Music | Live: Adele, Cee-Lo & Big Boi, Ska is Dead, The Ettes & Cobra Krames 

Friday 1.23
nADELE
nBritish sensation and recently Grammy-nominated artist Adele was born in 1988! 1988! If you’re feeling old right now, don’t sweat it. Adele is just one of those preternaturally talented folks who, instead of bitching about cheating boyfriends and bad breakups on Facebook, actually write a hit song about it all and get signed to the label run by Facebook’s social networking rival, MySpace Records. The whole lot of 19 draws its strength from puppy love and the harsh pitfalls of idealistic romance. Through Adele’s rich, soulful pipes, innocent mistakes take on grave importance and the pain in her voice becomes every bit as important as that of, say, Lucinda Williams‘ thoughts on a loser ex. Murray Theater, 4959 S. State, 8 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: SmithsTix.com (with James Morrisson)

CEE-LO, BIG BOI
nIn these rough economic times, most folks will think twice before shelling out $100 to see Cee-lo perform live—does that make them cray-zay? Perhaps not, especially if those folks aren’t familiar with Cee-lo’s output prior to Gnarls Barkley, his collaboration with producer Danger Mouse. For those who grew up on a steady diet of Goodie Mob, tonight’s show is worth every last penny. Ditto for long-time Outkast followers who appreciate Big Boi as much as they love his outlandish counterpart, Andre 3000. This is one show that’s completely worth braving the canyon, Main Street and a sea of look-at-me wannabe celebrities. If you’ve got the means, make it happen. Harry O’s, 427 Main, Park City, 9 p.m. Tickets: SmithsTix.com

Tuesday 1.27
n SKA IS DEAD TOUR
nThe annual Ska Is Dead Tour is slowly chipping away at the perception of ska as a novelty genre, but while pop-punk bands—whose heyday coincided with second-wave ska bands like the Mad Caddies and Save Ferris—are largely going the way of the buffalo, old-school ska groups like The Toasters and Voodoo Glow Skulls (left) are pulling a John Travolta: coming back stronger than ever and reaching a new generation of music lovers who are just now discovering the appeal of horn-driven skanking. The tour’s fourth incarnation features those two class acts along with Deals Gone Bad, Monkey and Superhero. Avalon, 3605 S. State, 6:30 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: SmithsTix.com

Wednesday 1.28
n THE ETTES
nDepending on the source, The Ettes are from Toronto, Los Angeles and/or New York, but listening to the band’s hard-driving garage pop, it doesn’t much matter where the trio pays rent, such is the universal appeal of their sound. Besides, these cool cats—now based out of Brooklyn—spend so much time on the road their life is like a Metallica song: Nomads, vagabonds; where they lay their heads is home. It’s The Ettes live experience, after all, that ropes you in. Drummer “Poni” commands most of the attention, steering the group’s raw, fuzzed-out songs with her cool as ice meets hell on wheels delivery that matches with singer Coco’s sweet and sassy delivery making for one zinger of a punk show. Their sophomore LP, Look At Life Again Soon (Sympathy for the Record Industry) does a fine job of capturing their dynamic stage show, but why risk missing out on the real deal? Plus, tonight’s gig features Big Gun Baby, back from their overseas hiatus! Burt’s Tiki Lounge, 726 S. State, 10 p.m. (with Big Gun Baby)

COBRA KRAMES
nSean Kramer, aka Cobra Krames, has described his sound as “a dance mix amalgamation with nouveau-disco mixed with commercial rap,” but in the heat of the moment, clubgoers might otherwise characterize the Krames experience as “a sweaty good time” or perhaps simply pant and holler at their boy. That’s the type of reaction that sets artists like Krames apart from Internet jockeys throwing together random MP3s and calling it legit. With everyone and their grandma sharing files these days, DJs have to up their game and set a killer mood. As half of the famed Cobra Kai party crew, Krames holds his own with mixes, remixes and mash-ups—Frankie Goes to Hollywood with Glenn Frey, for example—that get the body hopping faster than a double Red Bull and vodka. W Lounge, 358 S. West Temple, 9 p.m. Tickets: 24Tix.com (with Flash & Flare, ChaseOneTwo)

Coming Up
nLaser Gold (Trapp Door, Jan. 29); City Weekly Music Awards: Laserfang, Furs, Purr Bats (Monk’s, Jan. 30); CWMAs: Loom, Subrosa, Form of Rocket (Burt’s Tiki Lounge, Jan. 31); CWMAs: Aye Aye, David Williams, Band of Annuals (Woodshed, Jan. 31); Warren G (Teazers, Jan. 31); Stacey Kent (Salt Lake Sheraton, Feb. 2); Mumiy Troll, Funeral For A Friend (Avalon, Feb. 3); Jaguares (Depot, Feb. 5); Amy Ray (Avalon, Feb. 6); Red Fang (Bar Deluxe, Feb. 7)