Live: Music Picks May 5-11 

THURSDAY 5.5
Eighth Annual Utah Beat Society
It's just not fair. In bands, singers and guitar players get all the attention, causing woe for drummers, whose beats drive the music. It's the same in hip-hop: Rappers often outshine the producers, no matter how much they try to give the beat-masters props. That's why local producer DJ Juggy is doing the hip-hop equivalent of giving the drummer some love with the Utah Beat Society, pulling together a lineup of 11 local producers including Briskoner, Finale Grand, Vivedend, Linus Stubbs, Dusk, Dumb Luck, Chance Lewis, Melvin Junko, Rich Strott, Rick One and himself, with Salt Lake City rhyme-sayer Calhoon hosting the festivities. "Tonight, it's all about the beat makers," says Fisch Loops. "It's just showcasing original production, rather than a simple DJ night, where producers who make their own music get to showcase their sets." With the focus on beats, you betta do some practice twerks before the show, or you're gonna pull something. (Randy Harward) The Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, 8:30 p.m., free, TheUrbanLoungeSLC.com

FRIDAY 5.6
Deicide
Florida death metal cornerstone Deicide is led by charismatic Christ-basher Glen Benton, a notorious antagonist who branded an inverted cross into his forehead. Benton seemed to delight in getting under the skin of conservatives (look up his scary-hilarious phone calls with self-professed exorcist Bob Larson on YouTube) and herbivorous animal-rights nuts, alike—the latter group being allegedly responsible for detonating a bomb during a 1992 show in Stockholm. Anti-religious shenanigans aside, Deicide is counted as one of the founders of brutal American death metal and have been active nearly three decades. Their most recent album, In the Minds of Evil (Century Media), was released in 2013. Season of Suffering, Hypernova Holocaust, Dezecration and Sonifera open. (Marc Hanson) Metro Bar, 615 W. 100 South, 8:30 p.m., $20 in advance, $25 day of show, JRCSLC.com

FRIDAY 5.6
Wilfrido Vargas
Dominican Republic-born Wilfrido Vargas—trumpeter, vocalist and bandleader, also known as a producer and arranger—has been a key figure in spreading merengue music around the globe. Merengue involves mostly horns and percussion in a rousing ensemble sound, somewhat similar to conga music, and it's migrated from Latin American countries to the United States and beyond. The style has undergone a few mutations, and Vargas is one of the bandleaders who adds guitars into the mix. Incredibly prolific, he has released several dozen albums since the '80s, and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Tropical Latin Performance in 1990. Here's a chance to see a master practitioner of the style—and, of course, get out and dance. (Brian Staker) Club Karamba, 1051 E. 2100 South, 9 p.m., $30, KarambaSLC.com

SATURDAY 5.7
Dead Winter Carpenters
The area north of Lake Tahoe knows the dead of winter. In addition to the ski resort, it's not far from where the Donner Party met their gruesome end. Dead Winter Carpenters is an alt-country band from North Lake Tahoe, Calif., that blends progressive bluegrass with old-style country, folk and roots rock. Although the title of their last release is Dirt Nap EP, this movable party (search YouTube for them on the Gondola series), unlike the Donner company those many winters ago, shows no sign of diminishing. Naturally, their new album, Washoe, features heavily in their set lists on this year's tour. The Puddle Mountain Ramblers open. (BS) The State Room, 638 S. State, 9 p.m., $15, TheStateRoomSLC.com

SUNDAY 5.8
The Thermals, Summer Cannibals
In the early 2000s—before there were hipsters, and before Portland became Portlandia—there was The Thermals, the City of Roses' entrant in the lo-fi indie band sweepstakes. They even got signed to Sub Pop—the Northwest's imprimatur of cool since the '90s—for their debut release, More Parts Per Million (2003). They also shared a drummer with M. Ward's group, upping their cool quotient. Fast-forward over a decade, and their latest collection, We Disappear (Saddle Creek) turns up on another label with indie cred, after having sojourned through a few with Kill Rock Stars, another class outfit. Fun pop-punk rules! Their neighbors, four-piece indie band Summer Cannibals, took their name from a song by Patti Smith and Fred "Sonic" Smith, and they are prepping their own new album, Full of It, due on KRS next month. Find out tonight if it's as great as the last one, Show Us Your Mind (New Moss). Chalk opens. (BS) The Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, 8 p.m., $12 in advance, $14 day of show, TheUrbanLoungeSLC.com

MONDAY 5.9
Explosions in the Sky, Disappears
You might have seen experimental instrumental band Explosions in the Sky several years ago at the Twilight Concert Series. If not, here's another chance, without having to deal with the Pioneer Park throngs—although, when The Depot gets full, it can be elbow-to-elbow as well. The Austin, Texas, band recently released its seventh studio album, The Wilderness (Temporary Residence Limited), and it's touted as being rather understated for a band that, typically, can be a little overwhelming. Chicago band Disappears joins them on the bill. Their idiosyncratic mutation of rock music—which briefly involved Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley a few years back—experiments in several different directions of their own, and are probably the perfect tour mates for Explosions in the Sky. (BS) The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, 8 p.m., $23, DepotSLC.com

SATURDAY 5.7
X96 Big Ass Show: Death Cab for Cutie, The Offspring and more
Long a favorite of local modern/alternative/indie rock fans, the X96 Big Ass Show is now old enough to get drunk. They grow up so fast. The lineup, as usual, is strong, with big-ass headliners like Seattle indie-emo-whatever band Death Cab for Cutie (left) and The Offspring, who were pop-punk before pop-punk was co-opted by the scene-hair set. Younger bands Awolnation, Nothing But Thieves and The Strumbellas provide strong support. Hey! I wonder if there's a fan out there who's attended every one of these concerts and is also newly of legal age... (Randy Harward) Usana Amphitheatre, 5150 S. 6055 West, 4 p.m., $20-$60, Usana-Amp.com

WEDNESDAY 5.12
Mayer Hawthorne
Soul singer/producer/DJ Mayer Hawthorne had no formal musical training, but upon moving to Los Angeles a decade ago, the Ann Arbor, Mich., native caught the ear of Peanut Butter Wolf, and was signed to Wolf's Stone's Throw Records, which released his debut, A Strange Arrangement, in 2009. His sound is reminiscent of old-school soul musicians like Marvin Gaye and the songs of Holland-Dozier-Holland. Ever the stylish dresser, Hawthorne this year released his sixth effort, Man About Town (Vagrant), whose title track is as self-descriptive as you can get. (Brian Staker) The Complex, 536 W. 100 South, 8 p.m., $24.85 in advance, $28 day of show, TheComplexSLC.com