OFF!, Cerebral Ballzy, The Coathangers at Bowery Ballroom, May 29, $15
If you have some aggression you need to vent, former Black Flag ranter Keith Morris' newish outfit OFF! can probably help. Specializing in bite-size bursts of anger and power chords that will make you want to spray paint the walls, OFF!'s live show and recent self-titled album are filled with enough anti-social spleen venting to ensure that, if used responsibly, you will have screamed all your problems out of your system by the end of the evening. -Michael Tedder
D. Charles Speer at Death By Audio, May 31, $7
Yeah, country can be kind of corny (Do we need ANOTHER goopy Tim McGraw love song in our lives?), but when it's done right, it's brash, affecting and can connect with a listener like nothing else. D. Charles Speer does country correctly. Hesitant fans looking to dip their toes into the genre, this one's for you. -Drew Millard
Ms. Lauryn Hill at Highline Ballroom, June 2, $125
No, that's not a typo: fans of the enigmatic MC will have to shell out more than $100 to see her perform. If anyone's worth the price of admission, however, it's Ms. Hill, whose Miseducation of Lauryn Hill remains one of hip-hop's defining albums. Soulful, melodic but also legendarily volatile, Hill is a cypher to most. Look at her live show as an opportunity to peek into a window that's rarely opened. -DM
Radiohead, Caribou at Prudential Center, May 31, June 1, $69.50
Just so you know, Radiohead's set list for this tour is mainly songs from The King Of Limbs, In Rainbows and a few unrecorded songs that they're work shopping. They'll also play a few from the almighty Kid A and, if they're in the right mood, maybe some "Paranoid Android." We're not saying this to dissuade you from making the trek up to Prudential, as the insular, tricky songs from Limbs have gained a new found heft when performed live (especially "Bloom") and new songs like
"Skirting On The Surface" already sound like clang-bang monsters. We just didn't want you to head out there with dreams of hearing "High and Dry" (totally understandable) and then getting crushed because your expectations had not been adjusted. -MT
Killer Bob, Gym, Deer Jonah Parzen-Johnson, The Due Diligence at Death By Audio, June 3, $7
We have no idea what Killer Bob sounds like. But let's be honest, it's either thrash punk or metal. But we're always up for a good "Twin Peaks" reference. -MT
