Wednesday, July 2

Few artists can boast a career as wide and well-regarded as Nick Cave, whose work spans decades as well as creative arenas, in music via The Birthday Party, Grinderman, and with the Bad Seeds (whom he’ll perform with at the Paramount), as well as acting and writing. And somehow each project that bears his name is spiritual, thought-provoking, and beautifully off-kilter. Reviews for this tour confirm his talents, which will be followed by a July 10 screening at the Grand Illusion of a new documentary about him, 20,000 Days on Earth, which Rolling Stone called “staged, stylized, and weird as fuck.” With Mark Lanegan. The Paramount, 911 Pine St., 682-1414. stgpresents.com/paramount. 8 p.m. $51.25. DAVE LAKE

Susy Sun is one of those artists you can’t help but love if you are young, somewhat angst-ridden, and wondering why on earth boys (or girls) are so weird/can’t commit/love to break your heart. But she does it all with an angelic voice that is wonderfully Auto-Tune-free and a plucky piano-pop sensibility that recalls Sara Bareilles, even if it doesn’t have quite the same spunk. The local classically trained pianist’s latest effort, 2013’s Wanderlust EP, explores that maddening emotional territory between “I swear I’ll never love someone again” and “Oh no, here I go again, and I can’t stop myself!” With Sea Castle, Each and All. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599, tractortavern.com. 9 p.m. $8. 21 and over. BRIAN PALMER

2014 hasn’t been the banner year that Gregg Allman might have hoped for. Between the upcoming dissolution of his iconic band to the lawsuits over his failed biopic, he’s been through the ringer. Despite it all, however, he continues to roll with the punches and perform the blues-inflected rock that’s made him an icon. With Ayron Jones. Woodland Park Zoo, 601 N. 59th St., 548-2500, zoo.org/zootunes. 6 p.m. $32.50. CORBIN REIFF

Thursday, July 3

In the 10 months since Portland-by-way-of-New York indie-pop duo Pure Bathing Culture released its debut full-length, Moon Tides, the album has yet to lose the nostalgic grab that made it so instantly likable. Recorded with Richard Swift (the Shins, Damien Jurado), who also worked on the duo’s self-titled EP, Moon Tides combines Cocteau Twins-esque ’80s pop with the haziness of ’60s psychedelia. But guitarist Daniel Hindman and vocalist/keyboardist Sarah Versprille (both formerly of Vetiver) keep the album firmly rooted in the present with introspective lyrics about self-discovery and spirituality. It sounds like a lot to take in, but Hindman’s bright guitar riffs and Versprille’s crystal-clear voice make such heavy topics easily palatable. With Pure X, M. Geddes Gengras. Barboza, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9951, thebarboza.com. 
8 p.m. $10 adv. 21 and over. AZARIA C. PODPLESKY

Just as Louis C.K. is often described as a “comedian’s comedian,” San Francisco’s Castle is a metal band’s metal band. Its latest record, Under Siege, is a purist interpretation of metal. There’s no hardcore or sludge crossover, just monster hooks and soaring vocals. It’s a brutal approach, which they use for epic, fantastical storytelling. With BlackQueen, Caligula. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8005, chopsuey.com. 8 p.m. $10. 21 and over. DUSTY HENRY

clipping.’s brand of experimental/noise hip-hop is similar in its unconventional sound to that of a group like Death Grips, only with a slightly tamer rapping style. Its sound is full of glitch and chaos that is always weird, and at times scary—it’s party music for art kids. The L.A.-based group recently dropped CLPPNG, its first release on Sub Pop. With SneakGuapo, OCnotes. Columbia City Theater, 4916 Rainier Ave. S., 722-3009, columbiacitytheater.com. 8 p.m. $12 adv./$15 DOS. 
21 and over. DIANA M. LE

Future has been steadily rising in the mainstream-rap game. He’s already worked with the likes of Kanye West and the forever-happy Pharrell, and received a coveted diss on Eminem’s latest album. But so much about Future has been about the stars around him. His solo live set has the potential to prove what he can do on his own. With Rico Love, Casino, DJ Swervewon. The Neptune, 1303 N.E. 45th St., 877-784-4849, stgpresents.com/neptune. 9 p.m. $27.50 and up. All ages. DH

In its newest venture Here and Nowhere Else, Cincinnati-based Cloud Nothings have no tricks up its sleeves, and what you hear is what you get: fast-paced, urgent garage rock. Each song is packed with rhythms and guitar on the verge of falling apart, yet a comforting cohesiveness manages to overcome that. Frontman Dylan Baldi has a keen ear for a catchy hook, and relentlessly drives them at you until you can’t help but sing (or scream) along. The whole thing sounds like Baldi learned guitar as a child playing along to Nirvana records in his basement, and it’s only a matter of time before someone learns by playing along to his albums in turn. With Metz. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9442, neumos.com. 8 p.m. $15 adv. 21 and over. STIRLING MYLES

