[Thursday, August 21] Those smarty pants kids at Hardly Art (whoaE™ve got Grant Olsen of Arthur &Yu, Hardly Art’s first bullaE™s eye, on tonight’s bill) go three for three in the kick ass album department by releasing the MoondoggiesaE™ Don’t Be A Stranger. A beautifully bruised-hearted homage to all the acts listed above delivered in a pristinely listenable ear explosion of a package, (thanks in big part to insanely talented producer Erik Blood) this Seattle quartet’s warm, laid back and slightly stoner-ific jams beg to be released on vinyl and listened to with gigantic headphones or big, ancient, fuzztastic tube speakers. With Whalebones, Grant Olsen. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599. 9 p.m., $8. Listen to Changing.

[Thursday, August 21] Ball of Wax # 13 needs to have its mouth washed out with a bar of soap. Some of the submissions on the aEœParental AdvisoryaE edition of this local anthology (yours free with the $6 show cover) were sought out, while others were created especially for the occasion (including for the first time, some of that naughty, naughty NW hip hop the kids like so much) but all are sure to be a hoot live. With Southside, Smile Brigade, Virgin of the Birds, Jon Garcia, Bret Phillips, St. Rainbow, Olie Eshelman. Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave. N.W., 784-4880. 8 p.m., $6. Listen to The Virgins of the BirdsaE™Sisters at the Sound of Dawn.

[Thursday, August 21] Okay Cube, here’s the deal. You are a LEGEND with a capital L. There’s no denying that. But you, my man, are suffering from an image problem. Your latest album, Raw Footage, is set to drop at monthaE™s end into a market where the vast majority of the public is familiar with you from the craptasticness of Are We Done Yet? I applaud your efforts not to re-rock a Jhrei curl and tour on nostalgia, but your new stuff doesn’t feel genuine to who you are now: a survivor, entrepreneur and father of four. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151. 8 p.m., $35 adv, $40 dos. Listen to It Takes a Nation.

[Friday, August 22] The three Bostonians of Pretty & Nice flesh out indie-pop rhythms with subtle electronic undertones, with a bizarre and totally awesome result. One minute, you’re riding the guitar and vocals down a rhythmic pathway, until you’re suddenly thrown into a danceable electronic maelstrom. Judging by grainy YouTube videos, Pretty & Nice delivers the fast, high energy, entertaining-as-hell show that their music deserves. The Vera Project, Seattle Center, Warren Ave. N. and Republican, 7:30 p.m. All ages. Listen to Grab Your Nets.

[Saturday, August 23] QueensrA¿che assembled one of the most awesomely extravagant stage shows in the past two decades for Operation: Mindcrime. The groupaE™s dramatic Mindcrime material invites bombastic accompaniment, as does its epic early progressive output. KISW Pain In The Grass 2008 with the Empire Orchestra, Sevendust, Seether, more. White River Amphiteatre, 40601 Auburn-Enumclaw Rd., Auburn. 12 p.m., $29-$60. Listen to Silent Lucidity.

[Sunday, August 24] With their hearty punk-blues and dirty garage-rock, and an occasional taste for epic, sun-baked drama and noise, Australian quartet the Drones make an inspired racket that at various times calls to mind early Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, HA¼sker DA¼, the Mekons, Crazy Horse, and the Clash aE“ and sometimes blends all of that together. Singer-guitarist Gareth Liddiard is one of the more dynamic and magnetic frontmen youaE™re ever likely to encounter, and his impassioned, unhinged (ok, somewhat terrifying) stage persona is as riveting as his surreal story-songs and the bandaE™s glorious clamor. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599. 9 p.m., $8. Listen to I DonaE™t Ever Want to Change.

[Tuesday, August 26] Though IaE™m sure there are real, live human beings named Elder Mason (likely devout members of their churches, all), here weaE™re talking about a band of four Northwest transplants who hail from Missouri, Minnesota, Kansas and Connecticut. Now, these once-strangers have banded together and established themselves as a respectable folk outpost, applying the principles that guided classic rock greats like Pink Floyd and CSNY and combining their different approaches to aEœrockaE music into a glorious, sorta trippy amalgamation of the best bits of each camp, from trippy psychedelic rock guitar shredding to the medieval harmonies of CSNYaE™s quietest folk ballads. With Everest, the Parson Red Heads. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599. 9 p.m., $6. Listen to In Defense.

[Tuesday, August 26] Necrophagist takes its name from an Ancient Greek phrase meaning eater of the dead. In itself, that’s not so bad, because anyone whoaE™s not a lifelong vegetarian has dined on something deceased, but song titles such as Fermented Offal Discharge and lyrics like body parts served on a plate/prepared by sick culinary clarify the grotesque nature of this German death-metal band’s appetites. Necrophagist seems to have a particular taste for stillborns, which might be alarming news for opening act Dying Fetus. With Beneath the Massacre, Veil of Maya, Super Happy Story Time Land. Studio Seven, 110 S. Horton St., 286-1312. 6 p.m., $18 adv, $20 dos. All ages. Listen to Stabwound.