WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17

Brother Ali One of the more enduring Midwest “conscious” MCs, Ali has been an indie-rap favorite since his 2003 Rhymesayers debut Shadows on the Sun. His new album Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color (produced by Seattle beat god Jake One) provides the political fire his fans are used to. With Blank Tape Beloved, Homeboy Sandman, DJ Sosa, Grynch, the Reminders. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467. 7 p.m. $15. All ages.

Posse On its self-titled January full-length, this local trio plays hard-edged power pop with dual lead vocals. With Wishbeard, Brothers. JewelBox/Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave., 441-5823, jewelboxtheater.com. 9 p.m. $5.

Scrumptious and The Backbeat For its upcoming EP, Drunctional Funk, this soul/funk sextet crowdsourced the name of a song through a social media–based contest. With Sunshine Junkies, Patrick Foster and the Locomotive. Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave. N.W., 784-4880, sunsettavern.com. 7:30 p.m. $6.

Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers On last year’s Gift Horse, Kellogg and his band pen winsome, country-tinged Americana. With the Local Strangers, Miggs. Tractor Tavern, 5231 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599, tractortavern.com. 7 p.m. $16 adv./$18 DOS.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18

EOTO Originally a side project of String Cheese Incident members Michael Travis and Jason Hann, this duo blends EDM with the jam-band sensibilities of its parent band by creating improvised, bass-centric electronic music using loops and live instrumentation. With The New Law, Michael Manahan, novaTRON. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9442, neumos.com. 7 p.m. $15.

Gaelic Storm This veteran Celtic-rock five-piece is touring behind its ninth album, July’s Chicken Boxer. Tractor Tavern. 9 p.m. $20. (Also Fri., Oct. 19).

Joshua Radin A well-known television trope is the playing of a slow, wistful, often acoustic song near the end of an episode to signal a dramatic climax. Perhaps no one knows this better than Radin, whose music has appeared in more than 75 TV shows and movies, including Scrubs, Gossip Girl, and (the worst offender) Grey’s Anatomy. With A Fine Frenzy, Lucy Schwartz. Moore Theatre, 1931 Second Ave., 467-5510, stgpresents.com. 7 p.m. $25 adv./$30 DOS. All ages.

Yasiin Bey For the MC formerly known as Mos Def, it’s been an eventful 12 months: He announced his name change, and that Black Star (his project with Talib Kweli) would release its first album since 1998. With the Physics, Larry Hawkins, Thaddeus David, DJ Swervewon. Showbox SoDo, 1700 First Ave. S., 652-0444, showboxonline.com. 7 p.m. $30 adv./$33 DOS. All ages.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19

Blind Pilot The latest from this Portland folk sextet is last year’s We Are the Tide, the gentle follow-up to its critically successful debut, 2009’s 3 Rounds and a Sound. With Point Juncture, WA; Tom Eddy; the Soft Hills. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151, showboxonline.com. 8 p.m. $20 adv./$25 DOS. All ages.

Dead Winter Carpenters Hailing from North Lake Tahoe, Calif., this bluegrass-infused Americana group is touring behind May’s Ain’t It Strange. With Fruition, Spare Rib &The Bluegrass Sauce. Nectar Lounge, 412 N. 36th St., 632-2020, nectarlounge.com. 8 p.m. $7 adv./$10 DOS.

Neil Halstead It’s not unheard of for an artist to have a midcareer stylistic do-over, but Halstead’s was more drastic than most. The British songwriter got his start as a founding member of seminal shoegaze act Slowdive, but now he writes somber acoustic-folk tracks in the vein of Nick Drake. With Tiny Vipers, Case Studies, Kevin Long. JewelBox/Rendezvous. 7 p.m. $15.

Switchfoot This San Diego rock group boasts something few other bands that play El Corazon can: a Grammy for Best Gospel Rock Album for 2009’s Hello Hurricane. With Paper Route, Alabaster. El Corazon, 109 Eastlake Ave. E., 381-3094, elcorazonseattle.com. 8 p.m. $24 adv./$29 DOS. All ages.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20

Collie Buddz This Bermudan reggae-fusion artist scored a hit in Europe and Jamaica with 2007’s “Come Around.” With New Kingston, Zion I, Los Rakas, Diego’s Umbrella, The Holdup, Vokab Kompany. Showbox at the Market. 7 p.m. $25 adv./$28 DOS. All ages.

DeVotchKa In 2011 this Denver band released their sixth album, 100 Lovers, on which they continue to put a modern spin on Old World folk tunes. With Seattle Rock Orchestra. The Moore. 7 p.m. $22 adv./$25 DOS. All ages.

The Dusty 45s On this bill packed with twangy treasures are two of the best throwback artists you’ll ever come across. The raucous rockabilly of the Dusty 45s and the retro country romance of Vince Mira make this show worth the cost of your wristband alone. With Legendary Oaks, Song Sparrow Research. Barboza, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467, thebarboza.com. $15. 7 p.m.

Two Door Cinema Club Beacon, the sophomore album from this Northern Ireland electropop band, debuted at #1 on the Irish charts in September. With Friends, Motopony. Showbox SoDo. 7 p.m. $25 adv./ $28 DOS. All ages.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21

A$AP Rocky The most audible voice in the current wave of syrupy drug rap, A$AP has done as much as any other national-scale artist over the past year and change to recalibrate the bearing of popular rap. With A$AP Mob, ScHoolboy Q, Danny Brown. Showbox SoDo, 1700 First Ave. S., 652-0444. 8 p.m. Sold out. All ages.

Bitch Magnet This post-hardcore band was active for just five tumultuous years in the late ’80s, but its wide-open, visceral brand of proto-post-rock (think Slint, one of the group’s contemporaries), influenced bands from Mogwai to Battles. Neumos. 8 p.m. $15.

Freelance Whales This Brooklyn indie-pop act is including a digital version of its new album, Diluvia, with this show’s admission price. With Geographer. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8005, chopsuey.com. 8 p.m. $17.50.

Special Explosion This youthful local quintet (they were Sound Off! finalists earlier this year) plays fuzzy guitar pop with a distinctly Northwest flavor. With Sun Valley Gun Club, The Hague. Comet Tavern, 922 E. Pike St., 322-9292, comettavern.com. 9 p.m. $6.

Sun Airway The textured, ambient synth-pop project of Philadelphia musician Jon Barthmus just finished a stint opening for M83, and is now touring on the back of their second Dead Oceans album, Soft Fall. With Pure Bathing Culture. The Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-4618, thecrocodile.com. 8 p.m. $7. All ages.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 22

Alesana This Epitaph Records–signed metalcore band apparently has a T.S. Eliot wannabe naming its albums—On Frail Wings of Vanity and Wax and A Place Where the Sun Is Silent are among the titles in its discography. With In Fear and Faith, Vampires Everywhere!, Glamour of the Kill, All Human. El Corazon. 6:30 p.m. $18 adv./$20 DOS. All ages.

Lucabrazzi Active since 2005, this San Francisco trio plays heavy, no-frills punk rock. With Daughters of the Dead Sea, Coloffs, Jori and the Push. Funhouse, 206 Fifth Ave. N., 374-8400, thefunhouseseattlecom. 9:30 p.m. $5.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23

Cars & Trains Portland multi-instrumentalist Tom Filepp will release his new album, We Are All Fire, at this show. With Serengeti, IG88. Chop Suey. 8 p.m. $6.

Mark Mallman Besides his solo work, which draws inspiration from ’70s piano rock, Mallman is also an accomplished jazz pianist and film composer. With The Awfully Sudden Death of Martha G, Carousel. Sunset Tavern. 7:30 p.m. $8.