Saturday, July 5

Hank Green, one of the Internet’s resident nerds, is one half of the Vlogbrothers, who launched their YouTube channel into popularity in 2007 after posting an original song about Harry Potter. Seven years later, Green’s touring in support of his fifth album, Incongruent, a collection of punk songs about science, My Little Pony, and Shakespearean insults. With Driftless Pony Club. The Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-4618, thecrocodile.com. 10 p.m. $17 adv. All ages. DML

Steely Dan, the jazz-rock duo of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, hasn’t released new material since 2003’s Everything Must Go, but that’s not stopping them from touring. This, the Jamalot Ever After tour, finds the pair riding on the strength of still-beloved singles like “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” and “Hey Nineteen.” Through Sunday. With Bobby Broom. Marymoor Park, 6046 W. Lake Sammamish Pkwy., Redmond, 205-3661, marymoorconcerts.com. 7:30 p.m. $65 and up. All ages. ACP

With two Grammys, 34 top-10 appearances on the pop and R&B charts, and singles like “Celebration” and “Jungle Boogie,” which everyone from Madonna to Will Smith has sampled, is there anything Kool & the Gang hasn’t accomplished? Well, at least one highlight is still to come: a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next year. Snoqualmie Casino, Mountain View Plaza, 37500 S.E. North Bend Way, 425-888-1234, snocasino.com. 
7 p.m. $15 and up. 21 and over. ACP

Sunday, July 6

New Order’s story is well known. After the tragic suicide of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis, the band reformed to continue pushing post-punk in an exciting new direction. It’s easy to idealize bands that so defined an era and genre, but what makes New Order so fascinating is how its influence seems even larger today than it was in the ’80s. So much of modern dance music and indie pop is indebted to the grandiose and wistful hooks of Peter Hook (pun intended, though Hook no longer performs with the band), and both EDM devotees and bedroom-pop loners can find a common denominator in the band’s music. The Paramount. 
8 p.m. $45–$65. All ages. DH

Country-music legend Dwight Yoakam is a busy man. Besides an illustrious music career, Yoakam is an actor (Sling Blade and Wedding Crashers), a director (South of Heaven, West of Hell), and the owner of his own brand of biscuits. And on top of all that, he somehow found time to release 2012’s delightfully twangy 3 Pears. Snoqualmie Casino. 7 p.m. $25 and up. 21 and over. ACP

Monday, July 7

Asleep at the Wheel’s Ray Benson has taken his Western swing band on a pretty long journey. Founding the ensemble in West Virginia, the group relocated to California and eventually Texas, incorporating much of those states’ storied music histories into its albums. A few years back it issued Remember the Alamo, draping juked-up honky tonk over Gen. Santa Anna’s battle. Even Willie Nelson’s a big enough fan to collaborate with the band, a partnership that resulted in 2009’s Willie and the Wheel. And on its latest, Havin’ a Party: Live, the Wheel churns through jazz standards, as well as some rockabilly in celebration of the nation’s heritage. Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave., 441-9729, jazzalley.com. 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. $34.50. DAVE CANTOR

For everything that may be made easier by the fact that the Pink Slips are fronted by Grace McKagan, teenage daughter of Duff McKagan, the group will have to fight equally hard to be seen and heard as something other than that. With no recorded material available yet (an EP is coming this summer), the live show and a handful of YouTube clips are currently the only way to experience them. McKagan’s vocals seem up to the task, sultry in a Lana Del Rey sort of way, though the band bristles with an energy more akin to that of the punk icons whose photos they are fond of tweeting: Iggy Pop, Debbie Harry, Joan Jett. With Jason Kertson, Bleachbear. Vera Project, 305 Warren Ave. N., 956-8372, theveraproject.org. 7:30 p.m. $8 adv./$10 DOS. DL

Tuesday, July 8

Step aside, Mariah; Lauryn Hill is the real elusive chanteuse. Since releasing her critically acclaimed first (and so far only) solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, in 1998, the former Fugee has graced the world with more controversy than the handful of singles she’s dropped—most recently 2013’s “Consumerism,” which debuted the night before she left prison after serving three months for tax evasion. Her Tumblr page claims the track is an introduction to a new project, Letters From Exile, which she wrote during her incarceration, but a release date has yet to be announced. The Paramount. 8 p.m. $35 and up. All ages. ACP