Mission of Burma

When bands like Sonic Youth, Pixies, R.E.M., Husker Du -- and, yes, Nirvana -- acknowledge that your sound inspired theirs, you're doing something right. And nearly 30 years after jolting the Boston scene and staking their claim as one of the most intense, original and influential post-punk bands in America (or anywhere else), Mission of Burma still put musicians half their age to shame with their power and inventiveness. Tonight, they go back in time to 1982, playing their first full-length album, Vs., in its entirety. Less than a year after its release, guitarist Roger Miller, facing permanent hearing loss due to the band's brutally loud live shows, disbanded MoB at its artistic peak. Miller and tape manipulator/sound engineer Martin Swope joined Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, dispensing with the sonic assault as well as lyrics, suiting Miller's training in classical composition. Drummer Peter Prescott blazed his own post-Burma trail, keeping the volume at 11 in the folk-punk Volcano Suns. MoB reunited in 2002, with bassist Clint Conley rejoining Miller and Prescott, and Shellac's Bob Weston replacing Swope. They've picked up where they left off two decades earlier, releasing two terrific albums (with another on the way), thrilling old fans and connecting with a new generation. They've turned down the volume a bit since the good old days, but you might want to grab those earplugs anyway. With Welcome. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467. 8 p.m. $15 adv.
Wed., Oct. 1, 8 p.m., 2008