Nov. 6-12 | Live: Moab Folk Festival, IAMA Singer-Songwriters in the Round, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, Café Tacuba, Subtle 

Thursday 11.6
nMOAB FOLK FESTIVAL
nThe forecast for Moab in southern Utah this weekend calls for clear, mostly sunny skies with temperatures in the low 60s—and crowded streets for the town’s annual folk festival. This year’s lineup should help restore your faith in the term “singer/songwriter” which, in recent years, has gotten a bad rap, thanks to one too many hacks wrecking the rich storytelling tradition by not actually writing anything new. Festival artists like TR Ritchie know how to express emotions and relay experiences without relying on tired clichés. They also know how to get down. Expect a nice balance of mellow and lively folk, honky-tonk, bluegrass and nitty-gritty country music from performers as diverse as Halden Wofford and the Hi-Beams, and Martha Scanlan of Reeltime Travelers (who contributed a cut to the Cold Mountain soundtrack). Moab, various venues, Nov. 6-9. Info: MoabFolkFestival.com

• Also Thursday: Crooked Fingers, Tolchock Trio (Urban Lounge); Rock & Awe (Hotel)

Friday 11.7
nIAMA SINGER-SONGWRITERS IN THE ROUND
nIntermountain Acoustic Music Association’s monthly local concert series continues with a special singer-in-the-round showcase featuring Nate Eye, Geoff O’Meara, and Andrew Larsen, three performers who successfully navigated a heated selection process. When it comes to quality control, IAMA does not mess around. The series’ chosen ones are not only talented, but have proven themselves to be top-notch self-promoters. You can rest easy tonight knowing you’re in for one heck of a show. Oh, and IAMA invites concertgoers to bring their own coolers. Pretend you’re at Red Butte and that it’s not freezing outside. South Valley Unitarian Universalist Society, 6876 S. Highland Dr., 7:30 p.m. All-ages. Info: 944-9723

• Also Friday: Joshua James, Brinton Jones, Band of Annuals (Kilby Court); John McLaughlin (Avalon); Adjacent to Nothing, Life Has a Way (Club Vegas); Tom Morello: The Night Watchman (The Depot); One Republic, Augustana (Dee Events Center, Ogden); Labcoat (Brewskis, Ogden)

Saturday 11.8
n STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS
nReal Emotional Trash is no Wowee Zowee, but who cares? Stephen Malkmus’ solo material should be judged on its own merits and not on its ability to mimic an album that helped shape the ’90s (as we best recall it). Like Paul McCartney, Lindsay Buckingham, Lou Barlow and—to a lesser extent—Justin Timberlake, Malkmus will forever be linked to the project that first put his name on the map. As the principle songwriter and singer behind Pavement, he’ll always hold a special place in the hearts of indie-music lovers who matured to the sounds of “We Are Underused.” People need to move on, though, and Malkmus is certainly helping things by maintaining his awkward vocal delivery and wonderfully obtuse lyrics for work with the Jicks—an all-star lineup featuring, among others, former Sleater-Kinney and current Quasi drummer Janet Weiss, who also sings on Trash. The Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, 10 p.m. Tickets: 24Tix.com

• Also Saturday: Gang Gang Dance, Marnie Stern (Kilby Court—Read Article); Underoath, Saosin (In the Venue); The 88 (Burt’s Tiki Lounge); Novaburn, Nurse Sherri (5 Monkeys); Hellbound Glory (ABG’s, Provo)

Monday 11.10
nCAFÉ TACUBA
nCafé Tacuba might not be a mainstream household name, but the Mexico City-based musicians have managed to stay relevant world-wide thanks to sheer talent and a steady knack for reinvention. Touted as rockers since the group’s inception, Café Tacuba’s eclectic sound shifts from album to album—in some cases, from song to song within one LP. From tracks like “El Metro,” a pop number whose cheese factor registers somewhere between Wham! and Gloria Estefan’s greatest hits, to moody ballads including “Eres” and more traditional Latin material, Café Tacuba mixes up their craft just enough to keep things interesting while also maintaining a distinct tone that helps them maintain iconic status. Bring your dancing shoes when the legends hit town tonight. Club Karamba, 1051 E. 2100 South, 8 p.m. Tickets: SmithsTix.com

SUBTLE, ZACH HILL, BIRTHQUAKE
nZach Hill plays like an acid trip on warp speed. Is it any wonder he’s signed to Mike Patton’s Ipecac Recordings label? Hill, a Sacramento-based drummer known best for his role in Hella, employs out-there time signatures and just one foot on the kick pedal to produce some of the strangest beats this side of reality. Currently on tour promoting his latest solo album Astrological Straits, he’s spent the past few years working with plenty of other artists including Marnie Stern (Read Article) who collaborated with him on both of her LPs. Tonight, Hill will perform a 45-minute set featuring only the song, “Necromancer,” off Straits. He’ll be joined by the always entertaining, insanely creative Subtle and Salt Lake City newbies, Birthquake whose live set is apparently “off the hizzy.” The Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, 10 p.m. Tickets: 24Tix.com

• Also Monday: Brokencyde (Avalon); Matt Stillwell (The Depot)

Tuesday 11.11
nViking Moses (Slowtrain); Steel Train, Deer in the Headlights, Mury (Kilby Court); Rise Against (Great Saltair)

Wednesday 11.12
nMickey Avalon (In the Venue); Emery (Murray Theater); The Hotel Café All-Female Tour (Avalon); The Vincent Black Shadow (Kilby Court)

Coming Up
nSole & The Skyrider Band (Urban Lounge, Nov. 13); Bishop Allen, An Horse (Kilby Court, Nov.14); Tracy Lawrence (The Westerner); Portugal The Man (Studio 600, Nov. 15); My Brightest Diamond (Urban Lounge, Nov. 15); Donna the Buffalo (Bar Deluxe); Of Montreal (Murray Theater, Nov. 17); Gwar (Great Saltair, Nov. 17); Fishbone (Bar Deluxe, Nov. 18); Old Crow Medicine Show (Depot, Nov. 18); Mason Jennings (Murray Theater, Nov. 20)