sounds completely natural as she shifts from one musical style to the next. She regularly performs at Nighttown so expect to see a good show, whether you go to tonight's performance or tomorrow night's performance. 7 p.m. Nighttown. (Niesel)
Open Mic Night with Gary Hall: 8 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern.
Two Set Tuesday (in the Wine Bar): 6:30 p.m. Brothers Lounge.
Wheeler Brothers/Desert Noises: 8 p.m., $10 ADV, $12 DOS. Beachland Tavern.
wed 04/02
10 X 3 Hosted by Brent Kirby (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge.
Alesana/Get Scared/Hearts & Hands/Farewell, My Love/Megosh: 6 p.m., $15 ADV, $18 DOS. Agora Ballroom.
Pete Cavano & Friends/Jonn Ones: 8 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern.
Drowners/Daylight is the Dream: 8:30 p.m., $10. Beachland Tavern.
Experience Hendrix: 7:30 p.m., $65-$82.50. Hard Rock Rocksino.
Nellie McKay: 7 p.m. Nighttown.
Tinariwen: 8 p.m., $25-$35. The Kent Stage.
