Hubbub

Sunday, December 28: Marissa Nadler

 

Marissa Nadler sings her dark, mysterious lyrics in a hazy soprano that would appeal as much to a Medieval sailor navigating the ocean by moonlight as to the cabaret­goers of Belle Époque Paris. The local guitar­ picking chanteuse, who regularly draws crowds on the West Coast, in the UK, and in Western Europe, plays dreamy, melancholy, gothic-­kissed tunes that bring form to the most elusive of yearnings. She reminds us of Elliot Smith, if Elliot Smith sang about Virginia Wolfe and made Edgar Allen Poe references. Nadler makes her holiday homecoming tonight at T.T. the Bear’s (10 Brookline Street, Cambridge, 617.492.2327) with Akron/Family. Tickets are $10. Get them at www.ticketweb.com or 866.468.7619. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. 

Thursday, January 8: Bettye LaVette

Few are the artists whose songs have escaped the interpretive clutches of Bettye LaVette — and that’s a good thing! She’s infused the lyrics of Fiona Apple, Willie Nelson, Lucinda Williams, Elton John, and Sinead O’Connor with the gritty exhilaration of Detroit rhythm and blues. She evokes Bessie Smith and Aretha Franklin with her bluesy growl, which has the electric energy and power of a country roadhouse’s neon sign, visible at a distance. She ignites the winter night tonight at Scullers Jazz Club (400 Soldiers Field Road, Allston, 617.783.0090). Shows are at 8 and 10 p.m. Get tickets ($28) at www.ticketweb.com.

Sunday, January 4: Glasvegas

Glasvegas was just your average rough-edged art punk band that takes its cues as much from Elvis and Dion and the Belmonts as they do from rockabilly and the shoegaze style that their fellow countrymen, the Jesus and Mary Chain, made popular. Then British record mogul Alan McGee spotted them in the same Glasgow pub where he first laid ears on Oasis. Next thing they knew, he declared them the greatest Scottish band in the last 20 years and there was a record deal. Now they’re doing a loop in the States in support of their eponymous full-length album debut. If the idea of a tuneful doo-wop band on a wee noise pop bender piques your curiosity, stop by Great Scott (1222 Comm Ave, Allston, 617.566.9014) tonight. Doors open at 8 p.m.; get tickets ($12) at www.greatscottboston.com.

Saturday, December 6: Noah and the Whale

Tuesday, December 2: John Legend

We first developed a musical crush on John Legend when Lauryn Hill featured his piano skills on her hit track, “Everything is Everything.” We fell even harder when his soulful, piano-driven album Get Lifted dropped in 2003, and again when he performed live alongside Alicia Keys. In the years since, he’s released two more albums. The most recent, Evolver, signifies a shift toward an upbeat, electronic-filled R&B sound with songs like “Green Light” and the political rallying cry, “If You’re Out There” — a song inspired by President-elect Barack Obama (and so the crush continues). We expect his 7:30 p.m. performance tonight at the Orpheum Theatre (One Hamilton Place, Boston, 617.679.0810) will be the perfect balance of the sexy lyrics, intelligent anthems, and amazing piano playing we’ve come to expect. For tickets ($46 to $70.50), visit www.livenation.com.

Monday and Tuesday, December 8 and 9: Letters to Cleo

Some of you might know them from their hard-not-to-love cover of “I Want You to Want Me” from the ’90s ’tween flick 10 Things I Hate About You. But for far many others, Letters to Cleo is a band that represents a time in the Boston music scene when indie rock tiptoed closely alongside pop. LTC was one of the bands that walked that line well, and after a nearly decade-long hiatus, they’re reuniting for a four-show tour, including two nights at the Paradise (967?969 Comm Ave, Boston, 617.562.8800). So throw your hair in some Kay Hanley pigtails and get your tickets ($25) at the Paradise box office or www.livenation.com.

Tuesday, November 18: M83

The French electronic performer M83 (once a duo, now Anthony Gonzalez on his own) is one of those musicians best enjoyed in a solitary mode, and preferably through a good set of headphones. But when he comes to town, we don’t mind sharing. His layered, gauzy electronic melodies are nostalgic, soothing lullabies for the night-owl set that opts for dancing over dreaming when it’s dark out. The tracks on his latest album, Saturdays = Youth, deliberately evoke both early-’80s anthemic synth pop — the kind that brings to mind Don Johnson in no hurry to give chase, or Molly Ringwald slam-dancing through public-school hallways — and a moonlit Mediterranean seaside nightclub. Brooklyn trip-rockers School of Seven Bells join him tonight at the Middle East Downstairs (472 Mass Ave, Cambridge, 617.864.3278). Doors open at 8 p.m.; tickets are $15 and available at www.ticketmaster.com or at the Middle East box office.

