Chiddy Bang / Wednesday, June 9
Big Hassle Media
Stars is here for your date.
Jeremy Cowart
Time for an Imogen Heap concert.
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Philly-based Chiddy Bang will be the first to tell you that blog buzz can be the boost that puts a group over the top. The duo of MC Chiddy and DJ/producer Xaphoon Jones used the Internet popularity of their mixtape The Swelly Express and its MGMT-inspired single "Opposite of Adults" to wrangle a deal with EMI. Xaphoon's unique sampling choices, from Radiohead to Passion Pit, often take a turn toward the electronic and syncopated, and the colorful melodies mesh with swagger-rich rhymes for some perfect party jams. With a yet-untitled debut full-length slotted for release in August, you can bet on hearing more new material at their notoriously spontaneous shows. With The Pack, 2AM Club, XV. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467. 8 p.m. $10. All ages. NICK FELDMAN
Eilen Jewell / Wednesday, June 9
Though Eilen Jewell got her start as a purveyor of straightforward Americana, her mournful third album, Sea of Tears, marks a shift in her sound. Sultry, jazzy vocals that invoke the spirit of Ella Fitzgerald, surf-meets–spaghetti Western guitar, and doleful lyrics about cocaine and poverty make for a more nuanced, modern sound than do the throwback roots of 2005's Boundary Country and 2007's Letters From Sinners and Strangers. The songs on Sea of Tears smack of tempestuous love affairs and dark times, but even when Jewell's voice drips with anguish, a slow-burning passion simmers beneath the surface. With Zoe Muth & the Lost High Rollers. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599. 9 p.m. $12 adv./$15 DOS. SARA BRICKNER
Noise for the Needy / Wednesday, June 9 See preview.
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony / Thursday, June 10
Tell me what you gonna do, when there ain't nowhere to hide from a reunited Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Kinetically paced and Middle America–based, the Cleveland-born Thugs have been chasing their own tails for 15 years, harmonizing on bloated double albums while trying and failing to duplicate the massive success they had with their first cut. E. 1999 Eternal produced two sing-along jams, "1st of Tha Month" and "Tha Crossroads"; the latter helped Krayzie, Wish, Flesh-N, Layzie, and Bizzy earn that kiss-of-death award for hip-hoppers, a Grammy. Prodigal-son Bizzy is back after finding God, and the Harmonious ones are touring in support of Uni-5: The World's Enemy. In conclusion: bone-bone-bone-bone, bone-bone, bone. With Luck-One. El Corazon, 109 Eastlake Ave. E., 381-3094. 7 p.m. $30 adv./$35 DOS. All ages. CALEB HANNAN
Black Whales / Friday, June 11
Despite the ominous name, Black Whales make sweet-sounding music. "Young Blood," one of seven tracks on 2009's Origins EP, combines sprawling folk with '60s-style pop. (At times, Black Whales sounds like an electrified, sped-up version of the Cave Singers.) The result is a song with foot-tapping rhythms and head-nodding lyrics about wanting a different, more charmed life: "Last night I remembered how/We used to talk about/Getting out of here," sings vocalist Alex Robert. There's a sadness and darkness between the handclaps and swirling guitars, revealed in longing lyrics and Robert's occasionally wailing voice. These songs float and bounce; they're easy to get lost in. With Slender Means, Derby. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8000. 9 p.m. $8 adv./$10 DOS. PAIGE RICHMOND
Delta Spirit / Friday, June 11
No one combines vintage soul and Americana with the fiery heart of punk rock better than Delta Spirit. Singer Matt Vasquez writes songs from the perspective of an observant traveler who's seen his share of back-alley drama, sketchy characters, and fellow road-worn travelers. Delta Spirit's working-class soul won't ever make them hit-parade material, but that's just part of the band's humble charm. Musically, they swing and sway through warm folk and reverb-tinged rave-ups, but Vasquez's buttery voice is the stuff that goosebumps are made of; when he leans back and lets out a ragged howl, it's painfully raw and yet beautiful enough to make the world stop moving for just a split second. With Ezra Furman and the Harpoons, The Romany Rye. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467. 8 p.m. $12. GREGORY FRANKLIN
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers / Friday, June 11 & Saturday, June 12
A few things are certain about Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' weekend residency at the Gorge: They will play "American Girl," they will play "Free Fallin'," and they will play just about every other Tom Petty hit you love and several others you forgot existed. If you're lucky, you'll hear some other gems—"Wildflowers," perhaps?—and you're sure to hear at least one track from their June 15 release, Mojo. But the lion's share of what you'll hear will be the hits. 'Cause Mr. Petty is nothing if not indulgent of his audience, and "Mary Jane's Last Dance" ain't comin' 'til the old man drops. With Joe Cocker. The Gorge, 754 Silica Rd. N.W., 628-0888. 7:30 p.m. $49 GA/$131 reserved. All ages. CHRIS KORNELIS
Health / Saturday, June 12
Jake Duzsik of the L.A. noise quartet Health recently described their music as "the soundtrack to some rusted fucked-up near-future catastrophe." Thus the band's newest single, "We Are Water," off their sophomore disc, Get Color, is violent and frantic (and accompanied by a horrifically bloody video directed by Eric Wareheim). On "Die Slow," another of Color's unsettling moments, a palpable, movable rhythm cuts through all the volume and racket in Health's music, equipped with a surprising dose of emotion. With Indian Jewelry, Panda Gold. Vera Project, 305 Harrison St., 956-8372. 7:30 p.m. $11. All ages. ERIN K. THOMPSON
