Music Picks 

THURSDAY 3/24

AUTHORITY ZERO

When haters clowned on Authority Zero, the clever SoCal punks simply turned the other cheek. Critics stereotyped their fan base as a bunch of Hurley Bros. and Pop Bitches. So they turned the diss into a hit, adopting it as a pseudonym for secret shows. The band rarely wastes energy on futile brawls, instead opting to focus on recording new material. Their latest album, Andiamo, marries surf-punk with Portuguese and Spanish-influenced undertones. The result is a unique, clean blend of genres guaranteed to elicit more raves, less hisses and moans. Velvet Room, 149 W. 200 South, 8:30 p.m. Tickets: 800-888-8499 (with Living In Question).

Also Thursday: Silver Sunshine (Kilby Court); Acid King (Burt’s Tiki Lounge)

FRIDAY 3/25

WILL SARTAIN CD RELEASE

“The best insights are when I realize where I am in life, where I am going—when I take the time to recognize that I am becoming something that I wasn’t aware of,” Will Sartain observed upon releasing his solo debut, Beep! Two years later, the 20-year-old local musician still marvels at discovery. His newest, The Listening Booth (WillSartain.com), demonstrates lessons learned, from loves old, new, platonic and otherwise. The nine-track album captures what it feels like to have those eureka! moments; Sartain’s next journey, a full-fledged European tour, demands further revelations from the artist as a young man. Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, 7:30 p.m. All-ages. Info: 320-9887 (with Tolchock Trio).

Also Friday: The Yearbook, Patsy OH (Sugarbeats); Mickey & the Motorcars (Egos)

SATURDAY 3/26

MAGSTATIC CD RELEASE

It’s always impressive when a local band evades the Salt Lake scene’s revolving-door scheme. While Magstatic has experienced more than a few line-up changes since their 1997 debut, the rock veterans refuse to disband and completely abandon their roots. You can thank frontman Terrence D.H. for such admirable consistency. His determination to keep his group afloat resulted in the Pop Sweatshop Records release of She’s Just a Buzz (Magstatic.com), an album blaring sneak previews of Magstatic’s highly touted live show. Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, 10 p.m. Info: 746-0557 (with The Tremula).

Also Saturday: Nick Frietas & the Head Gates (Kilby Court); Seven Seconds (Lo-Fi Café); Gift of Gab (Egos); Big Head Todd & the Monsters (Suede)

SUNDAY 3/27

Sand & the Sissies (Monk’s); Love = Death (Lo-Fi Café); Turbo ACs, Seven Shot Screamers (Burt’s Tiki Lounge)

MONDAY 3/28

THE DECEMBERISTS

Don’t worry if you don’t immediately “get” the Decemberists. Like most good things in life (beer, raw fish, Diane Reems), newcomers might not immediately take to Colin Meloy’s unique baroque-pop vocals. The Portland quintet’s frontman is more apt to attract listeners with prose-thick lyrics—lines carved from historic epics, poetry and rare films—and his penchant for magical fables. Picaresque picks up where Her Majesty The Decemberists left off, charting a course far from modern radio’s typical outliers. “I’ve written pages upon pages trying to rid you from my bones,” Meloy sings on “The Engine Driver.” Once embraced, it’s difficult to reject such potent words and sounds. It’s never too late to make another first impression. Lo-Fi Café, 127 S. West Temple, 7 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: 800-888-8499 (with Okkerville River).

CHRIS DUARTE

Plenty of Stevie Ray Vaughan-comparisons have piled up around Chris Duarte, a guitarist whose licks match any S.O.B in the house. But the truth is, his skills aren’t limited to heartbreaking blues. Duarte’s latest release, Romp, features mas en fuego rock numbers more comparable to “Stevie” Vai. The album also marks a significant return to clarity for the formerly drug-addled artist who, like many other tortured musicians, is busy catching up on lost time. “I don’t want to pat myself on the back, but I found some way to barely go forward, whereas other people would completely go backward in their careers,” he told Nuvo. Egos, 668 S. State, 9:30 p.m. Info: 521-5255.

TUESDAY 3/29

Wayne “The Train” Hancock (Egos); Juke Joint 45s (Burt’s Tiki Lounge); The Sights (Todd’s Bar & Grill); Yard Dogs (Urban Lounge)

WEDNESDAY 3/30

PARKER & LILY

Parker & Lily’s new critical hit Low Lows and LSD-themed luaus go together like bread and butter—common, but not necessarily requisite, complements. Parker Noon and Lily Wolfe met in college, dropped out 3 months into freshman year, and started a project that would eventually spawn a plethora of oft-spooky-sounding instruments—the fast rush of fingers dashing over a Rhodes or an ancient vibraphone muffled underwater. The duo (no longer a couple, thank you) aren’t so much interested in sparking dance revolutions as laying out down-tempo tunes for literary geeks getting sultry on red wine and qualludes. Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, 7:30 p.m. All-ages. Info: 320-9887.

JURASSIC 5

In some states, an appearance by Los Angeles-based hip-hop crew Jurassic 5 merits great attention. Not so in Utah, where we had to read in an ad in our own paper that these musical giants would soon be performing at a nearby intimate venue, for a wallet-friendly price. Then again, J5 has maintained a low profile since their 2002 release, Power By Numbers. No word indicating they’re working on new material, however Chali 2na, Zaakir (Soup), Akil, Marc 7, Cut Chemist and Nu-Mark have been keeping busy with such pursuits as Axis of Justice, a concert-turned-CD compilation designed to motivate grassroots political organizations fighting for social justice. Kingsbury Hall, University of Utah, 7 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: 355-2787.

Also Wednesday: Murdock (Burt’s Tiki Lounge, see Music, p. 50); Spanky Van Dyke (Urban Lounge); The Ozzmenz (Egos)

COMING UP

Moot Davis & Pete Anderson (Piper Down, April 1). The Bellrays (Egos, April 2). Breaking Benjamin (Velvet Room, April 2). Kaskade (W Lounge, April 2). Ambulance LTD (Velvet Room, April 5). Reverend Horton Heat, Supersuckers (Velvet Room, April 6). The Dollyrots (Burt’s Tiki Lounge, April 7). Sting, Phantom Planet (Delta Center, April 11). Drive-By Truckers (Suede, April 13). Phoenix, Dogs Die In Hot Cars (In the Venue, April 15). Maktub (Velvet Room, April 15). Slipknot (E Center, April 19). Steve Vai (In the Venue, April 20).