Friday, November 21: Radioland

For too long, underground dance music has been relegated to tiny spots that are practically as under the radar as the beats themselves. But the crowds that come out to join the parties aren’t nearly as small as the spaces they pile into. So local DJs and promoters Soul Clap, Taste, and Maximal Productions joined forces to bring true house and techno performers to the masses through their Radioland events at the Estate (One Boylston Place, Boston, 617.351.7000). The latest installment includes an appearance by UK-based globe-trotting DJ duo Peace Division. Before the main event begins, Radio-land resident DJs Jay Prouty and Maximal Production’s Brent G will spin. Tickets are $15 in advance at www.theestateboston.com and $20 at the door; the 21-plus event runs from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Saturday, November 22: Sondre Lerche

Sondre Lerche counts A-Ha, the Beach Boys, Elvis Costello, and Cole Porter as his influences. That might explain why the Norwegian troubadour became such a hit among American indie-rock devotees when he released his first album in 2002 at the tender age of 19. He’s since released three more albums, and he gained a broader recognition last year for his contributions to the soundtrack to Dan in Real Life. His live shows integrate the infectious power pop of boy-band acts (not to mention the doe-eyed look), complex jazz riffs, and a knack for finely crafted songs, which range from the beautifully sad to the toe-tappingly, clap-along snappy. Tonight he breezes into the Paradise Rock Club (967 Comm Ave, Boston, 617.562.8800) at 9 p.m. Doors open at 8; tickets ($17) are general admission.

Friday, November 21 – Sunday, November 23: Brainwaves Festival

Before indie and electronic music fans turned to Pitchfork or their favorite blog for their daily soundwave fix — heck, before anyone knew what a blog was — there was brainwashed.com, an online haven for music geeks. Founder Jon Whitney mounted the first Brainwaves Festival in 2006 to celebrate the site’s 10th anniversary. It was so well-received, he’s doing it again at the Regent Theatre (7 Medford Street, Arlington, 781.646.4849). The multimedia, genre-bending bonanza boasts a lineup that ranges from Meat Beat Manifesto to shoegaze bands to influential avant-garde noise acts to local performers like chanteuse Marissa Nadler. As with any proper festival, this one lasts three days — but no camping provisions are required. For a full schedule, visit www.brainwavesfest.org. Three-day passes are $77.50; check the Web site for single-day-pass availability. Get them at the Regent Theatre.

Sunday, November 9: Rhys Darby

Rhys Darby is from New Zealand. He’s our favorite thing to come out of New Zealand since ... okay, so we can’t remember the last thing from New Zealand that we ran out to see/buy/hear/taste. So as far as we’re concerned, Darby is an accidental ambassador for Kiwi cultural life. Best known for his portrayal of Murray, the incompetent band manager on HBO’s Flight of the Conchords, Darby does a mean beat box and a spot-on impression of a helicopter propeller, and he can channel a tyrannosaurus so well that you’ll think you’ve crawled through a wormhole to Jurassic Park. Don’t expect a crash course in an exotic nation’s history when he appears tonight at 7 p.m. at the Wilbur Theatre (246 Tremont Street, Boston. 617.248.9700). Do expect tales of a less-than-idyllic boyhood, disclosure of mermaid fantasies, and plenty of laughs. Tickets ($25) are available at www.ticketmaster.com or 617.931.2000.

Sunday and Monday, November 16 & 17: Tina Turner

Decades before the maven of sexy shoes, Carrie Bradshaw, was even the flicker of a rhinestone glimmer in Candace Bushnell’s eye, Tina Turner was singing as she sauntered in impossibly tall spikes. Not only did she strut, she danced and kicked guitarists across the stage. Now, almost 70 years young, she’s still clocking in among the top-five grossing female touring acts in the world. (Yep, the world.) As long as this diva keeps her career as a private dancer on the side and is willing to tease her hair, don sequins, and prance across stadium stages, we’ll line up to see her and firmly proclaim: we don’t need another hero. The legend keeps on rolling for two nights at the TD Banknorth Garden (100 Legends Way, Boston, 617.624.1000). The show is at 7 p.m. on Sunday and 7:30 on Monday. Get tickets ($59.50 to $152.50) at www.ticketmaster.com or 617.931.2000.

Sunday, November 9

A solid bar band is hard to resist, not least because they’re kinda hard to come by. That’s because the really good ones don’t stay bar bands for very long, even if their reputation as such sticks with them forever. Take, for instance, the Hold Steady, which will forever be branded as “the best bar band you’ll ever hear,” even though they had to move to a bigger label by the time they released their third album in 2006. (Their fourth, Stay Positive, came out in July.) Fronted by Craig Finn, who’s as influenced by classic rock as he is early punk and beat poetry, is a rocker for the This American Life set. Hold Steady’s songs are well􀀐crafted feats of lyricism about things you’d expect bar bands to sing about: crazy broads, lonely nights on tour, and growing up in Mississippi. But as their latest album title suggests, they err on the side of optimism. They bring their beer-sodden sunny disposition to the Orpheum (One Hamilton Place, Boston, 617.679.0810). Drive-By Truckers joins them. Get tickets ($25 to $27.50) at www.livenation.com. Doors are at 6:30 p.m.; the show starts at 7:30.

Tuesday, November 11: Alejandro Escovedo

Wednesday, October 29: Soul Touch

Do some soul searching with Brooklyn-based DJ Cosmo Baker when he makes his first local appearance in nearly two years at Soul Touch at the Middlesex Lounge (315 Mass Ave, Cambridge, 617.868.MSEX). He’ll spin soul and funk music in his signature hip-hop-infused style, mixing in classics like James Brown with more modern sounds from Wu-Tang Clan, beginning at 9 p.m. For a $5 cover charge, you’ll get a night of hot beats with a cosmic touch from a world-renowned DJ whose musical background includes training on the violin, guitar, bass, piano, and drums.