THURSDAY, NOV 14
Bad Boys Jam: 9 p.m. Brothers Lounge.
Dysrhythmia/Zevious/Clan of the Cave Bear/Red Sun: With music that's equal parts insanity and ingenuity, the appropriately named Dysrhythmia is an intellectual firestorm of sound. They're smart enough to create complex rhythms and harmonies but wild enough to keep it heavy and gritty. It's easy to get lost in the academic nature of their songwriting but the awesome drive of the music is what brings you back for more. The members' wildly diverse tastes (two side projects include ambient synth electronica and a solo baritone ukulele album) come together amazingly well in the self-described blend of prog rock, jazz and heavy metal. Their newest record Test of Submission shows an intensity of their signature complex destruction. The band's personal blog hints that this may be their last time touring for a bit. Presumably, they're taking time off to write and record new songs or write a compelling thesis on Joyce's Ulysses — judging by the sources of inspiration, either seems possible. 9 p.m., $7. Now That's Class. (Patrick Stoops)
Rosi Golan/Ashley Marie Lewis/Daniel Rylander: 7:30 p.m., $10. Musica.
Chris Hatton (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge.
Jam Night with Tower City Blues: 8:30 p.m. Grillers Pub.
Andy McKee/Brian Henke: 8 p.m., $20. The Kent Stage.
Luca Mundaca: 8 p.m., $10. Nighttown.
Michael Nesmith: Best known as a member of the Monkees, singer Michael Nesmith wears many hats. His resume also includes stints as an actor, producer and novelist. Some of the songs he wrote were hits for the Monkees while others were hits for people like Linda Ronstadt & the Stone Poneys, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, the Butterfield Blues Band and even Run-DMC. Nesmith also has extensive experience in Hollywood and executive-produced Repo Man and founded Pacific Arts, a record, film and video production house and book publisher. For his current tour, dubbed Movies of the Mind, he'll revisit his entire back catalog and talk about his 50-year career. 7:30 p.m., $35-$85. Stocker Center. (Niesel)
New Soft Shoe: 8 p.m., free. Happy Dog.
Nonpoint/My Ticket Home/Digital Collapse/Beyond the Shore/Impending Lies/Hysteria: 6:30 p.m., $14 ADV, $17 DOS. Agora Ballroom.
North East Drum & Music Jam: 9 p.m., free. Beachland Ballroom.
Polar Bear Club/Citizen/Diamond Youth/Sainthood Reps: 8:30 p.m., $12 ADV, $14 DOS. Grog Shop.
Rockin' Cats/Prime Directive: 8 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern.
FRIDAY, NOV 15
Ki Allen: 8:30 p.m., $10. Nighttown.
Brujas del Sol/Moss Folk/Nick Tolford and Company: 9 p.m., $5. Happy Dog.
Caliber: 9:30 p.m. Brothers Lounge.
The Commonwealth: 9 p.m. Mahall's 20 Lanes.
Diarrhea Planet/Lovely Bad Things/Herzog/Chomp: 9 p.m., $12. Grog Shop.
Dynamo Love/Take Off Charlie/Mellow Quest/Red Stone Souls: 9 p.m., $7. Musica.
Fitz and the Tantrums/Capital Cities: 8 p.m., $26 ADV, $28 DOS. House of Blues.
Going for the One: 9 p.m., $10. The Winchester.
Euge Groove: 8 p.m., $35-$75. Tangier Cabaret.
Into the Blue: 9 p.m., $12. Beachland Ballroom.
Ed Kowalczyk/Callaghan: 8 p.m., $30. The Kent Stage.
The L.A. Project: 9 p.m. Peppermill Pub and Grill.
Less Than Jake/Anti-Flag/Masked Intruder/Get Dead: Still riding the ska punk wave that crested in the late 1990s (Less Than Jake having been formed in 1992), this band is primed for another album release this week. A glance across Less Than Jake's progression over the years reveals moves toward fuller playing. To be sure, they've maintained their heaviness, but the songwriting and compositional structure seems full-bodied on later albums. Check out the duality of modern-era tunes like "Younger Lungs" and "Goodbye, Mr. Personality" for some perspective on the band's ability to keep the ska movement going strong over the years. Oh, and a final tip for the uninitiated: The band's name comes from a pet the drummer had growing up, which was always treated better than every other member of the family. 6 p.m., $20 ADV, $23 DOS. The Agora Theatre. (Eric Sandy)
Tracy Marie (in the Wine Bar): 8 p.m. Brothers Lounge.
Scale the Summit/The Reign of Kindo/Jolly/Covariance: Not quite a household name in the progressive rock world, Scale the Summit got a bump from touring on the Progressive Nation 2009 tour with Dream Theater, Zappa Plays Zappa and Bigelf. The band's instrumental music features complex guitar solos and escalating tempos that alternate between the speed metal of Metallica and the prog rock of the Dixie Dregs. Their new album
The Migration is a bit heavier and more technical than past releases. The songs should lend themselves well to the live setting. 8 p.m., $12. Now That's Class. (Niesel)
The Schwartz Brothers: 8:30 p.m., $6. Beachland Tavern.
Surf Night Residency with Dan Shaw/Jesse Michael Barr/Nathan Parker: 9 p.m., free. Mahall's 20 Lanes.
Jim Volk/The Flavor/George Foley & Friends: 5:30 p.m. Barking Spider Tavern.
SATURDAY, NOV16
The Architects/Voice of Addiction/The Giggity's: 8 p.m., $7. Now That's Class.
Black, Black, Black/Lo Pan/Fuck You, Pay Me/Gluttons/Unclean: 9 p.m., $7. Grog Shop.
BW Jazz Ensemble: 5 p.m. Brothers Lounge.
Cacaw/Cereal Banter/Orange Luna Temple Lull (in the Locker Room): 9 p.m., free. Mahall's 20 Lanes.
Nicky English/David Dondero: 9 p.m. Mahall's 20 Lanes.
Chris Hatton & the Italian Sound Machine: 9 p.m., $5. Musica.
Horns & Things: 8:30 p.m., $20. Nighttown.
Carlos Jones and the PLUS Band: 10 p.m. Brothers Lounge.
Kickin' the Cancer Blues "Liz Bohman Fall 2013 Concert" with KJ Blues/Ted Riser/Mike Petrone/Catwalk Blue: 6 p.m., $35. House of Blues Cambridge Room.
John Legend/Tamar Braxton: Ohio-born singer-songwriter John Legend had the kind of upbringing that naturally lent itself to a career in music. He sang with his church choir while still a kid and then gravitated to hip-hop and R&B as he got older. His 2004 debut Get Lifted is a terrific, old-school soul album that alternates between romantic ballads ("Let's Gift Lifted") and modernized R&B ("I Can Change"). While the production relies a little too heavily on synthesizers and string arrangements, his new album, Love in the Future, mines similar territory. 8 p.m., $38.50-$86. State Theatre. (Niesel)
