Music Picks Dec 13-Dec 19 | Eyedea & Abilities, Montell Jordan, La Bulla, Otep, Black Cobra 

Friday 12.14
EYEDEA & ABILITIES
If high society awarded hip-hop with as much respect as it gives fine art, Eyedea & Abilities would fetch a massive asking price at Southeby’s. The whip-smart emcee/DJ team are serious craftsmen, applying years of Scribble Jam-combat experience to their consistently tight Rhymesayers recordings. Rather than rifle through whichever catchy Fleetwood Mac or Police album he can easily locate, Abilities actually uses his turntables as they’re meant to be used—as an instrument, and a finely tuned one at that. His inventive beats and scratches set the mood for every Eyedea delivery, from the foreboding creepiness of “Glass” to the industrial fuzz underlying “Man vs. Ape.” Only downside: the mediocrity-fighting super duo hasn’t released a full-length album since their 2004 self-titled LP. Find out what’s up with that, if you can, tonight. In the Venue, 579 W. 200 South, 6 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: 24Tix.com

MONTELL JORDAN
Teazers is quickly earning a name for itself as a hotbed for ’90s music, starting in August with Sublime tribute band LBC and followed by Vanilla Ice’s much-talked-about appearance in late October. Nothing comes close, however, to the throwback power of Montell “This Is How We Do It” Jordan—and if you think he’s trying to shed ties to that surefire party starter, think again. Tonight’s show is billed as a This Is How We Do It evening. And who can blame him? Jordan has gotten a lot of mileage out of that memorable song, including film and television stints (To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday anyone? Anyone?). Plus, this song is the jam! He’ll never come whack on an old-school track. You know you want to bounce to this. Teazer’s, 366 36th St., Ogden, 9 p.m. Tickets: SmithsTix.com

• Also Friday: Seve Vs. Evan (Avalon Theater); Eric Bell (Alchemy Coffee); The Trademark CD Release (Velour, Provo); Stephen “Bam Bam” Santoro (Mynt Martini); Agent Orange, Numbskull (Burt’s Tiki Lounge); Starmy, Glinting Gems (Broken Record); SLUG Localized (Urban Lounge); The Supersuckers (Club Vegas); Kid Beyond (Bliss Nightlife—see Music)

Saturday 12.15
LA BULLA 2ND ANNIVERSARY
Salt Lake City isn’t world-renowned for its reggaeton music, but thanks to La Bulla, the vibrant, eclectic genre’s local devotees have weekly access to a veritable dem-bow goldmine. Dem bow, of course, being an essential element of the Jamaican/Latino musical hybrid, which you’d know if you listened to “El Show Oficial Urbano de Utah,” every Tuesday on KRCL 90.9 from 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Whether you tune in or not, you don’t want to miss tonight’s event celebrating two years of La Bulla! Organizers managed to snag big-time reggaeton artists Baby Ranks, DJ Hostile, Getto, Remie, Boy Wonder and LDA, a male/female trailblazing duo born and raised in New York City whose sound fuses together sultry dancehall, Latino hip-hop, and icy electronic beats. If you’re treading on foreign territory, take a crash course with Boy Wonder’s Chosen Few CD/DVD documentary exploring the ever-evolving movement. Studio 600, 26 E. 600 South, 7 p.m. All-ages. Info: 577-7961

• Also Saturday: Mury, Broke City (Avalon Theater); Mary Tebbs (Alchemy Coffee); Flash Cabbage (Pat’s BBQ); Miss Omega & One Punch (Brewskis, Ogden); Kenneth Thomas (Celsius Lounge, Park City); Paula Cole (Eccles Center, Park City); Provo Podcast Showcase (Velour, Provo); National Product (Club NVO, Logan); Not Quite Silent Night 3 (In the Venue—see Music)

Sunday 12.16
OTEP
Otep’s namesake leader has a bone to pick with, well, everyone. Scarred but not nearly broken by past trauma, she prowls the stage like a hostile panther, launching weathered gutturals to cut down general miscreants and—more recently—political warmongers. A writer who appeared on, among other shows, HBO’s Def Poetry (where she delivered a powerful, stomach-churning anecdote about an abusive relationship), Otep Shamaya doesn’t just scream nonsensical rage. Her lyrics are smart, piercing and thought-provoking. It’s not always easy to make out the message over pummeling double-bass drums and rapid guitar solos, but it is clear: “I want people to lose their minds.” Avalon Theater, 3605 S. State, 6:30 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: SmithsTix.com

• Also Sunday: Cavedoll (Monk’s); Ether Orchestra (Urban Lounge); The Faceless (Club NVO, Logan)

Tuesday 12.18
Self Conclusion (Kilby Court); Pawbox (Monk’s); The Come Down (Urban Lounge)

Wednesday 12.19
BLACK COBRA
Black Cobra is the type of band one imagines teenagers listen to after a major blow-out with Mom and Dad. All they wanted was a Pepsi—just one Pepsi! The Austin-bred, San Francisco-based metal duo masterfully churns out the aural equivalent of an overdue enema, flushing out the festering rage within. Of course, you needn’t be young and restless to enjoy Black Cobra’s soul-cleansing, ear-splitting sludge and thrash. In fact, well-adjusted audience members might even listen closely enough to discern the slight differences between songs off the group’s aptly named debut Bestial and the newly released Feather & Stone. They might also point out the absence of bass, a feature that boldly scoffs at recent trends in the metal/rock world. Burt’s Tiki Lounge, 726 S. State, 10 p.m. Tickets: SmithsTix.com (with Xur, Iota and Minerva)

• Also Wednesday: Colbie Callait (In the Venue)

Coming Up
Muses of Bedlam (Urban Lounge, Dec. 20); SLUG: Death By Salt III Release (Kilby Court, Dec. 21; Urban Lounge, Dec. 22); Jerry Joseph & The Jack Mormons (Bar Deluxe, Dec. 21); White Party X-Mas Ball (Area 51, Dec. 21); Voodoo Darlings Burlesque (Wood Shed, Dec. 21); Naked & Shameless (Burt’s Tiki Lounge, Dec. 22); Bronco, The Come Down (Monk’s, Dec. 23); Spleen (Burt’s Tiki Lounge, Dec. 29); Super Diamond (The Depot, Dec. 29)