Live: High on Fire, Wilco, The Fixx 

THURSDAY 11/18

INSANE CLOWN POSSE

There’s nothing quite so refreshing as warm, sticky soda pop—especially when it’s being poured on you by overweight clowns. So say the Juggalos, devoted fans of Detroit rap/metal act Insane Clown Posse, whose intense following demands comparisons to Morrissey or the Grateful Dead. The duo, currently steering the Hell’s Pit tour, totes a message from the Carnival Spirit dictating the end of the world via “Joker Cards.” Good stuff. Utah State Fairpark, 155 N. 1000 West, 5 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: 800-888-8499.

HIGH ON FIRE

While stoner-rock combo Sleep pledged allegiance to Mary Jane, offshoot High On Fire drudges through medieval metal in the name of Judas and Mammon. Guitarist/vocalist Matt Pike spits out lyrics about warriors and masters of fists, coming off like a born-again D& freak with amps turned to 11. As he told Stoner Rock, “Dude, God is a big mystery and the only people who have come to tell us about it are the prophets and Jesus.” Crazy Goat, 119 S. West Temple, 9 p.m. Info: 328-4628 (with Le Force).

Also Thursday: Psyche Origami (Sugarbeats); Brown Eyed Deceptions, In Camera (Kilby Court); Cydonia Effect (Egos).

FRIDAY 11/19

Agent Orange (Burt’s Tiki Lounge); Del Tha Funky Homosapien, Aceyalone (Velvet Room); The Rodeo Boys (Todd’s Bar & Grill).

SATURDAY 11/20

ANIMAL LIBERATION ORCHESTRA

Land developers and environmentalists are about as compatible as absinthe and warm milk, but it’s certainly interesting to see develops when they’re together. The Utah Kind Foundation, for example, recruited San Francisco’s Animal Liberation Orchestra (ALO—not to be confused with ELO), in support of its fight to preserve a 14-acre piece of property at the foot of Grandeur Peak. The jam-tastic trio will perform their brand of West Coast funk (James Brown meets Trey Anastasio) while attendees brainstorm ways to fight “The Man.” Egos, 668 S. State St, 9 p.m. Info: 521-5255.

Also Saturday: The Start, Paris TX (Kilby Court); Rezolution CD Release (Lo-Fi Café); Everclear (Velvet Room); The Last Vegas (Crazy Goat).

SUNDAY 11/21

THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES

Never has the Northeast sounded so East Coast. One listen to Seattle’s These Arms Are Snakes and you’ll swear they once shared a practice space with Fugazi. Then again, this post-hardcore quartet transcends logical limits of space and time (think At the Drive-In, whose Texas roots vanish through nonlinear sound). When lead vocalist Steve Snere spouts sporadic prose over angular guitars and short-circuit drums, he transfers the impact of lost opportunity. “You could have been fine, you could have made it. You could have licked the lips of God, but you chose the pavement,” Snere shouts on “Tracing Your Pearly Whites.” Lo-Fi Café, 127 S. West Temple, 6:30 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: 800-888-8499 (with Isis and Clifton).

MONDAY 11/22

WILCO

It’s comforting to hear that Wilco, a band famed for its combat with narrow-minded record executives and migraine-driven chemical dependency, is penning material for The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. The Chicago-based group’s involvement with a light-hearted cartoon compliments an ever-evolving aesthetic, one responsible for vaulting Jeff Tweedy and Co. over more straightforward alt-rock contemporaries. According to London’s Sunday Telegraph, these cats are “the world’s most exciting rock band.” Now if they could only get SpongeBob to open ... Kingsbury Hall, 200 S. 1350 East, 7 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: 581-7100 (with Calexico).

Also Monday: Yellowcard (McKay Events Center).

TUESDAY 11/23

THE FIXX

Four words: Catchy. Keyboard. Driven. Pop. Put them together and you’ve got The Fixx, an ’80s new wave group famous for Top 40 singles like “Saved by Zero” and “One Thing Leads to Another.” The band has apparently taken a cue from Nancy Sinatra with its newest single, “These Boots Are Made for Walking,” the video for which may or may not include footage of drugged-out go-go dancers. Unite all ye lovers of synthesizers and James Spader—this retro is for you. Velvet Room, 145 W. 200 South, 8:30 p.m. Tickets: 800-888-8499.

WEDNESDAY 11/24

SKINNY PUPPY

Ain’t It Dead Yet is a thrift-store score—the sort of album you might find lingering between copies of Kris Kristofferson (the Babs years) and Dion—due to some poor soul’s inability to recognize the genius of Skinny Puppy. In relaying a tradition set forth by Suicide and Cabaret Voltage, these industrial rock veterans figured into Trent Reznor’s nihilistic experimentations. The duo’s latest release combines elements of earlier material with vocals fashioned after Oghr’s solo project (which might also find a home at Savers). In the Venue, 579 W. 200 South, 8 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: 800-888-8499.

COMING UP

R.E.M. (E Center, Nov. 26). Yanni (Delta Center, Nov. 27). Clay Aiken (Abravanel Hall, Nov. 29). Jingle Ball: Hilary Duff, Simple Plan (Delta Center, Dec. 1). Jane Siberry (Mo Diggity’s, Dec. 2). Drowning Pool (Lo-Fi Café, Dec. 5). Edith Frost (Crazy Goat, Dec. 6). Dokken (Velvet Room, Dec. 6). Gwar (Lo-Fi Café, Dec. 7). Keith Urban (E Center, Dec. 7). Kurt Bestor Christmas (Abravanel Hall, Dec. 7-11). English Beat (Velvet Room, Dec. 10). I Can Lick Any Son of a Bitch In the House (Egos, Dec. 10).